Shooty* 4 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) Gents, Apologies if this comes across as a rant. It's probably about 50% rant. I've been using MB for ages. If memory serves, about as long as I've been a father, which is 9 and a bit years. I love it. I particularly love Chocolate, and the ability it gives me to get a fantastic view, like this: Plain. Uncluttered. Everything where you want it. Easy to see. Elegant. Unobtrusive. Perfect. I've recently become aware of Emby for Kodi. I've tried XBMC in the past and didn't like it, any more than I liked Plex: I find them unnecessary convoluted. Pretty, but lacking the simpllicity and functionality of Emby. Maybe I'm not using them right, but what I can do in 2 clicks in Emby take 4 or 5 in Kodi. And then you have hideous default options on the start screen, which don't take you where you want to go, don't seem to allow a mix of DVD and stand along files for TV programs, etc. So, to get to my question: Why does anyone use Kodi, with or without Emby? Am I missing something? Is there some amazing skin that puts Emby navigation to shame? Some view that rivals the splendour of the Poster view as above? Please, if I've missed something, do let me know, because for the life of me, I can't see why anyone would bother. Rant over. Cheers. Edit: It's possible that this should be in General Discussion. If so: Again, apologies. Also, I understand that some people will "just prefer" Kodi, for whatever reason. And I'm not dissing you. I just don't get it. Edited July 7, 2015 by Shooty* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidman 589 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Yea I don't think you are using it right;) sure the default settings may not suit your taste, but the amount of options and skin variations mean you can set it up exactly to your taste, for example with most skins it is very simple to have that same poster veiw for your movies 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooty* 4 Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 Really? All the ones I've seen have it scrunched into a 5 x 2 poster view taking up about 30% of the screen real estate? *sigh*OK, back to the drawing board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im85288 1493 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Really? All the ones I've seen have it scrunched into a 5 x 2 poster view taking up about 30% of the screen real estate? *sigh* OK, back to the drawing board. Can you name examples? Skins are really a personal thing, you may feel the view you posted is awesome and unbeatable in the Kodi world but I would disagree strongly and point you at the screenshots in my skin (see signature) and say they were far more beautiful. But neither of us is right or wrong, it's just personal opinions. You will need to tinker more with Kodi to get the best out of it, but there IMO lies its main power in that it is so customisable. Cheers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deihmos 147 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) The only reason I used WMC and MBC was because I got a cable card 3 years ago. If it wasn't for that I would have never ever used it. MBC is nice but playing videos in WMC is not and I just got tired of the crashes and other issued. There are many reasons why many people would prefer to use Kodi over WMC but they are too many to list. The only reason I can think why someone would use WMC is because it does live tv very well. That view I am sure can be replicated in many skins. Edited July 7, 2015 by Deihmos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBers 6771 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Yea I don't think you are using it right;) sure the default settings may not suit your taste, but the amount of options and skin variations mean you can set it up exactly to your taste, for example with most skins it is very simple to have that same poster veiw for your movies That's always been the problem with XBMC/Kodi, there are too many options. This is one reason why we should have a basic default skin for the Emby addon. I personally have never liked XBMC/Kodi as MediaBrowser/Emby was always so much easier to configure. I have been using the EforK addon on my Nexus Player and Fire TV purely for the direct play functionality. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im85288 1493 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 That's always been the problem with XBMC/Kodi, there are too many options. This is one reason why we should have a basic default skin for the Emby addon. I personally have never liked XBMC/Kodi as MediaBrowser/Emby was always so much easier to configure. I have been using the EforK addon on my Nexus Player and Fire TV purely for the direct play functionality. Interesting to here, in what way(s) was mediabrowser/Emby easier to configure? A basic skin IMO does not resolve that, unless your asking for a skin that auto populates the menu items with Emby ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBers 6771 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) There were, and still are, too many options in Kodi and the skins. There are far too many skins for a new user to choose from, so knowledge will be mainly down to word-of-mouth. I like your skin, but again there are far too many configurable options. I keep switching between your's and the Xperience1080 skin as I can't get anything I'm happy with. Admittedly there are a number of configurable options in the MBC themes (skins), but the Chocolate theme is fairly easy to configure. The Android TV design, is very simple but gives you everything you need, which is why we should have a basic EforK skin along similar lines. Not sure what you mean by "a skin that auto populates the menu items with Emby ones". . Edited July 7, 2015 by CBers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im85288 1493 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) I was referring to how some users split there movies/TV shows etc so thought that the fact you had to add it manually was part of your reasoning. The