Emby

Media Browser for Chromecast updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Those of you enjoying Chromecast with the web client have been treated to a new update. Here's what's new:

Support for WebP Images

The recent server release introduced support for WebP image output, which allows as much as a 34% reduction in file sizes over the same quality as JPG and PNG. The Chromecast receiver is now using this to improve the speed of downloading and displaying images.

Logo on the Pause Screen

Now when you pause your movies you'll enjoy the logo in the upper left corner just as you normally do on the detail screen.

Progress Bar on Detail Screen

The poster on the detail screen will now display your progress so that you can get an idea of where you'll start from if you're resuming.

Please note you'll need to reboot your receiver device in order to see the changes. Enjoy, and look for Android and iOS to take advantage of the new Chromecast receiver soon.

Help translate Media Browser

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 04:00:00 +0000

As many of you know we are working hard to localize Media Browser so that it can be displayed in your native language.

Many have volunteered to help translate and we thank you for that. If you'd like to see Media Browser in your language, please drop us a line and we'll set you up to help translate.

Media Browser Theater Preview 2: Home Screen and Item Details

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 00:15:00 +0000

After much delay, here is the 2nd preview of the work being done behind the scenes on Media Browser Theater. In this post, we'll be showing the new home screen and item detail page.

Home
The new home page now contains all home page sections on one continous smooth-scrolling page. You can scroll straight from one section on to the next, or use the shortcuts at the top to skip to a section, or use home/end to navigate to the begining or end of the screen.

Item Details
The new item details page differs quite significantly from the current release. Like the home page, all content can be found on a single continuous page.

The new item details page is designed to surface the content and actions that you are most likely to take, and present them to you without requiring that you dive through multiple menus to get there.

Join the Team

Media Browser Theater is built with c#, WPF, and other .NET technologies. If you have experience with any of these please drop us a line. We can find a place for anyone who would like to contribute.

Media Browser Chrome Companion 1.5

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 03:50:00 +0000

Add Videos from the Web to your Media Browser Server!

The latest update to Media Browser Chrome Companion includes the ability to add your favorite web videos to Media Browser. This new functionality requires that you have the Video Bookmarks plugin installed on your Media Browser server.

Navigate to the video source page (on Youtube, Vimeo, etc.). Click on the Chrome Companion plugin
Click the Find Videos tab (video icon on the bottom right).
Click the plus symbol.
Put in a name for your video (and an image URL if you wish.)
The video will now be available in Media Browser’s Video Bookmark Channel.

For more information about the full array of features in Media Browser Chrome Companion, click here.

To download the Chrome Companion from the Google store click here.

TuneIn Channel Update

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:39:37 +0000

I have just pushed a large update to the TuneIn Channel Plugin

The plugin now supports

Presets
Location Support (LatLon)
We are now a partner with TuneIn

Media Browser for Win8.1 app updated to v.2.1.1

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 11:15:52 +0000

Windows 8.1 store app Version 2.1.1 has been released.

Once again the Win8.1 app gets a refreshing update,
this time it's a couple of new features, usch as support for Photos and Movie specials, but also a lot of "under the hood" changes with improved playback and security amongst others.

The new features are.

Support for user -views.
The static main menu has been replaced with the users configured views
Support for Photos, you can now watch your pictures in your favorite app.
Support for Movie specials,
Grouping of "new episodes" into shows to give a better overview
Added option to disable backdrop-images

Bugfixes:
MCE does not have initial focus on MainPage
TV Shows Have Thumb w ClearArt Overlaid
ffmpeg.exe does not terminate when stopping a Movie

Check out the latest version:
https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

Windows Phone App Gets Minor Update

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:21:47 +0000

I know, I know, it's been a while since the app last got updated, I apologise for this. I also apologise that this is mostly a minor update too, but it's still quite an important one.

So what's changed? For the most part, this update is all about bringing the app up to speed with all the recent under the hood changes that have been going on with the Media Browser server, making sure it's ready for some future updates to the server itself.

That's not to say those are the only changes, there have been various bug fixes and enhancements done that will improve your browsing experience, as well as your streaming experience (no, not a change of bitrate, yet). A full list of which can be found here.

Now, I know this blog post is about the release just gone out, but I just wanted to take a moment to give an idea of the roadmap for the next release and what that will include. Basically: Server Playlists, Channels, ability to change the bitrate of videos, and a few other things.

In the meantime, the update (8.0.62.0) should be appearing in the store shortly.

NOTE: This update will require to sign back in again, the server details you had previously will be there, you just need to authenticate with the server again.

Smart Player for Media Browser : A Few Changes

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 12:16:57 +0000

New Name
To reduce confusion it was suggested that the name of this app change to allow it to have more of an individual identity and help remove any confusion in regards to other apps with similar names and platforms.

The new name is : Smart Player for Media Browser

New Version (1.2.0.12)
The new version adds some basic features that were missing.

Changes
- New name (Smart Player for Media Browser)
- Audio and subtitle selection
- Start playback in full screen mode added to settings
- Tile notification for new and unplayed items
- On first run show server settings
- Bug fix for incorrect audio codec name

New Price : $1.99
There is now a cost in the app store for the app of $1.99. There is a fully functional 2 week trial of the app available so users can test it before purchasing.

The app is still open source with the full source available in GitHub.

Get the app
https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/app/media-browser-player/53db60e4-8885-46f6-95d9-cdafb3cd9480

Original Blog
https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-101-introducing-media-browser-player-win-81-app/

Discussion Thread
https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/9743-smart-player-for-media-browser-win-81-store-app/

CoverArt and Intros now free for supporters

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 00:44:00 +0000

Now get two of the most popular server plug-ins free by becoming a Media Browser Supporter (Help/Donate from the server dashboard).

CoverArt - Dress up your MB experience with a wide range of customizable cover treatments for your posters and image overlays for resolution, audio, subtitles and more.

MB Intros - Create that true cinema experience with highly customizable intros before movie playback in both MBC and MBT. Add current trailers, trailers from your collection, audio/video intros, gag reels, trivia or whatever you wish all based on the metadata of the movie being played.

If you've been on the fence about supporting the Media Browser core team, there's no better time to take the plunge!

Media Browser 3.0.5366 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 04:00:00 +0000

A new server release is available which features significant improvements to our transcoder in terms of performance, reliability and features. Without much further ado, here are the highlights:

Improved reliability and quality of video transcoding
A new transcoding throttling feature which can dramatically reduce cpu usage in certain situations
Improved support for Advanced SubStation Alpha and SRT subtitles
Improved DLNA reliability
Added DLNA special folders
Added resume progress bars with DLNA images
Support webp image output for faster browsing
Support for additional photo metadata
Support for album disc sub-folders
Display mirror setting now remembered
Added an option to save metadata and images as hidden files
Added an option to control when chapter images are extracted

New Transcoding Features

Our transcoding has improved significantly. Not only is it faster and more reliable than ever, but it will also throttle itself when it gets far enough ahead of the player. Let's take a look at how that works. Simply start playing something and monitor the cpu usage from ffmpeg:

As you can see it starts out pretty high, but depending on the content being played the transcoder may be able to move at a faster rate than you're actually watching. Let's monitor that from the server dashboard:

As you can see the transcoder position (in red), is a few minutes ahead of your current position. Media Browser Server is able to identify this and throttle the transcoder in order to reduce cpu usage:

The throttling is smart and will speed up and slow down as needed in order to maintain smooth playback. Now the reduced load on your server will allow more devices to stream simultaneously without putting too much pressure on your system.

But these are not the only transcoding improvements. Our handling of SRT and Advanced SubStation Alpha subtitles has improved and is now more efficient and reliable than ever.

Improved DLNA Support

This release also brings a number of DLNA enhancements. For starters, device compatibility has increased significantly thanks to pull requests submitted by 7Illusions.

In addition, we now display special folders throughout your library. Click into your TV, Movie, or Music sections and you'll see some nice categories like Resume, Next Up, Latest, Favorites, etc.

In addition, you'll now see progress bars for titles that can be resumed, just like you're accustomed to with our other apps:

WebP Image Output Support

This is a technology feature for the developers. WebP is an open source image format designed by Google that achieves as much as a 34% reduction in file size from JPG/PNG at the same level of quality. This is going to allow faster browsing with apps that are capable of supporting them.

Look for WebP support soon in the following apps:

Web Client with Chrome and Chrome Android browsers
All Android apps
Chromecast

New Photo Metadata Support

With this release we are now capturing more robust photo metadata, with stats such as Aperture, Shutter Speed, Latitude, Longitude, and a long list of others. This is only the beginning of our photo revamp and you can expect robust filtering as well as slideshows and galleries in future updates.

Album Disc Sub-Folder Support

A long requested feature, we now support numbered disc sub-folders. Please see the music section of the knowledge base for details:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/674-media-files-folders-structure/?p=21480

Join the Media Browser Team

As always, we're looking to grow the team with new developers, testers, designers, or any skill set you bring that you feel can help us. In particular we are looking for more Android and iOS developers to help bring us onto new devices and form factors that are rapidly becoming popular, such as living room set top boxes and wearables. Drop us a line!

Media Browser for Roku 1.5.5 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 04:00:00 +0000

While we wait for our new public channel to be approved, the private beta channel has been updated.

https://owner.roku.c...ediaBrowserBeta

Home screen layout now utilizes your user preferences from the web client, displaying the structure you've already configured.
Resolves issues when seeking via remote control apps.
Play All supported for music albums and playlists - just focus it and hit play on the remote.
The app now accepts remote control commands to play entire playlists, music artists, music genres and music albums.
Photo support has been added.

Instructions for Now TV users:

emby....wser-on-now-tv/

Remember this is the only Roku Channel that officially represents the Media Browser project.

Introducing Media Browser Player : Win 8.1 App

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 02:12:00 +0000

I have been very impressed with the Media Browser web interface, it is simple but at the same time fully functional with all browsing and management functions at your fingertips.

I wanted to use the web interface for my daily use on my Surface RT and Windows 8.1 laptop but the web browser playback experience was very poor with limited functionality and stability. What I wanted was the web interface but with a solid streaming playback solution.

What I came up with was a new simple player that integrates with the default web interface and automatically intercepts play commands to play the result in its own player.

When started the client loads the main Media Browser web interface and auto sets the Remote to control the local instance of the applications streaming player, this mean all play commands are now sent to the local custom player.

Play actions including resumes are now sent to the "Media Browser Player" which is waiting for these actions.

When the playback starts the new player pops up.

The player interface has a lot of information, to hide the info just tap the video and it will go full screen.

I have tried to include as much of the streaming transcode information as possible, this information can help you diagnose problems, for example if you are experiencing a lot of buffering it could be due to the speed of the transcode not keeping up or it could be that your wifi is not able to keep up. Both of these can be diagnosed with this interface.

Finally I wanted as much control over the streaming setting as I could get so I added whatever I could find to the streaming settings.

While this is not everything it is enough to get you started with experimenting with different streaming settings in your environment.

This app is not for everyone, it is more for the people what want a better streaming playback experiences than the default web interface can supply but still want the the flexibility and power of the default web interface.

Grab it form the app store now

https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/app/media-browser-player/53db60e4-8885-46f6-95d9-cdafb3cd9480

Feedback is greatly appreciated, please use the following forum thread:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/9743-media-browser-player-win-81-store-app/

iPad Client Update: v1.1.3

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 02:55:45 +0000

This is a big update that includes user requested features and bug fixes.

Features:
- Audio Track Picker support.
- Subtitle support.
- DLNA Remote support.
- Direct Stream for supported files.
- Completely revamped video player.
- Motion effects to background images in the detail page.

Bug fixes:
- Loading spinner bug in player.
- Player seek accuracy improved.
- Add server issue with http prefix
- and more.

Stay tuned for future updates.

The following requests from the user voice has been completed in this update. https://mbios.uservoice.com

Show current runtime not just time that is left
Switch between audio track
Add subtitle support.
Allow media to be resumed
Hide unaired/missing episodes
Rotten Tomatoes ratings
ISO support for bd rips
DLNA Control
Ios App no show up in Active Devices
Host/IP Address box is limited to displaying ~23 characters

Media Detail:

Video Player:

Introducing the new Chromecast for Media Browser

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 04:00:00 +0000

We're please to announce revamped Chromecast support. This is currently featured in the web client and will soon be making it's way to Android, iPhone and iPad. Let's go through how it works and you'll see how easy it is.

You'll start by clicking the remote control icon you've come to know and love.

Upon doing so, the Chromecast extension will appear and allow you to select the Chromecast receiver you'd like to cast to.

Once the connection is established, you'll see the player icon light up in the top right-hand corner.

In addition, you'll see a friendly welcome screen on your TV:

Now you can send content to Chromecast just like you would any other device. Let's go through some examples of that. Let's play a movie. First, we're going to go back and enable the optional mirror mode function, so that everyone in the room can see the the movie information before starting playback.

Now let's go view The Avengers in the browser. Voila, it also shows up on the TV. Wait, is this Media Browser Theater? No, it's Chromecast!

Now click play in the browser, and you'll be treated to a wonderful interface on-screen to control the content:

Music looks great too:

Subtitles (Look, no transcoding!)

Our subtitle text delivery system that you've seen in other clients is also featured in Chromecast. We do everything possible to avoid transcoding, and text-based delivery of subtitles via WebVTT is one of many techniques we use to make playback as efficient as possible.

Supports Intros

If you use the Intros plugin, this is now supported bringing the cinema experience to Chromecast.

Supports Channels & Live TV

Title says it all. Now you can stream online content and the evening news directly to Chromecast!

What other ways can I play?

You can do everything the web client can do.

Play a full Season or Series - Play, Shuffle

Albums - Play, Queue, Shuffle, Instant Mix, Play all from Here, Queue all from Here

Songs - Play, Queue, Shuffle, Instant Mix, Play all from Here, Queue all from Here

Music Genres - Play, Shuffle, Instant Mix, Queue

Music Artists - Play, Shuffle, Instant Mix, Queue

Playlists - Play, Shuffle, Play all from Here, Queue all from Here, Queue

Expect our Chromecast features to continue to evolve in the coming weeks. Tells us how you use it and help shape the direction in which we take it. Enjoy!

Looking for New Contributors

Would you like to help with our future Chromecast development? We are looking for skilled html5/javascript developers. We are also looking for Java/Android developers for some other upcoming projects. Get in touch!

SVT Play for Media Browser released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 21:07:00 +0000

Now you can watch Swedish public service in Media Browser.
Just install the channel and browse away.
Watch news, documentaries, movies, tv-series etc..

Hope you like it

Media Browser 3.0.5347 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 04:00:00 +0000

We're releasing a follow-up to the previous release to address a Samsung DLNA issue that crept up on us. But we also managed to squeeze in a few more goodies.

Chromecast 2.0 in the Web Client

I think the title says it all, but now you can send media to your Chromecast using the web interface. A separate blog post will be coming with full details and a walk-through. In addition, our Chromecast look and feel has been revamped. Look for the Android and iOS apps to incorporate this soon as well.

Easy ordering of your views

Now there is no more messing with sort orders. Just click the arrows to re-order your views.

Play All from here / Queue All from here

We've added more functions to make multi-item playback as easy as possible. Note that not every screen has these functions yet, but they'll be added gradually to the entire web client in future releases.

+

Looking for New Contributors

Would you like to help with our future Chromecast development? We are looking for skilled html5/javascript developers. We are also looking for Java/Android developers for some other upcoming projects. Get in touch!

Windows 8.1 App 2.0 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 18:58:00 +0000

The wait is over, the new version of Media Browser for Windows 8.1 is here.

https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

Even though the app has a lot of cosmetic improvements such as rotating backdrops, more artwork used etc etc, the biggest changes are under the hood. Playback is vastly improved and performance is even better.

Here's a list of the biggest changes

Playback

Support for HLS streams, providing a more reliable transcoding solution with less playback errors.
Support for external subtitles without transcoding
New player look and feel

Features

Channels are now supported. Just enable some channels on the server and enjoy them on your windows 8.1 device.
Playlists are now supported, just go into the music hub and you'll find them.
Multiple backdrops. The app now use all the backdrops that you have for your items and fades nicely between them
Fewer buttons, the resume button is gone and replaced with a flyout. Just hit play, if the playable item can resume the options will be shown
The change user option has moved up to the top left corner of the main screen

Languages

Two more languages have been added, Spanish and Kazakh

Announcing nuVue for Media Browser

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 04:00:00 +0000

nuVue is pleased to announce support for Media Browser

https://play.google....ignstudio.nuvue

nuVue is a companion app for Media Browser users that displays rich notifications when new items are added. There is nothing additional to install on your Media Browser server. Just sign in with your credentials and nuVue does the rest.

Know when there is something new to watch without opening a client app
Perfect for cord-cutters who use automated downloads
Group notifications and listings by media type
Group notifications and listings by server
Group all recent items into a single notification and list
Full support for Android Wear notifications
Automatic server discovery
Advanced filtering for libraries and TV series
Automatically handles both local and remote connections
Easy setup--just sign into your Media Browser server and go

Be sure and join the Google community to read about future development, and submit bug reports and feature requests:
https://plus.google....631692310173087

Media Browser Server 3.0.5340 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Give me my playlists!

With this new release we've added the ability to create playlists in the web client, but it also brings some other improvements and fixes. Here's the rundown:

Create playlists in the web client
Improved DLNA compatibility and image support
Increased server localization
Chrome will now direct stream compatible mkv's
New People metadata settings
New channel downloading settings
New folder view setting
New local password setting

There are also some new features for developers:

TTML subtitle output
VTT segmentation within m3u8 playlists

And a few important fixes:

Fixed open subtitle password issue (Windows users will need to reconfigure their passwords)
Fixed auto-organize not running on a schedule
Live TV recording paths not updating

Playlists

The highlight of this release is the ability to create playlists from the web client. In the coming weeks you'll see this feature rolled out to all of our clients. How do you create a playlist? Easy!

Right click any song, album, artist, genre, movie, tv series, season or episode:

Mobile users can also accomplish this via the tap-hold menus. Then you'll see a nifty slideout menu:

Once added, you'll have a new Playlists section on your home page. You'll then see your list of playlists.

Click into any playlist to manage or play it:

But that's not the only way you can do it. Detail pages now have a more button containing this as well as the Edit function:

And it can also be done in bulk using the selection tool:

Expect the playlist feature to evolve significantly in upcoming releases. Be sure to leave feedback and be a part of the process.

DLNA Improvements

Persistence pays off, and thanks to the efforts of a few community members our DLNA device support has improved significantly with this release. Even devices that were already functioning should see improved image support. Users with custom profiles will need to rebuild them using the new system profiles as a base.

DLNA also has a couple new features - Live TV support, as well as a new device profile setting to control music transcoding bitrate.

People Metadata

Do your actor biographies take a long time to download? We feel your pain. Now you can limit this with new fine tuning controls.

New Channel Settings

Now you can easily control the size of your downloaded channel content.

New Folder View Setting

Now there is an option to display a plain folder view as part of your customizable user views. If enabled this will show up in any client that supports user views, including the web client, DLNA, MBT, and soon Roku.

Local Password Setting

Now you can configure easy login ability when users are inside your home network.

Join the Team

As always we're recruiting and looking for new developers to step up and join us. Our focus is starting to turn to the Android platform. If you have Android or Java experience, there are multiple projects available so please drop us a line.

Roku Beta 1.25 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 04:00:00 +0000

While we wait for our new public channel to be approved, the private beta channel has been updated.

https://owner.roku.c...ediaBrowserBeta

It updates the application to the server's new security standards and adds a new setting to hide the clock from the home screen.
Instructions for Now TV users can be found here:

emby....wser-on-now-tv/

Remember this is the only Roku Channel that officially represents the Media Browser project.

Try the new League of Legends channel

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of Hamstercat, we now have a League of Legends channel available in the plugin catalog.

League of Legends is a multi-player online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, inspired by the mod Defense of the Ancients for the video game Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

Try Media Browser Server for Ubuntu

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of hurricanehernandez, we now have an Ubuntu package available.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

The leading platform for scale-out computing, Ubuntu Server helps you make the most of your infrastructure. Whether you want to deploy an OpenStack cloud, a Hadoop cluster or a 50,000-node render farm, Ubuntu Server delivers the best value scale-out performance available.

Media Browser Win8.1 App v3.0 released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 19:55:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce the next version of Media Browser for Windows 8.1

To match the new features of the server, the app now supports Media Browser Connect, and with that, multiple servers.
We've also added support for automatic Camera Upload, hidden accounts, a number of bug fixes, interface, and playback improvements.

Camera Upload:

This feature is enabled from the server, in the device section. Once enabled, the app will upload pictures from the device to your library on the server.

Get it here: https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

Try the Media Browser for Roku Beta Channel

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

The Roku beta channel has been updated with the new Media Browser Connect feature, including a friendly pin code sign in.

Try it, enjoy it, and tell us about it. Look for an update to the public channel soon.

Installation

https://owner.roku.com/add/MediaBrowserBeta

Now TV Installation Guide

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/689-how-to-install-media-browser-on-now-tv

Contribute to Media Browser for Roku

Brightscript is very easy to learn. Any moderately skilled developer can pick it up quickly. Let us know if you'd like to help out.

Try Media Browser Server for FreeBSD

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of woodsb02 and josh4trunks, we now have a FreeBSD package available.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

Enjoy, and stay tuned for a FreeNAS plugin.

Media Browser on the Digital Lifestyle Podcast

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 13:51:21 +0000

Earlier this week, Luke and myself were on the Digital Lifestyle's podcast talking about Media Browser and what's coming up, including the new Media Browser Connect that went into beta last week.

If you want to take a listen to it, head over the TDL website https://thedigitallifestyle.com/w/index.php/2014/11/05/the-digital-lifestyle-show-474-media-browser-special/

Media Browser Server 3.0.5416 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Introducing Media Browser Connect

As many of you know, we have a lot of really smart people here in our community, and great things happen when we put our minds together. We've been longing for a way to make it easier to access your server when you're away from home, and we're pleased to announce our solution. It's Media Browser Connect.

Now you can use your forum username and password to sign into any Media Browser app from any location, and it will know how to locate your server in the most efficient way possible. This means you no longer have to fumble with IP addresses. Not only does this make it easier to access your server, it also makes it easier to mange multiple servers and share with your friends.

So how does it work?

It's very easy. For existing users that you've already setup, simply edit their user profile and enter their forum username or email address. The local server account will then be linked to the forum account. Once they accept the invitation email, they'll then be able to use their forum credentials to sign in to your server, without having to know the server's IP address.

In the user list, you'll see a cloud to indicate the user has a Connect account.

Invite Your Friends

You'll notice a new Guests section on the user management page.

What are guests? Guests are forum users that you've invited to use your server. Simply click the plus button next to Guests, and you'll be presented with a popup to invite a forum user. You can even choose which libraries they'll have access to.

By default guests have very limited permissions, and you'll have full control over what they'll have access to.

Local Accounts, Cloud Accounts - You Decide

While we expect this feature to be very popular, we know that many prefer local accounts and we're pleased to say they're not going anywhere. Both of the features work very well together and we expect to continue to improve on this.

App Support

This has been a large team effort and you can expect to see updates for all of our apps soon. Here's a few teasers to wet your appetite.

Try the Hosted Web Client

We now have a hosted version of the web client at:

http://app.emby.media

Simply use your Connect (forum) login, and then you can access any of your servers (owned or shared).

Once you sign in, you'll see the very same web client you've come to know and love. Switching servers is easy:

As you can see the layout is currently limited to one server at a time, but this is only the beginning. We know that many of you are clamoring for multi-server presentations, and we intend to deliver that in future releases.

The hosted web client has one unique advantage over the local version. It features automatic network switching from LAN to WAN and vice versa, on the fly as needed. You might login initially within your home network, and then leave the house and transition to mobile. The app will handle it for you, all on the fly. The hosted web client is truly one url, any time, any location.

Important Note: The hosted web client is served via static HTML and JavaScript. All communication occurs directly from your browser to your Media Browser Server, just like the regular web client. We do not have any external servers that send requests to your home server, and we do not collect any information about your media library.

New Devices Section

There is a new Devices section in the server dashboard. Many of you have asked for device-specific settings and we now have a place to put those. For starters, you can configure a friendly name for each device, to override the name reported by it.

Automatic Camera Image Uploading

You'll notice the Devices section has a Camera Upload tab. Camera upload allows automatic uploading of images from your smartphones and tablets. It's easy! Just enable the devices you'd like to use it for, and voila!

Then go out and take some pictures, and when you come home the images will begin uploading. It's a fully automated feature. All of our mobile apps will be updated soon to support this.

If you like, you can even specify a custom upload path for each device to keep albums separated. Here is a preview of image uploading on windows phone:

New Parental Control Features

Now you can define access schedules for users to control when they have access to your server. It's very easy and only takes a few clicks to setup.

When users try to use the server during restricted hours, they'll see a friendly message indicating that they'll need to come back later.

Expect to see more parental control features in upcoming releases.

New Trailer Features

We know that trailers is a big part of movie watching. The Movies section of the web client now has a Trailers tab, which will pull trailers from all available sources (channels, files, etc).

There's even a new nifty Trailer Reel button. What is the trailer reel? It's the ability to create a long running playlist of random movie trailers. This makes for great background video while you do the dishes.

The best part about the trailer reel feature is that remote control is fully supported. You can send a trailer reel to any Media Browser app that accepts remote control commands.

DLNA Improvements

You'll notice better dynamic category images that are based on the content within your library.

Movies that have trailers or extras are now displayed as folders, allowing you to play the main feature or any of the extras from within the DLNA client interface.

Also, big thanks to FuFa for his work in helping improve our Panasonic device profile, and Happy2Play for lending some of his expertise.

Live TV Improvements

We've been working hard with Krustyreturns and SiliconDust, and ServerWMC users are in for a treat. If you have an HDHomerun that supports Dlna, we now use the SiliconDust api to stream directly from the tuner hardware, thereby bypassing Windows Media Center's wtv conversion process. You will notice faster video start times, increased reliability, decreased resource consumption, and improved video quality. Big thanks to krustyreturns for his efforts on this!

New Argus Live TV Plugin

We're happy to welcome Argus to the community, giving you yet another choice of Live TV providers. Thanks to Sven for his work on this. Check it out in the plugin catalog.

Latest Item Settings

Some users have reported that they'd prefer not to have photos or music showing up in their latest items lists. This is now easily configured in your user preferences and will take effect within any Media Browser app that displays a global Latest Media section.

Web Client Photo Slideshow:

Click on any image within a photo album and you'll be treated to a visual slideshow. Best of all, it works great when you're mobile just by swiping your fingers left and right.

https://emby.media/community/uploads/inline/2/54526e1af41ca_Untitled.png

Support for .STRM files:

These are a longtime favorite of Xbmc users. Now you can create stub files in your library containing a single media url, and the content will be displayed like any other video. Clients will then stream the content from the remote url.

Usage is simple. Create a normal text-file and rename the .txt extension to .strm then open it up with a text-editor (like Notepad in Microsoft Windows) and input the the direct url link of the stream.

For example:

https://host/path/stream

Other Improvements:

Upgraded to fanart v3 api
Support Imdb url's within NFO's that appear after the closing xml tag

Bugs Resolved:

Music videos not showing up on artist page
Artists with & in their name not displayed correctly
Upcoming TV not displaying certain content
"set" tag not getting saved in NFO's in certain situations

Fully Open and Community Built

As you all know we're committed to open source. We have developer libraries for Media Browser Connect ready to go for a number of platforms. We want to make it easy as possible for new developers to integrate or interact with our API. Expect to see more information about this soon.

Join the Community

Help us build new channels and apps. We're looking for more developers for all software platforms. Just drop us a line.

Xenon Theme For MBC Brings you the Shortlist

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 19:23:19 +0000

XENON 1.0.0.15 BRINGS A NEW FEATURE TO MBC - SHORTLIST

For Those Times When you Just Can't Decide What to Watch!!

The New Shortlist feature, only available in Xenon allows you to pick and chose content via the Context Menu (Asterix * Key) and Add or Remove Items from your newly created shortlist.

It means that you can select Movies throughout any of your collections and add them to a seperate list, for those times when it's difficult to decide what move to watch.

This is the initial release and there is a lot more to come from this feature, however at the moment there is great functionality.

Here's some Screenies to wet the appetite!!

Enjoy

Pressing * on your remote or keyboard brings up the context menu and now allows you to add/remove items from the Shortlist

Once you have chosen some movies, you need to click on the Shortlist Icon in the Config Panel at the Top Right Corner

View your Shortlist

and if you wish to remove items from it, simply press the * Key and select Remove from Shortlist Option

There are options to Close or Clear your Shortlist.

The Shortlist Resets itself if you exit MBC.

Attached thumbnail(s)

£5 - 48 Hour Sale!!! - Buy the Media Browser TV Theme Video, Movie Theme Video, Tv Theme Song and Movie Theme Song plugins for £5

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 20:52:00 +0000

Click here to buy all 4 plugins for £5!!!
Just select the "MB3 Theme Media 4 Pack" and complete the PayPal Checkout using your supporter key email address and your licences will be automatically added

One Year of Developing XBMB3C

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 16:44:44 +0000

One year ago, I sent Luke a PM asking him to look into a Media Browser add-on for Xbmc.

I really didn't know Luke at the time - otherwise I would have known that he would push me to do it myself. Luke is good at that!

At the time:

I didn't know Python
I didn't know anything about working with web APIs, XBMC API or MB3 API
I didn't know how to use GitHub

I made a little progress - got lists to display and files to play. I thought I was about done...

And then users and other developers started to get involved.

@null_pointer came on board in January, offering *much* more programming experience. @im85288 came on shortly after, an expert in skinning. @elcabong joined, and contributed mods to his skins. More recently we have been joined by @gelsner, @marcelveldt, @azeos and @cgrey000.

We have devs from the world over: Argentina, Australia, England, Germany, The Netherlands and The USA.

Our users have continuously provided new ideas, and had the patience to work through and test the implementation of those ideas.

We now have TEN beautiful skins modified just for MediaBrowser.

The next year will bring more changes - with the release of Kodi coming, we will be re-branding simply as MediaBrowser for Kodi.

With Kodi branding itself as more of an Open Source Roku - the idea of using MediaBrowser as a local media database back end makes more sense than ever.

In short - this has been the most fun I have had with an online community since my old BBS days.

Thank You!

xnappo

Try the 1080XF Skin for XBMB3C (Helix)

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000

What a sharp looking skin!. Big thanks to Im85288 for his work on this. Get it while it's hot!

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/10375-1080xf-mediabrowser-edition-helix-only/

Try the new Immersive Skin for XBMB3C

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000

All windows fans are sure to enjoy this skin. It's reminiscent of both Windows 8 and Xbox One. Big thanks to marcelveldt for his work on this, and of course, the original skin creator, Sranshaft. Get it while it's hot!

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/11544-immersive-skin-with-mb3-support/

Media Browser on Xbox One Media Player

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Media Browser on Xbox One Media Player

As many of you know, the new Xbox One Media Player has been released and it's a great way to show off Media Browser's DLNA features. Your entire library is supported, including movies, music, tv, photos, home videos, live tv and internet channels. It even includes personalized features such as:

Support for your user profile audio & subtitle language settings
Favorites
Next Up
Recently added
Resumable videos

And this all comes in an elegant interface that's easily controlled by Kinect.

Enjoy these videos and screenshots, and stay tuned for even more exciting Media Browser Xbox One announcements!

Another Video:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3365332/MB3C/MB3%20XB1%20DLNA.mp4

Media Browser Win8.1 App v2.2 released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:59:00 +0000

This morning a new version of the Win8.1 app was released in store.

What's new?

Search

After a long wait the feature that should have been in the app since day one has been added.
You can now easily search your collection, just type what you're searching for and either use the search hints or do a full search

MCE

For those of you who use a media center (MCE) remote with the app, it has now become a little easier. We're not done with this feature by a long shot, but this ought to tide you over until fully implemented

We've also changed the layout of the user views and a number of bug fixes.

Try it out:
https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

Buy the Media Browser TV Theme Videos, Movie Theme Videos, Tv Theme Songs and Movie Theme Songs together and Save!!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 22:26:00 +0000

Click here to buy and save almost $8!
Just select the "MB3 Theme Media 4 Pack" and complete the PayPal Checkout using your supporter key email address and your licences will be automatically added

This just cuts out the PayPal fees for the individual transactions and for that, saves you money. :-)

Media Browser Server Beta 3.0.5393 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000

This is a small follow-up to the previous release to address the MovieDb image downloading issues that have crept up.

Enjoy.

Announcing our new Android developer libraries

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000

As you all know by now we at Media Browser love it when new people step up and use our API to do new things. That's why we're pleased to announce public availability of our developer libraries so that anyone can build apps using the same tools as our core apps.

The project can be found here:

https://github.com/M....ApiClient.Java

It is built with popular libraries such as Volley and OkHttp. It will soon be available on Maven. Now anyone can build apps for Android using the same libraries that power our current Android apps.

Other Platforms

We also have equivalent libraries available for .NET and JavaScript:

https://github.com/M...owser.ApiClient
https://github.com/M...er.apiclient.js

Get Involved

We are working on new Android projects from the core team and would welcome any new contributors. We are working on Android TV, Fire TV, wearables, and whatever new device Google comes out with next. And if you use these libraries to come up with something new of your own, let us know.

Introducing the new Media Browser for Android

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 18:43:00 +0000

Today we're pleased to announce immediate availability of an all-new version of our Android app.

