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mhariush

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mhariush

I was really rooting for emby and I thought it was great. I was recommending it to everyone I knew, but making it pay to play content if unfortunate. I don't need fancy features like mobile streaming, make that a Premium feature but leave the theater to play content on the basic version.

 

Time to switch over to XMBC or Plex.

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I was really rooting for emby and I thought it was great. I was recommending it to everyone I knew, but making it pay to play content if unfortunate. I don't need fancy features like mobile streaming, make that a Premium feature but leave the theater to play content on the basic version.

 

Time to switch over to XMBC or Plex.

 

I'm with you.  I'm all for supporting developers (though I can't always afford to, working in the non-profit sector leave little space cash).

 

Thing is, a service should either be free with an optional premium level, or be all pay.  Making the service free then charging for a key app is scummy, just like "free" games that actually cost a fortune thanks to optional in-app purchases that are really not optional at all.  Pick one or the other, and never screw over users by using a new version of an app as an excuse to straddle the fence. You are now saying that Windows users of Emby need to pay a $40/yr subscription to make real use of your software as a home theater.  No happening.

 

Interesting trend in the industry.  Plex kills its Home Theater in favour of something inefficiency and with fewer features.  Emby and Pushbullet both want big money for things they used to offer free.  This limited-income consumer isn't falling for it.  You want $40/yr for your service, be honest about it.

 

PS - and no, I wouldn't pay any amount for your new app; I dislike that cumbersome "all about discovery" model that makes it harder to get to my own library.

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xnappo

PS - and no, I wouldn't pay any amount for your new app; I dislike that cumbersome "all about discovery" model that makes it harder to get to my own library.

 

FYI - as soon as skins are possible, I will be making one that is more along the lines of what you like.  I can't stand the 'Amazon/Netflix' type views thinking it knows what I want more than I do interfaces that have become so popular.  They are everywhere!

 

As to your other comments though - there are people working on this project as a full time job.  How are they supposed to eat if it is 100% free??  If this were not the case, the new ET wouldn't exist at all...

 

And it is free with an optional premium level.  You can use the server, the old ET client, the Roku client, the Kodi addon and more - for free.  Right now the new ET beta is a premium feature.

Edited by xnappo
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What a mess, I'm very disappointed the way you guys handled the upgrade to the new ET situation.

 

The portable version of the old ET shows an error every time you launch it. Why not let the old installation remain untouched until you have a completely functional new ET.

 

Please fix the old version or be prepared to loose a lot of clients.

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Deathsquirrel

What a mess, I'm very disappointed the way you guys handled the upgrade to the new ET situation.

 

The portable version of the old ET shows an error every time you launch it. Why not let the old installation remain untouched until you have a completely functional new ET.

 

Please fix the old version or be prepared to loose a lot of clients.

If you're seeing an issue with the old version start a topic on it and ask for some help.  See the how to report a problem thread first so you get the details.

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Deathsquirrel

The server app is free including the web browser which you can use to browse, edit metadata, and play media.  Some clients are free.  Some clients cost money.  This new client costing money hasn't taken anything away from anyone.  The old client is still there and if there is great developer community interest in building a a client equivalent to the new ET version that's free then they can certainly do so.

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SHSPVR
Deathsquirrel, on 16 Jan 2016 - 11:37 AM, said:

The server app is free including the web browser which you can use to browse, edit metadata, and play media.  Some clients are free.  Some clients cost money.  This new client costing money hasn't taken anything away from anyone.  The old client is still there and if there is great developer community interest in building a a client equivalent to the new ET version that's free then they can certainly do so.

That not the point as min people think it just reg update not know that premium feature is needed now becuases it in beta stage rigth ? (I saw some thing the other day about update and told it NO as I ready know), but later on it gose back to reg app plus add-on premium feature like the Emby server rigth ?, So why didn't all just wait in tell it was more 100% done for both side of coin.

If you drive user away in long run you end up losting new people coming here becuases that user just end up recommend some other product becuases it.

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That not the point as min people think it just reg update not know that premium feature is needed now becuases it in beta stage rigth ? (I saw some thing the other day about update and told it NO as I ready know), but later on it gose back to reg app plus add-on premium feature like the Emby server rigth ?, So why didn't all just wait in tell it was more 100% done for both side of coin.

If you drive user away in long run you end up losting new people coming here becuases that user just end up recommend some other product becuases it.

 

This is going to be corrected to provide more in-app information.

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That not the point as min people think it just reg update not know that premium feature is needed now becuases it in beta stage rigth ? (I saw some thing the other day about update and told it NO as I ready know), but later on it gose back to reg app plus add-on premium feature like the Emby server rigth ?, So why didn't all just wait in tell it was more 100% done for both side of coin.

If you drive user away in long run you end up losting new people coming here becuases that user just end up recommend some other product becuases it.

 

I've published an update to the old app. It will let people know that they can use the old version forever, and where they can download both the new and old versions, and it mentions the Premiere requirement for the new app. Thanks to your feedback I think others who see the message for the first time will have a better experience.

