diff --git a/.github/pull_request_template.md b/.github/pull_request_template.md
index dc93d2c84e..d6833ea2be 100644
--- a/.github/pull_request_template.md
+++ b/.github/pull_request_template.md
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 <!--
 Ensure your title is short, descriptive, and in the imperative mood (Fix X, Change Y, instead of Fixed X, Changed Y).
-For a good inspiration of what to write in commit messages and PRs please review https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit/ and our documentation.
+For a good inspiration of what to write in commit messages and PRs please review https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit/ and our https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/contributing/issues/ page.
 -->
 
 **Changes**
 <!-- Describe your changes here in 1-5 sentences. -->
 
+**Code assistance**
+<!-- If code assistance was used, describe how it contributed
+e.g., code generated by LLM, explanation of code base, debugging guidance. -->
+
 **Issues**
 <!-- Tag any issues that this PR solves here.
 ex. Fixes # -->
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/LibraryManager.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/LibraryManager.cs
index 6ed417c395..3691f4e19d 100644
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/LibraryManager.cs
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/LibraryManager.cs
@@ -2450,8 +2450,14 @@ namespace Emby.Server.Implementations.Library
             var outdated = forceUpdate
                 ? item.ImageInfos.Where(i => i.Path is not null).ToArray()
                 : item.ImageInfos.Where(ImageNeedsRefresh).ToArray();
-            // Skip image processing if current or live tv source
-            if (outdated.Length == 0 || item.SourceType != SourceType.Library)
+
+            var parentItem = item.GetParent();
+            var isLiveTvShow = item.SourceType != SourceType.Library &&
+                               parentItem is not null &&
+                               parentItem.SourceType != SourceType.Library; // not a channel
+
+            // Skip image processing if current or live tv show
+            if (outdated.Length == 0 || isLiveTvShow)
             {
                 RegisterItem(item);
                 return;
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/MediaSourceManager.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/MediaSourceManager.cs
index 4a520cad0d..c0e45ab6c7 100644
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/MediaSourceManager.cs
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/MediaSourceManager.cs
@@ -390,6 +390,12 @@ namespace Emby.Server.Implementations.Library
 
             if (user is not null)
             {
+                sources = sources
+                    .Where(source => !Guid.TryParse(source.Id, out var sourceId)
+                        || sourceId.Equals(item.Id)
+                        || _libraryManager.GetItemById<BaseItem>(sourceId, user) is not null)
+                    .ToArray();
+
                 foreach (var source in sources)
                 {
                     SetDefaultAudioAndSubtitleStreamIndices(item, source, user);
@@ -610,24 +616,32 @@ namespace Emby.Server.Implementations.Library
             }
         }
 
-        private static IEnumerable<MediaSourceInfo> SortMediaSources(IEnumerable<MediaSourceInfo> sources)
+        private static IEnumerable<MediaSourceInfo> SortMediaSources(IEnumerable<MediaSourceInfo> sources, Guid preferredItemId = default)
         {
-            return sources.OrderBy(i =>
-            {
-                if (i.VideoType.HasValue && i.VideoType.Value == VideoType.VideoFile)
+            // The source belonging to the queried item sorts first so it stays the default that gets played.
+            var preferredId = preferredItemId.IsEmpty()
+                ? null
+                : preferredItemId.ToString("N", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
+
+            return sources
+                .OrderByDescending(i => preferredId is not null && string.Equals(i.Id, preferredId, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                .ThenBy(i =>
                 {
-                    return 0;
-                }
+                    if (i.VideoType.HasValue && i.VideoType.Value == VideoType.VideoFile)
+                    {
+                        return 0;
+                    }
 
-                return 1;
-            }).ThenBy(i => i.Video3DFormat.HasValue ? 1 : 0)
-            .ThenByDescending(i =>
-            {
-                var stream = i.VideoStream;
+                    return 1;
+                })
+                .ThenBy(i => i.Video3DFormat.HasValue ? 1 : 0)
+                .ThenByDescending(i =>
+                {
+                    var stream = i.VideoStream;
 
