The Family Video Archive Project

“Our own private YouTube for 1,400 home videos”

🎬 What It Is

• A digital archive of family videos spanning decades.

• Works like YouTube, but fully private and under our control.

• Accessible across devices, instantly searchable and organized.

🛠 How It Works

1. Spreadsheet as the Brain

   • A master Google Sheet tracks titles, dates, descriptions, and tags.

   • Every video is linked to its row in the sheet.

2. WordPress for Stories

   • Each video gets its own WordPress post.

   • Posts display title, description, date, and metadata beautifully.

3. Jellyfin for Playback

   • Open-source media server streams the videos.

   • Just like Netflix/YouTube — fast scrubbing, thumbnails, playlists.

4. Archive Sync Plugin (Custom Built)

   • Keeps everything in sync between spreadsheet ↔ WordPress ↔ Jellyfin.

   • Updates metadata, tags, and post status automatically.

📂 Features

• 1400+ home videos indexed and playable.

• Search by name, year, or tag (“Christmas”, “Graduation”, “Hidden”).

• Draft/private posts = auto-hidden in Jellyfin.

• Custom tags & genres to group family events.

• All metadata stored in one place → no duplicates, no manual edits.

🌟 Why It Matters

• Preservation: Videos live beyond tapes, DVDs, and hard drives.

• Accessibility: Everyone in the family can browse & watch.

• Legacy: A curated family history — organized, searchable, permanent.

• Control: No ads, no algorithms, no third-party platforms.

🔮 What’s Next

• Add photos alongside videos.

• Auto-generate highlight reels (birthdays, holidays).

• Build a family search portal: “Show me all videos with Grandma in 1995.”

• Train an AI to tag faces and events automatically.