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SHSPVR
Luke, on 16 Jan 2016 - 12:53 PM, said:Luke, on 16 Jan 2016 - 12:53 PM, said:

I've published an update to the old app. It will let people know that they can use the old version forever, and where they can download both the new and old versions, and it mentions the Premiere requirement for the new app. Thanks to your feedback I think others who see the message for the first time will have a better experience.

 

I know that Luke but nowhere dose say any mentions that Premiere is requirement I just hit cancel button I don't want update in you have it done

569a971349b02_bata.jpg

Edited by SHSPVR
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I know that Luke but nowhere dose say any mentions that Premiere is requirement I just hit cancel button I don't want update in you have it done

569a971349b02_bata.jpg

 

It's too late for you. For people who haven't gotten the update yet, they'll see a different dialog. Update the app in the top right and you should see the new dialog.

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It is permanently free and that will never change.

Can we count on that!?

 

It's fun, not long ago you promised that the new Emby T would remain free. You have been utterly untrustworthy about the launch date and now also about the price. You can be sure that you hereby have lost yet another "customer"

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Can we count on that!?

 

It's fun, not long ago you promised that the new Emby T would remain free. You have been utterly untrustworthy about the launch date and now also about the price. You can be sure that you hereby have lost yet another "customer"

 

Yes you can count on the old version remaining free forever. I am sorry about the new version not being free but we spent literally the entire calendar year working on it. It was truly a massive effort and one that is just too costly to make completely free. As far as Theater goes, to be honest, I don't recall ever being asked if the new app would be free or not. Sometimes unexpected delays happen. It's not being untrustworthy it's just reality. In the summer we launched built-in live tv support. We did not anticipate the level of popularity that that feature would reach and it forced us to shift a number of priorities around in order to accommodate it. That feature alone set everything else back by a couple months. So again I apologize but sometimes things take longer than anticipated.

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Yes you can count on the old version remaining free forever. I am sorry about the new version not being free but we spent literally the entire calendar year working on it. It was truly a massive effort and one that is just too costly to make completely free. As far as Theater goes, to be honest, I don't recall ever being asked if the new app would be free or not. Sometimes unexpected delays happen. It's not being untrustworthy it's just reality. In the summer we launched built-in live tv support. We did not anticipate the level of popularity that that feature would reach and it forced us to shift a number of priorities around in order to accommodate it. That feature alone set everything else back by a couple months. So again I apologize but sometimes things take longer than anticipated.

It's perfectly okay it's taken a long time to finish ET. The problem is that you have been utterly untrustworthy in my eyes. I will not teach you communication or leadership, but the way you've handled the pressure is not good enough in my eyes.

 

I will not spend hours searching for your statement in which you stated that the new version would remain free. It is not the $ 99.99 that is the problem. Again, it is the way. Perhaps I return, therefore, I wish you the best of luck with your project. Thanks for now.

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It's perfectly okay it's taken a long time to finish ET. The problem is that you have been utterly untrustworthy in my eyes. I will not teach you communication or leadership, but the way you've handled the pressure is not good enough in my eyes.

 

I will not spend hours searching for your statement in which you stated that the new version would remain free. It is not the $ 99.99 that is the problem. Again, it is the way. Perhaps I return, therefore, I wish you the best of luck with your project. Thanks for now.

 

Truthfully I think when it comes to Theater I said very little to be honest. iOS was the same way. The only time I ever answered questions on the upcoming releases was when we were under intense community pressure to at least say something. I apologize that we can't give out every detail in advance because doing so puts us at a competitive disadvantage. We were definitely quiet but I don't think we were dishonest.

 

I know you had a lot of concerns over the ios release but it was a complicated situation with the previous app owned by a third party developer. Yes I acknowledge that for a while I kept saying "soon" on iOS, but that was before we realized that the third party developer was not coming back. Then we realized the developer was no longer going to support it and we had to start from the beginning - that might have made all of my previous comments of "soon" appear to be dishonest, and for that I apologize. Once that happened we worked pretty tirelessly to get a new app out.

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Ian-Highlander

I don't have a major objection in principal to "donating" to Emby, when I'm able to, as I use it a lot. However currently finances don't allow that.

 

I had been waiting patiently for the new Emby Theater ro see if it was suitable to replace EMC or not, but given it's been made premier only even in effectively alpha stage I guess that's not happening.

 

I will not be using Emby Theatre unless I can thoroughly test every single bit of its functionality (including full play back of everything) before buying it and replacing my two EMC machines with it. I'm afraid I think effectively asking people to alpha test your app for you but only if they pay for the privilege really is quite a low blow. I get the effort involved, really I do, I work in support for a software development company and understand the whole life cycle and efforts involved. But paying to alpha test something really isn't on.

 

Why not issue a time limited alpha/beta instead so people can actually try the product out and decide if it's for them or not and if it's worth paying for or not?

 

I suspect you may lose quite a few future "customers" with this move, but I'm not going to try and tell you how to run your business. I'll continue to use the excellent server and EMC combination as I do now and if/when my finances improve I may even donate because of the amount I use it. But I won't be forced to by anyone, not in a market where there are a load of other options that are free.