-                return stream?.Width ?? 0;
-            })
-            .Where(i => i.Type != MediaSourceType.Placeholder);
+                    return stream?.Width ?? 0;
+                })
+                .Where(i => i.Type != MediaSourceType.Placeholder);
         }
 
         public async Task<Tuple<LiveStreamResponse, IDirectStreamProvider>> OpenLiveStreamInternal(LiveStreamRequest request, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/el.json b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/el.json
index d163a929a4..c0ad2c165a 100644
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/el.json
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/el.json
@@ -107,5 +107,6 @@
     "TaskExtractMediaSegmentsDescription": "Εξάγει ή βρίσκει τμήματα πολυμέσων από επεκτάσεις που χρησιμοποιούν το MediaSegment.",
     "CleanupUserDataTaskDescription": "Καθαρίζει όλα τα δεδομένα χρήστη (κατάσταση παρακολούθησης, κατάσταση αγαπημένων κ.λπ.) από πολυμέσα που δεν υπάρχουν πλέον για τουλάχιστον 90 ημέρες.",
     "CleanupUserDataTask": "Εργασία εκκαθάρισης δεδομένων χρήστη",
-    "LyricDownloadFailureFromForItem": "Αποτυχία λήψης στίχων από {0} για {1}"
+    "LyricDownloadFailureFromForItem": "Αποτυχία λήψης στίχων από {0} για {1}",
+    "Original": "Πρωτότυπο"
 }
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/sr.json b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/sr.json
index 56806e25c1..92f309c80c 100644
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/sr.json
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Localization/Core/sr.json
@@ -106,5 +106,7 @@
     "CleanupUserDataTask": "Задатак чишћења корисничких података",
     "CleanupUserDataTaskDescription": "Чисти све корисничке податке (напредак гледања, ознаке за омиљено...) медија који нису доступни 90 дана или дуже.",
     "TaskMoveTrickplayImages": "Промени локацију сличица за визуелно премотавање",
-    "TaskDownloadMissingLyricsDescription": "Преузми стихове песама"
+    "TaskDownloadMissingLyricsDescription": "Преузми стихове песама",
+    "LyricDownloadFailureFromForItem": "Није успело преузимање стихова са {0} за {1}",
+    "Original": "Изворно"
 }
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/ChapterImagesTask.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/ChapterImagesTask.cs
index f81309560e..f1e1579a1d 100644
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/ChapterImagesTask.cs
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/ChapterImagesTask.cs
@@ -92,7 +92,8 @@ public class ChapterImagesTask : IScheduledTask
                 EnableImages = false
             },
             SourceTypes = [SourceType.Library],
-            IsVirtualItem = false
+            IsVirtualItem = false,
+            IncludeOwnedItems = true
         })
         .OfType<Video>()
         .ToList();
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/MediaSegmentExtractionTask.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/MediaSegmentExtractionTask.cs
index 5e92808f78..9cc6eb265a 100644
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/MediaSegmentExtractionTask.cs
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/ScheduledTasks/Tasks/MediaSegmentExtractionTask.cs
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ public class MediaSegmentExtractionTask : IScheduledTask
             DtoOptions = new DtoOptions(true),
             SourceTypes = [SourceType.Library],
             Recursive = true,
+            IncludeOwnedItems = true,
             Limit = pagesize
         };
 
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs
index 9115227707..5f23f2fcee 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs
@@ -981,6 +981,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
             MediaTypes = mediaTypes,
             IsVirtualItem = false,
             CollapseBoxSetItems = false,
+            IncludeOwnedItems = true,
             EnableTotalRecordCount = enableTotalRecordCount,
             AncestorIds = ancestorIds,
             IncludeItemTypes = includeItemTypes,
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/MediaInfoController.cs b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/MediaInfoController.cs
index f22ac0b73a..ac7c091f85 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/MediaInfoController.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/MediaInfoController.cs
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ public class MediaInfoController : BaseJellyfinApiController
                     Request.HttpContext.GetNormalizedRemoteIP());
             }
 