Live TV

Live TV has been a hotly requested feature for Android. Now you can manage and watch Live TV directly from the Android app. Among the features are:

View listings per channel
Manage and delete recordings both per show and per series
Watch live TV

Supports the Latest Server Features

Your user profile audio & language preference settings
WebP image delivery for faster navigation
The latest transcoding API
Efficient text-based delivery of subtitles

Channels

Channels are now fully supported, bringing Podcasts, Vimeo, and the rest of the channel lineup to Android.

New Music Layouts

Music has been revamped from the ground up. Some of the highlights are:

A new background audio player
Artist views
Album views
Music genre views
Play all features
Instant mix playback

Visual Improvements

Nearly every screen has been revamped. Thumbs are now used to provide an extra splash of color and character. Latest media items on the home screen are grouped appropriately by series or albums.

Remote Control

Now Chromecast and other Media Browser apps are managed through a common layout. Whether you play to Chromecast, DLNA, or another Media Browser app, the look and feel is the same. At the bottom you'll have a nice mini controller so the remote control is never out of reach.

Playlists

Server playlist support is also included in this new version. Also local media queuing has been revamped. The play queue is fully interactive, and you can drag to reorganize what's playing, or drag-right to remove items.

Users will need to re-enter their connection values. Apologies, but necessary due to the changes in connectivity

The app will be available on Google Play in the next few hours, and in the next few days on the Amazon store.

Media Browser Server Beta 3.0.5387 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 04:00:00 +0000

This is a small maintenance release that adds a few new features and lays the groundwork for some bigger and better things to come.

New Cinema Mode Feature

Many of you are familiar with Ebr's Intros plugin, which allows you to play trailers and custom intros before movies. This is a great plugin but we've decided to implement a small subset of the features as a core server feature.

With cinema mode you can choose to play trailers before movies or episodes, as well as your own custom intro video files. It's very simple and easy to configure.

Note that playback of trailers within cinema mode requires installation of the Trailer channel plugin.

The following apps support cinema mode:

Media Browser Classic
Media Browser Theater
Roku
XBMB3C
Web Client (Desktop only)
Windows 8.1
Others soon to follow

After setting it up, it will be enabled for all users by default. But we realize not all of your users are going to want cinema mode. Users can disable it on an individual basis within their own user preferences:

Note for Intro Users:

The intro plugin will completely replace the server's cinema mode feature, as it has the same feature set along with some additional advanced options.

Trailers within recommendations

Now you'll see trailers blended into your movie recommendation lists. It's a great way to open yourself up to new content you may not normally be exposed to.

But we realize some users may not want this, so it is easily disabled in user preferences.

Support for reading watched states from Nfo's

We now support reading your watched state from Nfo's. This makes Nfo metadata a great way to backup play state for a single user. You'll need to make sure to select which user to apply this to:

Support VLC as an external player in the web client

This is available if you're running the web client on iOS or Android. It's very easy. Simpy enable it in your web client preferences.

Then when you play, you'll see an option to play with an external player:

Then select the external player you want:

Then launch the player with VLC. Please note this will come with some limitations, such as not being able to report progress to the server. But fear not, you can still keep track of your progress by manually indicating where you've stopped:

Linux Server downloads now on the website

The website now has instructions for Linux:

https://emby.media/download

The instructions come in two flavors - manual install and Docker install. An Ubuntu package is a third option that is coming soon. Check back for that later this week.

OSX Server downloads now on the website

The website now has instructions for installing the server on OSX:

https://emby.media/download

Join the Media Browser Developer Team

As you know we have a lot of exciting things going on here and we're looking for new developers who would like to be a part of it. We've got all sorts of secret projects being worked on and new ones in the pipeline. Whatever your skill set is, we can find a place for you. If you're experienced with Html5, JavaScript, C#, iOS, or Android, we really want you.

Looking for other contributors - User Experience and Tech Writers

Continuing with the above, we are looking for professional tech writers or user experience designers who might be willing to donate some occasional free time to the project. We promise it will be fun, and everybody wins when we can find new ways to make Media Browser easier to use.

Media Browser for Roku now in the app store

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Now available:

https://www.roku.com/channels/#!details/44191/media-browser-for-roku

First, a big thanks to everyone who has helped test the beta for the past couple months. This release is feature packed with all of your favorite toys, including:

Playlist & Instant mix support
Live TV
Internet Channels
Photo slideshows
Remote control from other Media Browser apps
Cast & Crew information

Instructions for Now TV users:

emby....wser-on-now-tv/

Remember this is the only Roku Channel that officially represents the Media Browser project.

MediaBrowser for Kodi 0.9.764 released!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 18:48:00 +0000

Hi All,

0.9.764 of Media Browser for Kodi has been released! Below is the change log as well as a recap of 0.9.740 since that was a large and important release.

Features:

- Complete new 'Background Data' scheme - 2x speed increase - on by default
- Switch to built-in XBMC sorting (press left)
- Use new 'Season' information from server - big speed up for episodes
- Add option to use reduced image quality for low-end devices

Bug Fixes:

- Fix rotater thread when only one image exists
- Fix resume time displays
- Fix 'Play all from here' for Music Tracks
- Fix track order display for Music Tracks
- More profile change fixes

0.9.740 Recap

Features:
- Rename to MediaBrowser
- Added Theme Videos
- Added DiscArt to InProgress and Recent Movies
- Added PlayList Items widgets
- Enable new MB3 security scheme
- Enable new service playback progress tracking
- New more reliable caching system
- Moved code into module to enable pre-compiling
- Add more artwork to items
- Refactoring of code
- Beta testing of using background data
- Ported over skin helper function from Marcel's Titan work
- New 'API helper' class to translate MediaBrowser->XBMC
- Reduce images to '1' when not in rotater code

Bug Fixes:

- Fix search when backdrops for item are missing
- Enable installing on Kodi
- Add connection retries
- Fix 'Play All From Here'
- Various safety checks
- Various fixes for profile changing

Need a new year's resolution? Join our open media project.

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Team,

Happy new year! If you're a coder who likes movies, tv, music and games, now is a better time than ever get involved and join the project. No matter your skill set, whether it's Java, C# or even Pascal, we can find a place for you. Here are some areas we're currently looking for help with, but if you have your own ideas we'd like to hear them.

Available Projects

Trakt
We are looking for a contributor to help bring new features to our Trakt plugin. Trakt has added new data to their api such as media info and more social data, and we'd like to incorporate this.

Smart TV apps
If you're skilled with html and javascript, why not help out with our Samsung app development? It is a great app already and another contributor or two can help bring it to new levels.

ImageMagick integration
We are moving server image processing away from GDI+ and towards ImageMagick, to help make installation easier on NAS devices such as Synology. If you're familiar with ImageMagick, an extra set of hands can help get this done sooner, and then everyone will see a wave of announcements of server availability on new devices.

New internet channels
This one should go without saying. Channels are always in high demand.

Server analytics and reporting
2015 will be the year of Big Data. As you should all know by now, we like data and we like to put it to use. Help us take it to new levels.

Your own pet project
People fork our code and submit pull requests on an almost daily basis. It makes us very happy and helps keep the project growing. This is a community project and everyone has a chance to put their own stamp on it.

Developer Libraries

Not only are our apps open source, but so are the engines we've created to power them. They're available in stand-alone form and can be used to create new apps, widgets, themes, or just about anything you like. Explore our developer resources:

Java/Android: https://github.com/M....ApiClient.Java
C#/.NET: https://github.com/M...owser.ApiClient
JavaScript: https://github.com/M...d-ui/thirdparty
Developer wiki: https://github.com/M...diaBrowser/wiki
Kodi Skin Helper: https://github.com/M...Kodi.SkinHelper

How do I get started?

The best way to begin is by joining the community and saying hello.

Windows Phone App Updated to 8.0.64.0

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:54:43 +0000

Some of you may have already seen the latest update to our Windows Phone app rolling out (if you have auto-updates turned on in WP8.1). This release is a maintenance release and is specifically for some bug fixes:

- Improvements to Media Browser Connect
- Live TV, tapping "More" did nothing
- Updated to use newer profile based audio streams
- Wifi streaming setting could get reset when going into any settings page
- Unable to navigate to a Person from search
- Query optimisations (speed up responses from server)
- Watched/Unwatched menu items displayed wrong way round

If you haven't already downloaded the update, it's available in the store at https://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=f4971ed9-f651-4bf6-84bb-94fd98613b86

Coming soon to your Android living room

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 22:24:47 +0000

Work has been progressing furiously to provide a living room client to Android users. We're aiming for a January release of an update to the current client that will be geared towards 10' use. I'd originally hoped it would be under peoples trees for Christmas.

The players

The whole UI has been built with the intent to make physical remote navigation much easier. The new player UI has full support for playlist navigation, chapter/audio/subtitle selection.

Here's a teaser!

fun fact: The videos were recorded on my Nexus 7 using the web client on my PC to navigate the Android client remotely.

What about the Rest!

Because of plans to also provide a native Android TV client. I've chosen to develop something that feels familiar to the community. The UI is very MBC inspired.

Here's a few screenshots...

homescreen

library - list view

library - grid view

media details - overview

media details - similar

Media Browser Server 3.0.5462.0 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 04:54:00 +0000

This is a small maintenance release but we've still managed to squeeze in some fun new features. Without further ado, here are the highlights.

Faster Browsing

We've trimmed some fat from our api output and you'll notice faster response times in all clients, particularly the web client and raspberry pi. Expect even more improvements in future releases.

Cast & Crew added to DLNA

Now when you browser your movies, you can see the cast & crew for each movie.

You can even click into an actor to see what other titles they appear in:

Bugs Resolved

Latest channel items not respecting parental controls
Display issues with mixed movies & tv libraries

Try the Hosted Web Client
We now have a hosted version of the web client at:

http://app.emby.media

Simply use your Connect (forum) login, and then you can access any of your servers (owned or shared).

Once you sign in, you'll see the very same web client you've come to know and love. Switching servers is easy:

Join the Project

If you haven't yet, why not? Drop us a line or post in the community and we'll find a place for you to help. Whether you'd like to build a new app, channel, plugin, or feature, everyone is welcome. We're also always looking for new testers, writers, graphic designers, translators, and just about anyone else with a related skill set. Send me a message and I'll find a place for you.

Use our Developer Libraries

Not only are our apps open source, but so are the engines we've created to power them. They're available in stand-alone form and can be used to create new apps, widgets, themes, or just about anything you like. Explore our developer resources:

Java/Android: https://github.com/M....ApiClient.Java

JavaScript: https://github.com/M...d-ui/thirdparty

Kodi Skin Helper: https://github.com/M...Kodi.SkinHelper

C#/.NET: https://github.com/M...owser.ApiClient

Our new naming project: https://github.com/M...aBrowser.Naming

Developer wiki: https://github.com/M...diaBrowser/wiki

Windows 8.1 App v3.0.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 19:32:00 +0000

Good news,
a new version of the Win8.1 app has been released today.

This is mostly a bugfix/maintenance version, but we managed to squeeze some goodies in there as well.
It includes the following:

Connectivity
Lots of changes to Media Browser Connect, the connection should now be a lot more stable and faster

Added Next Up in TV Show details view

Continuing on a Series is now easier than ever, just select the show of your choice and the next up episode is there.

Better support for smaller screens (7")
We made some tweaks to make sure the app looks just as good even on smaller screens.

Playback
New transcoding profiles and the option to turn HLS off (Settings -> Streaming -> Use Alternative Transcoding)
If you have a problem playing some video files, you can try this.
Better Direct Stream support for Mp4
Direct Stream support for M4A

Other changes
Screensaver (Starts after 60 seconds)
Improved Picture Quality on thumbnails
Removed Light Theme
Bug fix for artist details view in portrait mode
Lots of minor UI tweaks.
Live Tile fix

Get it now: https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

Windows and Windows Phone Apps On Sale

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 14:11:40 +0000

I had a whole essay written for this blog post, going into various different themes, plots, and narratives, but then I figured, you guys don't want to read that, you just want to know that the Windows and Windows Phone apps are now over 50% off.

Both apps are now $1.49 (or their equivalent in other currencies)

Download the apps from their respective stores:
Windows Phone: https://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=f4971ed9-f651-4bf6-84bb-94fd98613b86
Windows Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

The apps will go back to their original prices on the 10th December, so get them cheap while you can.

Media Browser Server 3.0.5445.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

We've released a small follow-up stable release to address an issue that caused Media Browser Classic to crash under certain conditions.

In addition to this, let's recap everything that was introduced within 3.0.5445.5.

New Server Releases

As many of you know, we've worked hard to get the server released onto new platforms. Over the past two weeks we've had several releases, with more soon to follow.

ArchLinux: emby....-on-arch-linux/
CentOS: emby....ble-for-centos/
Fedora: emby....ble-for-fedora/
FreeBSD: emby....er-for-freebsd/
FreeNAS: emby....le-for-freenas/
OpenMediaVault: emby....en-media-vault/
Ubuntu: emby....opic-and-vivid/
Mac: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-150-media-browser-server-mac-installer-now-available/

New DLNA Genre Views

DLNA browsing has been enhanced with new genre presentations for movies, tv, music and games.

New Web Client Filtering

A number of screens have added new filtering. You can now filter by Genres, Parental Ratings, Tags, Years and more.

As always you can expect to see these filters in other apps soon.

New Card Views

By now you all should know we like to keep up with technology and design trends. We've taken some inspiration from Google Play and added new card layouts that display more information and provide single-click access to important functions.

Note: These functions have already been available via right-click and tap-hold menus, but we realize not everybody knows that.

Revamped Movie Filename Parsing

We've revamped our movie file name parsing as part of our new file naming project. We now fully support Kodi standards and features and have a greater ability to handle non-clean file names. We're starting with movies and in a future release you can expect to see the same treatment applied to TV.

Specifically the Kodi features we now support are:

Video file extensions
CleanDateTime regex expressions
CleanString regex expressions
File stacking expressions
And more

Get involved with the file naming project: https://github.com/M...aBrowser.Naming

A number of people have gotten involved by reporting failing test cases that ultimately led to the improvement of the project. Thanks for that!

Parental Controls via Tags

Now you can use tags as another weapon in your arsenal to filter content from users within your household. Simply add tags to items via the metadata manager, then configure user parental controls.

Join the Project

If you haven't yet, why not? Drop us a line or post in the community and we'll find a place for you to help. Whether you'd like to build a new app, channel, plugin, or feature, everyone is welcome. We're also always looking for new testers, writers, graphic designers, translators, and just about anyone else with a related skill set. Send me a message and I'll find a place for you.

Use our Developer Libraries

Not only are our apps open source, but so are the engines we've created to power them. They're available in stand-alone form and can be used to create new apps, widgets, themes, or just about anything you like. Explore our developer resources:

Java/Android: https://github.com/M....ApiClient.Java

JavaScript: https://github.com/M...d-ui/thirdparty

Kodi Skin Helper: https://github.com/M...Kodi.SkinHelper

C#/.NET: https://github.com/M...owser.ApiClient

Our new naming project: https://github.com/M...aBrowser.Naming

Developer wiki: https://github.com/M...diaBrowser/wiki

Media Browser Server Mac Installer now available

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Installation

To install, simply download and run the installer:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.Releases/raw/master/Server/MediaBrowser.Server.Mac.pkg

When the installer has completed, the server will launch the web-based startup wizard.

More Information

See https://emby.media/download/

Media Browser Server 3.0.5441 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

We're back with a small follow-up to our previous release in which we introduced Media Browser Connect. For those who have not seen that yet, you can catch up here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-130-media-browser-server-305416-beta-released/

New Server Releases

As many of you know, we've worked hard to get the server released onto new platforms. Over the past two weeks we've had several releases, with more soon to follow.

ArchLinux: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-139-media-browser-server-now-available-on-arch-linux/
CentOS: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-142-media-browser-server-now-available-for-centos/
Fedora: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-141-media-browser-server-now-available-for-fedora/
FreeBSD: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-133-try-media-browser-server-for-freebsd/
FreeNAS: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-137-media-browser-server-now-available-for-freenas/
OpenMediaVault: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-138-media-browser-server-now-available-for-open-media-vault/
Ubuntu: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-140-media-browser-server-ubuntu-package-now-supports-utopic-and-vivid/

New DLNA Genre Views

DLNA browsing has been enhanced with new genre presentations for movies, tv, music and games.

New Web Client Filtering

A number of screens have added new filtering. You can now filter by Genres, Parental Ratings, Tags, Years and more.

As always you can expect to see these filters in other apps soon.

New Card Views

By now you all should know we like to keep up with technology and design trends. We've taken some inspiration from Google Play and added new card layouts that display more information and provide single-click access to important functions.

Note: These functions have already been available via right-click and tap-hold menus, but we realize not everybody knows that.

Revamped Movie Filename Parsing

We've revamped our movie file name parsing as part of our new file naming project. We now fully support Kodi standards and features and have a greater ability to handle non-clean file names. We're starting with movies and in a future release you can expect to see the same treatment applied to TV.

Specifically the Kodi features we now support are:

Video file extensions
CleanDateTime regex expressions
CleanString regex expressions
File stacking expressions
And more

Get involved with the file naming project: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.Naming

A number of people have gotten involved by reporting failing test cases that ultimately led to the improvement of the project. Thanks for that!

Mac OSX Installer Coming

We've heard your comments, and it's coming very soon so stay tuned. You're asking for easy, we're going to give you easy.

Join the Project

If you haven't yet, why not? Drop us a line or post in the community and we'll find a place for you to help. Whether you'd like to build a new app, channel, plugin, or feature, everyone is welcome. We're also always looking for new testers, writers, graphic designers, translators, and just about anyone else with a related skill set. Send me a message and I'll find a place for you.

Use our Developer Libraries

Not only are our apps open source, but so are the engines we've created to power them. They're available in stand-alone form and can be used to create new apps, widgets, themes, or just about anything you like. Explore our developer resources:

Java/Android: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.ApiClient.Java

JavaScript: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser/tree/master/MediaBrowser.WebDashboard/dashboard-ui/thirdparty

Kodi Skin Helper: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.Kodi.SkinHelper

C#/.NET: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.ApiClient

Our new naming project: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.Naming

Developer wiki: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser/wiki

Media Browser for Roku 1.73 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Media Browser for Android Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Now Supporting Media Browser Connect

We've been longing for a way to make it easier to access your server when you're away from home, and we're pleased to announce our solution. It's Media Browser Connect.
Now you can use your forum username and password to sign into any Media Browser app from any location, and it will know how to locate your server in the most efficient way possible. This means you no longer have to fumble with IP addresses. Not only does this make it easier to access your server, it also makes it easier to mange multiple servers and share with your friends.

Read more about Media Browser Connect: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-130-media-browser-server-305416-beta-released/

Rebuilt using New Libraries

You may not notice it immediately but the application has been torn apart from the inside out in order to take full advantage of our new api libraries:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.ApiClient.Java

You can expect to see faster browsing performance, faster image downloads, and a more stable experience than ever.

Windows Phone App Updated to 8.0.63.0

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 12:47:00 +0000

Today I'm pleased to announce quite a hefty update to the Windows Phone app. This release brings the app up to speed with a lot of the recent features introduced to the server.

Media Browser Connect

We announced recently Media Browser Connect, a way of accessing your server more conveniently by just signing in with an account, rather than trying to mess around with connection details. It's something that has been added to the Roku, Windows 8.1 apps, and Media Browser Theatre and I'm pleased to say that it's now in the Windows Phone app.

So now you don't need to mess around with connection settings in this app, just sign in with your Connect account, choose your server (if you have more than one), and just start using the app.

Automatic Photo Upload

Now you can back your photos up to Media Browser straight from your phone. Once you have turned the feature on in the server's dashboard, go to the settings in the phone app and turn it on in there.

Now, I have to make a few things really clear about this feature. There are a number of restrictions placed upon the app by Windows Phone itself as to when this feature can actually happen. These include:

Phone must be on charge
Phone must have at least 90% battery remaining
Phone must be on a wifi connection
Phone must not be on a call
Phone must be locked

These are constraints made by Windows Phone itself, and nothing we can do about them.

Channels

A while back (sorry it's taken so long), we introduced internet channels to the server, well, support for those channels is now available in the Windows Phone app.

Playlists

Similarly, playlists are now also supported.

Cinema Mode

This was a more recent thing for the server, it allows you to configure the server to give you a couple of trailers to play before you start watching a movie/tv episode. This feature does, however, require you to have the Trailers plugin installed on the server, and it's also a feature that is configured at the server level, not the app level.

Instant Mix

Instant Mix is a great feature where you can choose an artist/album/track/genre, give it to the server, and it will return a playlist of similar music for you to listen to. Again, support has now been added to the Windows Phone app for this feature.

Streaming Settings

You guys sure have been vocal on this feature, and I'm pleased to say that it's now there. You can now configure the app to have to have higher or lower streaming bitrates. Not only that, but you now have the option to have configurable bitrates for when you're on a Wifi connection and when you're on a mobile data connection.

UI Changes

You may have already noticed from the screenshots that the UI has subtly changed. There are a few ways in which we've changed it to hopefully make it easier, and more pleasing to the eye.

Additional Languages

For this release, we have also been fortunate to be able to add two new additional languages that we support: Kazakh and Norwegian. This brings our total languages to 11 now. If you'd like to see the app translated into your own native language, and would like to help us achieve that, please get in touch with us.

Sale

~~As a treat to coincide with this release, the app is also 50% off for the next 24 hours, available for £1.49 ($1.99).~~

Rate and Review

If you like the changes to the app, please, please, please, go to the store and leave a rating/review. The more ratings we get, the more we move up store rankings, the more we can then use that for other things.

Download the app now from the Windows Phone Store.

Media Browser Theater updated with Connect

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Media Browser Theater 3.0.5436 has been released and adds support for signing in with Media Browser Connect.

Download

https://emby.media/download/

It features an easy to use pin code login, making it easier than ever to use Media Browser Theater when you're away from home.

Share with Friends

Inviting your friends is easy. Use the server's new Guests feature to send email invitations:

Then all they need to do is sign up, download Media Browser Theater, and sign in with their pin code.

Roku Beta Channel Supports Connect

The Roku beta channel has also been updated with Connect. You can read all about that here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-134-try-the-media-browser-for-roku-beta-channel/

Look for the update to hit the public channel soon, but in the meantime, try it out with the beta.

Try the Hosted Web Client

We now have a hosted version of the web client at:

http://app.emby.media

Simply use your Connect (forum) login, and then you can access any of your servers (owned or shared).

More App Updates on the Way

Look for updates to several other apps in the coming days to support signing in with Media Browser Connect.

Media Browser Server now available for CentOS

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of Jose, we now have a package for CentOS.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

The CentOS Linux distribution is a stable, predictable, manageable and reproduceable platform derived from the sources of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Media Browser Server now available for Fedora

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of Jose, we now have a package for Fedora.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

What is Fedora, exactly?

Fedora is a Linux-based operating system, a suite of software that makes your computer run. You can use the Fedora operating system to replace or to run alongside of other operating systems such as Microsoft Windows™ or Mac OS X™. The Fedora operating system is 100% free of cost for you to enjoy and share. Learn more about what Fedora is, the community that creates it, and why they make it at the About Fedora page.

Media Browser Server Ubuntu package now supports Utopic and Vivid

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of hurricanehernandez, we now have an Ubuntu package available for Utopic and Vivid.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

The leading platform for scale-out computing, Ubuntu Server helps you make the most of your infrastructure. Whether you want to deploy an OpenStack cloud, a Hadoop cluster or a 50,000-node render farm, Ubuntu Server delivers the best value scale-out performance available.

Media Browser Server now available on Arch Linux

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of DaBungalow, we now have a package for Arch Linux.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

Arch Linux is a lightweight and flexible Linux® distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.

Media Browser Server now available for Open Media Vault

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of Sergio, we now have an Open Media Vault plugin available.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

OpenMediaVault is the next generation network attached storage (NAS) solution based on Debian Linux. It contains services like SSH, (S)FTP, SMB/CIFS, DAAP media server, RSync, BitTorrent client and many more. Thanks to the modular design of the framework it can be enhanced via plugins.

OpenMediaVault is primarily designed to be used in home environments or small home offices, but is not limited to those scenarios. It is a simple and easy to use out-of-the-box solution that will allow everyone to install and administrate a Network Attached Storage without deeper knowledge.

Media Browser Server now available for FreeNAS

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of josh4trunks and woodsb02, we now have a FreeNAS plugin available.

Installation

See https://emby.media/download

FreeNAS is the go to solution for managing storage

Windows Phone App Updated, Massive Streaming Improvements

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 14:38:00 +0000

Today we pushed a release for our Windows Phone app (8.0.66.0) which sees a massive improvement in streaming and what the app is requiring the server to transcode.

So what does this mean? Basically, if you have a video in your collection that your Windows Phone device would be able to play natively (as if you dragged the video onto your phone from your PC), then the server will know that it doesn't need to transcode the video, it can do a direct stream to your phone. This decreases the load placed upon your server machine and also increases your experience whilst watching the video.

This release also contains some smaller bug fixes around audio playback, if you were trying to stream just one track, this would fail to play, we have corrected that. A full list of bug fixes can be found on Github.

Now, I know what you're thinking, that's two releases for this app in a row that have mainly been bug fixes. Fear not! I promise you, the next release will be big! Offline big! And to address your other thought: yes, this will be the last major release of this app to appear under the Media Browser monika. The next release will not only have Offline support, but will be sporting our new name, Emby.

You can download the update from https://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=f4971ed9-f651-4bf6-84bb-94fd98613b86

As always, if you download the app (or even if you already have the app installed), do please remember to rate/review the app, we really do appreciate those.

Emby Server Beta 3.0.5557 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 17:02:00 +0000

A new beta of Emby Server has been released with some exciting new additions. Before we go over them, if you missed our recent Emby announcement you can read all about that here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-179-introducing-emby/

Introducing Cloud Sync & Folder Sync

We worked really hard on sync during this release cycle to bring you new features that you'll find useful. Cloud & Folder Sync allow you to sync media to external locations, whether it be for backup purposes or to archive content in multiple resolutions. Apps can then stream the content from the cloud instead of your server, thereby sparing your upload bandwidth.

Let's say for example you have an original copy of a movie at 40Mbps. It looks fantastic but will require transcoding anytime you'd like to stream to Roku. Now you can sync that movie to the cloud and choose a profile that will allow Roku to direct stream:

When your users stream the content, they'll direct stream from google drive rather than rely on your server for transcoding.

To setup Cloud Sync or Folder Sync, see the Services tab of the Sync control panel. Look for separate blog posts on these soon with detailed walk-throughs.

Cloud & Folder Sync are your General Purpose Conversion Tools

As you sync content you're free to choose the conversion profile that will determine the output format. In future releases we intend to allow you to modify these profiles directly and even create your own.

Goodbye GDI, Hello ImageMagick
We've migrated all of our image processing functions from GDI to ImageMagick, thus clearing the way for the server to run smoothly on NAS devices such as Synology. Look for a Synology package soon. While we were at it, we learned a few new tricks, and in the future you may see the server create more beautiful, automatic images such as

A big thanks to t.andre for his efforts on this!

Emby Server Debian package now available

See https://emby.media/download/

Big thanks to @hurricanehernandez

Enhanced Live TV Metadata
Live TV will now be enhanced with internet metadata for movies, and the suggestions page in the web interface now has an Upcoming Movies section. Big thanks to ChubbyArse for this!

New Scheduled Task time limit

Now you can configure time limits for scheduled tasks, perfect for long running overnight jobs that you don't want running during usage hours.

Support more WTV metadata

We'll now extract episode information from embedded metadata in the event the file is not named according to TV naming recommendations. This hasn't made it to auto-organize yet, but it's planned for the future.

DLNA Cast & Crew Setting

We like rich metadata, but we understand many people just want the quickest path from point A to point B. The server dashboard now has a setting to turn off the Cast & Crew feature.

New Fanart.TV Images

Support has been added for the following images:

Season posters
Season banners

Other Fixes

Detect incomplete nfo's and supplement with internet metadata
Fixed playlist content being playable when it shouldn't be
Resolved browser-based live tv playback issues

Join the Community

If you like the direction we're headed in, join us! We can find a place for anyone who would like to help, whether it be software developers, designers, testers, translators, etc. Please drop in and say hello.

Use our API Libraries

As many of you know, we have a public api, and nothing pleases us more when new people step up and find ways to use it. We have complete API wrappers available for:

Introducing Emby

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:44:00 +0000

We have some exciting news. Over the next couple of months, Media Browser will become Emby.

Our new home will be https://emby.media

Why are we changing the name?

Media Browser has been a great name over the past several years but we feel we have outgrown it. It is no longer descriptive of what we really are and carries with it some preconceptions in the minds of both people who may have heard about or used us in the past and new people who have never heard of us. We want to change that.

So, introducing our new, short, catchy name that still pays homage to our origins (it sounds like "MB" when you say it) but lets us break free and continue to grow into the entire ecosystem that we are becoming. Given our broad presence in all the app stores, and future potential, we wanted to come up with a short and fun name that everybody's wives, kids and grandmothers will be able to remember. We were not looking for a name that describes the project, because that's very difficult to do and, undoubtedly, will end up meaning different things to different people. Short, catchy and unique were really the top requirements.

Why something so odd?

Think "Google" or "Skype" before you knew what they were. That's what we're going for. We don't want someone to hear the name and think they know what it is based on a connotation of that particular word. We want them to hear the name and say "What's that...?". Then, as time goes on, we become the name and the name becomes a synonym for "Awesome Media Server Ecosystem".

Please know that this change has not happened overnight. The process of finding a new name has been going on for months and has been very, very difficult but, we are happy with where we have finally landed and believe it will accomplish the goals we set out when we started thinking about a new name for the project.

What about the website?

The new website address will be emby.media. Securing a domain name was one of the largest constraints in this whole process but we feel emby.media describes what we are and will be a fine home for us going forward. We hope maybe to also get emby.tv but that is currently in use. We are working on it though. In the end, the actual domain name isn't as important as the other goals because people will find us via search engines, not by typing in a web address.

What about the logo?

This is where we are going to want to enlist your help. Watch the forums for a call for submissions on ideas for a new logo to fit with our new name. We will open it up to everyone and consider all ideas. I know you guys can help us come up with a great new look for our new name.

When is all of this going to happen?

The whole process will take some time as a lot of things will need to change. It won't be a single, coordinated date where you see everything change. It will trickle out over all of the different components over a period of weeks and maybe even a few months. We'll take our time and allow developers adequate time to make all of the branding changes necessary.

So, that's it. We on the dev team are very excited about this new direction and the possibilities it opens up for us for the future. Nothing is changing but the branding. The product is still going to be the best darned media solution out there. Welcome to the new ride.

Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 Apps On Sale

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:48:23 +0000

Sometimes the best blog posts can be the shortest ones, and I'm sure that this will be the case now. For a short time (until March 10), both the Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 apps are on sale at £1.49 ($1.99). So if you haven't already got them, and want to get them on the cheap, now is the time!

Windows Phone: https://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=f4971ed9-f651-4bf6-84bb-94fd98613b86
Windows 8.1: https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

If you do take advantage and like the apps, we do please ask that you would be so kind as to leave a review.

Media Browser for Android updated with Camera Upload

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:34:00 +0000

Version 2.2.10 of the app has been published to stores and now includes support for automatic camera image uploading.

Stay tuned for mobile sync coming soon to Android.

Here is a recap of camera uploading from the server release notes it debuted in:

Automatic Camera Image Uploading

You'll notice the Devices section has a Camera Upload tab. Camera upload allows automatic uploading of images from your smartphones and tablets. It's easy! Just enable the devices you'd like to use it for, and voila!

Then go out and take some pictures, and when you come home the images will begin uploading. It's a fully automated feature. All of our mobile apps will be updated soon to support this.

If you like, you can even specify a custom upload path for each device to keep albums separated.

Media Browser for Windows 8/RT 3.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 07:03:00 +0000

Now with Sync and Offline Support !

Important: This feature is coming soon to Android, iOS and Windows Phone

Full Featured Sync Management

The app provides the same functions to create and manage your sync jobs as does the web client. No need to switch between two different apps to get the job done.

Offline Browsing

Offline content is accessible with the same rich metadata you're accustomed to when online:

To access offline content, simply sign in using the Offline Sign in mode:

Or browse your offline content when signed as well:

Offline even supports Parental Control

The server now allows configuration of an easy pin code for offline access. If utilized this will allow user-specific content to remain protected even when offline, perfect for families and shared devices.

Smart Offline Playback

If you play content that is already synced locally to the device, we'll play the local version to spare the network transfer and preserve your battery. This will happen even when you're connected to the server.

All Text Subtitles Accessible Offline with the same in-video menu

When videos are synced, all text-based subtltles are converted to a format the device understands and synced along with the video. When you play that video offline, all subtitle tracks will be available for selection, and will default based on your user profile settings.

User Profile Settings Now In-App

Your user profile settings that you're accustomed from the web client can now be edited directly within the app, making them more portable than ever:

More Media Browser Goodness

Support for grouping movies into collections
Support for display of unaired and missing episodes
Shuffle, Play All added to Genre, Series and Season screens.
Support for instant mixes
Support for Play all from here

Installation

See https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/media-browser/ad55a2f0-9897-47bd-8944-bed3aefd5d06

Media Browser for Roku 1.87 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:28:00 +0000

This update includes the following changes:

Improves back button handling when playing a video playlist
Resolves a crash when pressing play on a poster
Expanded bitrate options for more granular control
Support for the new Roku Thumbnail Plugin

Please Rate the Channel

We think our Roku channel is the best around when it comes to streaming your personal media. Please take a moment to rate the channel and show your support.