 

Just my two pennerth, no offence intended at all and as I say, not trying to tell you how to run your "business". Good luck with it, I genuinely hope it goes well for you.

Edited by Ian-Highlander
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SHSPVR

It's too late for you. For people who haven't gotten the update yet, they'll see a different dialog. Update the app in the top right and you should see the new dialog.

Ok

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I don't have a major objection in principal to "donating" to Emby, when I'm able to, as I use it a lot. However currently finances don't allow that.

 

I had been waiting patiently for the new Emby Theater ro see if it was suitable to replace EMC or not, but given it's been made premier only even in effectively alpha stage I guess that's not happening.

 

I will not be using Emby Theatre unless I can thoroughly test every single bit of its functionality (including full play back of everything) before buying it and replacing my two EMC machines with it. I'm afraid I think effectively asking people to alpha test your app for you but only if they pay for the privilege really is quite a low blow. I get the effort involved, really I do, I work in support for a software development company and understand the whole life cycle and efforts involved. But paying to alpha test something really isn't on.

 

Why not issue a time limited alpha/beta instead so people can actually try the product out and decide if it's for them or not and if it's worth paying for or not?

 

I suspect you may lose quite a few future "customers" with this move, but I'm not going to try and tell you how to run your business. I'll continue to use the excellent server and EMC combination as I do now and if/when my finances improve I may even donate because of the amount I use it. But I won't be forced to by anyone, not in a market where there are a load of other options that are free.

 

Just my two pennerth, no offence intended at all and as I say, not trying to tell you how to run your "business". Good luck with it, I genuinely hope it goes well for you.

 

We will definitely be adding a way to try everything, so please keep an eye on it.

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Deathsquirrel

I suspect you may lose quite a few future "customers" with this move, but I'm not going to try and tell you how to run your business. I'll continue to use the excellent server and EMC combination as I do now and if/when my finances improve I may even donate because of the amount I use it. But I won't be forced to by anyone, not in a market where there are a load of other options that are free.

 

Just my two pennerth, no offence intended at all and as I say, not trying to tell you how to run your "business". Good luck with it, I genuinely hope it goes well for you.

 

I'm pretty sure they will lose zero customers.  Sorry, but people that aren't paying aren't customers.  That doesn't make them valuable, doesn't make them not part of the user community, and is not intended to say they are bad in any way...but they aren't customers.  Customers buy things.

 

I'm just a poster in the community so I don't have any insight into how things are run, but it seems pretty natural that building value for their premiere users is going to be a significant motivation given their licensing model.  I worked for a company that had an open source version of their client app and a pro version with central administration.  We were contractually obligated to release the client app as an open source product, including any improvements we made, as long as we were using the core licensed tech at the heart of the product line.  I assure you, we did everything we could to enhance the admin components because that's how we got paid ;)

 

@@Luke several of the other clients that are free with premiere can also be purchased independently for users that want that client but don't use premiere.  The Android TV app for example is free with premiere or  you can pay a few bucks for just that client.  Perhaps that model could be adopted here. 

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Ian-Highlander

they aren't customers.  Customers buy things.

When Emby accepted "donations" for support they weren't customers. The minute it became a premier service that is required in order to get certain products, they're customers, by definition and on that we're going to have to agree to disagree if you don't agree with that statement. I'm afraid I'm far too old and laid back to argue with anyone over the internet, there's far more important things to worry about in life :)

 

I also stated very clearly "future customers" ;)

 

As I said, I have no objection to how they run their business, it's their business they can do what they like with it of course. I think expecting people to pay to be an alpha tester is inherently wrong and I've said so, but I'm not trying to stir up trouble, I'm just stating my opinion on a message board just as others will have their own opinions.

 

Luke has already responded saying there will be a fully functional version available in one form or another in order for people who want to test it with a view to buy to be able to, that answers my main issue with it straight away as I'm not paying for a product to replace EMC on two machines unless I can THOROUGHLY test it first :)

Edited by Ian-Highlander
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This app isn't alpha, in fact, it's much further along than even beta. It's limitations are primarily due to features that are not yet available, but what is there is generally more stable and polished then the previous app (again, not counting things that are missing that are on the way).

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Ian-Highlander

I know you all have been waiting for it, so we're going to make this available to our loyal Emby Premiere users. Although we're not ready to call it beta yet, it's closer to beta than alpha.

As I say, not trying to cause an argument or trouble, I have much better things to do with my life, however my "assumption" was based on your statement from above which clearly says it's not yet a beta therefore by definition still an alpha. I do hear what you say about the quality it's at and from the quick play I had with it before I realised I couldn't actually play anything and uninstalled it again I agree, it's looking very polished.

 

Give me a way to test it (time limited by all means) thoroughly and I promise you if it fits my needs I will "purchase" the membership required for it. Hows that for proving I'm not out for trouble?

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You are not out for trouble :) Many times we have started something in one direction and then adjusted based on your feedback, and we will always continue to do that, including now.

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