-            _mediaInfoHelper.SortMediaSources(info, maxStreamingBitrate);
+            _mediaInfoHelper.SortMediaSources(info, maxStreamingBitrate, item.Id);
         }
 
         if (autoOpenLiveStream.Value)
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/UniversalAudioController.cs b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/UniversalAudioController.cs
index 2f5ed327c0..e53d15acfd 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/UniversalAudioController.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/UniversalAudioController.cs
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ public class UniversalAudioController : BaseJellyfinApiController
                 Request.HttpContext.GetNormalizedRemoteIP());
         }
 
-        _mediaInfoHelper.SortMediaSources(info, maxStreamingBitrate);
+        _mediaInfoHelper.SortMediaSources(info, maxStreamingBitrate, item.Id);
 
         foreach (var source in info.MediaSources)
         {
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Api/Helpers/MediaInfoHelper.cs b/Jellyfin.Api/Helpers/MediaInfoHelper.cs
index 454d3f08e3..ef81235808 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Api/Helpers/MediaInfoHelper.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Api/Helpers/MediaInfoHelper.cs
@@ -351,11 +351,20 @@ public class MediaInfoHelper
     /// </summary>
     /// <param name="result">Playback info response.</param>
     /// <param name="maxBitrate">Max bitrate.</param>
-    public void SortMediaSources(PlaybackInfoResponse result, long? maxBitrate)
+    /// <param name="preferredItemId">The id of the queried item, whose own media source must stay the default.</param>
+    public void SortMediaSources(PlaybackInfoResponse result, long? maxBitrate, Guid preferredItemId = default)
     {
         var originalList = result.MediaSources.ToList();
 
-        result.MediaSources = result.MediaSources.OrderBy(i =>
+        // The queried item's source carries the user's resume state for that version, so it must stay the
+        // default the client plays. An unfavorable bitrate means transcoding it, not switching to a sibling version.
+        var preferredId = preferredItemId.IsEmpty()
+            ? null
+            : preferredItemId.ToString("N", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
+
+        result.MediaSources = result.MediaSources
+            .OrderByDescending(i => preferredId is not null && string.Equals(i.Id, preferredId, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            .ThenBy(i =>
             {
                 // Nothing beats direct playing a file
                 if (i.SupportsDirectPlay && i.Protocol == MediaProtocol.File)
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/ItemPersistenceService.cs b/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/ItemPersistenceService.cs
index ffa5cff1f2..7c0cfe7c15 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/ItemPersistenceService.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/ItemPersistenceService.cs
@@ -557,9 +557,11 @@ public class ItemPersistenceService : IItemPersistenceService
                     }
                 }
 
+                // Deduplicate; local (file-based) relationships take priority over linked (user-merged)
+                // ones, matching the LinkedChildren migration.
                 newLinkedChildren = newLinkedChildren
                     .GroupBy(c => c.ChildId)
-                    .Select(g => g.Last())
+                    .Select(g => g.OrderBy(c => c.Type == LinkedChildType.LocalAlternateVersion ? 0 : 1).First())
                     .ToList();
 
                 var childIdsToCheck = newLinkedChildren.Select(c => c.ChildId).ToList();
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Server/Migrations/Routines/20260113120000_MigrateLinkedChildren.cs b/Jellyfin.Server/Migrations/Routines/20260113120000_MigrateLinkedChildren.cs
index 74f03f5107..c433c1d043 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Server/Migrations/Routines/20260113120000_MigrateLinkedChildren.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Server/Migrations/Routines/20260113120000_MigrateLinkedChildren.cs
@@ -223,6 +223,35 @@ internal class MigrateLinkedChildren : IDatabaseMigrationRoutine
 
                 toInsert = toInsert.Where(lc => existingChildIds.Contains(lc.ChildId)).ToList();
 