Installation:

https://www.roku.com/...rowser-for-roku

Now TV Installation Guide:

emby....owser-on-now-tv

Try the new Roku Thumbnail Plugin

Thanks to the efforts of a new community member, a new plugin is available in the catalog to generate Roku seek thumbnails.

This provides a nice visual experience when seeking on the device.

In Roku language this is called Bif trick mode, and the thumbnail generation process creates a .bif file. It even has an option to save the .bif file alongside your media for easy archiving.

Important Note: The process to create these thumbnails is slow and will affect your server's CPU. Please take this into consideration when installing the plugin.

This will require an update to the Roku app and will take time to go through Roku's approval process. The update is already available in the beta channel. More information on that can be found at:

emby....r-roku-channel/

Try the new Roku Thumbnail Plugin

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 15:48:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of a new community member, a new plugin is available in the catalog to generate Roku seek thumbnails.

This provides a nice visual experience when seeking on the device.

In Roku language this is called Bif trick mode, and the thumbnail generation process creates a .bif file. It even has an option to save the .bif file alongside your media for easy archiving.

Important Note: The process to create these thumbnails is slow and will affect your server's CPU. Please take this into consideration when installing the plugin.

This will require an update to the Roku app and will take time to go through Roku's approval process. The update is already available in the beta channel. More information on that can be found at:

emby....r-roku-channel/

Media Browser Server Beta 3.0.5518 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 21:39:00 +0000

We're back for another go round and we have a pretty exciting beta headed your way. It's packed with features, bug fixes, security improvements, and more.

Server Dashboard refreshed for 2015

The server management interface has been given some minor touchups to stay up to date with trends and make it easier than ever to find what you're looking for.

And it's just as easy when mobile.

Improved Mobile Details

The mobile detail view has been simplified, making it prettier and easier than ever before.

Introducing Media Browser Offline for Windows 8.1

Coming soon to Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

We know that sometimes you'd like to have access to your content when you're offline, and we've been working hard to deliver that to our mobile apps. You'll notice sync buttons all througout the web interface:

Sync from Categories:

Sync from detail pages:

Sync from context menus:

These buttons will allow you to create sync jobs to move content to your mobile devices for offline viewing. Sync jobs have a number of options at your disposal, such as:

Quality levels, to save space on the device
Limits to the number of items being synced
Ability to monitor folders and continuously sync newly added content
Ability to remove watched content from the device automatically

Note that the Offline Sync feature will require a supporter membership. As always we appreciate your donations as they help keep us running so that we can continue to pursue new projects.

Your users can sync, and you can manage them

As the administrator of your server, you'll have full control over who can sync and who can't.

Users can even monitor their personal sync jobs using the web client:

Offline even supports Parental Control

The server now allows configuration of an easy pin code for offline access. If utilized this will allow user-specific content to remain protected even when offline, perfect for families and shared devices.

Shorter URL's

The API now supports url's without the /mediabrowser suffix. When you open the web interface from the tray icon you'll now have a shorter, easier to remember url.

SSL now supported

Thanks to the efforts of Jabbera, SSL is now supported by configuring an HTTPS port and certificate.

Subtitle Encoding Improvements

Thanks to the efforts of Somy and Serios, a number of new character encodings are now supported. We've adopted Mozilla's UniversalDetector library to try and make sure the right encoding is picked for each file.

Roku Thumbnails!

Thanks to the efforts of a new community member, a new plugin is available in the catalog to generate Roku seek thumbnails.

This provides a nice visual experience when seeking on the device.

In Roku language this is called Bif trick mode, and the thumbnail generation process creates a .bif file. It even has an option to save the .bif file alongside your media for easy archiving.

Important Note: The process to create these thumbnails is slow and will affect your server's CPU. Please take this into consideration when installing the plugin.

This will require an update to the Roku app and will take time to go through Roku's approval process. The update is already available in the beta channel. More information on that can be found at:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/8001-media-browser-for-roku-channel/

Revamped web client search

Searching is much faster and more accessible than ever. Just start typing to see visual results. Expect more improvements with this to come.

Play All From Here

This function is now available for episodes, allowing you to quickly queue up several at once for playback. These can be played locally or sent to another device.

Improved Collection Management

You'll now see the Add to Collection function in many more places throughout the web interface, making it easier than ever to manage them.

New Download Button

Now you can easily download your personal media directly from the web interface.

You can even control which users are allowed access to it:

Opt-In Access Permissions

The permissions for library and channel access have been slightly re-worked. Previously you've been accustomed to having to opt-out, that is, new libraries become visible to users by default. You can now stop this from happening by unchecking the option to enable access to all. This means that if you add a new library or channel, your users may not be able to see it until you've granted them access.

Supply your Personal Fanart.tv API Key

At the request of both Fanart.tv and fans of Fanart, we now have a space where you can enter your fanart personal api key. This will get you access to new images faster as well as other benefits that fanart provides.

https://emby.media/community/uploads/inline/2/54d8ebaf399a3_Untitled.png

Create your own custom CSS

Now you can design your own CSS rules and apply them to the web interface. Let us know what you come up with!

https://emby.media/community/uploads/inline/2/54d8ea242706a_Untitled.png

Bugs Resolved

Fixed multi-disc folder recognition
Artists tag in audio files is now read
External subtitles in Dlna profiles not being used
Fixed Tmdb foreign language fallback
Unable to parse Nfo's containing only a single url

Join the Community

What makes this release so awesome is the number of people who stepped up to contribute to it. In fact, the goals of the release were even shifted as a result of input and contributions that were made. If you're looking for a project, say hello and we'll find a place for you

VoxCommando integrates Media Browser!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 20:37:00 +0000

VoxCommando version 2.1.3.8 has been released and now supports Media Browser!

VoxCommando puts you in the captain’s chair

VoxCommando is a speech recognition and command utility that lets you take control of your multimedia HTPC (Home Theatre PC). You can add voice control to your home automation, or you can use it as an assistive tool to speed up everyday tasks, to reduce your reliance on the keyboard and mouse, or simply because it is fun to use!

VoxCommando is different from other speech recognition applications in that it is extremely customizable, and is designed to work with a wide variety of other multimedia programs like Kodi (XBMC). VoxCommando is able to achieve accurate speech recognition because it knows what media is in your library, so it knows what commands to listen for.

Learn more at https://voxcommando.com/home/features/

Media Browser for VoxCommando Setup Guide
https://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=MediaBrowser

Media Browser pairs perfectly with Kodi Helix

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 20:31:00 +0000

Team,

Ever since the announcement of the Xbmc to Kodi rebranding, Media Browser communities, call centers and offices around the world have been inundated with phone calls and emails from millions of curious users, all wondering the same thing. Will Media Browser retain it's compatibility after the Kodi name change and Helix release? Today we are here to answer those questions with a resounding yes.

Kodi is a great front-end and we think Media Browser is the perfect companion. Our Kodi add-on team has done a lot of great work for Helix, including incorporating many of the new Live TV features, as well as optimization for low power devices such as the Fire TV.

Also thanks to the efforts of IM85288, we've had a number of new people step up and help with some of the skins he's been working on. As always everything is open source and open to community contribution.

Installation

Download the repository

- Install using System -> Add-ons -> Install from zip file
- Install the Kodi add-on from the repository
- Install your skin of choice from the Kodi repository

Trakt plugin updated to v2 API

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 04:07:00 +0000

The trakt plugin has been updated to utilize Trakt's new version of their API. After updating the plugin you'll need to reconfigure your username and password.

Enjoy

The New Android TV App - Coming Soon

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 01:57:01 +0000

Google announced Android TV at their annual Google I/O conference last year and we immediately saw it as a huge opportunity not only for Media Browser but also for the industry as a whole.

The smart TV market is thriving but the use of the actual smart features are greatly limited because each manufacturer, for the most part, chose to implement their own environment which makes it very difficult for app developers to support them all. This, in turn, makes it hard for users to find the apps they want.

We saw Google's new platform as a potential common platform for not only stand alone devices, but also smart TVs and, it appears, we were right.

At CES a couple of weeks ago Sony, Sharp and Philips all announced that their 2015 models would be using Google's Android TV as their smart platform.

Despite a noticeable improvement in Smart TV interfaces last year, 2015 marks a turning point, with many brands abandoning their own interfaces in favour of more-widely compatible ones.

The biggest winner of this move is, of course, Android TV, now used by Sony, Sharp and Philips. The system offers plenty of friendly apps and a responsive and well-designed interface. It'll be very familiar to you if you're used to Android phones. It also includes all of Google's connected services, as well as Google Cast compatibility, which allows you to share the screen of another device (e.g. smartphone) with the television via Wi-Fi.

Of course, the Nexus Player is available now as a set top box solution and there will undoubtedly also be other new boxes sporting Android TV, but the TVs themselves will really make this platform a winner.

And we will be ready for them. Here is a sneak peek at our upcoming Android TV App:

The Web Client: Your portable media manager

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 19:59:00 +0000

How do you use the web client? If the answer is only on the desktop, you're missing out on the fun. Today I'm here to show you one of the areas where it truly shines the most, and that is on your smart phone and your tablet. Whether you're on Android, iOS, or Windows Phone you get a beautiful display to navigate through your media collection. It's fast, it's pretty, and it can't possibly be beat!

So the next time you want to watch a movie, try it with the web client on one of your portable devices. We think you'll be surprised with the experience you have.

But what else can you do with it? How about keep track of your latest and upcoming episodes.

Or why not qeuue up a playlist for some music listening?

And for what is always a crowd favorite, remote control of other Emby apps:

A Beautiful Live TV Guide

Even on a small screen, Emby's Live TV features are easy and fun.

How often have you sat down on the couch to watch a movie, and realized something needed to be done with your media, and so you got up and ran to your server room to correct the problem? This is a situation we can all relate to. Stop doing that! With the web client you have full control of the server in the palm of your hand. So the next time you want to install a new channel, don't get up, do it from the sofa!

The mobile and tablet layouts support every single feature you're accustomed to from the full desktop version. Nothing is left behind on the small screen. So enjoy these last few screens and remember, you can manage Emby from anywhere that you can access the internet.

Tell us how you use it. We'd like to hear about it.

Try the Hosted Web Client

We now have a hosted version of the web client at:

http://app.emby.media/

Simply use your Connect (forum) login, and then you can access any of your servers (owned or shared).

Once you sign in, you'll see the very same web client you've come to know and love. Switching servers is easy:

As you can see the layout is currently limited to one server at a time, but this is only the beginning. We know that many of you are clamoring for multi-server presentations, and we intend to deliver that in future releases.

The hosted web client has one unique advantage over the local version. It features automatic network switching from LAN to WAN and vice versa, on the fly as needed. You might login initially within your home network, and then leave the house and transition to mobile. The app will handle it for you, all on the fly. The hosted web client is truly one url, any time, any location.

Important Note: The hosted web client is served via static HTML and JavaScript. All communication occurs directly from your browser to your Emby Server, just like the regular web client. We do not have any external servers that send requests to your home server, and we do not collect any information about your media library.

nuVue updated with support for Media Browser Connect

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 22:45:00 +0000

Official Website
Play Store
Amazon App Store

nuVue is a companion app for Media Browser users that displays rich notifications when new items are added. There is nothing additional to install on your Media Browserserver. Just sign in with your credentials and nuVue does the rest.

Know when there is something new to watch without opening a client app
See what TV series and movies are currently in-progress
Perfect for cord-cutters who use automated downloads
Group notifications and listings by media type, server, or a single list
Full support for Android Wear notifications
Quick and easy playback on connected clients (does not include Chromecast)

Be sure and join the Google community to read about future development, and submit bug reports and feature requests:
https://plus.google....631692310173087

Windows Phone App Updated to 8.0.65.0

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 18:15:44 +0000

Whilst this new release doesn't have a list as long as your arm with changes, the major change it does have should impact anyone who streams videos using the app. This release has moved to a better streaming method with the server app, which means the stream is better, and the server is more performant.

Also included in this release is the ability to remove old local servers from the list of servers (if you've rebuilt your machine for example).

Finally, the app is now enabled for Portuguese users. If there's a language you would like to see the app in, and would be willing to help out, please get in touch and we can help make this happen.

As always, the app can be downloaded (or updated) from https://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=f4971ed9-f651-4bf6-84bb-94fd98613b86

Some great happenings around the community

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 05:34:00 +0000

As many of you know, we have a lot of really smart people contributing here. Many have stepped up in recent months to help with a number of projects, notably the Linux and FreeBSD releases you're all enjoying. Now it's time to acknowledge other great things that are happening in our community and introduce you to some new faces. If you're knowledgeable in these areas or would like to help test, then jump right in!

Https support - Jabbera

This will be coming sooner than we originally planned thanks to Jabbera. Read more: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/16917-https-support

GPU Transcoding - mjb2000

This has been long requested, and mjb2000 is helping out to bring it to us. See https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/10723-gpu-transcoding

Live TV via Media Portal - ChubbyArse

Two worlds collide with this plugin. See: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/15668-media-portal-live-tv-plugin-v10/

Live TV via DVB Link - t.andre

This has been very heavily requested. To help out see: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/16771-devdvblink-live-tv-plugin/

MB Upcoming Chrome Extension - Angelblue05

Displays your upcoming episodes as a browser extension: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/17033-mb-upcoming-new-chrome-extension

Web Client Customization - rthomas

Sharing his favorite tips and tricks. See https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/16257-sharing-webclient-customisation-tips-and-tricks/

GameBrowser Tutorials - shaefurr

He's been working hard on both written and video guides. See https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/10875-media-browser-theater-and-games/

What's Next?

Submit your hack or project, or your idea by joining the community and showing it off. If it's compelling enough we may even adjust our release schedules to accommodate it.

Media Browser Server 3.0.5490.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 20:35:00 +0000

This is primarily a maintenance release but does have a few important additions and changes.

Check out the new Wiki:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki

We've been working hard on a new wiki to help document all of the features of Media Browser. So to that end...

In App Help:

You'll now see conveniently placed, context-sensitive help buttons through the web interface.

When you click a help button you'll be taken to the corresponding wiki page that will help walk you through the feature. Be patient with us if some of the wiki pages aren't yet complete, they will be soon.

User Device Access

Now you can configure the devices a user is able to utilize to connect to your server. This setting will affect everything from logging into that device, to remote controlling it, and to the users that are displayed publicly on that device's login screen.

Identification Options

Now when you use the identification feature of the metadata manager, you can choose whether or not to replace images as part of the operation.

Sharper than Ever on Your Retina Devices

A number of icons have been upgraded and now the web client looks nice and sharp no matter what resolution or browser you're running.

Expanded TV Naming Support

Our parsing of episode file names has significantly improved and is now based on Kodi's engine and rules. This will dramatically improve our ability to find internet metadata. In a future release, look for the rules to become configurable similar to Kodi's advancedsettings.xml.

Bugs Resolved

PGS subtitles not working in the web client
Search was returning missing & unaired episodes

Stay tuned for something awesome

Whenever we have a release as light as this you can be sure, we've got something big up our sleeves. Stay tuned.

Media Browser for Roku 1.78 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 05:55:00 +0000

This is a bug-fix release that resolves the following issues:

Inability to remember login information under certain conditions
Crash when playing video playlist
Crash when browsing plain folder menus

Enjoy

Media Browser for Android free for a limited time

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 02:25:00 +0000

As you all know from our previous announcement, we have some great things coming on Android:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-154-coming-soon-to-your-android-living-room/

Before the new version is rolled out, we thought about doing a sale, and then we thought why not go free for short while to help create excitement and bring more new people to Media Browser. It is free in both the Play Store and Amazon App Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mb.android

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Linton-Mediabrowser-Android-Client/dp/B00GVH9O0I

Please take a moment to rate and review your apps, it is one of the best ways you can contribute.

Thank you for your support.

Emby Server 3.0.5588 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 18:43:00 +0000

This is a small maintenance release that we're pushing out to resolve a few issues that have been reported. This should move to stable very quickly. Among the issues resolved are:

External streaming with Android
Live TV streams not being properly closed
Tvdb language override not falling back to English when appropriate
Playback stopping prematurely on Chromecast

Emby Server 3.0.5597 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 15:05:00 +0000

A small update has been pushed out to resolve a few issues and bring a few enhancements.

New Video Loading

When you play content in the web client, you'll now be treated to a new and improved loading screen.

New and Improved Xbox One DLNA

Support for DLNA with Xbox One has been vastly improved. You'll now enjoy:

PlayTo issues resolved
Streaming issues resolved with Xbox Media Player
Checkmarks for watched content
Resume progress bars
Unwatched count indicators
Beautiful dynamic images

Other Issues Resolved

Episode metadata getting lost after upgrading video file
Video Ref frame count not being recorded
Live TV not working in Safari
PlayTo not working with MediaMonkey (this fix may benefit other DLNA media players)
Safari "Add to Homescreen" feature not hiding address bar

Emby Now Available On Amazon Fire TV

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 20:25:58 +0000

Available now for your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick in the Amazon App Store.

Now access your Emby content with an intelligent, fluid interface from one of the most popular streaming devices on the market.

What you want to watch – right up front

Designed with with typical usage in mind, you won’t have to go hunting through your library to find the content you are most likely wanting to watch right now. The home screen shows you the items you were watching but hadn’t finished, your latest un-watched movies, the next episode of all your current TV shows and what’s on Live TV right now (Live TV service required).

Fast, easy browsing

For those times you do want to peruse your library, Emby for Fire TV makes it a breeze. Providing several ways to traverse your content and rich search capability, you’ll find what you’re looking for in no time.

Rediscover your content

Emby for Fire TV also uses the power of the server to help you find movies to watch for the first time or over and over.

The next of a new generation

The new Emby for Fire TV app is another in our new generation of more intelligent apps for all your devices. Designed more like the web client and fantastic Windows 8.1 and Win Phone apps, the Emby for Fire TV app continues our commitment to make Emby the absolute best solution for your personal media collection.

Installation

Get it now from the store on your device or directly on Amazon. (if that link doesn’t work in your region, just search for “Emby” under “Apps and Games”)

All open source

As with all of our projects, we’re committed to open source and welcome community contributions. The source code can be found at:

https://github.com/M…owser.AndroidTv

Source

Emby Server 3.0.5582 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 04:35:00 +0000

This is predominantly a maintenance release but there are some new goodies to enjoy. Without further ado, here are the highlights.

Control Your Cloud Sync Upload Speed

You can now configure this in the sync settings area.

To learn more about Cloud Sync, check out the release notes from the previous release:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-188-emby-server-305572-released/
Manage Your Sync Conversion Speed

Now you can control both the speed and the number of CPU cores that are utilized by sync conversion tasks.

New Sync Management Settings

Suppose you'd like to give your users access to Sync, but you don't want them hammering your CPU. Now you can limit their access to sync transcoding so that they're only able to sync original files.

New User Management Settings

You now have the ability to limit a user's access to transcoding, another tool at your disposal to conserve your CPU.

Keep in mind that taking away transcoding could make it impossible to play some content on certain devices. When this happens, your users will receive a friendly error message:

We're working hard to get these graceful error messages into every Emby app. Please be patient while we do this.

New Streaming Management Settings
Suppose you have limited upload speed and want to enforce a cap for all remote clients. Now you can easily do this from the Streaming settings page.

Keep in mind that reducing the allowed bitrate will make transcoding more likely to occur. But as with everything else, it's all your choice.

Emby Chooses the Right One

You might have multiple copies of media available thanks to features like Cloud Sync, Folder Sync, and the ability to store multiple copies of a video in a single folder. Emby will choose the most efficient one for every device, and this now incorporates the above management settings. Whether it be limiting access to transcoding, or setting a bitrate limit, all of these options are taken into consideration when choosing the most efficient media source.

An All-New Live TV Guide

The guide now fills the screen and is a joy to scroll or flick through. It's fast, it's pretty and it's now free of the double scrollbars it had before.

And when you're mobile, it's a whole new experience that's easier and friendlier than ever.

Channels are also now sorted by your favorites and likes, which will make it easier for users with hundreds of channels.

Sync Your Live TV Recordings

Supported by Cloud Sync, Mobile Sync and Folder Sync!

Direct Play Live TV from Supported Clients

If you you're on the Emby Theater beta channel, you'll now enjoy Live TV without any transcoding, subject to support from your installed Live TV provider. Even if transcoding is required, the process will be more efficient than ever.

Beautiful Dynamic Thumbnails for Collections & Playlists

We think you're going to really enjoy these. Make sure to thank t.andre in the community.

Emby Server for Mac Updated

To our Mac users, we apologize for having to skip over an entire release cycle. The server has been updated so you can now enjoy the latest features.

Issues Resolved

Unable to resume from Android TV
Cloud synced content not playing from Roku (will require resyncing)
Resolved issue of blocked Collections appearing empty for users
Resolved issue of certain Live TV programs missing from the grid
Duplicate artists due to accent characters

Join the Team

Help us evolve by putting your own stamp on our community project. We've revamped our roadmap a number of times to accommodate community contributions and will continue to do so.

Java/Android Developers Wanted
If you're experienced here then see the previous section!

Dress up your Emby images

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 14:35:17 +0000

Have you tried CoverArt? It is just one of the additional features you get when you become an Emby Supporter.

Cover Art is available in the Server Plug-in Catalog

Cover Art is an "Image Processor" for Emby Server. It does not download any artwork. What it does is take the artwork you have (either downloaded with the normal MB providers or supplied by you) and apply different specialized treatments to those images. So, it can take a plain movie poster and make it look like a Blu-Ray case, or a beveled glass case - or take your episode images and put TV frames around them so that they look obviously like TV episodes.

It can also do some very interesting things with Collections (box sets) or other folder types by creating images that represent the actual content that is within them.

Cover Art does not modify any of your original artwork. It does its magic on the server before the images are delivered to the clients so you can easily switch between different styles and rest assured your original posters will remain intact.

You can select different treatments for different types of media. For example, movies can have a case style treatment while TV Series, Seasons and Episodes all have different styles. Additionally, these selections can be grouped into different Profiles which allow you to define different sets of options for different physical locations within your library.

Cover Art can also make it easy to tell more about your media with just a glance at the cover. It has the ability to put indicator icons on the covers to show the audio or video format as well as subtitle language and if the item is 3D or not.

All of this together makes Cover Art an extremely powerful and flexible way to customize your media artwork into something much more exciting than just movie posters.

Install Cover Art now from the server plug-in catalog and add some polish to your MB apps. You can trial it for 14 days from the time of first install. For complete information on what CoverArt can do, see here.

Manage your Home with Emby Users

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 14:34:04 +0000

Team,

Today, we're going to show you how you can be the master of your domain with Emby Users. Why create separate user accounts for each member of your household? Because users can have their own personalized media libraries, user data, recommendations, parental controls, security settings, and more. Users are managed by opening the server dashboard and navigating to Users.

Users

Users are generally intended to be people who don't already have an online Emby Connect account. This is where most people will add the members of their household:

A user will be displayed with a cloud if they're linked to Emby Connect. Why link to Emby Connect? Connect allows easy sign in away from home, where nothing more is needed than a username and password.

Guests

Guests are fundamentally the same as Users, but they provide an easy way to invite someone who already has an Emby Connect account. This will easily import their display name and image into your server.

Feature Access

To manage user feature access, start by visiting the Users page and clicking on a user account. Features can easily be granted or denied, such as the ability to sync media, view live tv, manage live tv, etc. The "Allow media playback" option determines if the user is able to play media or not. This option is handy if you'd like to setup a guest user who can browse the library but not play anything.

Content Access

Content access allows you to configure the libraries a user is allowed to access.

Channel access also provides the same ability to control what your users can view and what they can't:

Device Access

Device access allows you to configure the devices a user is allowed to sign in from. By default, users can use any device.

Parental Controls by Rating

Easily block content from users based on their official rating:

But sometimes it's also handy to control blocking of unrated content:

Parental Controls by Tags

Content can also be restricted based on the presence of tags:

Tags are treated recursively, meaning you can easily block an entire TV series just adding a tag at the series level.

Parental Controls by Access Scheduling

Easily block access during certain hours by creating access schedules. Now you'll never have to worry about your kids streaming videos during their biology lectures.

Advanced Controls

Need to quickly disable user accounts? Would you like to hide certain accounts from app login screens? Easily do that with advanced controls.

You can even take away a user's ability to edit their own profile settings. Maybe you don't want your kids accidentally changing their preferred subtitle language. Or maybe you have all your kids on one shared kids account and you'd like to manage the profile preferences yourself.

Passwords

Easily create passwords to keep your accounts secure and safe.

But we all know that passwords can be cumbersome in the living room, so that's why we offer an Easy Pin Code feature for in-home use:

Activity Log

Follow what your users are doing. Just about everything appears in the activity log, from signing in to signing out, playing or pausing content, changing passwords, settings, and more.

See What They're Watching, in Real-time

The server dashboard also gives you real-time access to monitor what your users are currently watching.

Easy Remote Control

Need to quickly remote control a user's app? This is easily done with the remote control functions built into the web interface. Stop, pause, rewind, change audio, subtitles, and more with the tap of a finger.

The over-sized buttons make them very easy to tap on a smartphone or tablet, which makes it quite fun to flick through the scene selection menu:

You can even send directional input just like a real remote:

We hope this gives you a little more information on what Emby Users can do. If you still have your whole family on one shared account, try creating user profiles. We think you'll enjoy them

Emby Theater 3.0.5571 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 16:11:00 +0000

Emby Theater has been updated to 3.0.5571.

Now Supports Your Cloud Synced Media

To learn more about Cloud Sync, check out the recent server release: https://emby.media/co...05572-released/

Other Changes

Https support
Resolved issue of user images not showing on login screen

Installation

https://emby.media/download/

Emby for Roku 1.96 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 03:51:00 +0000

Emby for Roku has been updated to 1.96.

Now Supports Your Cloud Synced Media

To learn more about Cloud Sync, check out the recent server release: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-188-emby-server-305572-released/

Actor Filmography

Actor screens now include a filmography feature, allowing you to see other titles they've appeared in:

Other Changes

Https support

Installation

https://www.roku.com...ails/44191/emby

Emby for Android TV (Nexus Player) Released!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 22:06:28 +0000

Available now in the Google Play Store - Emby for Android TV

Now get Emby on your Nexus Player or other Android TV (5.0+ with LeanBack interface) device.

See what you want - right now

The new Emby Android TV app puts your content right where you want it - up front and easy to find.

Designed with with typical usage in mind, you won't have to go hunting through your library to find the content you are most likely wanting to watch right now. The home screen shows you the items you were watching but hadn't finished, your latest un-watched movies, the next episode of all your current TV shows and what's on Live TV right now (Live TV service required).

In fact, you don't even have to enter the app to get to your most wanted content. The new Emby for ATV app uses the Recommendation capabilities of the device to put your most likely items right on the player home screen.

Rediscover your content

The app also uses the power of the server to help you find movies you may want to watch for the first time or again and again.

Easily see everything you care about

In the situations where you really do want to browse around your library, the Emby for ATV app makes it a breeze with an intelligent, fast and highly graphical interface that puts all the relevant information you want to see right where you can see it and multiple ways to view and browse your content.

The next of a new generation

The new Emby for ATV app is the next step in our new generation of more intelligent apps for all your devices. Designed more like the web client and fantastic Windows 8.1 and Win Phone apps, the Emby for ATV app continues our commitment to make Emby the absolute best solution for your personal media collection. Look for new apps for other platforms (like Fire TV) and newly renovated ones for Android mobile and iOS in the future.

Installation

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.emby.embyatv

All open source

As with all of our projects, we're committed to open source and welcome community contributions. The source code can be found at:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.AndroidTv

Emby for Chromecast Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 04:33:00 +0000

Now Supports Cloud Synced Media

An update has been pushed to the Chromecast receiver to enable support for your cloud synced media. To learn more about cloud sync, check out the blog posting for the recent Emby Server release:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-188-emby-server-305572-released/

Enjoy!

Emby Server 3.0.5572 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 02:30:00 +0000

The stable channel has been updated with a small revision over the previous release. This resolves the following issues:

Reverse proxy playback with the web client
Sync ffmpeg processes starting at the wrong times
Use of the download button with Emby Connect

Thanks to everyone who helped test the beta. Our cloud features are just beginning, so stay tuned for more!

Recap

A new version of Emby Server has been released with some exciting new additions. Before we go over them, if you missed our recent Emby announcement you can read all about that here:

emby....troducing-emby/

Introducing Cloud Sync & Folder Sync

We worked really hard on sync during this release cycle to bring you new features that you'll find useful. Cloud & Folder Sync allow you to sync media to external locations, whether it be for backup purposes or to archive content in multiple resolutions. Apps can then stream the content from the cloud instead of your server, thereby sparing your upload bandwidth.

Let's say for example you have an original copy of a movie at 40Mbps. It looks fantastic but will require transcoding anytime you'd like to stream to Roku. Now you can sync that movie to the cloud and choose a profile that will allow Roku to direct stream:

When your users stream the content, they'll direct stream from google drive rather than rely on your server for transcoding.

To setup Cloud Sync or Folder Sync, see the Services tab of the Sync control panel. Look for separate blog posts on these soon with detailed walk-throughs.

Cloud & Folder Sync are your General Purpose Conversion Tools

As you sync content you're free to choose the conversion profile that will determine the output format. In future releases we intend to allow you to modify these profiles directly and even create your own.

Syncs Your Subtitles
When you sync to the cloud, your subtitles will be converted to multiple formats, ensuring they're always available no matter what device you're playing from.

Goodbye GDI, Hello ImageMagick
We've migrated all of our image processing functions from GDI to ImageMagick, thus clearing the way for the server to run smoothly on NAS devices such as Synology. Look for a Synology package soon. While we were at it, we learned a few new tricks, and in the future you may see the server create more beautiful, automatic images such as

A big thanks to t.andre for his efforts on this!

Emby Server Debian package now available

See https://emby.media/download/

Big thanks to @hurricanehernandez

Enhanced Live TV Metadata
Live TV will now be enhanced with internet metadata for movies, and the suggestions page in the web interface now has an Upcoming Movies section. Big thanks to ChubbyArse for this!

New Scheduled Task time limit

Now you can configure time limits for scheduled tasks, perfect for long running overnight jobs that you don't want running during usage hours.

Support more WTV metadata

We'll now extract episode information from embedded metadata in the event the file is not named according to TV naming recommendations. This hasn't made it to auto-organize yet, but it's planned for the future.

DLNA Cast & Crew Setting

We like rich metadata, but we understand many people just want the quickest path from point A to point B. The server dashboard now has a setting to turn off the Cast & Crew feature.

New Fanart.TV Images

Support has been added for the following images:

Season posters
Season banners

Other Fixes

Detect incomplete nfo's and supplement with internet metadata
Fixed playlist content being playable when it shouldn't be
Resolved browser-based live tv playback issues

JavaScript https://github.com/M...ient.Javascript
Java/Android https://github.com/M....ApiClient.Java
C# https://github.com/M...owser.ApiClient

The online Web Client has a new home

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 15:13:00 +0000

Please update your bookmarks to:

http://app.emby.media/

About the Online Web Client
Simply use your Emby Connect (forum) login, and then you can access any of your servers (owned or shared).

Once you sign in, you'll see the very same web client you've come to know and love. Switching servers is easy:

As you can see the layout is currently limited to one server at a time, but this is only the beginning. We know that many of you are clamoring for multi-server presentations, and we intend to deliver that in future releases.

The hosted web client has one unique advantage over the local version. It features automatic network switching from LAN to WAN and vice versa, on the fly as needed. You might login initially within your home network, and then leave the house and transition to mobile. The app will handle it for you, all on the fly. The hosted web client is truly one url, any time, any location.

Important Note: The hosted web client is served via static HTML and JavaScript. All communication occurs directly from your browser to your Emby Server, just like the regular web client. We do not have any external servers that send requests to your home server, and we do not collect any information about your media library.

The Web Client - Your Portable Media Manager

How do you use the web client? If the answer is only on the desktop, you're missing out on the fun. Today I'm here to show you one of the areas where it truly shines the most, and that is on your smart phone and your tablet. Whether you're on Android, iOS, or Windows Phone you get a beautiful display to navigate through your media collection. It's fast, it's pretty, and it can't possibly be beat!
So the next time you want to watch a movie, try it with the web client on one of your portable devices. We think you'll be surprised with the experience you have.

But what else can you do with it? How about keep track of your latest and upcoming episodes.

Or why not qeuue up a playlist for some music listening?

And for what is always a crowd favorite, remote control of other Emby apps:

How often have you sat down on the couch to watch a movie, and realized something needed to be done with your media, and so you got up and ran to your server room to correct the problem? This is a situation we can all relate to. Stop doing that! With the web client you have full control of the server in the palm of your hand. So the next time you want to install a new channel, don't get up, do it from the sofa!

The mobile and tablet layouts support every single feature you're accustomed to from the full desktop version. Nothing is left behind on the small screen. So enjoy these last few screens and remember, you can manage Emby from anywhere that you can access the internet.

Tell us how you use it. We'd like to hear about it.

Emby for Windows 8.1/RT 3.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 02:59:00 +0000

Version 3.2 is now in the Windows Store and is packed with features. Download here:

https://apps.microsof...44-bed3aefd5d06

Now with Cloud Sync and Folder Sync Support

Cloud Sync comes to Windows 8.1. When you play videos that have been cloud synced, the app will automatically use those versions when they're compatible and they fall within your bit rate setting.