problem of users not knowing which skin to choose would not go away with a new Emby skin unless the complete Kodi build was tailored towards Emby...aka what Plex did with the old xbmc Edited July 7, 2015 by im85288 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBers 6771 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I was referring to how some users split there movies/TV shows etc so thought that the fact you had to add it manually was part of your reasoning. The problem of users not knowing which skin to choose would not go away with a new Emby skin unless the complete Kodi build was tailored towards Emby...aka Plex. No, all TV shows and Movies are grouped, so no need for separation. If there was a default Emby skin that mirrored the way other Emby clients displayed content (not the web client/Android app), then I doubt people would need to find another skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im85288 1493 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Again personal opinion, I can't think of any Emby client that I prefer the look off. I've seen roku, ftv, android, iOS, web so maybe I'm missing the one your referring too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badaas 139 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) try Maximinimalism skin by thedeadman for minimal http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=202912 I am going to start a skin based on emby web app,.. just give me a few weeks .. I did Plextra skin which is v basic mod, was going to port to kodi but.. time. http://forum.kodi.tv....php?tid=229069 Pellucid too is neat beta atm, thedeadman r0xz0rz =) Edited July 8, 2015 by badaas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deihmos 147 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I am curious to know what exactly do you mean by display content? I have used both MBC and MBT and they both look different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBers 6771 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Yes, personal opinion. When the EforK addon become the default player for Emby clients, perhaps we'll get an Emby skin Yes I know it'll never happen, but there is one client still in alpha testing 2 years after it was first announced 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianW 1052 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) A basic skin IMO does not resolve that, unless your asking for a skin that auto populates the menu items with Emby ones. Yes please. Try as I might, I just cannot get Kodi to have the same menu items as Emby for WMC. I do have multiple TV folders that I want to keep separate. And I also have nested folders that i want to view that way - drilling down: e.g. I have a top level "Movie Archive" collection containing multiple folders (Classics, Animation, etc). -I don't want those all rolling up into a single view. And I can't see how to get multiple users working in Kodi - my wife and I have totally different collections. Edited July 8, 2015 by AdrianW 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maleficarum 68 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 And I can't see how to get multiple users working in Kodi - my wife and I have totally different collections. I have seperate profiles in kodi for my girlfriend and I. As soon as you create a new profile and sign in the add on will go into the setup process and ask you which emby user you want to use for that profile. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reluctantflux 38 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Have you guys tried titan by Marcel? Its perfect for me and really displays the artwork. I personally liked the six tile, but use the vertical setup for WAF. Then it's poster wall for movies and thumb tiles or banners for TV. There's even a "modern" theme similar to 1080 skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badaas 139 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=229069 Pellucid too is neat beta atm, thedeadman r0xz0rz =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonmcroy 315 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I feel like I have tried a number of the different media players/servers out there over the past 3 years and I have always ended up going back to Emby as the server and Kodi as the player. I think it may come down to whether or not the person using the service likes the ability to configure the server or player well beyond what most basic users may want to do. If you just want "plug and play" type setup, there are plenty of basic setups you can have, but they come with limited customization. I like the fact that in Emby I can have my TV Shows listed first in the lineup, then my Bluray folder followed by DVD and Music. It's just a personal preference. I can't do that with Plex for example. It always shows my TV Shows last in the lineup view. Plus, with Emby you can use the Organize feature on the server to move my recorded TV Shows from the folder I have MCEBuddy dropping them into and it moves them to the correct TV Show folder by Show and season and I don't have to touch it anymore after it is all set up. I prefer Kodi as my player right now because I can easily fast forward and rewind using it as the media player. I tried Emby Classic in WMC but I don't like any of the views in the skins and i can't change them around very much and I can't fast forward my TV Shows when MCEBuddy fails to catch a commercial (doesn't happen too often but it's nice to be able to move through it when it does). Plus with Kodi I can set it easily to pass through the audio to my receiver for 5.1 surround sound and many other things I can configure the way I want it. However, I realize not everyone has these needs so something simpler would suffice. But honestly, even with my set up it only takes me like 5 minutes to set everything up in the times I have done a complete uninstall and reinstall. Now that Kodi is also available in the Google play store I can easily install it on my Nvidia Shield in the Living Room, my Nexus Player in the bedroom, my Samsung Tablet and