+                // Drop linked (user-merged) entries that point at items the parent owns (local
+                // file-based alternates or extras). These stem from legacy data that merged an
+                // owned item onto its own primary and would wrongly mark server-merged groups
+                // as user-merged (splittable).
+                var linkedChildIds = toInsert
+                    .Where(lc => lc.ChildType == LinkedChildType.LinkedAlternateVersion)
+                    .Select(lc => lc.ChildId)
+                    .Distinct()
+                    .ToList();
+
+                if (linkedChildIds.Count > 0)
+                {
+                    var ownerIdByChildId = context.BaseItems
+                        .WhereOneOrMany(linkedChildIds, b => b.Id)
+                        .Where(b => b.OwnerId.HasValue)
+                        .Select(b => new { b.Id, b.OwnerId })
+                        .ToDictionary(b => b.Id, b => b.OwnerId!.Value);
+
+                    var removedCount = toInsert.RemoveAll(lc =>
+                        lc.ChildType == LinkedChildType.LinkedAlternateVersion
+                        && ownerIdByChildId.TryGetValue(lc.ChildId, out var ownerId)
+                        && ownerId.Equals(lc.ParentId));
+
+                    if (removedCount > 0)
+                    {
+                        _logger.LogInformation("Skipped {Count} LinkedAlternateVersion records pointing at items owned by their parent.", removedCount);
+                    }
+                }
+
                 context.LinkedChildren.AddRange(toInsert);
                 context.SaveChanges();
 
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Providers/MediaInfo/SubtitleScheduledTask.cs b/MediaBrowser.Providers/MediaInfo/SubtitleScheduledTask.cs
index f1582febf2..1d3a273354 100644
--- a/MediaBrowser.Providers/MediaInfo/SubtitleScheduledTask.cs
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Providers/MediaInfo/SubtitleScheduledTask.cs
@@ -102,7 +102,8 @@ namespace MediaBrowser.Providers.MediaInfo
                         DtoOptions = new DtoOptions(true),
                         SourceTypes = new[] { SourceType.Library },
                         Parent = library,
-                        Recursive = true
+                        Recursive = true,
+                        IncludeOwnedItems = true
                     };
 
                     if (skipIfAudioTrackMatches)
diff --git a/src/Jellyfin.LiveTv/Guide/GuideManager.cs b/src/Jellyfin.LiveTv/Guide/GuideManager.cs
index 556516674b..c3cc70381e 100644
--- a/src/Jellyfin.LiveTv/Guide/GuideManager.cs
+++ b/src/Jellyfin.LiveTv/Guide/GuideManager.cs
@@ -448,14 +448,19 @@ public class GuideManager : IGuideManager
 
         item.Name = channelInfo.Name;
 
-        if (!item.HasImage(ImageType.Primary))
+        var currentPrimary = item.GetImageInfo(ImageType.Primary, 0);
+        var imageUrlIsNull = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(channelInfo.ImageUrl);
+
+        // Update channel image if image URL has changed
+        if (currentPrimary is null
+            || (!imageUrlIsNull && !string.Equals(currentPrimary.Path, channelInfo.ImageUrl, StringComparison.Ordinal)))
         {
             if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(channelInfo.ImagePath))
             {
                 item.SetImagePath(ImageType.Primary, channelInfo.ImagePath);
                 forceUpdate = true;
             }
-            else if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(channelInfo.ImageUrl))
+            else if (!imageUrlIsNull)
             {
                 item.SetImagePath(ImageType.Primary, channelInfo.ImageUrl);
                 forceUpdate = true;
diff --git a/src/Jellyfin.MediaEncoding.Hls/ScheduledTasks/KeyframeExtractionScheduledTask.cs b/src/Jellyfin.MediaEncoding.Hls/ScheduledTasks/KeyframeExtractionScheduledTask.cs
index fcf37f35d7..6d3ae56f56 100644
--- a/src/Jellyfin.MediaEncoding.Hls/ScheduledTasks/KeyframeExtractionScheduledTask.cs
+++ b/src/Jellyfin.MediaEncoding.Hls/ScheduledTasks/KeyframeExtractionScheduledTask.cs
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ public class KeyframeExtractionScheduledTask : IScheduledTask
             DtoOptions = new DtoOptions(true),
             SourceTypes = [SourceType.Library],
             Recursive = true,
+            IncludeOwnedItems = true,
             Limit = Pagesize
         };
 