Redesigned Movie, TV, and Music Views

More content at your fingertips with less navigation. These gorgeous screenshots speak for themselves.

Sync Improvements

Now users with access can schedule sync jobs for other devices as well, giving the app some of the same management features of the web client:

Easily Mark Favorites and Likes

Rating your content is a great way to influence the suggestions that appear on your home pages and similar items lists. Now it's right at your fingertips.

And these are also displayed in the lovely new Favorites view

New Actor Filmography Views

Stay up to date about other titles your favorite actors have appeared in.

Playback Improvements

Added FastForward/Rewind for DirectStream && Offline Playback
Added Slowmotion for DirectStream && Offline Playback
Vastly improved playback by almost eliminating full transcode (using streamcopy where possible)

Other Improvements

Respect the user view preferences
Automatic Subtitle selection if available
Resolved playlists no longer sorting
Added a loading spinner on Artists views
Support for music genre Images
Fixed transparency issue when using Cover Art
Added Playlist support to the main hub
Added MCE support to Emby Connect View
Fixed a problem with live tiles and lock screen images
Redesigned the sign-in screens
Switched artist api usage to ArtistId

Installation

See https://apps.microsof...44-bed3aefd5d06

Emby for Roku Beta Channel Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 04:40:00 +0000

Our Roku beta channel has been updated to 1.90 and now has a new url:

https://owner.roku.com/add/EmbyBeta

This is the same channel but you'll notice the name is changing. Please try it out and help test so that we can push this to the public version.

Now with Cloud Sync Support

Cloud Sync is the highlight feature here. When you play videos that have been cloud synced, the app will automatically use those versions when they're compatible and they fall within your bit rate setting.

Other Additions

Includes the Actor Filmography support from bluebull
https support

Emby Server 3.0.5569 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The stable channel has been updated. Thanks to everyone who helped test the beta. Our cloud features are just beginning, so stay tuned for more!

Recap

A new version of Emby Server has been released with some exciting new additions. Before we go over them, if you missed our recent Emby announcement you can read all about that here:

emby....troducing-emby/

Introducing Cloud Sync & Folder Sync

We worked really hard on sync during this release cycle to bring you new features that you'll find useful. Cloud & Folder Sync allow you to sync media to external locations, whether it be for backup purposes or to archive content in multiple resolutions. Apps can then stream the content from the cloud instead of your server, thereby sparing your upload bandwidth.

Let's say for example you have an original copy of a movie at 40Mbps. It looks fantastic but will require transcoding anytime you'd like to stream to Roku. Now you can sync that movie to the cloud and choose a profile that will allow Roku to direct stream:

When your users stream the content, they'll direct stream from google drive rather than rely on your server for transcoding.

To setup Cloud Sync or Folder Sync, see the Services tab of the Sync control panel. Look for separate blog posts on these soon with detailed walk-throughs.

Cloud & Folder Sync are your General Purpose Conversion Tools

As you sync content you're free to choose the conversion profile that will determine the output format. In future releases we intend to allow you to modify these profiles directly and even create your own.

Syncs Your Subtitles
When you sync to the cloud, your subtitles will be converted to multiple formats, ensuring they're always available no matter what device you're playing from.

Goodbye GDI, Hello ImageMagick
We've migrated all of our image processing functions from GDI to ImageMagick, thus clearing the way for the server to run smoothly on NAS devices such as Synology. Look for a Synology package soon. While we were at it, we learned a few new tricks, and in the future you may see the server create more beautiful, automatic images such as

A big thanks to t.andre for his efforts on this!

Emby Server Debian package now available

See https://emby.media/download/

Big thanks to @hurricanehernandez

Enhanced Live TV Metadata
Live TV will now be enhanced with internet metadata for movies, and the suggestions page in the web interface now has an Upcoming Movies section. Big thanks to ChubbyArse for this!

New Scheduled Task time limit

Now you can configure time limits for scheduled tasks, perfect for long running overnight jobs that you don't want running during usage hours.

Support more WTV metadata

We'll now extract episode information from embedded metadata in the event the file is not named according to TV naming recommendations. This hasn't made it to auto-organize yet, but it's planned for the future.

DLNA Cast & Crew Setting

We like rich metadata, but we understand many people just want the quickest path from point A to point B. The server dashboard now has a setting to turn off the Cast & Crew feature.

New Fanart.TV Images

Support has been added for the following images:

Season posters
Season banners

Other Fixes

Detect incomplete nfo's and supplement with internet metadata
Fixed playlist content being playable when it shouldn't be
Resolved browser-based live tv playback issues

JavaScript https://github.com/M...ient.Javascript
Java/Android https://github.com/M....ApiClient.Java
C# https://github.com/M...owser.ApiClient

Introducing Emby for Kodi (Open Beta)

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 20:25:35 +0000

Hello All,

I am pleased to announce that we are now ready for beta testers on our second generation Kodi addon - Emby for Kodi! A whole new way to manage and view your media library!

For a long time we have been battling with the slowness of Python for parsing data from the server - it has been suggested many times to try to sync to the Kodi library - but this was a big project with a lot of technical hurtles.

@marcelveldt took on the challenge and developed a proof of concept. The rest of the Kodi/Emby team quickly agreed this was the way forward and has spent the last few weeks moving over code where it made sense, and proving out this new solution. Marcel in particular has put MANY hours into this, so please show him your appreciation!

We think you will find the new addon provides a much cleaner experience.

Advantages of new AddOn:
- Work well with low-end devices such as Raspberry Pi and FireTV
- Works with native skins
- Much faster library browsing
- Native sorting/deleting/resume
- Native view setting support

Disadvantages:
- Initial setup takes a while 20 minutes on a fast machine to 2 hours on a Pi

The Emby addon for Kodi combines the best of Kodi - ultra smooth navigation, beautiful UIs and playback of any file under the sun, and Emby - the most powerful fully open source multi-client media metadata indexer and server.

What is currently supported ?

We're still in beta stage of development. Currently these features are working:

Movies
Sets
TV Shows
MusicVideos
Deletions are supported - enable in Kodi for Kodi side delete
Watched state/resume status sync: This is a 2-way synchronisation. Any watched state or resume status will be instantly (within seconds) reflected to or from Kodi and the server.

To get started with the Emby addon for Kodi, first follow these guides to set up Emby and Kodi:

To prevent any conflicts, remove the "old" MediaBrowser addon from your Kodi setup.
If you were using a modded skin for the MediaBrowser addon, make sure to set it in "normal Kodi mode" or just install the unmodded version of the skin.
Install the MediaBrowser/Emby BETA repository for Kodi, from the repo install the Emby addon.
Within a few seconds you should be prompted for your server-details (or auto discovered). If not, try to restart Kodi
Once you're successfully authenticated to your Emby server, the initial sync will start.
The first sync of the Emby server to local Kodi database may take some time. On a powerful machine and fast network, expect around 15-45 minutes. On a slow machine (such as a Raspberry Pi) the first sync may take up to two hours.
Once the full sync is done, you can browse your media in Kodi, syncs will be automatically done in the background.

Known Issues:

Windows users: Kodi Helix 14.2 RC1 required - other versions will result in errors with recently added items etc.
Important note about MySQL database in kodi

The addon is not currently compatible with the MySQL database replacement in Kodi. Of course you can still use MySQL for your music while music is not supported by the addon currently.

Important note about user collections/nodes

Emby has the ability to create custom nodes/folders for your Media, such as having a separate folder for your "Kids Movies" etc. In Kodi this isn't supported, you just have "movies" or "tvshows". But... Kodi let's you create your own playlists and tags to get this same experience. During the sync the foldernode from the Emby server is added to the movies that are imported. In Kodi you can browse to Movie library --> tags and you will have a filtered result that points at your custom node. If you have a skin that let's you create any kind of shortcut on the homescreen you can simply create a shortcut to that tag. Another possibility is to create a "smart playlist" with Kodi and set it to show the content of a certain tag.

At this point, please hold on to your feature requests and report bugs only.

Report bugs or any usefull feedback on the forums

New Emby Website

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 02 May 2015 00:59:00 +0000

Emby Team,

In case you haven't seen, we've revamped the website:

https://emby.media

Let us know what you think

Follow Emby on Tumblr

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:36:00 +0000

Another way to stay on top of Emby news

https://embyapp.tumblr.com/

Emby for Android TV Update - Now On Any 4.2.2+ Device

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 03 May 2015 01:35:44 +0000

Emby for Android TV Now Available on More Devices

A quick follow-up to our brand new Emby for Android TV app makes it now compatible with any device running at least Android 4.2.2 (JellyBean) as well as providing a few nice enhancements. All of the following enhancements will be available in both the Google and Amazon (Fire TV) based apps.

Improved Playback Interface

The OSD when playing back items has been completely re-designed to be sleeker and provide much better information and capabilities. You have access to audio track and subtitle track selection as well as chapter access and direct chapter jumping like before but in a nicer display. Seeking response has also been improved when jumping ahead or back multiple times quickly (like pressing jump ahead four times in a row to go 2 minutes).

Netflix-style "Up Next" feature

Many of you have probably used the Netflix app on one of these devices and noticed the feature where it tells you what is coming up next near the end of a TV episode. The Emby Android TV (and Fire TV) app now has this same type of feature. Near the end of an item, when there is another item in the queue, you will get a display of what is coming up with the ability to start it right then or cancel playback altogether. You can also dismiss this screen by simply hitting the 'back' button on your remote in case it comes up a bit too early.

Enhanced Live TV Playback Display

Now, when playing live TV channels, the progress display will indicate the proper program that is playing as well as the channel it is on and the progress bar will be correct in the context of the actual program.

New Unwatched Row in Movie and Series View

The "Latest" row that is already there will show you your latest content that hasn't been watched in a reverse-date order but sometimes you just want to see all the items in your collection that you haven't seen.

Now the Movie and TV views include a row containing only unwatched items sorted by name so you can more easily browse to find something you haven't seen but that maybe hasn't been added to your collection recently.

More Hard-button Support

The app now supports more direct control from your remote.

Pressing the remote's "Play/Pause" button when hovered on an item in one of the list views will now directly start playing that item - bypassing the detail screen. On items like Series or Seasons, you will get a menu allowing you to Play All, Shuffle or Play the first unwatched item.
The FF and Rew buttons on the remote will now activate the jump ahead and skip back actions during playback.
If you have a custom remote (menu button) or game controller ('Y' button), you can now bring up a context menu on items within those lists that will allow you to do things like mark watched/unwatched, add to favorites or like/dislike them. On the Fire TV, the Menu button will produce this menu.

Trial message Error Fixed

The incorrect message that your trial is still on-going after unlocking the app has been fixed.

Supports Your Cloud Sync'ed Media

To learn more about Cloud Sync, check out the recent server release here.

Installation

This new version should automatically update on your device within the next few days or, if you want to install it on a newly supported device simply visit the Play Store on that device or access it directly here. It may take a while for all stores to receive the update. If that link still shows the old version, please try again later.

Follow Emby on Google Plus

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 03 May 2015 01:35:00 +0000

Another way to stay on top of Emby news

https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/104622186938779417813

Learn how you can contribute to Emby

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 17 May 2015 17:52:00 +0000

Team,

As you all know, we're a community-driven project and we're always looking for new people to get involved and help us evolve. If you're looking for a new project then we can find a place for you, no matter your skill set.

Take on a Development Project

If you're skilled with Java, JavaScript, C#, BrightScript, or WPF, then send me a note and I'll let you know what's available. While I'm here let's give credit where it's due and acknowledge some recent community contributions that have have a major impact on Emby:

Jabbera - SSL Support
t.andre - ImageMagick integration and something really cool you'll find out about later.
TedA - Web client video player improvements
ChubbyArse - New live tv metadata
hamstercat - Google drive cloud sync plugin
bluebull - Roku filmography

We're not afraid to reshape our roadmap based on community contribution, so if you have an idea, don't be afraid.

Create a new Channel or Cloud Sync Plugin

Help us expand our ever growing library. See our Github Wiki on plugin development:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser/wiki/How-to-build-a-Server-Plugin

Use our Api Libraries

Want to build an app or play with our Api? We work hard to make it easy to use. We have full Api Wrappers available in three languages:

.NET: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.ApiClient
JavaScript: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.ApiClient.Javascript
Java/Android: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/MediaBrowser.ApiClient.Java

Help Translate Emby

We've been working hard to translate Emby into as many languages as possible. If you'd like to help out with this effort, drop us a line here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/5727-join-our-translation-team/

Create a Fan Video

Youtube videos of Emby in action are a great way to help spread the word. Create yours, then tell us about it here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/121-fan-videos/

Emby Server 3.0.5607 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 07 May 2015 19:18:00 +0000

A new beta has gone out to address a few issues and bring a few improvements. Here are the changes.

Dlna Improvements

Thanks to the help of a few community members, the following Dlna improvements have been made:

Resolved Play To issue with Xbox One that would revert to the default Dlna profile if using a custom device name
Resolved transcoding failures with Sony Bravia's
Resolved missing images with Sony Bravia's
Resolved transcoding failures with Panasonic Viera
Significantly reduced network footprint when discovering devices on the network
New DLNA profiles added for VLC and Bubble UPnp, to direct stream all content (subject to bitrate setting)

Xbox One Improvements

Resolved Play To issue with Xbox One that would revert to the default Dlna profile if using a custom device name
Resolved issue of missing header when using the web client on Xbox One

Material Design Coming

We are incorporating more of the design elements and you'll notice it with the header. The header will hide and show as your scroll up and down, thus affording you a pleasant full-screen experience. The desktop layouts will be getting the same treatment.

Redesigned Now Playing Bar

The now playing bar of the web client has been redesigned with bigger, prettier buttons and a little transparency. We think you'll enjoy it when playing audio or remote controlling other apps.

Others

Resolved incorrect aspect ratio when transcoding anamorphic content with Android TV & Fire TV
Resolved issue of file handles being left open in Linux when extracting chapter images. This was the primary cause of the Unbutu crashing being reported.
Resolved issue of backdrop images not being downloaded in certain situations
Reduced CPU usage caused by dynamically created images

Stay Tuned for More Live TV News

We are committed to bringing you an unmatched multi-device Live TV experience. Be on the lookout for more blog announcements. In the meantime, enjoy these teasers.

Emby for Roku 2.06 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 13 May 2015 02:57:00 +0000

A new version of Emby for Roku is now available. This is primarily a maintenance release. The following issues have been resolved:

Fix audio playlist playback via remote control
Resolved playback issue with PGS subtitles
Updated streaming profile for more efficient direct play / transcoding decision making
Resolved live TV stream not getting closed under certain conditions

New Music Features

New screen for artists, albums and music genres have been added that make it possible to select play all, shuffle, and instant mix, as well as view the track list.

Emby Website/Forum Scheduled Maintenance

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 14 May 2015 15:38:17 +0000

The Emby central server will be down for a short time on Sunday May 17th as we upgrade our infrastructure. We expect the downtime to last less than an hour and it will take place sometime between 10:00pm and Midnight, Eastern Daylight Time (Monday May 18th 2:00am - 4:00am UTC/GMT).

This will include the emby.media website, the Emby Community forum, and all central services such as Emby connect, Emby plugin catalog, and Emby supporter verification.

Thanks for your patience as we work to provide the best service possible.

New Beta PPA and Beta docker repo.

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 13 May 2015 22:36:54 +0000

The new ppa and repo are labelled as beta for now just because of there infancy. The major changes in the new ppa are as follows:

mono 4.0 is now distributed with our ppa
ImageMagick has openMP disabled
Maintainer Scripts were added in order to ensure the upgrade process of emby package.
On first install user is notified of information he should be aware of regarding permissions.
libwebp got updated to the latest version.
init.d script now starts mono with various switches and options that is suppose to increase stability.
Precise is now compiled, whether it works remains to be tested.
Init.d script will use system ffmpeg and ffprobe if found.

Please see the following post for more info:
PPA
Docker Repo

Emby Server 3.0.5621 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 21 May 2015 21:05:00 +0000

This is a small release that brings a few important improvements. Here are the highlights.

Dramatically Reduced Transcoding CPU Usage

New "just in time" HLS transcoding will dramatically reduce cpu utilization after the initial client buffering period. You'll now be able to enjoy more simultaneous streams and have more peace of mind about your server's resource consumption.

Faster Video Start and Seek Response Times

You'll notice this in almost every app, with faster, more accurate seeking. In addition, video quality has been improved after seeking, eliminating many of the artifacts that were previously visible for several seconds after the seek.

New Video Player OSD

The OSD for the web client video player has been revamped, allowing in-playback access to important information, scene selection, and more.

Improved Internet Explorer Playback

The web client in IE will now finally enjoy the full feature set that users have been enjoying with other browsers. That means the new OSD, improved seeking, and more.

New Slide Down Menus

The web client also has new slide down menus will give you quick access to the most important features without having to navigate and switch context.

Others

Server crash when probing certain kinds of audio files
Support VIDEO_TS.nfo

Try the new Dropbox Beta Cloud Sync Plugin!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 25 May 2015 02:01:00 +0000

Thanks to hamstercat, A Dropbox cloud sync plugin is now available in the plugin catalog! Please try it out and give us some feedback.

More info:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/21715-dropbox-cloud-sync-beta/

Try the new Emby Linux packages!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 26 May 2015 05:58:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of hurricanehernandez, new and improved packages for Debian, Ubuntu and Docker are available on the emby website:

https://emby.media/download/

Easier to Install

Many of the packages now have fewer install steps, making it easier for you to get up and running quickly.

Join the Effort

We want to continue to make these packages as easy as possible. Please leave your feedback in the community and help us refine future releases.

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/116-linux/

ATV/Fire TV App gets Live TV Guide and other interface improvements

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 27 May 2015 12:54:28 +0000

Continuing the enhancement and evolution of our Android TV and Fire TV apps - both get some fantastic new interface enhancements.

Live TV Guide

Here is what you can do with it:

You can navigate around through the graphical representation of all your channels' program content 50 channels at a time (unless filtered - see below)
You can bring up program detail information on any individual program
You can schedule individual or series recordings via any individual program
You can cancel scheduled recordings (note - there is an issue with at least some back-ends that seems to not delete already scheduled series instances when you delete a series)
You can filter the channels by content type (see below)
You can tune directly to a channel by hitting the "Play" button on your remote from any program on that channel

Guide Filtering

To filter the guide - you click the little filter button in the upper right (you must navigate to the top channel to get there first) OR, if you are on the Fire, you can directly open the filter dialog by hitting the "menu" button on the remote.

All the content type options (movie, series, etc.) are additive as opposed to exclusive - meaning if you select movies and news you will get channels that have either of those on them instead of channels with both.

The "New Only" option, however, is exclusive meaning, if it is selected, you will only get non-repeat or live items that also match the other criteria selected.

When the guide is filtered, the scope of the content changes. In unfiltered mode, you get all your channels in 50 channel pages and content for the next 12 hours. When filtered, however, you get all channels that have programs that match the filter but only for the next 3 hours.

This is necessary to make the guide perform but it also is logical as you are most likely looking for something to watch right now or very soon.

Filters are persistent - meaning the next time you come back to the guide, the same filters will still be applied. You can easily clear them with the dialog "Clear All" button.

The guide also remembers the last channel you watched and will return there upon entry.

New Enhanced Browsing and Details screens

The standard category-based grid rows are great for quick entry to likely desired content and the home screen will continue to use this interface. When browsing into your library structure, however, this presentation doesn't provide you with as much information as it could with the available screen real estate. So, we have re-designed the library browsing screens to still provide the category-based rows browsing but also include much more detailed information on the selected item as you are browsing around.

You still get the same number of posters shown at once and access to the different category rows, but we've utilized the other screen real estate to provide you useful information on the current item so you don't have to enter the details screen to see it.

And, speaking of the details screen, we've now combined what were two levels of details into one, providing you full details about the item and all related information in just one click.

And you now have that details screen not just for movies and single episodes, but also for TV Series and People too.

We hope you enjoy these latest enhancements to these apps. Get them now from the Google or Amazon store!

Try the new OneDrive Beta Cloud Sync Plugin!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 30 May 2015 04:06:00 +0000

Thanks to hamstercat, A OneDrive cloud sync plugin is now available in the plugin catalog! Please try it out and give us some feedback.

More info:

https://emby.media/co...loud-sync-beta/

About Cloud Sync & Folder Sync

We worked really hard on sync during this release cycle to bring you new features that you'll find useful. Cloud & Folder Sync allow you to sync media to external locations, whether it be for backup purposes or to archive content in multiple resolutions. Apps can then stream the content from the cloud instead of your server, thereby sparing your upload bandwidth.

Let's say for example you have an original copy of a movie at 40Mbps. It looks fantastic but will require transcoding anytime you'd like to stream to Roku. Now you can sync that movie to the cloud and choose a profile that will allow Roku to direct stream:

When your users stream the content, they'll direct stream from google drive rather than rely on your server for transcoding.

To setup Cloud Sync or Folder Sync, see the Services tab of the Sync control panel. Look for separate blog posts on these soon with detailed walk-throughs.

Cloud & Folder Sync are your General Purpose Conversion Tools

As you sync content you're free to choose the conversion profile that will determine the output format. In future releases we intend to allow you to modify these profiles directly and even create your own.

Learn More

More information about sync is available in our wiki:

https://github.com/M.../Wiki/wiki/Sync

Introducing the new Emby for Android

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 19:52:00 +0000

Now rolling out to the Google Play Store. Amazon soon to follow.

Android has been a little quiet lately and this is because well, we've been busy rewriting the app. Today, we are happy to unveil the result. It's prettier, faster, leaner, and draws inspiration heavily from the mobile web client. Let's go over the highlights of what this new version brings.

Mobile Sync is Here!

Mobile sync finally comes to Android. Sync everything from home videos to music, live tv recordings, movies, and more. Offline Sign In is still to come in an upcoming release. In the meantime, the app will automatically play your local content when it's available.

Live TV Guide

A full guide experience finally comes to Emby for Android, making it very easy to plan out your watching or recording schedule.

Manage Your DVR

Easily plan, schedule, and cancel recordings as you need to.

An Easy Startup Wizard

This has been one of the pain points of the previous version, and we're happy to say you should have no more trouble setting the app.

Supports Your Cloud Synced Content

The app works seamlessly with your cloud synced content. Check out our wiki for more information on Cloud Sync:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Sync

Automatic Network Switching

That's right! As you leave your home and return, the app will automatically switch from LAN to WAN and vice versa. No need to add your same server multiple times for home and away usage.

Full Remote Control Support

The app supports the full gamut of Emby remote controls, including media control, directional keys, message sending, and more.

Supports Chromecast

Just like before, easily cast audio, video and photos to Chromecast.

A Simple and Easy Video Player

The new video player has everything you need, and nothing you don't in a very easy to use package.

Improved Subtitle Support

Subtitle selection is easier and more reliable than ever before.

Easily Jump Between Scenes

Movie Extras

If you have movie extras they are now finally fully supported in Emby for Android.

In-App User Preferences

Now you configure your language and other preferences directly within the app. No more running to the server to set these up prior to use.

Full Screen Immersive Mode

This is a feature with fun factor. Enable fullscreen mode under user preferences, and the app will take over the entire screen of your device. (Requires android 4.4+). It has never looked more impressive as it will in immersive mode!

Supports Voice Input

This is really a new thing and is going to take time to mature, but it has such a high fun factor that we decided to give you a taste of it. If voice control is something that interests you, then make sure to join the community and tell us what commands you'd like to see added.

Easily Create Playlists

Playlists can now be created inside the app just by tapping your fingers! Start a playlist from a song, album, genre or artist.

Simple Search

Searching on Android is easier than ever before now and only takes a few taps of the finger.

Discover Content With Personalized Recommendations

Automatic Camera Upload

The previous version also had this but we feel it's worth mentioning. If enabled in the server, the app will automatically upload camera photos to a folder of your choice. It's perfect after a day out with the kids to come home and relive it through your photo collection.

Stable and Dependable

We mean this when we say it. This app will not let you down. We understand this was a problem with the previous version, and we're happy to say we've solved it once and for all.

What to Expect

What you can expect with this app going forward is rapid development. We now have it in a place we're comfortable with that will allow us to easily pump out features and updates. So get involved and tell us what you would like to see!

Emby for Kodi 1.0

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 15:22:14 +0000

Welcome to Emby for Kodi

The Emby for Kodi team is proud to announce our first stable release - Emby for Kodi 1.0 [codename : Liv]

A whole new way to manage and view your media library!

The Emby addon for Kodi combines the best of Kodi - ultra smooth navigation, beautiful UIs and playback of any file under the sun, and Emby - the most powerful fully open source multi-client media metadata indexer and server.

Emby for Kodi is the absolute best way to enjoy the incredible Kodi playback engine combined with the power of Emby's centralized database.

Features:

Direct integration with the Kodi library for native Kodi speed
Instant synchronization with the Emby server
Full support for Movie, TV and Music collections
Emby Server transcoding support - use Kodi when you are away from home!

Install from our Kodi Release Repo today:
https://cdn.mediabrowser.tv/downloads/addons/xbmb3c/kodi-repo/repository.emby.kodi-1.0.0.zip

For full details on installation and usage, see our Wiki here:
https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby.Kodi/wiki

Enjoy!
marcelveldt, AngelBlue05, null_pointer, im85288, xnappo

P.S. This release is dedicated to @marcelveldt's new baby girl - Liv!

Emby Server 3.0.5641 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 21:29:00 +0000

A new beta has gone out. This is primarily a maintenance release. Here are the changes.

Restructured Live TV Database

The live TV database has been significantly improved, making it faster for our apps to retrieve guide information. In addition, the server is longer dependent on startup execution of the Guide refresh scheduled task, which will allow you to get into Live TV immediately after startup.

Faster Live TV Start Time

Up until now we have been probing live TV streams for media information. On some servers this has been taking a long time, so we've removed it. Expect live tv to start faster now.

Emby Connect Fixes

There have been some problems reported with linking users to Emby Connect and we're happy to say they've been resolved.

DLNA Playback Fixes

Thanks to nullpointer, some fixes have been added that resolves playback issues with Samsung TV's, Sony, Panasonic, and others.

Try the new Voice Input
Supported by Google Chrome. This is really a new thing and is going to take time to mature, but it has such a high fun factor that we decided to give you a taste of it. If voice control is something that interests you, then make sure to join the community and tell us what commands you'd like to see added.

Introducing Emby for Kodi 1.0

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 15:22:00 +0000

Direct integration with the Kodi library for native Kodi speed
Instant synchronization with the Emby server
Full support for Movie, TV and Music collections
Emby Server transcoding support - use Kodi when you are away from home!

Emby on PS4 DLNA Media Player!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 17:23:00 +0000

The PS4 now has a built-in DLNA Media Player and we're happy to say it works great with Emby Server! Please try it out and give us your feedback.

Emby for Roku Beta 2.09 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 23:39:00 +0000

Emby for Roku 2.09 has been pushed to beta. This resolves the issue of the app occasionally hanging during playback. If you have been affected by this we recommended you switch to the beta channel where the fix is available immediately.

The update has also been pushed to the public channel but will take time to go through Roku's approval process.

Beta Channel Installation:

https://owner.roku.com/add/EmbyBeta

Now TV Installation Guide:

emby....owser-on-now-tv

Try the Beta Synology Package for Emby Server!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 16:40:04 +0000

Setup instructions found here!

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/22921-synology-setup/

Emby for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 3.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 18:43:00 +0000

This update brings a number of exciting additions, including full support for Windows 10.

Designed for Windows 10

Emby integrates seamlessly with Windows 10 and takes advantage of many of it's new features.

Enjoy Windows 10 Enhancements

Thanks to Windows 10 expanded media format support, you can now enjoy direct play of MKV's, H264, H265, FLAC, ALAC, and more.

A Live TV Guide

Live TV support is better than ever now thanks to the new TV guide.

Now Supports Video Backdrops

This is a feature that really raises the fun factor.

See demo video:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/820886/MB3%20Testing/2015/Video%20Backdrop.mp4

Continued Support for a 10ft Experience

This update brings a number of new MCE remote control improvements that make the app easier to use from the sofa.

Other Changes

Offline sync bug fixes
Live TV playback fixes

Emby Server Beta 3.0.5666 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 16:45:50 +0000

A new server beta is available, and it's primarily a maintenance release due to our focus on new app development.

New Social Media Sharing
Before we begin: this feature does not share any media files, only web pages containing media information.

Share your content over Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and more!

When you share, a temporary, public url will be created on your server that will display static information about your media. Here is an example:

As you can see, it looks like just the regular detail screen except that nothing is clickable, or even playable. It is simply an information page. It's a great way to share info about media you enjoy, while promoting Emby at the same time!

The url's that are generated are time-limited and will expire after 30 days. In a future release we may allow you to customize this. Please note, only the content you share is available through these links, and not the entire library.

As always, we understand that not everyone will want this, so it can be disabled per user as desired.

New Now Playing Design

The now playing bar has been redesigned to remove clutter and make the most important functions more accessible.

In addition, all sliders throughout the interface have been replaced with newer, sleeker versions that provide previews of where you're seeking to.

Finally, the now playing screen has also been revamped into something you'll be much more likely to want to pull up on a big screen.

Other Issues Resolved

Movie titles reverting to English
Video player time position not being displayed
Folder sync file transfers moving slowly

Emby Server now available on Asustor NAS!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 16:21:00 +0000

Emby Server is now available on Asustor's App Central!

It is compatible with the following models:

AS6
AS50XX ( Intel Celeron 2.0Ghz (Quad-Core) J1800)
AS51XX (Intel Celeron 2.41GHz (Dual-Core) J1900)
AS7XXX(Intel Core i3-4330 3.5Ghz(Dual Core) )

More Information

https://www.asustor.com/apps/app_detail?id=306

Emby for Roku 2.09 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 18:05:00 +0000

Emby for Roku 2.09 has been released to the store. This resolves the issue of the app occasionally hanging during playback. If you have been affected by this we recommended you update your channel as soon as possible.

Public Channel:

https://www.roku.com...ails/44191/emby

Private Beta Channel:

https://owner.roku.com/add/EmbyBeta

Now TV Installation Guide:

emby....owser-on-now-tv

Emby for Windows Phone Updated to 8.0.67.0

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:38:48 +0000

We are pleased to announce that the Windows Phone app has received a nice little update which contains a few new features and fixes. So what's new?

Emby Branding

We know, took us long enough, right?! Everything in the app has been renamed, rebranded, relogo'd to use our new name and new logo. If you spot anything we missed, well, I just don't like you (but let us know and we'll get it fixed).

It's Free (sort of)

Previously, the app had to be purchased, but it did come with a trial mode. We felt that even though it had a trial mode, the fact the app shows as having a cost may have been putting off some users. So what this update brings is a removal of the cost for the app, whilst offering an In App Purchase in order to unlock all the features. Essentially, the app is staying the same in terms of functionality and what you are paying for, but we're [hopefully] removing the barrier for entry for new users.

I hear your next question regarding this: what if you already paid for the app? Well, there are two different In App Purchases you can make, one costs the same as the old app, the other is free. If you had already paid for the app, when you update, you will be offered the free version of the purchase, if you hadn't, you will be offered the normal priced purchase.

Funnily enough, I know your next question: What about when you reinstall the app after making an in app purchase? The app checks both the free and the normal priced license, if either of those has been purchased, you're all set.

Native Sign Up

This is more for new users who wanted to create an Emby Connect account, you can do so within the app now, no more pushing you out to a web page to do it.

Resuming/Playing On

Previously, resuming or playing on another device could only be triggered from an episode or a movie. We've now switched this on for nearly everything within the app, from movies/videos to playlists.

Random Play on Playlists

Pretty self explanatory, but you can now start a playlist and have it play in a random order. Simples.

Support for HTTPS

We know some of you take your security seriously (so do we!), so we know some of you wish to use secure connections to your server, well, the app now supports these connections. You just need to check the option when connecting to the server.

Show Items You've Already Started Watching

You're in the middle of watching something, you want to carry on watching, but you have to go through the app to find that item, we get it, it sucked. Well now it's in the main page, just swipe across.

Bug Fixes

We hate bugs, we've been trying to squish as many as we can. For a full list of those, please see here.

Didn't You Say Something About Sync??

Yes, unfortunately that got held back as several large complications arose, but progress has been good and it's getting close.

The update may take a few hours to go through all the servers, so please give it chance. If you're new you can download the app from the Windows Phone Store https://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=f4971ed9-f651-4bf6-84bb-94fd98613b86

SL

Emby Server 3.0.5675 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 14:51:00 +0000

A new release is out and is purely a maintenance and bug fix release. Thanks to the help of the community, the following bugs have been resolved:

Local metadata settings sometimes not respected
Certain combinations of settings leading to people getting lost
Improved Firefox responsiveness with remote control and scheduled tasks
Xbox one layout distorted
Playback notifications not including series name
Default user icon in header too small
Non-admins able to group versions
Playback of cloud synced content
Video playlist not advancing to next track
Image editor upload button not responsive
List page selection check boxes not accessible
Fix people sorting
Fixed Ac/DC getting split into multiple artists
Fix metadata manager jumping around when clicking on tabs
Metadata manager sidebar doesn't auto-scroll down to selected item
Spinning wheel not disappearing when it should
Side menu taking nearly all of windows phone screen width
Movies per actor not displaying uniformly

Also, we know that some of you would prefer not to have automatic updates, so a setting has been added for that in the advanced section. Enjoy .

