Media Centers with Native AVIF Photo Support

As the AV1 Image File Format (AVIF) becomes standard for high-efficiency photo storage, traditional media center platforms have begun integrating compatibility for it. This article outlines the primary media center software packages capable of natively indexing, rendering, and browsing local AVIF photo libraries without the need for manual format conversions or third-party workarounds.

Kodi

Kodi provides full native decoding for local AVIF files in versions 20 (Nexus) and 21 (Omega). Because Kodi processes media locally through its internal media engines and updated FFmpeg dependencies, it reads, renders, and creates cached thumbnails for local AVIF files stored on internal drives, USB storage, or local network shares (SMB/NFS). Users do not need additional add-ons to browse AVIF files within Kodi's dedicated "Pictures" menu.

Jellyfin

Jellyfin supports AVIF files natively within its photo library framework. The Jellyfin server uses modern image backends (such as Skia) capable of extracting EXIF data and generating thumbnails directly from AVIF source files. When browsing local collections, Jellyfin serves the images to web clients and modern media apps. Display capability largely depends on whether the client device or browser natively supports AVIF, which almost all modern platforms now do.

Emby

Emby Server includes native support for AVIF within libraries configured for photos and home media. Emby's underlying image processing engine recognizes .avif extensions, indexes them alongside standard formats like JPEG and PNG, and creates downscaled preview caches. Local server administrators can point Emby directly at local folders containing AVIF archives to view them sequentially, launch slideshows, or review metadata.

Plex Media Server (Partial/Conditional)

While Plex Media Server can detect and serve image assets across networks, its native support for AVIF inside dedicated photo libraries remains limited compared to Kodi or Jellyfin. Plex Web can display AVIF if the host browser supports it, but server-side thumbnail generation and wide client-app compatibility for standalone local AVIF files remain inconsistent across non-web client applications (such as smart TVs or older streaming sticks).

Dedicated Alternative: Immich

While primarily classified as a self-hosted photo management system rather than an all-in-one media center like Kodi, Immich deserves mention for full native AVIF compatibility. Immich runs directly against local storage directories, automatically indexing AVIF files, generating high-performance previews, and utilizing machine learning for local facial and object recognition natively within the format.