Frames

Frames is a subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) style streaming platform for self-hosted personal media collections. It organizes movies and TV shows, fetches rich metadata and artwork, and streams MP4 files from local storage or cloud providers while offering playlists and synchronized GroupWatch sessions.

Key Features

• Stream MP4 media from local storage and cloud providers (Amazon S3, Dropbox, Google Drive and others)
• Modern React/Next.js UI with a visually focused dark theme and media discovery pages
• Backend built with NestJS and TypeScript, using PostgreSQL for storage and Redis for caching
• Automatic metadata and artwork ingestion from TMDB, Fanart and Apple artwork sources
• AI-powered recommendations using OpenAI embeddings (requires API key and vector storage)
• Advanced video player with subtitle support, AirPlay, picture-in-picture, download controls and seek thumbnails
• Playlists, public/private sharing, and admin controls for media metadata and permissions
• GroupWatch for synchronized viewing and in-session chat

Use Cases

• Host a private streaming library for personal or family use with centralized metadata and artwork
• Stream media stored across local drives and multiple cloud providers without copying files
• Run watch parties with synchronized playback and chat using GroupWatch

Limitations and Considerations

• Several integrations (TMDB, Fanart, OpenAI embeddings) require API keys for full functionality
• Transcoding is experimental (alpha) and currently only supports local media; feature is not production-stable
• Some casting functionality (Chromecast) is listed as coming soon and may be incomplete

Frames is suited for users who want a polished, self-hosted streaming UI with rich metadata and collaborative viewing features. It requires typical infrastructure components (PostgreSQL, Redis) and optionally API keys for enhanced metadata and AI recommendations.