Emby for Windows Phone Updated to 8.0.67.1

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:38:00 +0000

Update: This release got bumped to 8.0.67.1 due to a small bug with the IAP. If you have the original release, you'll get the update shortly.

Update 2: We have also made the IAP free for the following week

We are pleased to announce that the Windows Phone app has received a nice little update which contains a few new features and fixes. So what's new?

Emby Branding

We know, took us long enough, right?! Everything in the app has been renamed, rebranded, relogo'd to use our new name and new logo. If you spot anything we missed, well, I just don't like you (but let us know and we'll get it fixed).

It's Free (sort of)

Previously, the app had to be purchased, but it did come with a trial mode. We felt that even though it had a trial mode, the fact the app shows as having a cost may have been putting off some users. So what this update brings is a removal of the cost for the app, whilst offering an In App Purchase in order to unlock all the features. Essentially, the app is staying the same in terms of functionality and what you are paying for, but we're [hopefully] removing the barrier for entry for new users.

I hear your next question regarding this: what if you already paid for the app? Well, there are two different In App Purchases you can make, one costs the same as the old app, the other is free. If you had already paid for the app, when you update, you will be offered the free version of the purchase, if you hadn't, you will be offered the normal priced purchase.

Funnily enough, I know your next question: What about when you reinstall the app after making an in app purchase? The app checks both the free and the normal priced license, if either of those has been purchased, you're all set.

Native Sign Up

This is more for new users who wanted to create an Emby Connect account, you can do so within the app now, no more pushing you out to a web page to do it.

Resuming/Playing On

Previously, resuming or playing on another device could only be triggered from an episode or a movie. We've now switched this on for nearly everything within the app, from movies/videos to playlists.

Random Play on Playlists

Pretty self explanatory, but you can now start a playlist and have it play in a random order. Simples.

Support for HTTPS

We know some of you take your security seriously (so do we!), so we know some of you wish to use secure connections to your server, well, the app now supports these connections. You just need to check the option when connecting to the server.

Show Items You've Already Started Watching

You're in the middle of watching something, you want to carry on watching, but you have to go through the app to find that item, we get it, it sucked. Well now it's in the main page, just swipe across.

Bug Fixes

We hate bugs, we've been trying to squish as many as we can. For a full list of those, please see here.

Didn't You Say Something About Sync??

Yes, unfortunately that got held back as several large complications arose, but progress has been good and it's getting close.

The update may take a few hours to go through all the servers, so please give it chance. If you're new you can download the app from the Windows Phone Store https://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=f4971ed9-f651-4bf6-84bb-94fd98613b86

SL

Emby Partners with Viblast to bring HLS and MPEG-DASH to desktop browsers

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 19:29:00 +0000

Team,

The latest server release features new and improved video streaming in the desktop editions of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 11, and Opera. Thanks to our integration with Viblast Player, we now have the ability to utilize Emby Server's HLS and MPEG-DASH streaming, which up until now has been limited to the mobile browsers and standalone apps.

This a big win for us and it brings a number of new benefits. If you're a Google Chrome user, we're finally able to eliminate the Webm streaming we had been relying on before, which has limited performance due to it's single-threaded encoding. With HLS and MPEG-DASH we're able to take advantage of multi-threaded H264 encoding, and by utilizing H264, we're sometimes able to avoid video encoding when it's possible to do so. If you're an Internet Explorer user, you'll find that video streaming is more reliable than ever as we're finally able to move away from the fragmented mp4 we had been using before. If you're a firefox user, video streaming will remain unchanged and you'll receive these benefits as soon as the browser supports the Media Source API.

How it Works

Emby Server has long had support for HLS and MPEG-DASH, and you've already been enjoying it from devices such as Android, iOS, Windows 8.1, Chromecast, Roku, and others. But up until now we've been unable to utilize them in desktop browsers due to their lack of native support for these formats. Times are changing though, and thanks to growing browser support for the Media Source API, we're finally able to take advantage of these more efficient streaming formats.

Viblast Player made this very easy to integrate by allowing us to continue using the same HTML5 video player we've been using, along with the same presentation that you've come to know and love. All it took was a few lines of code to hook Viblast Player into the native video element, and off we went.

What about Mobile Browsers, Safari, and Microsoft Edge?

These browsers already have native HLS support, and when available we will always rely on the native implementation.

About Viblast

Viblast is an innovator operating in the online video industry. Its flagship product Viblast PDN optimizes video delivery to large numbers of simultaneous viewers through patent-pending peer-assisted technology. Viblast Player is one of very few available technologies for HLS and MPEG-DASH playback in HTML5 without Flash (or any plugin).

https://viblast.com/player/

Emby for Android receives major update, now playing with LibVLC

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 18:09:39 +0000

Emby for Android 2.3.79 has been released to the play store and now features a new video player built around LibVlc, the same engine that powers VLC.

What this means is you can expect less server transcoding, more stable playback, and faster performance. In future releases we may be able to do even greater things, such as completely eliminating server transcoding, and direct playback of DVD, Bluray, and ISO structures. Stay tuned for more.

Redesigned In-Video Menus

You'll find the menus much easier and more responsive to navigate.

Support for Gestures

Now you can easily change brightness and volume during playback with easy vertical swipes.

Chromecast Improvements

The release also features a number of fixes for Chromecast. We apologize for the delay in getting these fixes out to you.

Simplified Layouts

Many of the layouts have been simplified to reduce the amount of on-screen information. Just swipe and enjoy.

Other Changes

Replace home screen, photo and channel tabs with easy swipe tabs
Add new social sharing feature
Support hardware menu button to open left nav drawer

Emby projects now listed on up-for-grabs !

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 02:59:00 +0000

Team,

Emby is now listed on https://up-for-grabs.net. Up for Grabs was recently featured on Scott Hanselman's blog and is an exciting place where you can visit to find open source projects to participate in. Specifically, Up for Grabs helps you navigate Github by pointing you to specific assignments that are available for the taking.

Check us out here, where we're listed alongside many other prominent projects, including several from Microsoft. I've specifically chosen the ones that are listed as I think they're a fun place for a new contributor to start. Some of the areas I've listed are:

Support for management of Kodi smart playlists
Support parsing xmltv data
Expand our voice recognition capabilities
Revamp games support - revisit metadata, make organization more flexible, support launching on android

If you can think of other fun assignments that you think can help lure a new contributor, let us know!

New Emby Server Packages available for CentOS and Fedora

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 21:15:00 +0000

Thanks to the help of fc7 we have new packages available for CentOS and Fedora.

Installation

https://emby.media/downloads/linux-server

Upgrade

If you're currently running the previous package and you'd like to upgrade, please see instructions here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/13398-fedoracentos-rpm/page-4#entry236204

Emby for Android TV and Fire TV gets VLC player and interface improvements

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 20:28:42 +0000

Available in both the Google and Amazon stores very soon, Emby for Android TV and Emby for Fire TV will have a new, re-vamped player based on VLC and several interface improvements.

Less transcoding, better audio and easy sub switching

The integration of VLC for playback means less transcoding, Dolby Digital audio bitstreaming (Android TV only) and fast, seamless internal audio and subtitle track switching for much of your content. Right now, VLC and direct stream playback is limited to 720p and below content by default but there are options to enable it for all or limit to SD if you encounter stuttering. Be sure to investigate the new playback options in the settings to find the combination that works best for your environment.

Home screen improvements

The home screen gets a couple of important improvements.

Clock display - The home screen now has a clock on it that will show the current time in your local format. This clock is now consistent through all Emby ATV screens
Current user display - Additionally, each screen now shows the currently logged-in user right under the clock.
Current item detail panel - As you navigate around the home screen (and any other screen with the same layout such as by genre or performer) you will now get a pop-up information panel with details on the currently selected item. So you can now see a quick summary and time information on an item without having to drill down into the actual detail screen - making it easier to play things out of the Next Up or Recent lists.

Color your world

You can also now choose from one of several Material Design colors for the sideline category list on the home screen and other screens that have this area. No longer are you locked into Emby green or Fire TV grey.

Other improvements

Also included are many other improvements in display and functionality as well as bug fixes. Some of the other improvements include:

Improved single episode display - The detail page for a single TV episode will now also show you the next several episodes in that season for quick access
Access the series from episode detail - Useful when you enter an episode from "Next Up" on the home screen.
Proper handling of missing episodes during multi-episode playback. If the next episode in line is missing from your library, the app will now prompt you to confirm that you want to continue playback instead of just skipping over it.
Studio logos in both details and playback OSD
Search response improvements

More to come

Look for this new version on your device or in the stores soon and know that we're working on many more improvements to come. Thank you for supporting Emby!

Join the Emby for Android open beta

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 13:02:00 +0000

We are now participating in Google's new open beta system. Anybody can sign up and receive beta builds using this link:

https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.mb.android

The release notes of the beta builds will indicate the features and bug fixes that will go into the next public release. In order to avoid confusion with the release version, we ask that you use the Testing Area at the bottom of the forum for any discussion related to beta version:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/101-testing-area/

Enjoy and happy testing!

Introducing the new Live TV for Emby (and a new Emby Server beta)

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 21:35:54 +0000

A new beta server is currently going out and now includes built-in Live TV support, improved performance, and many other enhancements.

Now Supporting your HD Homerun Tuner, No External Software Needed

As you know we really enjoy Live TV here at Emby, but with our support previously dependent on external software, we know that it hasn't always been easy to get up and running. Today, we're pleased to bring you built-in Live TV support that does not require any additional software. Let's go over how it works.

Automatic Discovery of your HD Homerun Tuner on Your Network

The startup wizard makes this very simple for you. In most cases, we'll be able to discover your tuner devices. If not, then you can easily enter the IP Address of the device.

M3U playlists are also supported as a tuner source.

Easy Guide Data

Currently we have one source, and that is Schedules Direct, but we plan to add more sources for additional countries in the future. We'd also like to support Xml TV data. Setup is very easy. Just enter your info and you're good to go.

Your DVR Has Never Been Easier, Never Looked Better

We think this screen speaks for itself. Rich metadata displays make it very easy to find something you'd like to watch, or record.

Enjoy Live TV on Multiple Devices

Whether it's Android for smart phones, tablets, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Windows Tablets, Windows Phone, Roku or a web browser, Emby has you covered. Stay tuned for iOS support as well as the new Emby Theater!

Our complete list of apps is available at:

https://emby.media/download/

Automatic Tuner Pooling

If you have multiple tuner devices, great! Emby will automatically group them into one virtual channel grid, and will appropriately delegate streaming in order to prevent conflicts from multiple clients.

Supports HD Homerun Transcoding

If you have an HD Homerun that supports H264 transcoding, Emby will take advantage of it whenever possible in order to offload transcoding and preserve resources on your server machine.

Unrivaled Parental Controls

Would you like to limit the programs and channels your children can access? It's easy, and it's nearly automatic. When you set a max parental rating for your users, they will not even be able to see restricted programs in their TV Guide.

To block entire channels, you can set your own parental ratings for certain channels, or you can use the block by tags feature.

To learn more about Emby parental controls, visit https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Parental%20controls

Stay Informed with Suggestions

Whether you like movies, sports, or just want to find something for your kids, Emby can help you find what you're looking for:

Seamless Integration with other Emby Features

This is the fun part you'll enjoy most. Other Emby features that are designed for your media library are also accessible from Live TV. Just to name a few:

Mobile Sync and Cloud Sync:

Suggestions:

Auto-Organize:

User Data Cross-Over

Your likes and watch states are now transferable from Live TV movies to movies in your media library. We plan to soon bring the same features to TV series, allowing you to blend data from every possible source into one seamless experience. Only on Emby.

More Live TV to Come

We wanted to get a beta out to let you all start playing with it, but there are plenty of enhancements already in our minds, such as:

Manual conflict management (currently Emby will try to automatically resolve recording conflicts)
On the fly conversion of recordings into streaming-friendly formats
More in-video features to quickly change channels

New and Improved Search

Live TV and internet channel content are now searchable!

Repeat Mode

Now you can toggle repeat mode using the now playing bar. It allows you to quickly change between Repeat None, Repeat All, and Repeat One. Not only is this supported by the local player, but also when remote controlling other players that have added support for it.

Play a Slide Show while you listen
The next time you play a song, head over to the now playing screen. There's a new button that will allow you to launch a photo or movie backdrop slideshow that will play and transition between images while your media is playing in the background. It's a perfect time to put family photos up on the screen with your favorite songs playing in the background.

Much Cleaner Detail Screens

We think you'll agree. Detail screens are easier to read and focus on the things you love most.

Taglines are Back in Style

We really haven't used them in a while due to the number of metadata features we have. But they add a nice touch to your movie screens, we just felt we had to bring them back.

New Voice Commands Added

You can now switch devices as well as toggle display mirroring. Just speak the following out loud:

Control [device name]
Enable/Disable/Toggle display mirror

Other Changes and Fixes

Fixed people getting lost when local metadata saving is not enabled
Sym links not working on certain Linux distros
Music artist screens now display similar Artists
Fix live tv stream closing on Roku
Fix Portugese with open subtitles
Dlna special views use series images for better episode identification
Fixed Chromecast Live TV playback
Movie ratings not respecting language settings
Single quotes in subtitle file names causing transcoding failures
Mobile sync for apps will now prevent duplicate synced items
Fixed roboto font url

Existing Feature Changes

As we add new features, we constantly have to re-evaluate and look for ways to ensure the system continues to perform well and is easy to use. So to that end, here are a few changes that we've made:

Support for MB2-style shortcuts has been deprecated in order to improve performance. They are still supported for boxsets, but if you need them elsewhere you will have to set a hidden config setting, EnableWindowsShortcuts.

The internet channel content downloading feature has been moved to a plugin. All features are still available, it's just in a plugin now.

For fresh new installs of the server, there will only be one supported metadata saving format per content type. If you need xml saving it is being moved to a plugin. Please note - the feature remains in the core server code for existing server installations. That means your existing install won't be disrupted at all. But the next time you install from scratch, you'll need the plugin if you want the alternative formats. Also, this doesn't affect xml reading, as we want the core server to be able read as many formats as possible to make it easy for new users to get up and running.

Emby Server 3.0.5724 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 21:53:00 +0000

This is the stable release of the previous beta, which you can read all about here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-239-introducing-the-new-live-tv-for-emby-and-emby-server-beta-305713/

Here's what changed during the beta period:

A Better TV Guide

The guide now has more clearly defined distinctions between program and channels cells:

New Kodi Dlna Profile

If you use Dlna with Kodi, we've added a new profile designed to encourage as much direct play as possible. Thanks to the community member who supplied this.

New Bravia 2014 Profile

Also from the community we've added a Dlna profile for Sony Bravia 2014 models.

More Efficient Scheduled Tasks

Many of the tasks have been updated to run less frequently, and many have been removed from startup, enabling you to start the server and enjoy your media immediately.

NFO Parsing Improvements

We're now able to handle nfo's containing Ascii art and an imdb url.

Remote Control Improvements

Now when you control a player, you'll have the option to shutdown the app on the remote device (if applicable). This has been requested for Chromecast quite a bit recently.

New Video Deep Scanning

If you can live with longer scans when importing new videos, then enable the new frame by frame analysis setting. In return the server will be able to further optimize transcoding by encouraging video stream copying whenever possible.

Introducing the new Live TV for Emby (and Emby Server Beta 3.0.5713)

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 21:35:00 +0000

A new beta server is currently going out and now includes built-in Live TV support, improved performance, and many other enhancements.

Now Supporting your HD Homerun Tuner, No External Software Needed

As you know we really enjoy Live TV here at Emby, but with our support previously dependent on external software, we know that it hasn't always been easy to get up and running. Today, we're pleased to bring you built-in Live TV support that does not require any additional software. Let's go over how it works.

Note: The EmbyTV plugin is now obsolete and has been removed from our plugin listings. Users with EmbyTV installed should uninstall it and switch to the built-in version.

Automatic Discovery of your HD Homerun Tuner on Your Network

The startup wizard makes this very simple for you. In most cases, we'll be able to discover your tuner devices. If not, then you can easily enter the IP Address of the device.

M3U playlists are also supported as a tuner source.

Easy Guide Data

Currently we have one source, and that is Schedules Direct, but we plan to add more sources for additional countries in the future. We'd also like to support Xml TV data. Setup is very easy. Just enter your info and you're good to go.

Your DVR Has Never Been Easier, Never Looked Better

We think this screen speaks for itself. Rich metadata displays make it very easy to find something you'd like to watch, or record.

Enjoy Live TV on Any Device

Whether it's Android for smart phones, tablets, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Windows Tablets, Windows Phone, Roku or a web browser, Emby has you covered. Stay tuned for iOS support as well as the new Emby Theater!

Our complete list of apps is available at:

https://emby.media/download/

Automatic Tuner Pooling

If you have multiple tuner devices, great! Emby will automatically group them into one virtual channel grid, and will appropriately delegate streaming in order to prevent conflicts from multiple clients.

Supports HD Homerun Transcoding

If you have an HD Homerun that supports H264 transcoding, Emby will take advantage of it whenever possible in order to offload transcoding and preserve resources on your server machine.

Unrivaled Parental Controls

Would you like to limit the programs and channels your children can access? It's easy, and it's nearly automatic. When you set a max parental rating for your users, they will not even be able to see restricted programs in their TV Guide.

To block entire channels, you can set your own parental ratings for certain channels, or you can use the block by tags feature.

To learn more about Emby parental controls, visit https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Parental%20controls

Stay Informed with Suggestions

Whether you like movies, sports, or just want to find something for your kids, Emby can help you find what you're looking for:

Seamless Integration with other Emby Features

This is the fun part you'll enjoy most. Other Emby features that are designed for your media library are also accessible from Live TV. Just to name a few:

Mobile Sync and Cloud Sync:

Suggestions:

Auto-Organize:

User Data Cross-Over

Your likes and watch states are now transferable from Live TV movies to movies in your media library. We plan to soon bring the same features to TV series, allowing you to blend data from every possible source into one seamless experience. Only on Emby.

More Live TV to Come

We wanted to get a beta out to let you all start playing with it, but there are plenty of enhancements already in our minds, such as:

Manual conflict management (currently Emby will try to automatically resolve recording conflicts)
On the fly conversion of recordings into streaming-friendly formats
More in-video features to quickly change channels

Control [device name]
Enable/Disable/Toggle display mirror

Other Changes and Fixes

Fixed people getting lost when local metadata saving is not enabled
Sym links not working on certain Linux distros
Music artist screens now display similar Artists
Fix live tv stream closing on Roku
Fix Portugese with open subtitles
Dlna special views use series images for better episode identification
Fixed Chromecast Live TV playback
Movie ratings not respecting language settings
Single quotes in subtitle file names causing transcoding failures
Mobile sync for apps will now prevent duplicate synced items
Fixed roboto font url
Updated to ffmpeg 2.7

Support for MB2-style shortcuts has been deprecated in order to improve performance. They are still supported for boxsets, but if you need them elsewhere you will have to set a hidden config setting, EnableWindowsShortcuts.

The internet channel content downloading feature has been moved to a plugin. All features are still available, it's just in a plugin now.

For fresh new installs of the server, there will only be one supported metadata saving format per content type. If you need xml saving it is being moved to a plugin. Please note - the feature remains in the core server code for existing server installations. That means your existing install won't be disrupted at all. But the next time you install from scratch, you'll need the plugin if you want the alternative formats. Also, this doesn't affect xml reading, as we want the core server to be able read as many formats as possible to make it easy for new users to get up and running.

Emby Online Web Client Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 07 Sep 2015 22:04:00 +0000

Our online web client has now been updated to support all of the latest server features.

How it Works

Visit http://app.emby.media from any web browser and sign in using Emby Connect. You'll be able to connect any of your servers and enjoy all of your media.

Also available via https:

http://app.emby.media

Now with User Language Settings

Each user can now have their own separate language settings. These are available within the Settings menu.

Emby for Android Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 00:36:00 +0000

2.4.13 has been released.

More Direct Play, Less Transcoding

LibVlc has been updated to the latest version, and we've added a new automatic bitrate setting. Together these two features will allow the app to direct stream almost everything you can throw at it.

New Details

Detail screens are now much simpler and prettier.

Issues Resolved

Fix casting to secondary displays via MHL
Fix sync confirmation after creating a job
Fix Chromecast playback with reverse proxy
Fix Live TV Chromecast playback

More improvements for the Android TV and Fire TV app

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 15:16:50 +0000

A new release of the Android TV and Fire TV app will soon available in the Google and Amazon stores with another round of improvements to both playback and the interface - especially for Live TV users.

Live TV - better than ever

The Android TV and Fire TV app already had a great Live TV interface with a full grid-based guide and now it is even better with that same guide available during Live TV playback.

Also, accessing and managing your recorded TV and schedules has never been easier. Together with the new Emby TV implementation in the server, Emby is becoming your complete Live TV and DVR solution (for non-protected content).

Improved Playback - Even less transcoding and auto bitrate detection

With an upgrade to the custom VLC player, and the implementation of ExoPlayer, we now have even more reliable playback and many formats will direct stream without the need for transcoding.

This version of the app is also smarter when it comes to determining what can be played without transcoding. With a new "Auto" bitrate setting (which will be enabled by default on update) the app will test your network speed and adjust its playback requests to the server to fit within the available bandwidth. You should no longer need to fiddle with the max bitrate setting to get perfect playback no matter what the network situation.

This new version also improves support for all subtitle formats.

New Grid View

Continuing the trend of improving the overall interface and making it much easier to browse large libraries of content, the app now includes a new Grid View to put more items on the screen at once when browsing at the library level.

The new grid allows quick sorting and filtering options that are saved per user and per library and are persistent across app sessions. When sorted alphabetically, it also provides a quick jump-list by letters.

A choice of image types is also available.

This new view makes traversing large libraries much easier and really shines when it comes to things like Photos (more photo handling improvements will be coming in a future version as well).

Look for the new version soon on your Android TV or Fire device and thank you for supporting Emby!

Emby Server 3.0.5724.5 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 15:33:00 +0000

This is a small bug-fix update to the previous release to help tide you over while we work hard on the next major release. The following issues have been resolved:

Fix external subtitles sometimes requiring burn-in via transcoding.
Fix error on forgot password screen
Fix frame by frame analysis for linux
Frame by frame analysis setting now off by default for all users due to longer library scans. Users will need to re-enable this feature.
Fix server-side stream copy decision making
Fix live tv series recordings not creating new recordings after initial run
Content with unidentified parental ratings are now considered unrated instead of always being allowed. This way, if you enable block unrated content, you will not have to worry about accidentally exposing your child to adult content just because the server couldn't understand the rating.

Try Emby Server on Synology!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 20:19:00 +0000

The latest version of Emby Server is now available:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/22921-synology-setup

Thanks to cytec for his help in putting this together.

Emby Server 3.0.5724.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 04:28:00 +0000

This is a small bug-fix update to the previous release to help tide you over while we work hard on the next major release. The following issues have been resolved:

Fix occasional hang with automated server restarts on Windows
Fix presence of ffprobe data stream causing subtitles to be ordered incorrectly, leading to occasional transcoding failures.

Coming soon: The new Emby Theater

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 14:17:00 +0000

The new Emby Theater is getting closer to launch, so we thought why not give you a little teaser to wet your appetite.

Same Great Video Player, Brand New App

The app retains the same great Direct Show audio and video player that you're accustomed to, including all of it's bells and whistles with Madvr and other perks. But make no mistake, this is a brand new app and has been truly a massive team effort.

So what's different about this new app? Read on!

Sharper and Crisper Than Ever Before

The first thing you'll notice when playing with the new app is just how much crisper it is. How has this been achieved? Unlike the previous version of the app (and Emby for WMC), the new Emby Theater renders at resolution without any form of UI scaling. This will create more work for the theme developer to design for different resolutions (720p, 1080p, 4k, etc), but the results are worth it.

We love the current Emby Theater, but this is going to make it look like an old tube TV.

Silky Smooth Animation

The next thing you'll notice is just how fluidly the interface navigates. Dramatic performance improvements have been made over the previous app. Almost everything on-screen is animated and it really helps make the app more pleasant to use.

Emby Theater Going Multi-Platform

While Windows is the focus right now, the app has been built in a very ambitious way to allow for release on a wide range of different platforms. We will probably have to rely on community help for some platforms, but the possibilities are there.

Note: Please contact us if you have interest in maintaining a build for a specific OS. Responsibilities will include initial packaging for that OS, regular release updates, and answering user questions specific to the OS.

6-Button Control

There will be no more fumbling around trying to figure out what button does what. The new app will be easy for anyone to pick up and use without any learning curve. All functions are being designed around 6 buttons - up, down, left, right, ok, and back. Your family members and guests will have no trouble controlling the new Emby Theater.

Simple Theming

This app has the potential to change the game of new theme development. When all is said and done it will be easier to build themes for this than any other app in it's class.

Free of Clutter

Enjoy your artwork thanks to the clean design and clutter-free header bars.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Stay Tuned for a Beta

Keep your eyes on the blog for a downloadable beta, coming soon.

Also the app will soon be open source. We appreciate your patience this. We have kept the source code closed in order to allow us to control the timing of announcements, but it will be fully open source just like all of our other apps.

Emby Server 3.0.5768 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 20:17:00 +0000

A new beta is currently rolling out to the website for download. This time around, there are only a few new features. We spent a lot of time over the last month resolving defects and refining existing features. Here are the highlights.

Hardware Video Decoding is Here

If you have the appropriate hardware, there is a new setting that you can enable to activate GPU decoding with Intel QuickSync.

Faster Image Editing

You no longer need to drill all the way down into the metadata manager. Now you can click on the poster of detail screens and you'll be treated to a nice popup allowing you to edit the images.

Additionally, this is also available within context menus.

Faster Subtitle Editing

Similar to above, now you can click "Edit Subtitles" from within context menus to quickly search for internet subtitles. Remember to first configure your Open Subtitles account in the server dashboard.

Add to Collection from Any Screen

Collection management has been moved out of the metadata manager and is now available on nearly every screen, allowing you to add content to collections from wherever you are, including search. To remove items, visit the detail screen for the collection.

New Multi-Selection

Performing bulk operations is now a snap with the new multi-select feature. To activate, simply click and hold on just about any poster on any screen.

This even works when you're mobile. Just tap and hold.

Drag and Drop Playlist Items

The title says it all. Now you can re-arrange playlists just by dragging and dropping.

Live TV Improvements

Improve tuner pooling with multiple simultaneous recordings
Reduced image downloading
Faster guide performance
Improved schedules direct channel mappings
Support audio and subtitle switching with built-in Live TV and HDHR

Auto-Organize Improvements

Thanks to some pull requests submitted by softworkz, the following enhancements have been added:

Attempt to work around windows path length limitations by shorting save file name when needed
Better display of errors when manually organizing
Perform left-over file deletion on affected folders only

Other Issues Resolved

Fix Firefox web socket connectivity. The web interface is now more responsive to server changes when browsing with Firefox.
Fix people not downloading images
Fix deleted content showing in search
Fix offline content detection
Fix folder sync resyncing content repeatedly under certain conditions
Reworked internal providers to improve Anime plugin (thanks Aphid).
Fix identify movie search results limited to one title
Fix marking seasons watched not working for episodes directly in a series folder

Important Note about this Release

This release introduces some database changes. After installing this release, it is not recommended to attempt to roll back to a previous one.

Emby for Chromecast Updated - Now Supports New Chromecast Audio Devices

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 17:44:00 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app with support for the new Chromecast Audio devices. To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and reconnect from the casting app.

In case you've missed it, Chromecast Audio allows you to connect Chromecast devices to any speaker set, allowing you to send media from Emby apps. Emby for Chromecast allows to you play songs, albums, playlists, instant mixes, shuffle and more.

Happy casting!

Emby Server 3.0.5781.0 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 17:08:00 +0000

A follow-up to the previous release has gone out to address a few issues. The following issues are resolved:

Update to latest fanart music api
Better handling of errors when extracting image metadata
Fixed photo album images being generated repeatedly
Fixed a few minor graphical anomalies in the web interface
Updated live tv tuner pooling

Emby Server 3.0.5781.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 16:32:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out. The following issues are resolved:

Text-based subtitles being unnecessarily burnt in via transcoding
Person object updates triggering notifications to apps and plugins
Resolved an issue with deletion of Live TV recordings
Increased Schedules Direct download timeout length

Enjoy

Emby for iPhone and iPad now available!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 23:35:00 +0000

Emby is now available on iTunes for your iPhone and iPad:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/emby/id992180193?ls=1&mt=8

The app is free for all users to browse their media and cast media to other devices. Local playback on the devices requires either a one-time purchase, or an active Emby Premiere subscription. You can purchase Emby Premiere monthly within the app, or on our website:

https://emby.media/premiere

Your Favorite Emby Features

Whether it's Movies, TV, Next Up or Live TV, your Emby content is now available wherever you are.

Easily Scroll and Swipe

Combined horizontal and vertical scrolling makes it easy to find what you're looking for.

Simple Search

Search is modeled after the Apple News app and offers suggestions of what we think you might be looking for.

Enjoy Your Artwork

The images are the eye candy with backdrops, thumbs. banners, and more.

Supports Chromecast

Easily send media to your Chromecast devices and other Emby apps.

Choose Your Views

Display Posters, Thumbs, or Banners. Easily sort and filter.

Supports Live TV

Browse your TV Guide and manage your DVR.

Full Subtitle and Audio Track Support

Easily change tracks during video playback.

Sports a VLC-Based Audio Player

The app embeds MobileVlcKit which allows it to handle any audio format without server transcoding. Would you like to see this extended to the video player? Let us know!

Supports iOS9 Multi-Tasking

No need to stop your video when you can dock it thanks to iOS9 multi-tasking support.

Roadmap

This is an introductory release and you can expect to see regular updates. Let us know where you'd like to see the app go, whether it's support for Mobile Sync, CarPlay, or Apple Watch, make sure to leave feedback and help shape the direction of the app. Thank you for being a part of the Emby community.

Emby Server 3.0.5781.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 17:23:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out. The following issues are resolved:

Explicitly define SchedulesDirect request dates
Reduce CPU utilization by reducing frequency of image encoding
Adjust subtitle positions in web client when OSD is showing (supported in Chrome only)
Remove yellow backgrounds from login screens in Chrome
Improve upgrade from older server versions

Enjoy

Introducing Emby for iPhone and iPad

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 23:35:00 +0000

We're very excited to announce that Emby is now properly available on iTunes for your iPhone and iPad:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/emby/id992180193?ls=1&mt=8

The app is free for all users to browse their media and cast media to other devices. Local playback on the devices requires either a one-time purchase, or an active Emby Premiere subscription which you can purchase within the app, or on our website:

https://emby.media/premiere

Your Favorite Emby Features

Whether it's Movies, TV, Next Up or Live TV, your Emby content is now available wherever you are onyour favorite iDevice.

Easily Scroll and Swipe

Combined horizontal and vertical scrolling makes it easy to find what you're looking for.

Simple Search

Search is modelled after the Apple News app and offers suggestions of what we think you might be looking for.

Enjoy Your Artwork

The images are the eye candy with backdrops, thumbs. banners, and more.

Supports Chromecast

Easily send media to your Chromecast devices and other Emby apps.

Choose Your Views

Display Posters, Thumbs, or Banners. Easily sort and filter.

Supports Live TV

Browse your TV Guide and manage your DVR.

Full Subtitle and Audio Track Support

Easily change tracks during video playback.

Sports a VLC-Based Audio Player

The app embeds MobileVlcKit which allows it to handle any audio format without server transcoding. Would you like to see this extended to the video player? Let us know!

Supports iOS9 Multi-Tasking

No need to stop your video when you can dock it thanks to iOS9 multi-tasking support.

Roadmap

This is an introductory release and you can expect to see regular updates. Let us know where you'd like to see the app go, whether it's support for Mobile Sync, CarPlay, or Apple Watch, make sure to leave feedback and help shape the direction of the app. Thank you for being a part of the Emby community.

Emby for iOS 1.02 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 17:53:00 +0000

The following issues have been resolved:

Detail screen images sometimes appearing incorrectly
Device language being detected incorrectly

To learn more about Emby for iPhone and iPad, check out the original announcement:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-254-introducing-emby-for-iphone-and-ipad/

Emby Server 3.0.5781.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 17:13:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out. The following issues are resolved:

Fix marking series played marks future episodes as played
Update on-demand image downloading for live tv items & channel items
Fix null reference error with schedules direct
Improved stability of in-browser HLS streaming

Enjoy

Emby for iOS 1.03 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 04:42:09 +0000

1.03 has been released to the app store. We told you to expect regular updates

There are a few new features, but the main focus of this release is the unlock workflow, and alleviating some issues such as repeated password prompts.

To learn more about Emby for iPhone and iPad, check out the original announcement:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-254-introducing-emby-for-iphone-and-ipad

We've also started a new wiki for the app, so be sure to check that out:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/iOS

New Live TV Tab

Live TV users will now enjoy a dedicated tab at the bottom allowing them to quickly return to the section anytime. Live TV suggestions have been changed to scroll both horizontally and vertically allowing you to quickly swipe and browse.

Side Scrolling Movie Reviews

If you have the Rotten Tomatoes server plugin installed, the layout of the reviews has been changed from vertical to horizontal in order to better fit in with the rest of the screen. No more button needed as you can easily just swipe through all of them.

More Favorites

The favorites section now displays favorite artists, albums, and songs. Further, these sections are also available on music suggestions screen.