setup the same skin on each device and everything just looks the same from device to device. I use Kodi now on the Android TV boxes in lieu of the Emby App because I personally think it performs better. I can't easily fast forward in the Emby App (if you have noticed, this is a big deal for me! lol ) The views for each skin in Kodi for viewing your media I find to be sufficient. In fact, I forget which skin it is, but the view you posted from WMC exists in at least 2 skins I have used at one time. Plus, I use Live TV a lot as well and I have an HDHomerun so I can play my channels through Kodi with their app. From what I have read on the forums I am apparently one of the lucky few that has a cable provider that doesn't DRM any of their channels except for the Premium ones like HBO, Showtime, etc. which I don't use anyway so I have no need for WMC as a TV Player/recorder. I use NextPVR for that and now I am testing HDHomerun's DVR Beta which is doing to be awesome once all the features are added in. Anyway, that is my two cents on the matter and why I use Kodi. -Jason 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14910 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 You need to update your version of EMC . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianW 1052 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 You need to update your version of EMC . EMC - is that the official abbreviation? I got so used to typing MBC it's hard to type "Emby for WMC" instead. I'm going to call it EMC from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidman 589 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Well ebr is the main developer of it so what ever he calls it I would say is official;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overseer 66 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I have seperate profiles in kodi for my girlfriend and I. As soon as you create a new profile and sign in the add on will go into the setup process and ask you which emby user you want to use for that profile. I wish that Kodi would pull the users directly from my Emby server instead of me having to create a profile and then associate said profile to Emby when I have the Emby for Kodi add-on running already. Plus why can't it use the user profile picture already on my Emby server? I like using Artic Zephyr and find it to be a really nice skin, but I find the whole thing a little complicated and overwhelming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelblue05 4130 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) I will work on a tutorial and add it to our wiki. It's really not that complicated to get set up, the trouble is knowing where to go to activate the setting. The terminology might be different. I can understand how it might be overwhelming, but the good news is you can achieve a tailored end product. The difference between Kodi and other players is that you can customize how you want to display content to a fine grain. When starting, the interface is fairly basic, you'll have Kodi's main sections: movies, tv shows, music (If you leave as is, you'd have all what qualifies as a "tvshows" showing under one menu item, etc.) With smart playlists, you can separate the main sections into smaller ones, by using smart playlist filters (genres, tags, the list goes on...) All that's left is to create a home menu/sub menu item that points to the smart playlist you created. You can also remove menus you don't need or relocate them. Then you can copy the skin template when creating any following profiles so all the major work is done and you can substract from it depending on the Emby user. This is my current setup. You can see others here: http://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/21578-share-you-kodi-setup/ Every main menu item is a smart playlist - based on my Emby library sections - where the display is adapted to the content (tv shows will display differently from movies, for example). Pic #5: My main menu "TV" is my Emby favorite tv shows, I keep the list relevant to shows I like to rewatch and shows that get new episodes every week. The sub menu "ALL TV" is my Emby user view TV, which contains all my Emby TV user view tv shows (not to confuse with Kodi's basic tv shows menu): http://imgur.com/a/YBp1g You just need to think of it this way, Kodi uses filters(smart playlist) to split your main categories into smaller, relevant to you sections. You just need to tell it which filters to use, and then stick the result on your home menu. I hope this helps understand! Honestly, the hardest part of Kodi is adding your content to the library and setting the scrapers, artwork. With Emby for Kodi combined with Emby server, it does all that for you automatically, so this saves you from a lot of complexity when setting up for the first time. All you end up needing to do is setting up how you want to display your content. Edited July 8, 2015 by Angelblue05 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepseth 10 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I wish that Kodi would pull the users directly from my Emby server instead of me having to create a profile and then associate said profile to Emby when I have the Emby for Kodi add-on running already. Plus why can't it use the user profile picture already on my Emby server? I like using Artic Zephyr and find it to be a really nice skin, but I find the whole thing a little complicated and overwhelming. The Kodi user management system has nothing to do with Emby. The Emby addon for Kodi pulls in library data from Emby for the current running Kodi user, thats it. It could be a nice feature for people who use Kodi with Emby exclusively to have the Emby setup override the Kodi user settings as well, create a whole bunch of new users and sync for all of them, but that might be outside the scope of what addons are able to do within Kodi. It should also be a toggle option (default off, IMO) as not everyone uses Kodi exclusively for Emby support. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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