diff --git a/tests/Jellyfin.Api.Tests/Helpers/MediaInfoHelperTests.cs b/tests/Jellyfin.Api.Tests/Helpers/MediaInfoHelperTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a003be4d96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Jellyfin.Api.Tests/Helpers/MediaInfoHelperTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+using System;
+using System.Globalization;
+using Jellyfin.Api.Helpers;
+using MediaBrowser.Common.Net;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Configuration;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Devices;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.MediaEncoding;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.Dto;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.MediaInfo;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+using Moq;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace Jellyfin.Api.Tests.Helpers
+{
+    public class MediaInfoHelperTests
+    {
+        private static MediaInfoHelper CreateHelper()
+        {
+            return new MediaInfoHelper(
+                Mock.Of<IUserManager>(),
+                Mock.Of<ILibraryManager>(),
+                Mock.Of<IMediaSourceManager>(),
+                Mock.Of<IMediaEncoder>(),
+                Mock.Of<IServerConfigurationManager>(),
+                Mock.Of<ILogger<MediaInfoHelper>>(),
+                Mock.Of<INetworkManager>(),
+                Mock.Of<IDeviceManager>());
+        }
+
+        private static MediaSourceInfo CreateSource(Guid itemId, int bitrate, bool supportsDirectPlay = true)
+        {
+            return new MediaSourceInfo
+            {
+                Id = itemId.ToString("N", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),
+                Protocol = MediaProtocol.File,
+                Bitrate = bitrate,
+                SupportsDirectPlay = supportsDirectPlay,
+                SupportsDirectStream = true,
+                SupportsTranscoding = true
+            };
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void SortMediaSources_PreferredItemExceedsBitrate_StaysDefault()
+        {
+            // The version the user was watching (the queried item) must stay the default
+            // even when a sibling version fits the bitrate limit better, since the resume
+            // position belongs to that exact version.
+            var preferredItemId = Guid.NewGuid();
+            var preferredSource = CreateSource(preferredItemId, bitrate: 80_000_000, supportsDirectPlay: false);
+            var siblingSource = CreateSource(Guid.NewGuid(), bitrate: 8_000_000);
+
+            var result = new PlaybackInfoResponse
+            {
+                MediaSources = [siblingSource, preferredSource]
+            };
+
+            CreateHelper().SortMediaSources(result, maxBitrate: 20_000_000, preferredItemId);
+
+            Assert.Equal(preferredSource.Id, result.MediaSources[0].Id);
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void SortMediaSources_NoPreferredItem_OrdersByPlayability()
+        {
+            var directPlay = CreateSource(Guid.NewGuid(), bitrate: 8_000_000);
+            var transcodeOnly = CreateSource(Guid.NewGuid(), bitrate: 8_000_000, supportsDirectPlay: false);
+            transcodeOnly.SupportsDirectStream = false;
+
+            var result = new PlaybackInfoResponse
+            {
+                MediaSources = [transcodeOnly, directPlay]
+            };
+
+            CreateHelper().SortMediaSources(result, maxBitrate: 20_000_000);
+
+            Assert.Equal(directPlay.Id, result.MediaSources[0].Id);
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void SortMediaSources_PreferredIdNotInSources_KeepsPlayabilityOrder()
+        {
+            var directPlay = CreateSource(Guid.NewGuid(), bitrate: 8_000_000);
+            var transcodeOnly = CreateSource(Guid.NewGuid(), bitrate: 8_000_000, supportsDirectPlay: false);
+            transcodeOnly.SupportsDirectStream = false;
+
+            var result = new PlaybackInfoResponse
+            {
+                MediaSources = [transcodeOnly, directPlay]
+            };
+
+            CreateHelper().SortMediaSources(result, maxBitrate: 20_000_000, Guid.NewGuid());
+
+            Assert.Equal(directPlay.Id, result.MediaSources[0].Id);
+        }
+    }
+}