Cyber Monday Special

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 15:39:32 +0000

Monday, November 30th (EST) ONLY - One Year of Emby Premiere for just $24.99.

Emby Server 3.0.5781.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 19:00:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out, with several fixes and one notable new feature. Here are the highlights.

Encoding with Intel Quick Sync is Here!

There's a lot of great changes going on in our dev branch. Seriously, if you have a system to spare for testing, you should think about joining in on the fun. Quick Sync encoding has been sitting in dev for a while and we're excited to finally bring it to you. Please note - we're still considering this experimental and it is not yet supported on all operating systems. It's currently limited to Windows and select Linux releases.

To try it out, just enable it in the server dashboard. Important: Your setting for hardware decoding has now been reset and merged into one hardware acceleration setting.

This feature has been previously exposed to a limited test audience and we don't expect it will be perfect just yet. If you run into any issues, please let us know.

Other Changes

Fix password reset function bouncing users back to the login screen
Update tvdb to support lookup using Imdb id
Update live tv user data
Fix fanart downloading banners as season posters
Reduce size of http request logging
Update Kodi dlna profile to handle more subtitle formats
Update auto-organize to handle null episode title
Update all translations

Try Emby Server for QNAP!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 22:10:00 +0000

If you have a QNAP nas device, Emby Server is now listed in the QNAP app catalog. Installation is very simple using the QNAP interface.

Enjoy

Emby Server 3.0.5781.5 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 01:38:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out. The following issues are resolved:

Fix #1216 - Scraper (thetvdb) searches in wrong language
Fix #1245 - Unable to find [REC] unless brackets are removed
Fix #1248 - Browsing to /web/ causes error
Stop playback when ending Chromecast session from web client
Added cache file deletion error handling
Added error handling when parsing media bitrates
Updated dvd vob list parsing
Fix interval scheduled task triggers firing repeatedly

Join the Emby Open Betas!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:41:00 +0000

Team,

As many of you know, we participate in beta programs in most of the major app stores, and for our downloadable apps we even have our own programs. Joining our beta programs will give you a look at what's coming, and allow you to have an even greater voice by leaving feedback earlier in the development cycle.

Important: As with any pre-release software, you may experience decreased stability, degraded performance, or other various issues. Please participate if you'd like to help test and refine. If you're just trying to get early feature access, you may find yourself disappointed if things aren't working correctly during the pre-release period.

Here's how you can participate in beta testing of your favorite Emby apps:

Android Mobile:

Sign up: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.mb.android
Discussion: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/123-android

Android TV:

Sign up: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/tv.emby.embyatv
Discussion: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/123-android

iOS:

Sign up: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/28301-ios-beta-testing
Discussion: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/159-ios

Roku:

Beta Channel: https://owner.roku.com/add/EmbyBeta
Discussion: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/91-roku

Emby Server for Windows:

Beta Channel: Simply set your automatic update level in the server dashboard, under Advanced
Discussion: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/102-server

Emby Server Beta 3.0.5781.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 21:11:00 +0000

Team,
We've released another patch release. This one will start as a beta and hopefully move along to stable by the end of the week. There is one important fix and a few new improvements.

Fixed: Roku crash when playing content with a runtime longer than 2 hours

Thanks to the community members who helped track this one down. You can read more about this issue here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/27511-roku-reboots-when-starting-playback/

Improved Chrome Transcoding

This is a very exciting improvement that dramatically reduces cpu utilization when transcoding with Chrome. If your source content is h264, and certain conditions are met, you'll now enjoy the original video stream as-is, without any conversion except for the audio track.

Internal Web Client Improvements

This is the main reason we're starting this release as a beta. Although you won't notice very many visual changes, the web client has been getting revamped under the covers and you'll notice faster browsing performance all throughout. Please report any issues you come across and we'll resolve them as quickly as we can.

Linux Package Improvements

We'll have a separate post about this, but our linux packages are seeing a lot of improvements as well. Notably:

Added support for openSUSE Tumbleweed and Leap
Beta and Dev releases are now using the package embymagick for ImageMagick libraries. embymagick does not get installed as a system library, so there should no longer be conflicts with distribution releases of ImageMagick.
New restart wrapper script, in order to alleviate some of the issues posted by users.
Sudoers file has been updated, restart permission have been moved to the group emby rather than the user emby.
Emby-Server start wrapper script ensures user running emby-server is part of emby group, and thus are granted restart permission.
Support RPI 1 thanks to openSUSE ARM factory. Please see the following: https://en.opensuse....org/Portal:ARM
AARCH64 will be supported as soon as there is a release from the mono team.
Used mono aot (ahead of time compiler) to hopefully increase performance.
Debian maintainer post install script are set to ignore home of user emby, use default configuration file and etc conf file rather than /etc/passwd to determine were user settings should be kept.

Special thanks goes to fc7, hurricanehrndz and all their awesome work and to any and all users who have taken the time to report issues and have had the patience to work with us as we get them addressed.
Docker users please stay tuned for a major update that is under works. There will also be more clear documentation for installing on the RPI and other arm devices. In terms of ARM support, on Debian distro we only support armv7l and those binaries can be found in our xUbuntu_14.04 repo.

Are You Strong with HTML, JavaScript and NodeJS?

I am looking for someone on the advanced side who can work with me directly on new Emby projects. Please contact me if you're interested in contributing.

Join the Emby Open Beta Programs!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:41:00 +0000

Team,

As many of you know, we participate in beta programs in most of the major app stores, and for our downloadable apps we even have our own programs. Joining our beta programs will give you a look at what's coming, and allow you to have an even greater voice by leaving feedback earlier in the development cycle.

Important: As with any pre-release software, you may experience decreased stability, degraded performance, or other various issues. Please participate if you'd like to help test and refine. If you're just trying to get early feature access, you may find yourself disappointed if things aren't working correctly during the pre-release period.

Here's how you can participate in beta testing of your favorite Emby apps:

Android Mobile:

Sign up: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.mb.android
Discuss: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/123-android

Android TV:

Sign up: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/tv.emby.embyatv
Discuss: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/123-android

iOS:

Sign up: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/28301-ios-beta-testing
Discuss: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/159-ios

Roku:

Beta Channel: https://owner.roku.com/add/EmbyBeta
Discuss: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/91-roku

Emby Theater:

Coming soon.

Emby Server for Windows:

Beta Channel: Simply set your automatic update level in the server dashboard, under Advanced
Discuss: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/102-server

Emby for Windows Media Center:

Beta Channel: Simply set your automatic update level in the in the app's settings area
Discuss: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/103-emby-for-wmc

Try Emby Server for OpenSUSE, including Tumbleweed and Leap!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:23:00 +0000

New beta packages are available on our Open Build Service page:

https://software.opensuse.org/download.html?project=home%3Aemby&package=emby-server-beta

Important: This is a beta package and should be used for testing only. Once this goes stable we'll have separate stable packages.

Other Linux Package Improvements

We'll have a separate post about this, but our linux packages are seeing a lot of improvements as well. Notably:

Added support for openSUSE Tumbleweed and Leap
Beta and Dev releases are now using the package embymagick for ImageMagick libraries. embymagick does not get installed as a system library, so there should no longer be conflicts with distribution releases of ImageMagick.
New restart wrapper script, in order to alleviate some of the issues posted by users.
Sudoers file has been updated, restart permission have been moved to the group emby rather than the user emby.
Emby-Server start wrapper script ensures user running emby-server is part of emby group, and thus are granted restart permission.
Support RPI 1 thanks to openSUSE ARM factory. Please see the following: https://en.opensuse....org/Portal:ARM
AARCH64 will be supported as soon as there is a release from the mono team.
Used mono aot (ahead of time compiler) to hopefully increase performance.
Debian maintainer post install script are set to ignore home of user emby, use default configuration file and etc conf file rather than /etc/passwd to determine were user settings should be kept.

Add a little music to your life with the new music support in our Fire and Android TV apps

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 04:53:11 +0000

The long-anticipated arrival of music support in the Fire TV/Android TV apps is here!

Coming very soon to your Fire and Android TV devices - full support of music functionality with a fast, intuitive and beautiful interface to all your Emby audio.

Features include:

Smart-screen interface with latest albums, last played, favorites, playlists etc.
Two grid-views - browse albums or album artists
Full audio queuing capabilities from within all aspects of the app.
Instant-mix any artist, album or song creating hours of music with just a couple of clicks
Audio playback while browsing your library - including playing your own photo slideshows with your playlist playing in the background
Build up a queue of songs and quickly save it as an Emby playlist for later re-use. Even instant mix an item and then save that as a playlist
Beautiful but subtle music "screen saver" interface during playback with full-screen artist slide shows and information on the current and upcoming songs
Now playing queue right on the home screen while audio is playing
And much more

Get it now from the Amazon and Google Play stores.

Emby Server 3.0.5781.8 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 16:55:00 +0000

The stable version of the previous beta has been released! Get it now in time for the holidays. The main highlights of this release are:

Improved Chrome transcoding
Faster web client performance

To learn more, check out the original beta announcement here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-265-emby-server-beta-3057816-released/

Happy Holidays from the Emby Team

Emby for Samsung Smart TV's 1.0 Released !

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 17:50:00 +0000

cmcg has been working extremely hard on this and we're pleased to announce version 1.0 of Emby for Samsung Smart TV's.

It’s been a great effort by the community to bring this popular Emby client up to a major milestone. Supported models are TVs, Blu-ray Disk Players and Home Theatre Systems from the D, E, F and H Series running the SmartHub OS.
Sadly, Samsung have already moved on to Tizen OS and closed the doors of their app store to new SmartHub applications unless we first submit a Tizen based app. So for the time being at least, those who wish to install the Emby Client for Samsung SmartHub will need to log in to their TV or other SmartHub device using the develop account which allows for installation of non-App store applications. We are discussing the possibility of an Emby client for Samsung Tizen TVs and will keep you posted on that.

Installation

2014 H-Series Install
2013 F-Series Install
2012 E-Series Install
2011 D-Series Install

New Emby Server Releases

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 03:24:00 +0000

Team,

Today, for the first time we're simultaneously releasing new stable and beta releases. We're pleased to announce that we now have beta packages for several Linux distributions, which you can check out on our website:

https://emby.media/downloads

3.0.5782.0 Stable:

New Opus Audio Transcoding

In the web client, transcoded music now uses Opus in supported browsers. Opus is an open format and has superior quality to aac and mp3. Currently this is supported in Chrome and recent versions of Firefox. Other browsers will continue to use the formats they were using before.

Other changes:

fix video playback in opera browser
fix encoding of dts 6.1 audio tracks
fix Greek subtitle downloading from OpenSubtitles
fix subtitles showing at wrong position when resuming with DLNA
fix Chromecast connection with reverse proxies

3.0.5800.0 Beta:

This new beta includes all of the changes in above stable release, along with two new features that are ready for beta testing. If you're running beta, please help us test these features so that they can be promoted to the stable channel.

IPV6 Support

Emby's http server can now receive requests using it's IPV6 IP address.

Improved Daily Episode Support

We've added support for internet metadata for daily episodes.

Emby for Windows 8.1 & Windows 10 3.4.6.363 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 18:46:00 +0000

This is a maintenance release designed to address a few issues. Here is the change log:

Playback improvements (hevc fixes amongst others)
Custom libraries can now be selected from the main menu
Support for https
Disable WakeOnLan for background tasks
Sync fixes

Happy new year from the Emby team

Emby Website Status

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 04:07:00 +0000

Team,

Today are hosting provider experienced major downtime for a period of at least 12 hours. This caused the Emby website, community, and Emby Connect to be completely unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

To stay notified of any issues in the future, please follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Emby Server Beta 3.0.5801 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 05:03:00 +0000

In light of the recent outages we've had, this beta is designed to be more resilient to loss of connectivity. so please help test this. Also please continue to test IPV6 support here on the beta branch.

Other Changes

Resolve checkboxes unavailable on HDHomerun configuration page
Resolve video transcoding error affecting Live TV with Firefox

Emby Server Beta 3.0.5802 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:13:00 +0000

This is a small update with the following changes:

Add semi-colon as artist separator
Add automatic bitrate setting for Chromecast
Improve detection of h264 support in Firefox for Linux
Add Indonesian as selectable language
Update Tmdb throttling
Add robots.txt file to web interface

Going forward, the automatic updates will be downloading from Github Releases:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby/releases

Not only can you browse the releases on Github, but now we'll have a history of releases that you can download assets from, if you wish.

Enjoy, and remember, this is the beta branch, so please leave your feedback in the community on how we can improve it.

Emby Server 3.0.5785 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 20:45:00 +0000

The stable release channel has been updated to 3.0.5785. The following are the changes:

Add support for internet metadata for daily episodes
Fix script error on HDHomerun and NFO config pages
Make Emby server handle internet outages more gracefully
Expand supported subtitle formats in WDTV Live DLNA profile
Add automatic bitrate option for Chromecast
Improve h264 support detection in Firefox for Linux
Add semi-colon as artist separator
Add Indonesian as selectable language
Update Tmdb throttling
Add robots.txt file to web interface

Enjoy

Emby for Chromecast Gets Major Update

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 16:34:12 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app with a major overhaul. Here's what's new:

All New Video Transcoding
The receiver now enjoys the same transcoding used by the Chrome browser. Not only will you see faster video start times, but also faster seeking, and reduced cpu utilization on your server. In many cases now we'll just stream copy the original video while only transcodng the audio.

While we could go on and on about the benefits, we think the words of a fellow community member sum it up best:

Technically the new implementation is hot stuff imo, well done!!
- shorty1483

New Opus Audio Transcoding
Music transcoding now uses Opus, which has superior quality to both aac and mp3. Audiophiles will agree, the results very pleasant. Direct stream of FLAC is still supported on Chromecast devices that support FLAC, but if not, then OPUS is not the transcoding format.

Full Support for Changing Audio and Subtitle Tracks
Up until now this has only been partially supported and we apologize for the wait in completing this feature. Now you can change both audio and subtitles on the fly using the casting app.

Automatic Bitrate Detection
Our Chromecast receiver will now perform bandwidth tests with your Emby Server to determine the ideal bitrate. For the majority of users this is the recommended approach. To activate or change this, configure it in the casting app's settings:

Please note - Android and iOS do not have this setting yet, but we'll get updates out to support it.

How to Get The Update
To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and reconnect from the casting app.

Enjoy, and let us know what you think P)

Emby for iOS 1.05 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 19:45:00 +0000

Version 1.05 is in process of publishing to the app store.

This version includes a fix for Live TV playback getting stuck on the first frame and then not recovering. Big thanks to everyone in the beta group who helped tested this issue.

Emby Server 3.0.5807 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 20:27:00 +0000

This beta is mainly targeted towards Windows users.

Emby Server is now able to run as a 64-bit process on Windows.

Important Note

After updating you will see an admin prompt to install the Visual C++ 2013 runtime, if you do not already have it installed.

Emby Server 3.0.5786 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 18:26:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out. The following issues are resolved:

Firefox live tv playback
Interlaced video detection
Transcoding of *.ass subtitles
Recordings not saving with unique name

Enjoy

Emby Server 3.0.5818 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 19:30:00 +0000

A new update has been released that resolves a number of issues. Here are the changes

* Support running Windows server as 64-bit process
* Fix latest items aspect ratio
* Support automatic orientation adjustment for photos with exif data
* Resolving caching issue in IE and MS Edge
* Add api keys page to authorize other applications such as Sonarr
* Fix image editing in Firefox
* Adjust recording deletion behavior
* Support auto-organize for daily episodes
* Add real-time monitor setting for Linux and BSD
* Fix live tv guide grid scrolling
* Update Schedules Direct to automatically reacquire auth token when needed
* Update Xbox one dlna profile
* Handle 407 response from Open Subtitles
* Update codecs written to nfo's for display in Kodi
* Support dvbsub subtitle format
* Improve people metadata downloading
* Trim logging

Important Note for Windows Users

Following the update you may see an admin prompt to install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 runtime. For this reason the update is currently being withheld from automatic updates for a few days while we give you time to see this notice. You can get the update now on the Emby website, and we'll publish it for automatic updates early next week.

Emby for Roku 2.21 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 02:17:00 +0000

The beta channel has been updated with enhancements specifically targeting the new Roku 4:

Added support for direct play of h265/vp9 content
Added support for pass-through of AAC 5.1

As always your feedback will help shape future direction of the app, so let us know what you think.

Installation:

Instructions on how to install the beta channel can be found here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/8001-emby-for-roku-channel/page-1

Emby for iOS 1.07 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 17:59:00 +0000

Version 1.05 is in process of publishing to the app store.

This update resolves the issue of a blank screen at startup when running the iOS 9.3 beta. Enjoy

Emby for Chromecast Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 17:59:00 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app with some new features. Here's what's new:

More AC-3 Passthrough, More FLAC
We've always supported ac-3 pass-through with Chromcast, but now we've updated our transcoding to also use it as well. This means if you have a DTS audio track for example, now we'll convert it to AC-3 which will still allow you to enjoy the surround sound.

In addition, direct playback of FLAC has been extended to more Chromecast devices and not just Chromecast Audio.

How to Get The Update
To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and restart the casting app.

Check out our Chromecast Wiki
Learn more about the app on our wiki at: https://github.com/M...wiki/Chromecast

Enjoy, and let us know what you think

New Emby Server Releases

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 19:50:00 +0000

3.0.5821 Stable

This is predominantly a bug fix release.

New Features

* Added user channel setting to group all channels into a single internet Channels view
* Support itunes episode file naming
* Add off option to subtitles remote control menu
* Use ac3 transcoding for MS Edge
* Updated photo slideshow now has auto-advance functions and closes with the back button

Issues Resolved

* Fix web client image scaling
* Restart recording timers on system wake
* Fix pt-br with tvdb
* Update wdtv live dlna profile
* Music album image fixes

3.0.5860 Beta

This beta finally merges forward all of the database changes we've been working on within the dev branch. Over time this is going to lead to much faster server and Emby app performance, although it's going to take a bit of time to adjust different areas to take advantage of it.

Please note - upon restarting with the update you will be greeted with a forced update process, and this could take a little while. Please leave your feedback and report your issues in the community.

Emby Server 3.0.5868 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 17:21:00 +0000

A new beta is up with new features and fixes. Here are the highlights.

New Cinema Mode Features

This is a treat for our advanced users. Now, in addition to custom intros, you can assign intros based on audio codecs and tags. Have you ever wanted to create a custom intro for all your movies with DTS audio? Now you can. Our how about a custom intro for all of your Valentine's Day flicks? Now you can using intros by tags.

Please try it out and leave us your feedback.

Issues Resolved

* Safari playback fix
* Update multi-version support
* Update db upgrade process
* Fix popup scrolling
* Improve performance of now playing screen
* Update dlna server uuid
* Save photo album images as folder.ext
* Update recordings during guide refresh
* Update progressive streaming bitrate
* Add new iso file naming conventions
* Move metadata editor to popup
* Update guest invite popup

Emby Server 3.0.5870 Beta Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 03:44:00 +0000

A new release is slowly rolling out to the stable branch, containing new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

Important Information About This Release

After restarting, Emby Server will perform a database upgrade. This process may take a little while, so please schedule your upgrade accordingly. During this time, your local Emby web interface will be the only app you'll be able to access. Due to the database upgrade, we do not recommend attempting to roll back to any previous release after installing this version.

Depending on how old your server installation is, you may see some user settings reset, such as view orders and grouping settings.

These database upgrades are laying the foundation for some pretty dramatic performance improvements in future Emby Server releases. We ask you for your patience during the upgrade process.

Here are the release highlights.

Convert Your Recordings on the Fly

When scheduling recordings, there's now an option to convert your Live TV recordings on the fly to streaming friendly MP4. Storing your recordings in MP4 is a great way to help avoid transcoding during playback, as it is compatible with a broad range of devices. This feature requires an active Emby Premiere subscription.

New Cinema Mode Features

This is a treat for our advanced users. Now, in addition to custom intros, you can assign intros based on audio codecs and tags. Have you ever wanted to create a custom intro for all your movies with DTS audio? Now you can. Or how about a custom intro for all of your Valentine's Day flicks? Now you can using intros by tags.

New 3D MVC File Naming

3D file naming conventions have been expanded to support MVC. Please check out our wiki for details at:
https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/3D%20videos

Issues Resolved

* Safari playback fix
* Update multi-version support
* Fix popup scrolling
* Improve performance of now playing screen
* Update dlna server uuid
* Save photo album images as folder.ext
* Update recordings during guide refresh
* Update progressive streaming bitrate
* Add new iso file naming conventions
* Move metadata editor to popup
* Update guest invite popup
* Update sync encoding
* Make photos downloadable
* Update recording deletion
* Support on the fly recording conversion to streaming friendly formats
* Add new ISO file naming conventions
* Resolve issue with sharing feature
* Samsung dlna fix
* Fix video playback in MS Edge Mobile

Emby for iOS 1.09 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 05:00:00 +0000

Version 1.09 has been released to the app store. Here are the highlights:

Improve transcoder disposal on video stop
Search results now change on the fly as you enter characters (thanks AndreasNogler!)
Add "Off" option to remote control subtitle menu
Improved performance of the photo gallery
Improved performance of the now playing screen and resolved some of the content overlap issues

Binge Watch Your Favorite Series With Emby for Chromecast

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 19:30:00 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app with new features. Now, anytime you play an individual episode, the following episodes in the series will be automatically queued for easy continuous play. This makes Emby for Chromecast the p ]]>
How to Get The Update
To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and restart the casting app.

Check out our Chromecast Wiki
Learn more about the app on our wiki at: https://github.com/M...wiki/Chromecast

Enjoy, and let us know what you think

Emby for iOS 1.1.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 18:45:00 +0000

A new version has been released to the app store. It resolves the following issues:

Text-based subtitles not displaying when selected

Introducing the new Emby Theater for Windows and the Web

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 22:11:51 +0000

Download for Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Try the online web app: https://tv.emby.medi ]]> and http://tv.emby.media (supports the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge)

This app has been a long journey and we're finally pleased to announce availability for Emby Premiere subscribers.

Same Great Video Player, Brand New App

The app retains the same great Direct Show audio and video player that you're accustomed to, including all of it's bells and whistles with Madvr and other perks. Andrew Van Til from Missing Remote has been helping us and we can't think him enough. This app has been truly a massive team effort.

So what's different about this new app? Read on!

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

To run this app on Windows, we've utilized Chromium, Electron, and NodeJS. Then we replaced the web audio and video player with a player built specifically for Windows, which you can read about below. With HTML and JavaScript as the basis, the possibilities are going to be endless.

Sharper and Crisper Than Ever Before

The first thing you'll notice when playing with the new app is just how much crisper it is. How has this been achieved? Unlike the previous version of the app (and Emby for WMC), the new Emby Theater renders at resolution without any form of UI scaling. This will create more work for the theme developer to design for different resolutions (720p, 1080p, 4k, etc), but the results are worth it.

We love the old Emby Theater, but this is going to make it look like an old tube TV.

Silky Smooth Animation

The next thing you'll notice is just how fluidly the interface navigates. Dramatic performance improvements have been made over the previous app. Almost everything on-screen is animated and it really helps make the app more pleasant to use.

Emby Theater Going Multi-Platform

We want to bring this app to as many platforms as we can, including Smart TV's, Android, and others. With HTML as the basis we have a foundation that will allow this app to run on just about anything.

6-Button Control

There will be no more fumbling around trying to figure out what button does what. The new app will be easy for anyone to pick up and use without any learning curve. All functions are being designed around 6 buttons - up, down, left, right, ok, and back. Your family members and guests will have no trouble controlling the new Emby Theater.

If You Can Do HTML and CSS, You can Build Themes for Emby Theater

Many of you have probably worked with HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Building themes and plugins is as simple as forking existing samples on Github and creating your own versions. We're excited to see what you come up with. We'll have more info on this coming soon.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Wait, if This is HTML...

Does that mean the built-in web app could be made to animate as smoothly as Emby Theater?

Yes! It can, and it will. But the built-in web app has to support older browsers such as Internet Explorer, so it will take a little longer to get there.

So Which Version Should I Use?

It really depends. For most users, we suggest that if you need HD Audio Bistreaming, External Players, or MadVR, you'll want to use the native windows app. For everyone else, the web app with Chrome running in full-screen is a great option.

Yes! It can, and it will. But the built-in web app has to support older browsers such as Internet Explorer, so it will take a little longer to get there.

Download for Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Try the online web app: http://tv.emby.media and http://tv.emby.media (supports the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge)

Emby for Chromecast Updated to Support Auto-Play Setting

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 21:42:00 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app to support the new episode auto-play feature introduced in Emby Server 3.0.5882. Now you can control whether or not you'd like next episodes to be auto-played, and Chromecast will respect the setting.

How to Get The Update
To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and restart the casting app.

Check out our Chromecast Wiki
Learn more about the app on our wiki at: https://github.com/M...wiki/Chromecast

Emby Server 3.0.5882 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 17:31:00 +0000

A new version has been released. Here are the highlights.

Audio and Subtitle Selections Now Remembered

When you play a video that you've already played before, Emby Server will now remember your previous audio and subtitl ]]>

New Episode Auto-Play Setting

Emby apps will now auto-play next episodes, but if you'd like to turn this off, we've added a user preference setting under Playback.

Other Changes:

Fix chromecast queue command
Update lazy loading of recording objects
Update dlna server
Add auto-organize smart match feature
Update device discovery
Fix subtitles in iOS safari
Fix subtitle position after seeking in chrome & chromecast
Remember audio & subtitle selections
Auto-organize fix
Fix reading of OfficialRatingDescription
Support additional m3u fields
Fix transcoding of sub/idx
Improve support for videos within photo libraries
Resolve issues with external players in mobile chrome
Support creating a new series with auto-organize

Introducing the new Emby Theater for Windows and the Web

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 01:44:49 +0000

Download for Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Try the online web app: https://tv.emby.medi ]]> and http://tv.emby.media - supports the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

This app has been a long journey and we're finally pleased to announce availability for Emby Premiere subscrib ]]>

On Windows, the Same Great Video Player in a Brand New App

The app retains the same great Direct Show audio and video player that you're accustomed to, including all of it's bells and whistles with Madvr and other perks. Andrew Van Til from Missing Remote has been helping us and we can't thank him enough. This app has been truly a massive team effort.

You might be wondering what took you guys so long? This is essentially our third major design of the app. You're all familiar with the original. We then began an overhaul built with C# and WPF, and by overhaul, we mean a re-write from the ground up. Then in early 2015, I began scheming about the idea of a full-featured HTPC app built with HTML. It is my belief that Web API's have evolved to the point where they are now truly the best option, and that led to another fresh start building the app from the ground up. Make no mistake, this is not a Smart TV app ported to the HTPC, this is a new app designed to support all the bells and whistles you've come to expect.

So what's different about this new app? Read on!

A Modern App for Modern Times

To run this app on Windows, we've utilized Chromium, Electron, and NodeJS. Then we replaced the web audio and video player with a player built specifically for Windows (mentioned above). With HTML and JavaScript as the basis, the possibilities are going to be endless.

To release the app on other platforms such as Linux, Mac or Android, we would follow the same process and provide you with the best audio and video players that the platforms have to offer.

Pretty soon we'll have additional announcements on how you can build skins with HTML, and we can't wait to unveil that.

Designed for 10ft, but Works Great With a Mouse and Touch Input

We've put a lot of effort into all three input mechanisms. We want this app to work well however you'd like to use it. We think the best way is a remote, but if you'd like to scroll with the mouse or swipe with your finger, that works great too.

Note: Although the app supports touch input, it does not currently have any mobile designs, therefore it is not ideal for small screens.

Sharper and Crisper Than Ever Before

We love the old Emby Theater, but this is going to make it look like an old tube TV.

Silky Smooth Animation

Emby Theater Going Multi-Platform

6-Button Control

If You Can Do HTML and CSS, You can Build Themes for Emby Theater

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

Wait, if This is HTML...

Does that mean the built-in web app could be made to animate as smoothly as Emby Theater?

Yes! It can, and it will. But the built-in web app has to support older browsers such as Internet Explorer, so it will take a little longer to get there.

So Which Version Should I Use?

It really depends. For most users, we suggest that if you need HD Audio Bitsreaming, External Players, or MadVR, you'll want to use the native windows app. For everyone else, the web app with Chrome running in full-screen is a great option.

Introducing Emby Theater for Xbox One

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 02:06:17 +0000

Windows Universal support for Xbox One might not be here just yet, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy Emby on your favorite game console.

Emby Premiere subscribers are invited to try Emby Theater for Xbox One. Just open the Microsoft Edge browse ]]> tv.emby.media. You can even turn it into an app by adding it to your home screen!

Supports Xbox One Game Pad Input

Easily control the app thanks to native support for your Xbox One game pad. The D-Pad works just like any other remote, with no mouse cursor needed.

Supports AC-3 Pass-through to Your Receiver

This app will preserve your original AC-3 audio as-is.

Enjoy the Full Emby Experience

The app supports many popular Emby features, including Movies, TV, Music, Live TV, Photos, and more on the way.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the old Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

If You Can Do HTML and CSS, You can Build Themes for Emby Theater

Many of you have probably worked with HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Building skins and plugins is as simple as forking existing samples on Github and creating your own versions. We're excited to see what you come up with. We'll have more info on this coming soon.

Emby Server 3.0.5911 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 19:38:46 +0000

A new Emby Server release is available and contains new features, bug fixes and stability improvements. Here are the highlights:

Improved Multi-Tuner Support

If you'd like to have multiple tv tuners using different sources, it's now possible. The Schedules Direct guide setup allows you to choose which tuners to apply the data to, allowing you to create separate lineups for each tuner if you'd like.

Bug fixes:

* Fix opus sync conversion
* Improve handling of people image download failures
* Fix MovieDb image providers not supporting all languages
* Ipv6 fix
* Fix subtitles in Microsoft Edge
* Fix subtitles with Samsung DLNA
* Fix tvdb episode fetch by absolute numbering
* Resolve issue with movie metadata download

Other changes:

* Add MovieDb as an episode metadata provider
* Support MovieDb pt-BR
* Update detail screen layout
* Support single MovieDb id in nfo's
* Improve database performance

Introducing Emby for Apple TV

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 21:17:51 +0000

Available NOW in the App store on your 4th Gen Apple TV

Access all^* of your Emby media now from your Apple TV device.

Supports Your Favorite Emby Features:

Movies - Complete with support for Emby Cinema Mode
TV - Manage your binge watching like a pro with automatic next episode queueing and quick access to subsequent episodes right from the TV Series and Episode pages
Music - Full support for playlists, instant mix, artists and albums
Cover Art Plug-in - Add your own personal touch to your images with custom treatments and overlays
Photos and more from the smart, beautiful and intuitive interface of the Apple TV 4.

Find what you want quickly and easily with a smart home screen design as well as individualized displays for each media type. Or use the full search capabilities including voice dictation (requires tvOS 9.2).

* Live TV not yet supported

New Emby Server Releases

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 17:50:00 +0000

3.0.5912 - Stable

This is a small follow-up to the previous release designed to address a few issues:

Fix safari loading issue
Fix alphabet picker not working on some screens in Emby web app
Fix trailers m ]]>
Support m2ts direct play with WDTV Live DLNA
Support music dynamic images

3.0.5927 - Beta

The beta has a number of new features that you can try out and help test:

New Features:

Dramatically improved transcoding for Microsoft Edge and Opera. You'll now see more remuxing (stream copy), and very little video transcoding. Chrome users have been enjoying this feature for several months now. This also includes Emby Theater on Xbox One!

New media information from the HD Homerun api has been incorporated. You'll now see more direct play and stream copy of live tv than ever before. Microsoft Edge can now direct stream your live tv thanks to it's support for AC3 audio!

New in-browser rendering of ASS / SSA subtitles. This is a real treat for anime fans as it is no longer necessary to burn them in with transcoding. Styles are even preserved:

Bug Fixes:

Fix parental control tag prompt
Fix Arabic subtitle encoding
Fix default audio track detection

Other Changes:

Handle empty album artists list when probing music
Update admin menu
Update Dlna server friendly name
Update ffmpeg (for windows)

Emby for iOS 1.1.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 02:22:00 +0000

A new version has been released to the app store.

Revamped Chromecast Support

Chromecast support has been completely rewritten and is now much more stable, connects faster, and automatically reconnects just as you would expect.

Issues Resolved:

Resolved loading issues on favorites & search screens

Emby Server 3.0.5913 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:47:00 +0000

A new Emby Server release is available and contains new features, bug fixes and stability improvements. Here are the highlights:

Bug fixes:

* Fix channel items in Emby for windows media center
* Fix latest items in Emby for windows media center
* Fix open subtitles download error
* Fix #1609 - Generated links are relative to site root
* Exclude trailers from suggestion categories

Emby Server 3.0.5930 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 21:44:01 +0000

Important: This version will perform a database upgrade after installation. This process could take a little while. Please be patient.

Support For New HDHomerun Media Info

New media information from the HD Homerun json api has been incorporated. You'll now see more direct play and stream copy of live tv than ever before. Microsoft Edge can now direct stream your live tv thanks to it's support for AC3 audio!

Improved Transcoding For Microsoft Edge and Opera

Dramatic improvements have been made here. You'll now see more remuxing (stream copy), and very little video transcoding. Chrome users have been enjoying this feature for several months now. This also includes Emby Theater on Xbox One!

New In-Browser rendering of ASS / SSA subtitles

This is a real treat for anime fans as it is no longer necessary to burn them in with transcoding. Styles are even preserved:

Fixes

Fix block by tags
Fix dynamic images replacing custom images
Fix sync quality cannot be changed
Fix collection (boxset) grouping
Fix EMC queries
Fix channel playback on apple devices
Fix default audio track detection

Other Changes

Improve identify feature
Improve support for embedded video metadata
Add subtitle option to only download subtitles that are a perfect match
Restore yesterday in upcoming episodes screen
Improve guest invitation error messages
Windows: Install .net 4.6 framework if not already present
Exclude trailers from suggestion headers
Update subtitle encoding
Windows: Update ffmpeg
Update Dlna server friendly name
Handle empty album artists list when probing music

More Improvements for the Android TV/Fire TV App

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 19:10:01 +0000

The latest version of the Android TV and Fire TV Apps include several improvements centered around audio playback and stability. The highlights are:

Framework Updates - The Android TV framework elements h ]]>
Video Player Improvements
- Android TV:
  - Bitstreaming of DD and DTS in most instances (some older hardware configurations involving things like optical connections still are not completely worked out)
  - Faster playback startup and seeking when direct playing
  - Better player stability
- Fire TV:
  - Bitstreaming of DD in most instances
  - Option to transcode DTS to DD to get full 5.1 surround for those items as well. The transcoding will only have to convert the audio if everything else about the item is direct stream-able.
Better Transcoding - We have changed the transcoding format to one that will allow for a much lighter load on the server when transcoding is necessary. It will allow more stream copy so that, if transcoding needs to be done only for audio, that is all that will transcode. It also will eliminate the odd issue of the video sometimes jumping back to some previous point right at the end.
Improved Connection Worflow - This will hopefully solve issues a few people have seen when trying to connect remotely.
Easier Server Switching - The ability to switch servers is now included from the user login screen.
Ability to delete media - If enabled for the current user you can now delete episodes, movies and videos just like you already can with recorded TV.
Ability to Forget Servers - The ability to "forget" a remembered server from your list if it is no longer valid. This requires a context menu at this point so it is only available if you have that ability with your remote. On the Fire it is the menu button. On a Google device, the menu is produced by the "Y" controller button so you'd need a controller or a remote that can map that.
Improved Image Handling - Images should load faster and no longer exhibit the issue of showing a previous image as you scroll quickly through the interface.
Various Fixes and Improvements - Many other small improvements and fixes.

Coming soon to a device near you. Get it in the Amazon or Google stores.

Learn how to Create Skins for Emby Theater

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 21:47:00 +0000

By now, you've seen the images of how pretty Emby Theater is:

You can learn more about the app by reading the original announcement:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-290-introducing-the-new-emby-theater-for-windows-and-the-web/

But what about the skinning engine? How can we create our own skins? We're please to announce that it's very easy.

All You Need is a Little HTML

If you can do HTML and JavaScript, then you can build a skin for Emby Theater. It's that easy.

Just Fork the Default Skin

The default skin is open sourced on Github:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-web-defaultskin

Just fork it, give it a new name, make your changes, and that's all there is to it. You can host your skin directly on Github, and users can easily install it within the app's settings. So fork away and start skinning. We're excited to see what you come up with.

Emby Server 3.0.5971 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:55:00 +0000

A new release is rolling out and this a great one for Emby users. Not only does this bring a number of performance improvements, but also some important bug fixes and valuable new features. Here are the highlights.

Performance Improvements< ]]>

Performance has been a big theme with this release. You'll find Emby apps faster to browse and you'll also enjoy improved playback performance thanks to reduced transcoding.

Note: Browsing performance will improve even more after the first run of the "Clean Database" scheduled task following installation of the update.

Firefox Playback

Playback in the Firefox browser is vastly improved, and video transcoding has been substantially reduced. In most cases now you'll enjoy direct video playback, even with high bitrates. We're really pleased with this.

Tip: These improvements also apply to the web based version of Emby Theater. Try it at http://tv.emby.media !

Apple TV & Roku Playback

Playback for Apple TV and Roku has also been vastly improved and video transcoding has been substantially reduced. In most cases you'll enjoy direct video playback with only a simple audio conversion (if necessary).

Media Track Display Titles

Emby Server now supports embedded titles within your audio and subtitle tracks, allowing you to personalize the track selection menus across Emby apps.

Note: The server will not re-probe existing content in order to acquire embedded titles. This is for new content added going forward. To import track titles for existing media, you'll need to refresh them.

Recording Conversion

There's a new Live TV setting that will allow you to preserve original audio when converting recordings, if you prefer:

DLNA

We're happy to announce improvements to our Device Discovery, and the Play To discovery issues have been resolved.

Media Renderers will also see improved performance from Emby Server with this release.

Sync Improvements

Preserve embedded images when syncing music
Resync after media changes

Updated TV Guide

We've simplified the tv guide while adding some pretty icons to help you quickly identify your recordings and HD content.

Fix searches with special charcters returning empty results

Others

Use https provider urls
Faster cleanup of missing episodes
Don't remember track selections for live tv channels
Add fixes for episodes directly in season folders
Fix m4a transcoding
Support direct stream level 51 in web browsers
Auto-select audio codec based on available encoders
Fix people names ending in a period
Allow dynamic images with unset content type
Fix local trailer metadata
Support multiple user data keys
Fix channel logos not downloading
Fix content sometimes not appearing after server restart
Improve image lazy loading with IntersectionObserver
Display ends at for videos

Emby Server 3.0.5972 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 26 May 2016 17:13:00 +0000

A small maintenance release has gone out to resolve a few issues that were introduced in 3.0.5971.

Resolve startup failure when a quote exists in the installation path
Resolve episodes not displaying when season numbers are missing
Refresh web tabs on playback s ]]>
Fix enter on search function
Fix loading spinner on login screen

3.0.5971 Recap

A new release is rolling out and this a great one for Emby users. Not only does this bring a number of performance improvements, but also some important bug fixes and valuable new features. Here are the highlights.

Important Note for Windows Users

The .NET framework 4.6 is now required. If you haven't already installed it, make sure to run the Microsoft web installer:

https://www.microsof...s.aspx?id=48130

If you're not sure, running the web installer again won't hurt. New users who install Emby Server will have this taken care of as part of the server installation process. If you're running Windows 7, then you'll need Service Pack 1 (SP1) in order to use .NET 4.6.

Performance Improvements

Performance has been a big theme with this release. You'll find Emby apps faster to browse and you'll also enjoy improved playback performance thanks to reduced transcoding.

Note: Browsing performance will improve even more after the first run of the "Clean Database" scheduled task following installation of the update.

Changes for Live TV Recordings

Recordings using the built-in Live TV are now a regular Emby library. What does this mean? This means you finally have full access to all Emby features with your live tv recordings. They are immediately playable in all Emby apps, and now fully support internet metadata, parental controls, subtitle downloading, playlists, collections, and all of the other Emby features you've come to know and love.

How does it work? It's easy! Your recordings will be added as a regular Emby library:

From here you can configure and tinker with it just like you would any other Emby library. Do you want to keep recordings separate from your other content? No problem! It's separate by default, and can be hidden from users using the normal access controls you've already grown accustomed to.

Easier Recording Management

It's now a much more graphical and enjoyable process:

When you click to edit a recording, the editor now opens in a popup so that you don't even need to leave the screen to accomplish your objective:

Firefox Playback

Playback in the Firefox browser is vastly improved, and video transcoding has been substantially reduced. In most cases now you'll enjoy direct video playback, even with high bitrates. We're really pleased with this.

Tip: These improvements also apply to the web based version of Emby Theater. Try it at http://tv.emby.media !

Apple TV & Roku Playback

Playback for Apple TV and Roku has also been vastly improved and video transcoding has been substantially reduced. In most cases you'll enjoy direct video playback with only a simple audio conversion (if necessary).

Media Track Display Titles

Emby Server now supports embedded titles within your audio and subtitle tracks, allowing you to personalize the track selection menus across Emby apps.

Note: The server will not re-probe existing content in order to acquire embedded titles. This is for new content added going forward. To import track titles for existing media, you'll need to refresh the media using the web interface.

Recording Conversion

There's a new Live TV setting that will allow you to preserve original audio when converting recordings, if you prefer:

DLNA

We're happy to announce improvements to our Device Discovery, and the Play To discovery issues have been resolved.

Media Renderers will also see improved browsing performance from Emby Server with this release.

Sync Improvements

Preserve embedded images when syncing music
Resync after media changes

Updated TV Guide

We've simplified the tv guide while adding some pretty icons to help you quickly identify your recordings and HD content.

Search

Fix searches with special charcters returning empty results

Others

Use https provider urls
Faster cleanup of missing episodes
Don't remember track selections for live tv channels
Add fixes for episodes directly in season folders
Fix m4a transcoding
Support direct stream level 51 in web browsers
Auto-select audio codec based on available encoders
Fix people names ending in a period
Allow dynamic images with unset content type
Fix local trailer metadata
Support multiple user data keys
Fix channel logos not downloading
Fix content sometimes not appearing after server restart
Improve image lazy loading with IntersectionObserver
Display ends at for videos

New Android TV/Fire TV App Update - with enhanced SSL support

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 12:59:08 +0000

A new update to the Android TV app is on its way to both the Google and Amazon stores and should hit a device near you soon.

Lots of things have been tidied up in this release including:

Enhanced SSL support

]]>

Video Playlists and a new Video Queue

Video playlists are now supported and there is now the ability to queue different videos for playback and then manage that queue as an on-demand playlist. Or, you can even save it as a playlist for use over and over.

Videos can be queued from their detail screens (or context menus on the Fire) and the Video Queue will appear in your "Continue Watching" row when you have items you have queued. The queue will automatically manage itself as you watch items and allow you to stop and resume it where you left off.

Playlists in general have also been enhanced to look better (using backdrops from the content within the list) and also allow "Play from here" functionality.

See current item summary during playback

A new info button has been added to the OSD during playback that allows you to show the summary for the currently playing item.

Other minor fixes and enhancements

Several other items have been tightened up or added as well. Check out the new version in either the Amazon or Google stores.

Emby Theater 2.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 04:50:00 +0000

A lot of exciting, community-driven development has taken place and we're pleased to announce new features that are available.

Try it Now

Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Firefox: https://emby.media/emby-theater-web.html
Xbox One: https://emby.media/emby-theater-xboxone.html

More Pleasing Login

During the login process you'll now be treated to beautiful backdrops that the whole family is sure to enjoy.

We hope to allow you to customize these images in a future release.

Remember Me
By default, the app will remember you when you return so that you don't need to login again. We realize that some people would prefer not to have this, so it's now easily configurable.

Faster Performance on Xbox One
The app navigates and animates faster than ever on Xbox One. If you haven't yet tried it on Xbox One, be sure to check it out at http://tv.emby.media

Schedule Recordings
Live TV recordings can now be easily scheduled from detail screens:

One Click Recording

If your remote has a Record button, you can now use it directly within the TV guide to easily schedule recordings with a single click. Try it!

TV Guide Improvements
The guide has been improved with features such as automatic refreshing after playback, more detailed information about the selected program, and a nifty time indicator that allows you to get an idea of the progress of current programs.

Add to Collection / Add to Playlist

Easily manage collections and playlists with your remote control. No mouse or keyboard needed!

Search and Download Subtitles

Now you can use your remote control to search the internet for subtitles and download them on the fly. No mouse or keyboard needed.

Refresh Metadata

Yes, you can even do that, all with a remote control.

Content Deletion

The app now supports deleting content from detail screens.

Fork the Default Skin
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-web-defaultskin

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Automatic Refresh Rate Switching - Now in the Android TV app

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 22:22:45 +0000

Automatic Refresh Rate Switching

The Android TV app now (as of version 1.2.11g) supports automatic refresh rate switching on supported devices. This requires Android 6.0+ and a display that supports the target refresh rate. The app will now automatically adjust your panel's refresh rate to a frequency that better matches the video being played if possible. This requires no special setup but can be disabled with an option in the settings page if desired.

Other Improvements

In addition to the above, several improvements have been made in both playback and general performance. Get the update now on your device or through Google Play.

New Emby for Apple TV Update - with remote control and improved subtitle support

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 14:12:00 +0000

Available now on your 4th gen Apple TV device

Emby Remote Control

Now control your Apple TV app from other Emby mobile apps and the web interface. Mirror the display, send items for playback and control the playback experience all from your phone or web browser.

Improved Subtitle Support

Now control subtitles in most instances from within the normal player interface during playback (requires latest Emby Server).

Other Improvements and Fixes

The movie detail screen now includes special features
FLAC audio playback is now supported
Various other minor fixes and improvements

Update now or install on your 4th generation Apple TV device.

Emby Server 3.0.5986 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 19:16:00 +0000

A new version of Emby Server is now rolling out and includes a number of new features, performance improvements and bug fixes. Here's what's new.

New Xml TV Support !

We now have an additional option for guide data, XmlTV! Setting it up is easy, just add an xml tv guide data source:

Then all you have to do is enter a file path or URL to your XmlTV data, and you're done!

Important: This feature is free to all users to import 24 hours of data at a time. Unlimited data requires Emby Premiere.

New Channel Mapping Feature

This goes along with Xml TV, but can also be used with Schedules Direct. If the channels on your TV Tuner don't match the channels in your guide data, you can now solve this via channel mapping. Channel mapping is easy, just click the 3-dot menu next to your guide data, and select "Map Channels".

Experimental Hardware Transcoding

Thanks to the help of the Emby community, we've added support for hardware transcoding via Nvidia NVENC and Open MAX (OMX). You can enable this under Playback -> Transcoding.

Important: This feature is experimental and we need your feedback to help us continue to improve it.

Apple TV Subtitle Improvements

We've added improvements to the server's HLS support, which now offers a great subtitle experience for Apple TV users.

Bug Fixes

Fix recordings occasionally stopping early when converting on the fly
Fix empty season display when season does not have a season number
Fix queue all from here function
Fix delete button in metadata editor
Fix collection & trailer screens displaying empty results
Fix live tv portion of setup wizard
Fix saving of country code in NFO metadata
Fix auto-organize icons
Fix nav drawer being draggable when expanded
Fix incorrect item index after playlist drag & drop
Fix MovieDb image language parameters (thanks softworkz and anderbytes)
Fix windows network browser within directory pickers
Fix Dlna subtitles
Fix Dlna music artists
Add native syscall error handling

Other Improvements

Update live tv suggestions to incorporate frequently watched channels
Add setting to configure local IP address to bind http server with
Add visual time indicator in tv guide
Improve real-time monitor change management
Support season and episode trailers from MovieDb
Support flat tv libraries without series or season folders
Adjust bitrate when converting between h264 and h265
Add clickable tvdb episode urls
Add clickable trakt links for movies and series
Improve display of active recordings
Improve generated subtitle display names
Improve generated playlist images
Improve error handling when transcode fails to start
Avoid auto-restarting during recordings
Add list view to several item list screens
Update HLS subtitle display name
Continue jQuery removal in mobile web app
Utilize css containment
Deprecate X-Frame-Options
Sign out all active user sessions after password change
Update vsync when transcoding
Add fixes for mono 4.4
Update vsync when transcoding

Emby Theater 2.5 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 21:17:00 +0000

A lot of exciting, community-driven development has taken place and we're pleased to announce new features that are available.

Try it Now

Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari: https://emby.media/emby-theater-web.html
Xbox One: https://emby.media/emby-theater-xboxone.html

Now Supports HDMI-CEC Control With Your TV Remote

The latest version now supports the HDMI-CEC protocol. If your HTPC has the appropriate HDMI-CEC hardware, you can now control Emby Theater with your TV remote (Windows version only)!

By supported hardware, we're referring to CEC adapters which you can get over at https://www.pulse-eight.com

Important: This is an optional feature. You'll be prompted to install CEC drivers. You are free to decline this by cancelling, and you won't be bothered about it again.

Play Your Games

External players have been updated to support launching games. Now you're playing with power!

Redesigned Back Menu

We think you'll find the new look much more pleasing and easier to use.

New Context Menus

Access context menus for selected items, either by right-clicking, or by using the menu button on your remote control.

New Slide Up Menu

The new slide-up menu in desktop mode offers quick access to many of your favorite functions. Just hover the mouse over a poster.

New Multi-Select Menu

You're probably familiar with this from the standard web interface. When running under the mobile or desktop display modes, you can now access multi-select menus via left click-hold, or tap and hold. Multi-Select allows you to perform bulk operations on selected items such as marking watched, refreshing, and more.

3-Dot Context Menus for Lists

When running under the mobile or desktop display modes, lists will now have the familiar 3-dot context menus, allowing a wide range of management options that are relevant to the selected item.

Easily Re-order Playlists with Drag Handles

When running under the mobile or desktop display modes, you'll now see drag handles next to playlist items, allowing for quick and easy re-ordering.

New Sleep Protection
Now if you leave video playback running unattended for hours on end, you'll eventually see an "Are you still watching?" dialog. This is perfect for binge watching to help prevent entire series from accidentally being marked watched in the event you fall asleep while watching.

Faster Performance on Xbox One
The app navigates and animates faster than ever on Xbox One. If you haven't yet tried it on Xbox One, be sure to check it out at http://tv.emby.media

Fork the Default Skin
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-web-defaultskin

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Emby Server 3.0.6000 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 23 Jul 2016 22:28:00 +0000

A new version of Emby Server is now rolling out and is designed mainly to address a few remaining issues when running under Mono 4.4, but also includes a few new features. Here are the highlights.

Easily Re-order Playlists with Drag Handles

You'll now see drag handles next to playlist items, allowing for quick and easy re-ordering.

Better Music Genre Images

We think you'll enjoy these. Please note, if you want replace your existing images with the new style, you'll need to delete the existing ones first.

Bug Fixes

Fix saving of country code setting in nfo's

Other Improvements

Speed up database upgrades
Unify voice components
Add new stream builder options
Improve performance of all episodes view
Support photos in home video libraries
Add ability to edit user profiles from admin screens
Improve subtitles for Apple TV
Update resume menu to show resume time
Support username and password within xmltv urls
Support more subtitle language conventions
Display "more from artist" on album screen
Add playlist item drag handles
Set default directory picker path for QNAP

Emby Server 3.0.6020 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 16:25:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out.

Issues Resolved

Prevent incorrect default movie rating
Fix file date modified change not refreshing content
Improve mobile safari loading problems
Prevent media from being blocked when user access to transcoding is disabled
Resolve music randomly stopping on Android

Other Changes

Improve performance of metadata editor
Update mac server to newer garbage collection model

Emby Server Now on Thecus NAS !

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 20:54:00 +0000

Thanks to the help of outkastm, Emby Server is now available on Thecus NAS devices.

Installation

Installation is a breeze and can be performed directly within Thecus AppCenter. For complete installation instructions, check out the download page of the Emby website:

https://emby.media/nas-server.html

Emby Server 3.0.6030 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 20:03:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out.

Issues Resolved

Added additional fixes for Mono 4.4, specifically relating to the library scan
Resolve DLNA failure with Media Monkey
Improved incorrect detection of multi-resolution movies

Other Changes

Added more transcoding details of active sessions to the server dashboard

Emby Server 3.0.6050 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 19:38:00 +0000

A small update to the previous release has gone out.

Issues Resolved

Fix queue menu options

Other Changes

Support mp4 timed text
Validate hardware encoder presence before attempting to use
Improve library scan performance
Improve people refresh performance
Improve server shutdown performance
Improve server dashboard loading performance
Improve performance of loading artist lists

Try the Emby Chrome App !

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 18:58:00 +0000

If you enjoy the Emby web app and would like to use it fullscreen like any other app, then try the Chrome app.

We've recently updated it with new features including:

Multi-server support
Emby Connect

Installation

Visit this url and click "Add to Chrome"

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/emby/pejchbgakmkcikonfkahmnapmhkllmnp

End of Summer Sale - Emby Premiere Lifetime just $79.99!

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 17:40:41 +0000

Emby Premiere Lifetime just $79.99 for a limited time only!

Celebrate the last days of summer with a special deal on Emby Premiere. Get a Lifetime subscription for a reduced price and take advantage of all the extra features that come with being an Emby Premiere subscriber.

Get sync, CoverArt, Server Configuration Backup, Cinema Mode, Live TV DVR features, free apps and more. See everything you get with Emby Premiere here.

Get Premiere now.

Special upgrade offer: If you purchased an Annual subscription within the last 45 days (July 1st or later) and would like to instead take advantage of this offer, simply purchase the lifetime at this price and then PM ebr and provide the email address you used for the previous annual purchase and we will refund the annual cost.

Announcement for Emby Windows Users

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 19:14:00 +0000

The next release of Emby Server for Windows will install the .NET framework 4.62 if you don't already have it on your system. This may require manual intervention on your part to accept and complete the installation.

If you prefer, you can perform this installation ahead of time by installing it from the Microsoft website, or Windows Update:

https://www.microsoft.com/net/download

Enjoy.

Introducing Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 19:07:00 +0000

Installation

Users in the USA with a 2015 Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

If you have a 2016 model or are not in the USA, stay tuned for additional announcements.

A Modern App for Modern Times

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

Fork the Default Skin
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-web-defaultskin

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a 2015 Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

If you have a 2016 model or are not in the USA, stay tuned for additional announcements.

Emby Server 3.0.6400 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:03:00 +0000

A new version of Emby Server is available and brings some important bug fixes along with valuable new features. Here are the highlights:

Remember Me

The Emby Web app now has a "Remember Me" option on the login screen.

Most of the time you'll want to leave this checked, but in certain situations you may prefer to always have your users login.

Emby Theater and Emby for Android also have this feature, and it is coming soon to Emby for iOS.

New VAAPI Transcoding

Thanks to the help of the Emby community, we now have support for expiremental VA API transcoding. It's easily enabled in the Emby Server web interface.

Please note: You will need to ensure your ffmpeg build supports VA API.

This now brings the available hardware encoding choices to:

Intel Quick Sync QSV
OpenMAX OMX
Nvidia NVENC
Video Acceleration API (VA API)

New Per-Library Settings

Now you can configure certain settings on a per-library basis.

The list of available options are:

Realtime monitor
Display of photos in home video libraries
Detecting archives

Look for more settings to become configurable per-library in future Emby Server releases.

Bug Fixes

Resolve episode list performance issue
Fix dynamic images for OSX
Fix Folders view
Fix yesterday labels
Update nfo saving to only save displayseason & displayepisode for specials

Fix parental rating inheritance
Fix repeated guide refreshes with certain tv tuner hardware
Fix played filter for series
Restore copy/paste support throughout Emby web app
Resolve early video termination in android tv app
Fix custom dlna profiles not being utilized
Fix dvd & bluray folder rips refreshing on every scan
Fix filtering artists by genre

Other Improvements

Improve theme song playback
Improve presentation of auto-organize dialog
Improve presentation of series recording management
Ensure date is in recording file name when episode number is not available
Improve subtitle styles in Chrome

Numerous DLNA improvements with Sony Blu ray players 2013-2016
Added Dlna subtitle improvements for most devices
Limit series pooling to same library
Add artists to genre screen
Add user permission for video container swapping
Improve tab loading performance throughout Emby web app
Reduce Dlna device chatter
Update windows to target 4.6.2
Improve loading performance of live tv guide
Ignore DTD errors with user-supplied xml tv files
Improve image extraction performance
Add support for downloading people metadata on demand when viewing actor bio's

Introducing Emby Theater for Windows Universal and XBox One

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 20:34:00 +0000

Download for Windows 10 & Xbox One on the Microsoft Store: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/emby-theater/9nblggh4t70l Download for classic Windows Desktop: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Try the online web app: http://tv.emby.media and http://tv.emby.media - supports the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

This app has been a long journey and we're finally pleased to announce availability for Emby Premiere subscribers.

A Modern App for Modern Times

To release the app on other platforms such as Linux, Mac or Android, we would follow the same process and provide you with the best audio and video players that the platforms have to offer.

Pretty soon we'll have additional announcements on how you can build skins with HTML, and we can't wait to unveil that.

Designed for 10ft, but Works Great With a Mouse and Touch Input

Note: Although the app supports touch input, it does not currently have any mobile designs, therefore it is not ideal for small screens.

Sharper and Crisper Than Ever Before

We love the old Emby Theater, but this is going to make it look like an old tube TV.

Silky Smooth Animation

6-Button Control

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

So Which Version Should I Use?

It really depends. For most users, we suggest that if you need LAV Filters, External Players, or MadVR, you'll want to use the classic windows desktop app. For everyone else, the Windows Store and the web app are great choices.

Get it Now !

Download for Windows 10 & Xbox One on the Microsoft Store: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/emby-theater/9nblggh4t70l
Download for classic Windows Desktop: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Try the online web app: http://tv.emby.media and http://tv.emby.media - supports the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

Emby Server 3.0.7100 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 17:11:00 +0000

This is a small maintenance release designed to address a few issues and add a few enhancements. Here are the highlights.

New Recording Settings

The recording converison feature has new settings that allow you to customize the output format, with options for MP4 and MKV.

New Transcoding Settings

New quality settings are available, for those who want to customimze their encoding command lines.

Bug Fixes
Fix VA API transcoding with sync jobs
Fix required field on live tv setup page

Other Changes
Move channel view setting from user to global
Add setting to exclude external content from suggestions
Fix web app title reset
Update server discovery for Windows UWP app
Update recording layouts
Update guide display settings
Enable sync for podcasts channel
Increase default image extraction timeouts

Emby Server 3.0.7300 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 05:26:00 +0000

A small maintenance release has been pushed to the stable channel. Here are the highlights.
Fix video now playing bar info panel
Fix scheduled tasks not honoring time limits
Fix audio transcoding bitrate too high in certain situations
Fix transcoding throttling from being activated when it shouldn't be
Fix block by tags input screen
Fix update level migration
Update chromecast connection interface
Update episode nfo saver
Add additional subtitle codec normalization
Add eadir ignore for Synology
Exclude backdrops from photo libraries

Emby Server 3.0.8100 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 20:39:00 +0000

New Single Click Recordings

Want to record something? Just toggle it. It's as easy as a single click. No more filling out a form to configure the recording.

Of course you can still configure it. Just click the Settings button after scheduling.

Time-shift your Live TV !

You can now pause, rewind, and fast-forward your Live TV. This feature is now available in the Emby Web app using Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. We've begun our support for this feature in the web app, but look for it in other apps soon.

Live TV Stream Sharing

If multiple devices play the same channel, Emby can now share a single stream between all of them, keeping your tuners as free as possible. This also allows for more flexible recording padding without creating a conflict.

Play In-Progress Recordings

Not only can you play your in-progress recordings, but you can seek as well. No more having to wait for the recording to finish.

New and Improved Recording Designs

The screens are now much more graphical and colorful.

New Series Recording Management

Managing series recordings is a snap, and is now a much more graphical process. We think you'll enjoy it.

New Guide Features

The guide now requires less clicks thanks to the new popup that allows you to quickly play, schedule a recording, or just read the overview.

Upcoming on TV for Actors

Now when you click on an actor and view their detail screen, you'll now be able to see what upcoming shows they'll be appearing in.

Have Some Color with Your Posters

On some devices, you'll notice more color attached to your posters. This really helps bring the app to life and makes it feel more your own, as the colors are based on your artwork.

No More Path Substitution

When you add media folders, you now have the ability to specify the corresponding network path. This is now our replacement for path substitution. Specifying the network path can allow Emby apps on other devices to access your media files directly, which can sometimes lead to a better playback experience.

Other Improvements
Rework upnp discovery
Update German ratings for parental control
Improve handling against guide changing for a scheduled recording
Don't add year to series recording folder paths
Exclude unrated trailers when parental control setting is applied
Update sqlite for windows
Normalize german movie db ratings from de- to fsk-
Normalize subtitle codec names
Improve prioritization of metadata results by language
Ignore #recycle folder for synology
Allow adding channel items to collections and playlists
Support more raw image formats

Bug Fixes
Add library monitor error handling
Fix recorded episodes being detected as movies
Exclude unrated trailers when parental control setting is applied
Fix xml tv movie/series detection
Fix layout of block by tags
Fix repeated refreshing from realtime monitor

Android TV/Fire TV App - Now better than ever

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 20:58:57 +0000

A new update to the Android TV and Fire TV apps is rolling out to both stores now with major improvements in a number of areas.

New Look

First, many areas of the app have a new, stunning design that makes identifying and reading information even faster and easier.

Live TV and DVR Support

This release also includes numerous enhancements to both Live TV and recording management (DVR functions).

Among the enhancements are:
A new, easier to read guide layout
More configuration options available right from the guide screen
Quicker and easier recording setup
Access to and management of the complete recording schedule
Access to and management of all Series Recordings
Access to the entire range of guide data available (no longer limited to just several hours from now)
Quick channel selector during live TV playback
Faster and more seamless live TV channel switching

External Player Support

The app's built-in player support is still quite good - supporting playback of most formats and full bit streaming of Dolby Digital and DTS tracks without the need for transcoding but, if you have a favorite Android player or the need for support for lossless HD audio formats, the app now supports launching media with an external player (requires a player be installed and configured on the device).

If using MX Player, we even support resume tracking in the Emby system. Other external players may manage their own resume points but Emby will have no knowledge of these.

And More...

In addition to the major points above, many areas of the app have been streamlined or improved and some straggling bugs have been squashed. Update the app on your device or get it directly from the Amazon or Google Play Store now!

Emby Server 3.0.8400 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 20:03:00 +0000

A small maintenance release has gone out with a few bug fixes. Here are the highlights:
Don't use library monitor for internal server folders
Update music dlna views
Add additional error handling to internet metadata providers
Update subtitle downloader
Remove audio channel count from transcoding conditions in the web app
Fix saving person place of birth in metadata editor
Resolve playback failure in Chrome after pausing for several minutes
Add fixes for dvb format subtitles
Catch unhandled exception in file refresher
Update live tv labels
Fix upnp blast messages not sending after the first send
Fix channel logos with server wmc
Add user agent to m3u downloads
Limit number of people in upnp responses (fix timeouts on certain devices)
Don't use vaapi with mpeg4, level -99
Fix recording indicators on secondary screens
Fix live tv audio in MS Edge
Validate port range on hosting config screen
Fix dialog layouts in Internet Explorer
Fix not being able to delete recordings under certain conditions
Update recording default settings
Fix watched videos getting marked unwatched when replaying

Emby Server 3.0.8500 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 04:59:00 +0000

A small maintenance release has gone out with a few bug fixes. Here are the highlights:
Resolve loss of audio in certain playback scenarios in the web app
Resolve subtitle encoding issues in certain playback scenarios

Introducing Emby for Sony PlayStation 4 PS4

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 20:26:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce Emby for Sony PlayStation 4 (PS4) !

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media . Then bookmark it to your home screen to launch it as an app !

Supports PS4 Game Pad Input

Easily control the app thanks to native support for your PS4 game pad.

Enjoy the Full Emby Experience

The app supports many popular Emby features, including Movies, TV, Music, Live TV, Photos, and more on the way.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the old Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media . Then bookmark it to your home screen to launch it as an app !

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.16 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 20:45:00 +0000

1.0.16 is available and includes a few fixes:
Resolve video OSD display issue
Improve support for external subtitles

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Emby for Android TV 1.3 - now with HD audio support and increased stability

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 23:21:51 +0000

Emby for Andriod TV/Fire TV 1.3

We are very excited to announce a new and improved version of one of our flagship TV apps. This version brings increased stability and the addition of support for HD (lossless) audio pass thru on supported devices.

Lossless HD Audio

This version brings the ability to bitstream DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD audio to the Android TV platform (supported device and audio equipment required) making it a true alternative to a cumbersome HTPC setup even in your dedicated media rooms.

Increased Stability

We went on a pretty serious bug hunt in our own code with this version but also upgraded many of the framework and 3rd-party components we use which brings even better stability and speed for both browsing and playback. We think you'll be very pleased with the app's performance.

Other Improvements

In addition to the above, the new version includes the following other improvements:
Chapters and media info now displayed for plain videos
User-controlled playback problem handling
Fix OSD showing with some TVs when volume buttons pressed
Improve refresh rate switching
Improve transcoding need determination for more direct streaming
Simplify user settings
Fix not being able to play audio podcasts
Add option to not show the "Up Next" preview at the end of episode playback
Add 100Mb max bitrate setting
Fix the sort order by date in grid views
Remember the last zoom setting for videos and re select it on subsequent playback

* Note: The Nvida Shield is the only current hardware known to support lossless HD audio pass thru. Hopefully, more devices will in the future.

Emby Server 3.1: Faster and Lighter than Ever Before

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 20:26:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. This new release has a lot of important bug fixes, as well as new features. It's also much faster than ever before and we think you're going to enjoy that. Let's go over the highlights.

New Levels of Performance

This release of Emby Server is faster than you've ever seen it. All areas will be improved including the following:
Faster browsing performance in all apps
Faster library scans
Faster scheduled tasks
For those running the Kodi sync plugin, the sync process will be faster as well
Faster playback start time
IPv6 now Supported on All Operating Systems

On Linux, this will require the mono 4.6 run time, which our Linux packages now ship with. This also requires that IPv6 be supported by the host operating system (Unraid for example does not support IPv6).

Subtitle Encoding Improvements

Several issues have been resolved related to subtitle encoding and display of special characters.

Separate Latest Media By Library

On the web app home screen, you'll now see separate rows of latest media for each library. On touch devices these rows can be swiped horizontally. This puts more content right at your fingertips.

Refreshed Detail Screen

It's now more consistent with our other apps, and makes better use of screen real estate.

More Live TV Seeking Support

Seeking Live TV is now supported in the web app in mobile Edge and Safari for Mac. This now brings the roster of supported browsers to:
Chrome
Firefox
Opera
Edge on all Windows 10 devices
All other Chromium based browsers (like Vivaldi).
Safari on Mac
Better Recording Schedule Images

The recording schedule screens will now make better use of images, making your DVR more fun than ever before.

New Recording Options

You now have the option to preserve original video when recording.

Recording Post-Processing

You now have the ability to run a post-processing application after completing a recording.

Redesigned Series Recording Management

The same great features, but now they look better than ever before.

Xml TV Movie Prefix Support

If your xml tv data applies prefixes to your movies, you can now specify this on the xml tv setup screen. This will allow Emby to better handle the prefix in relation to displaying the content and searching for internet metadata.

Other Improvements
New web app design for movies and tv by genre
Update tv guide presentation
Automatically adjust scheduled recordings to program changes
Reduce resource consumption used by device discovery
Remove audio channel count from web app transcoding conditions
Improve image & subtitle extraction
Update to 3.15.2
Update dlna music views
Improve m3u channel name parsing
Add guide auto-refresh
Display series images on episode detail screen when episodes have no images
Improve consistency of web app detail screen with Emby Theater
Improve automatic network switching from mobile web app
Move book support into Emby core
Support resuming audio books
Add per-library series pooling setting
Shorten episode display numbers
Improve Dlna Play To device detection
Bug Fixes
Resolve vaapi mpeg4 transcoding failure
Remove condition preventing video stream copy with Apple TV
Resolve display issue on dlna profile screen
Resolve music brainz provider issue causing the library scan to get stuck in certain situations

Emby Server 3.1.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 20:38:00 +0000

A small maintenance update was pushed to resolve a few issues with the previous release:
Resolve IPv6 issue on BSD systems
Resolve holiday theme disrupting video playback
Resolve duplicate latest Live TV recordings section

To learn more about the previous release, we encourage you to read Emby Server 3.1: Faster and Lighter Than Ever Before.

Emby for iOS 1.3.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 19:44:00 +0000

Here are the highlights:
Add delete button to detail screens
Add episode list to episode detail screen
Display series image on episode detail screen when no episode is present
Auto-refresh live tv guide when left open for long periods of time
Improve playback start time
Fix search icon alignment
Update guide date selection
Support resuming audio books
Simplify episode number display
Resolve duplicated Latest Recordings on the home screen

Emby Server 3.1.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 21:28:57 +0000

A small maintenance update was pushed to resolve a few issues with the previous release:
Support samsung dlna bookmarks
Direct play dts with LG dlna
Update sync dialogs
Fix playlist items not draggable in Firefox/Edge
Resolve error when probing bluray folder rips
Resolve cloud sync error
Improve Emby Connect error message
Fix audio channel count handling
Resolve OpenSubtitle failures
Supply user agent when recording from remote urls
Increase likelihood of video stream copy

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.18 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 22:34:00 +0000

1.0.18 is available and includes the following updates:
Fix next episode auto-play crashing the player
Use native tizen fast-forward and rewind functions
Update to latest Emby Theater interface

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Enjoy FLAC with Emby and Chrome 56 or Firefox 51

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 19:59:00 +0000

If you're a fan of FLAC audio, and you use Chrome or Firefox, be on the lookout for Chrome 56 and Firefox 51. Now you can enjoy direct play of FLAC right in your browser without any transcoding! This is a huge development for audiophiles.

And best of all, it's already supported in the Emby web app and Emby Theater web app. You do not need to wait for any server or app update.

Try it now!

Check out the Emby Theater web app at http://tv.emby.media

Emby Theater for Windows Desktop 2.5.34 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 21:40:00 +0000

Emby Theater for Windows Desktop has been updated. The following issues have been addressed:
Resolved a scaling issue with low resolution videos

Download for Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

To run this app on Windows, we've utilized Chromium, Electron, and NodeJS. Then we replaced the web audio and video player with a player built specifically for Windows (mentioned above). With HTML and JavaScript as the basis, the possibilities are going to be endless.

To release the app on other platforms such as Linux, Mac or Android, we would follow the same process and provide you with the best audio and video players that the platforms have to offer.

Pretty soon we'll have additional announcements on how you can build skins with HTML, and we can't wait to unveil that.

Designed for 10ft, but Works Great With a Mouse and Touch Input

We've put a lot of effort into all three input mechanisms. We want this app to work well however you'd like to use it. We think the best way is a remote, but if you'd like to scroll with the mouse or swipe with your finger, that works great too.

Note: Although the app supports touch input, it does not currently have any mobile designs, therefore it is not ideal for small screens.

Sharper and Crisper Than Ever Before

The first thing you'll notice when playing with the new app is just how much crisper it is. How has this been achieved? Unlike the previous version of the app (and Emby for WMC), the new Emby Theater renders at resolution without any form of UI scaling. This will create more work for the theme developer to design for different resolutions (720p, 1080p, 4k, etc), but the results are worth it.

We love the old Emby Theater, but this is going to make it look like an old tube TV.

Silky Smooth Animation

The next thing you'll notice is just how fluidly the interface navigates. Dramatic performance improvements have been made over the previous app. Almost everything on-screen is animated and it really helps make the app more pleasant to use.

Emby Theater Going Multi-Platform

We want to bring this app to as many platforms as we can, including Smart TV's, Android, and others. With HTML as the basis we have a foundation that will allow this app to run on just about anything.

6-Button Control

There will be no more fumbling around trying to figure out what button does what. The new app will be easy for anyone to pick up and use without any learning curve. All functions are being designed around 6 buttons - up, down, left, right, ok, and back. Your family members and guests will have no trouble controlling the new Emby Theater.

If You Can Do HTML and CSS, You can Build Themes for Emby Theater

Many of you have probably worked with HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Building themes and plugins is as simple as forking existing samples on Github and creating your own versions. We're excited to see what you come up with. We'll have more info on this coming soon.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Emby for Windows Store and Xbox One Updated - Now Seeking Live TV

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 21:16:00 +0000

Emby for Windows Store and Xbox One has been updated with a very important feature. You can now seek through Live TV!

Pause, Rewind and Fast-Forward Your Live TV

This is perfect for sporting events or anytime you need to pause and rewind to review something you missed. it's a great way to replay your favorite scenes over and over !

Download for Windows 10 & Xbox One on the Microsoft Store: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/emby-theater/9nblggh4t70l
Try the online web app: http://tv.emby.media and http://tv.emby.media - supports the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

To run this app on Windows, we've utilized Chromium, Electron, and NodeJS. Then we replaced the web audio and video player with a player built specifically for Windows (mentioned above). With HTML and JavaScript as the basis, the possibilities are going to be endless.

To release the app on other platforms such as Linux, Mac or Android, we would follow the same process and provide you with the best audio and video players that the platforms have to offer.

Pretty soon we'll have additional announcements on how you can build skins with HTML, and we can't wait to unveil that.

Designed for 10ft, but Works Great With a Mouse and Touch Input

We've put a lot of effort into all three input mechanisms. We want this app to work well however you'd like to use it. We think the best way is a remote, but if you'd like to scroll with the mouse or swipe with your finger, that works great too.

Note: Although the app supports touch input, it does not currently have any mobile designs, therefore it is not ideal for small screens.

Sharper and Crisper Than Ever Before

The first thing you'll notice when playing with the new app is just how much crisper it is. How has this been achieved? Unlike the previous version of the app (and Emby for WMC), the new Emby Theater renders at resolution without any form of UI scaling. This will create more work for the theme developer to design for different resolutions (720p, 1080p, 4k, etc), but the results are worth it.

We love the old Emby Theater, but this is going to make it look like an old tube TV.

Silky Smooth Animation

The next thing you'll notice is just how fluidly the interface navigates. Dramatic performance improvements have been made over the previous app. Almost everything on-screen is animated and it really helps make the app more pleasant to use.

6-Button Control

There will be no more fumbling around trying to figure out what button does what. The new app will be easy for anyone to pick up and use without any learning curve. All functions are being designed around 6 buttons - up, down, left, right, ok, and back. Your family members and guests will have no trouble controlling the new Emby Theater.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

So Which Version Should I Use?

It really depends. For most users, we suggest that if you need LAV Filters, External Players, or MadVR, you'll want to use the classic windows desktop app. For everyone else, the Windows Store and the web app are great choices.

Get it Now !

Download for Windows 10 & Xbox One on the Microsoft Store: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/emby-theater/9nblggh4t70l
Try the online web app: http://tv.emby.media and http://tv.emby.media - supports the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

Emby for Sony PS4 PlayStation 4 Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 21:16:00 +0000

A small update has been released for Emby on Sony PS4. This update resolves the following issues:
Subtitles not displaying for certain types of videos
In addition, the app has been updated to the latest Emby Theater interface changes.

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Supports PS4 Game Pad Input

Easily control the app thanks to native support for your PS4 game pad.

Enjoy the Full Emby Experience

The app supports many popular Emby features, including Movies, TV, Music, Live TV, Photos, and more on the way.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the old Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Emby for Apple TV 1.0.15 released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:20:54 +0000

We're happy to announce a new version of Emby for Apple TV with several improvements.

Improved "Up Next" display

We've improved this panel that comes up before the next episode plays to be interactive. Allowing you to cancel or immediately advance to the next item.

Background Audio Support

Audio started in Emby will now continue to play when you leave the app. For those that want to use your favorite Apple TV Screensaver app while using Emby as your music source you now can.

Improved Multi-Disc Album Display

Tracks on multi-disc albums will now be properly separated by disc in the display.

Improved Dashboard Device Display

Your proper Apple TV device name will now display in the Emby Server dashboard active devices list.

We hope you enjoy these improvements. You can find Emby in the App Store on your Apple TV 4 device.

Emby Theater for Windows Desktop 2.5.36 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 08:29:00 +0000

Emby Theater for Windows Desktop has been updated. The following issues have been addressed:
Fixed an issue where the window would sometimes be incorrectly placed behind the task bar when maximized.

Download for Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

To run this app on Windows, we've utilized Chromium, Electron, and NodeJS. Then we replaced the web audio and video player with a player built specifically for Windows (mentioned above). With HTML and JavaScript as the basis, the possibilities are going to be endless.

To release the app on other platforms such as Linux, Mac or Android, we would follow the same process and provide you with the best audio and video players that the platforms have to offer.

Pretty soon we'll have additional announcements on how you can build skins with HTML, and we can't wait to unveil that.

Designed for 10ft, but Works Great With a Mouse and Touch Input

We've put a lot of effort into all three input mechanisms. We want this app to work well however you'd like to use it. We think the best way is a remote, but if you'd like to scroll with the mouse or swipe with your finger, that works great too.

Note: Although the app supports touch input, it does not currently have any mobile designs, therefore it is not ideal for small screens.

Sharper and Crisper Than Ever Before

The first thing you'll notice when playing with the new app is just how much crisper it is. How has this been achieved? Unlike the previous version of the app (and Emby for WMC), the new Emby Theater renders at resolution without any form of UI scaling. This will create more work for the theme developer to design for different resolutions (720p, 1080p, 4k, etc), but the results are worth it.

We love the old Emby Theater, but this is going to make it look like an old tube TV.

Silky Smooth Animation

The next thing you'll notice is just how fluidly the interface navigates. Dramatic performance improvements have been made over the previous app. Almost everything on-screen is animated and it really helps make the app more pleasant to use.

Emby Theater Going Multi-Platform

We want to bring this app to as many platforms as we can, including Smart TV's, Android, and others. With HTML as the basis we have a foundation that will allow this app to run on just about anything.

6-Button Control

There will be no more fumbling around trying to figure out what button does what. The new app will be easy for anyone to pick up and use without any learning curve. All functions are being designed around 6 buttons - up, down, left, right, ok, and back. Your family members and guests will have no trouble controlling the new Emby Theater.

If You Can Do HTML and CSS, You can Build Themes for Emby Theater

Many of you have probably worked with HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Building themes and plugins is as simple as forking existing samples on Github and creating your own versions. We're excited to see what you come up with. We'll have more info on this coming soon.

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV, browse the guide, and manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Emby for Windows Store and Xbox One 1.0.53 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 19:36:00 +0000

A new release for Emby for Windows Store and Xbox One is rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Mobile Video OSD Improved

The small screen experience has been improved and we think this screen says it all.

Others
Support changing video quality during playback
Resolve fast-forward button not working with certain kinds of videos

Learn more about Emby for Windows Store and Xbox One.

Emby for iOS 1.3.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 07:13:00 +0000

A new update is currently rolling out. This release is primarily focused on a single area, but it's a very important one. Here are the highlights.

A Beautiful, New Video OSD

It's pretty and animates fluidly. It has all the features from the previous design, along with the following improvements:
Dedicated fast-forward and rewind buttons (Ipad only)
Thumbnail previews on the seek bar
Additional metadata embedded into the display

Improved Youtube Trailer Playback

Your youtube trailers no longer need to pop open the Youtube app. Now they will play directly in the Emby app using the same Video OSD as you see above. The experience is so seamless you'll forget it's coming from Youtube.

Others
Display episode titles in Live TV Guide
Increase audio/video position slider precision

Try the new Emby for Roku Preview

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 14:38:28 +0000

Emby for Roku beta preview available now

Be one of the first to see the new face of Emby on your compatible Roku device.* Install the new private beta preview channel and get a glimpse of a gorgeous, fresh interface for Emby for Roku. More information and install instructions.

Smart Home Screen

Find your most recent content quickly and easily with a design that more closely matches the web app and other TV platform interfaces.

Easy Library Views

When you need to drill down into your libraries, find the content you are looking for on a smart landing page or a full grid view.

See all the Details

Dance the Night Away

The new Emby for Roku is designed for your music collection. Queue items, shuffle play, instant mix, move freely among the queue and (coming soon) save the current queue as a playlist.

Try the new beta preview now. Install the channel from the Roku download page and follow the development in the forum.

* - Access to the Roku store and firmware v7.5 required

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.20 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:39:00 +0000

1.0.20 is available and includes the following updates:
Improve direct play support for high bitrate content, including 4K video
Update to latest Emby Theater interface

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Emby Server 3.1.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 05:03:30 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is available. Here are the highlights.

Performance Improvements
Update Sqlite to 3.16.2, which reduces cpu cycles by 9% on average
Bug Fixes
Fix extra semi-colon being added to nfo micodec field
Fix episode title in recent activity
Fix live TV folders being re-created repeatedly
Fix manifest.json start url
Fix virtual season creation
Fix folders affecting music album detection
Fix recording time filter causing recordings to be skipped
Fix auto-organize issue when creating new series
Fix local trailers not being used in cinema mode
Others
Fade out when stopping audio playback
Support video backdrops
Improve youtube player
Increase position slider precision
Show episode title in live tv guide
Support .tp video container
Display artist in song list for compilation albums
Update video OSD
Update offline detection
Add + button to song lists
Update m3u parser
Add samsung dlna playback fixes
Rework now playing screen
Support remove from now playing queue
Support re-order from now playing queue
Add Sharp Dlna profile
Update play menus
Improve direct play for internet channel plugins
Update program display titles
Improve DLNA direct play
Support per-library metadata language settings
Add save to playlist button on now playing screen
Reduce dlna play to traffic

Emby for iOS 1.3.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 19:31:00 +0000

Download app: https://emby.media/emby-for-ios.html

A new update is currently rolling out. This release is primarily focused on a single area, but it's a very important one. Here are the highlights.

A New Now Playing Screen

We've given this a fresh design and we think you'll be pleased with the results. Now you can easily re-order your now playing queue, remove items, and even save the queue to a playlist.

Download app: https://emby.media/emby-for-ios.html

Emby Server 3.2.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:25:00 +0000

A new release is rolling out and addresses a few issues. Here are the highlights:
Improve search performance
Add html audio/video autoplay support detection
Add Auto quality to video player OSD
Update xml tv show id's
Update m3u channel numbers
Improve video startup performance
Update ordering of search results
Assume season 1 for episodes in certain situations
Add ios safari fullscreen video button
Add realtime monitor error handling

Emby Server 3.2.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:25:00 +0000

A new release is rolling out and addresses a few issues. Here are the highlights:
Improve search performance
Add html audio/video autoplay support detection
Add Auto quality to video player OSD
Update xml tv show id's
Update m3u channel numbers
Improve video startup performance
Update ordering of search results
Assume season 1 for episodes in certain situations
Add ios safari fullscreen video button
Add realtime monitor error handling

Enjoy Chrome Lock Screen Control with the Emby Web App

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 20:35:00 +0000

If you use Chrome on Android and have Chrome 57 (currently beta) installed, you'll be in for a treat the next time you play media with the Emby web app. We've added support for lock screen controls, which allow you to control playback from the device lock screen.

Try It Now

This is immediately available to enjoy with the online web app at http://app.emby.media

It is also in the Emby Server beta channel and will be included in the next stable release.

Emby for PS4 Updated with New Live TV Screens

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 19:38:00 +0000

Emby for PS4 has been updated with new Live TV features. Here are the highlights.

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Better Live TV Suggestions

Easily find what's on and discover new shows you might like.

Improved Recordings Display

The app makes it easier than ever before to enjoy your latest recordings.

Manage Your DVR

View your series schedules, schedule and cancel recordings, and more.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Emby Server 3.2.5 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 19:22:00 +0000

A new release is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Lock Screen Control with Chrome for Android

Check out the previous announcement: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-354-enjoy-chrome-lock-screen-control-with-the-emby-web-app/

New Volume Swipe Control

Just swipe vertically during video playback and you can quickly and easily adjust volume.

Bug Fixes
Update xmltv xml parsing to handle empty credits node
Add fixes for running the server under Turkish locale settings
Fix tv series alphabet picker
Fix direct stream of flv
Fix chromecast mirror feature
Fix live tv channel sorting with favorite option
Fix empty guide rows when mapping multiple tuner channels to the same epg channel
Other Improvements
Improve series recording images
Update to sqlite 3.17.0
Clean related files when deleting items
Add automatic direct play to transcoding switching on video failures
Preserve manual recording overrides
Respect locked fields during media probe
Add setting to prefer embedded titles vs titles in file names
Add volume swipe control to video player

Emby for Windows Store Updated with Offline Support

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 21:58:00 +0000

Emby for Windows Store and Xbox One has been updated with Offline Support and new Live TV and DVR features.

Installation

Download from the Microsoft Store

How it Works

Just click "Make Available Offline"

Better Live TV Suggestions

Easily find what's on and discover new shows you might like.

Improved Recordings Display

The app makes it easier than ever before to enjoy your latest recordings.

Manage Your DVR

View your series schedules, schedule and cancel recordings, and more.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Download from the Microsoft Store

Emby Server Now Supports Older HD Homerun Tuners

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 21:21:00 +0000

Emby Server 3.2.7 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Support for Older HD Homerun Tuners

Emby Live TV now supports older HD Homerun Network Tuners. This includes HDHR-US, HDHR3-US, and many others.

Important: Your HD Homerun will need to be running firmware version 20161117 or newer.

Bug Fixes
Fix Live TV channel sorting by number
Other Changes
Improve ffmpeg command lines with hardware acceleration

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.21 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 20:59:00 +0000

1.0.20 is available and includes the following updates:
Improve direct play support for high bitrate content, including 4K video
Update to latest Emby Theater interface

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Tizen Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Seek Your Live TV in the Emby for Android TV Beta

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 20:19:00 +0000

The beta version of Emby for Android TV has been updated with a plethora of new Live TV and video playback features. This is still a beta and is not yet production quality, but if you'd like try out the new features and help us refine them, then read on below.

Highlights
Seek Live TV
Start recording during Live TV playback
Switch quality on the fly
Switch frame rates on the fly
Zoom (only with internal player) - this just moves this option from its own icon to this menu
Audio Delay (only with VLC) - again just moved here
Playback Correction - this is the old "magic button" or error button just moved here

Installation

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/24350-android-open-beta-testing/

Emby Now Available for Additional Samsung Smart TVs

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 19:59:00 +0000

All 2015 Samsung Smart TV's Now Supported

Users in the USA with a 2015-2016 Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store. If you're outside the USA, stay tuned for further announcements, and see here for a temporary workaround:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/45404-how-to-install-the-official-emby-app-on-a-samsung-smart-tv-outside-the-us/

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a 2015-2016 Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store. If you're outside the USA, stay tuned for further announcements, and see here for a temporary workaround:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/45404-how-to-install-the-official-emby-app-on-a-samsung-smart-tv-outside-the-us/

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.22 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 21:56:00 +0000

1.0.22 is available and includes the following updates:
Improve direct play of high bitrate & 4K content
New vertical layouts
Full support for Live TV Guide
New Live TV features - view series recordings, better suggestions, improved recording layouts, and more

Installation

Users in the USA with a 2015-2016 Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store. If you're outside the USA, stay tuned for further announcements, and see here for a temporary workaround:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/45404-how-to-install-the-official-emby-app-on-a-samsung-smart-tv-outside-the-us/

Better Live TV Suggestions

Easily find what's on and discover new shows you might like.

Improved Recordings Display

The app makes it easier than ever before to enjoy your latest recordings.

Manage Your DVR

View your series schedules, schedule and cancel recordings, and more.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Emby for PS4 Updated with New Live TV Features

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 19:58:00 +0000

Emby for PS4 has been updated with new Live TV features. Here are the highlights.

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Start Recording During Live TV Playback
It's easy ! Just click the recording button directly inside the video player.

More Vertical Layouts
As you're aware the app has been trending more towards vertical designs. You're now able to see more on screen, with more spacing and easier to read labels.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.23 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 19:24:27 +0000

1.0.23 is now available in the Samsung App Store and includes the following updates:

Start Recording During Live TV Playback
It's easy ! Just click the recording button directly inside the video player.

More Vertical Layouts
As you're aware the app has been trending more towards vertical designs. You're now able to see more on screen, with more spacing and easier to read labels.

Installation

Users in the USA with a 2015-2016 Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store. If you're outside the USA, stay tuned for further announcements, and see here for a temporary workaround:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/45404-how-to-install-the-official-emby-app-on-a-samsung-smart-tv-outside-the-us/

Better Live TV Suggestions

Easily find what's on and discover new shows you might like.

Improved Recordings Display

The app makes it easier than ever before to enjoy your latest recordings.

Manage Your DVR

View your series schedules, schedule and cancel recordings, and more.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Seek within Live TV with the new Android TV and Fire TV app

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 15:52:57 +0000

Now with live TV and in-progress recording seeking

Rolling out to the store right now, a new version of Emby for both Android TV and Live TV adds live TV and in-progress recording seeking as well as a number of other improvements and new features.

Live TV Seeking

Now you can seek within live TV and in-progress recording streams (within the time you started playback and up to real time) filling out the DVR features of Emby on the Android TV and Fire TV platforms. Pause, rewind and skip ahead to your heart's content with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

Live TV Guide Design Refresh

This new version refreshes the look of the Live TV guide to make it more modern and fit the more "material" design of the device. All the same great functionality is still there - just in a new and easier to read package.

Other Enhancements and Fixes

In addition to the above, this new version of the apps include the following other enhancements and fixes:
More in-playback controls - change quality, refresh rate (on supported hardware) and other settings during playback
More stream copy and less transcoding
Convert DTS to DD on systems that don't support DTS
Record or cancel a program from the playback OSD
General bug fixes and stability improvements

Update or install the app now via the Google Play or Amazon stores!

Install the Windows Store mpeg2 extension

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 19:51:00 +0000

For those using Emby for Windows Store, we recommend installing the Microsoft mpeg2 extension:

https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9n95q1zzpmh4

This will allow the app to decode mpeg2 in-app without having to rely on server transcoding. Once this is installed, the Emby Windows Store app will automatically take advantage of it.

Learn more about Emby for Windows Store.

Emby for Chromecast Updated with Improved Playback

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 04:09:00 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app with new features for Chromecast Ultra, which now features improved playback for the following scenarios:
HEVC video
4K video
High bitrate video

How to Get The Update
To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and restart the casting app.

Check out our Chromecast Wiki
Learn more about the app on our wiki at: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Chromecast

Emby for iOS 1.3.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 19:39:00 +0000

Download app: https://emby.media/emby-for-ios.html

A new update is currently rolling out. This release is primarily focused on a single area, but it's a very important one. Here are the highlights.

New ! Design Your Home Screen
Just click the gear icon right on the home screen of the app.

Start Recording During Live TV Playback
It's easy! Just click the recording button directly inside the video player.

Improved Playback

The app now supports level 51 H264. In addition, it will be more aggressive in it's attempts to direct play and can automatically switch to transcoding when needed, all on the fly.

Download app: https://emby.media/emby-for-ios.html

A new update is currently rolling out. This release is primarily focused on a single area, but it's a very important one. Here are the highlights.

Emby Server 3.2.13 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 19:13:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

New! Design Your Home Screen
Just click the gear icon right on the home screen of the app.

Start Recording During Live TV Playback
It's easy! Just click the recording button directly inside the video player.

Improved Playback

The web app now supports level 51 H264 in all browsers. In addition, it will be more aggressive in it's attempts to direct play and can automatically switch to transcoding when needed, all on the fly.

Bug Fixes
Fix trancoding failures of dvr-ms container
Ignore 0-byte image files
Resolve change password failure

Other Improvements
Improve error handling of HDHomerun live stream failures
Improve performance of live tv suggestions
Improve performance of live tv channel list
Add fixes for HLS seeking
Update subtitle embedding
Direct play level 51 h264 in more browsers
Improve auto-organize error handling
Improve live tv start time in web app
Update remuxing support for dvb subtitles
Improve next up performance
Update h264 nvenc support
Update streaming api's for new Roku app
Support multiple country nodes in nfo
Improve tvdb lookup by imdb id
Rework live tv tuner setup and discovery
Autoloop m3u's
Update audio sync during transcoding
Increase dlna default profile max bitrate
Update video sync when transcoding live tv

Emby for Chromecast Updated with Improved HDMI-CEC Support

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 22:22:00 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app with new features for Chromecast Ultra, which now features improved HDMI-CEC support.

How to Get The Update
To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and restart the casting app.

Check out our Chromecast Wiki
Learn more about the app on our wiki at: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Chromecast

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.24 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 05 May 2017 17:48:00 +0000

1.0.24 is now available in the Samsung App Store and includes the following updates:
Various subtitle fixes
Resolve screensaver starting during playback
Improved DVR series management
Installation

Users in the USA with a 2015-2016 Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store. If you're outside the USA, stay tuned for further announcements, and see here for a temporary workaround:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/45404-how-to-install-the-official-emby-app-on-a-samsung-smart-tv-outside-the-us/

Emby Server 3.2.15 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 08 May 2017 20:06:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Live TV Guide Improvements

The guide now features improved horizontal scrolling. Anyone familiar with Windows Media Center will enjoy the new arrow indicators.

Simplified Header

When space allows, the header now fits on a single row, giving your more space for content and smaller menus to navigate.

Revamped Search

Search results are now broken down into categories.

Additionally, your TV, Movie, Music, and Live TV libraries will have their own dedicated search tabs allowing you to search within those libraries.

This is especially nice in the Live TV Guide, as the search results are broken down nicely by category.

Other Improvements
Fix more buttons in firefox
Improve remote control performance
Resolve entire libraries being added to playlists
Add IgnoreDts option
Update self signed cert
Update nfo parsing of people
Update smb support
Fix Moviedb find by external id

The New Face of Emby on Roku is LIVE

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 18 May 2017 12:47:16 +0000

The new beautiful Emby for Roku is available now

The new face of Emby is available in the store now on your compatible* Roku device. Install or update it now and get a gorgeous, fresh interface for Emby on Roku.

Smart Home Screen

Find your most recent content quickly and easily with a design that more closely matches the web app and other TV platform interfaces.

Easy Library Views

When you need to drill down into your libraries, find the content you are looking for on a smart landing page or a full grid view.

See all the Details

Dance the Night Away

The new Emby for Roku is designed for your music collection. Queue items, shuffle play, instant mix and move freely among the queue.

Live TV

Live TV is also enhanced with a full, graphical grid guide.

Install the new Emby for Roku now on your Roku device!

* - Access to the Roku store and firmware v7.5 required

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.25 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 25 May 2017 17:56:00 +0000

1.0.25 is now available in the Samsung App Store and includes the following updates:
Improve automatic bitrate detection within local networks
Improve navigation performance

Installation

Users in the USA with a 2015-2016 Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store. If you're outside the USA, stay tuned for further announcements, and see here for a temporary workaround:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/45404-how-to-install-the-official-emby-app-on-a-samsung-smart-tv-outside-the-us/

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Emby Server 3.2.19 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 17:15:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is rolling out. Here are the highlights.
Improve Live TV playback
Improve browsing performance in all apps
Speed up audio playback
Show icon for home videos in photo libraries
Include home videos in photo slideshows
Switch to Skia for image processing (Windows + Mac)
Reduce resource consumption of realtime monitor
Update parental control filters
Revert hwaccel auto
Improve photo metadata provider
Bug Fixes
Fix occasional issue with plugin uninstallations
Fix layout of individual collection screen
Fix logos being stretched

Emby for Chromecast Receives Major Update

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 19:09:00 +0000

We've updated our Chromecast app with new features and improvements. Here are the highlights.

Consistent Detail Screen

The detail screen now matches our other apps more closely, with added media information, taglines, and more.

Playback Improvements

Our automatic quality feature has improved. Additionally Chromecast will now enjoy more aggressive direct play with the ability to automatically switch to transcoding if there is a problem when direct playing.

Subtitle Improvements

The app can now handle more text-based subtitle formats without the need for server transcoding. Say goodbye to the pain on your server from subtitle burn in.

Music Improvements

You'll now enjoy a nice audio fade out when stopping music, like many of our other apps. Additionally music playback still start quicker than ever before.

Photo Improvements

Just tap a photo from the sending app and it will start a slideshow on Chromecast (Requires soon to be released Android and iOS updates).

Remote Control Improvements

Remote control i is now much more responsive. This requires the latest version of Emby Server, which is currently 3.2.19.

How to Get The Update
To receive the update, simply power cycle your Chromecast device and restart the casting app.

Check out our Chromecast Wiki
Learn more about the app on our wiki at: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Chromecast

Emby for Android TV New Interface

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 13:38:20 +0000

Version 1.4 of the Android TV app (available soon on Google Play and your Fire TV) now changes the library browsing interface to have "tabs" like the web app and Theater.

You now should be able to quickly get to the different views of each library and choose how that library is displayed when you first enter it. This new presentation should now be the same as most of the other apps - helping users that use apps on multiple platforms be instantly familiar with the interface.

For Movie and TV libraries, you can choose both whether this new view or a plain grid view is used and, if the new tab view is used, you can select your default tab when the library is opened each time.

We really hope you enjoy this updated and more consistent interface and that it helps you easily navigate to where you want to be quicker. As always, leave feedback in the appropriate forum. Thanks!

Emby Now Available for 2014 Samsung Smart TVs

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 17:55:00 +0000

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Emby Server 3.2.20 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 20:27:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Updated Live TV OSD

The time display has been remodeled, and fans of Windows Media Center should feel right at home.

Other Improvements
Improve live tv start time
Improve live tv images
Improve database performance
Enable cuvid decoder
Speed up audio playback
Reduce resource consumption of realtime monitor
Show icon for home videos in photo libraries
Include home videos in photo slideshows
Switch to Skia for image processing (Windows + Mac)
Update Bulgarian subtitle decoding
Bug Fixes
Fix layout of individual collection screen
Fix photo auto-orientation
Fix collections hanging up library scan
Fix dashboard showing wrong menu
Fix people editing not saving to nfo
Several de-interlacing fixes
Add Omdb fix for episode images
Legacy Xml Metadata Updates

Going forward, if you need support for Media Browser 2 legacy XML, please install the Xml Metadata plugin from the Emby plugin catalog. This includes xml metadata for movies and tv shows, as well as the metadata folder for episodes.
Improve database performance

Emby for iOS 1.3.8 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 19:27:00 +0000

Download app: https://emby.media/emby-for-ios.html

A new update is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Bug Fixes
Resolve issue of music stopping after first track
Fix layout of individual collection screen

Updated Live TV OSD

The time display has been remodeled, and fans of Windows Media Center should feel right at home.

Live TV Guide Improvements

The guide now features improved horizontal scrolling. Anyone familiar with Windows Media Center will enjoy the new arrow indicators.

Simplified Header

When space allows, the header now fits on a single row, giving your more space for content and smaller menus to navigate.

Revamped Search

Search results are now broken down into categories.

Additionally, your TV, Movie, Music, and Live TV libraries will have their own dedicated search tabs allowing you to search within those libraries.

This is especially nice in the Live TV Guide, as the search results are broken down nicely by category.

Download app: https://emby.media/emby-for-ios.html

Emby Theater for Windows Desktop 2.8.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 18:04:00 +0000

Emby Theater for Windows Desktop has been updated. Here are the highlights.

Stats for Nerds

Tinkerers will love this. Just enable it directly in the video player OSD, or toggle it with the keyboard shortcut, control+J.

New Audio Delay Settings

New settings have been added to allow you to control audio delay if needed for your setup.

MadVR Player Option

You gave us your feedback and we listened. MadVR has returned as an option for video files.

Other Changes
Fix window focus on restore from minimize

Download for Windows: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html

Emby Server 3.2.24 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 16:47:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Stats for Nerds

Now available in the web app video player. Look for it soon in other Emby apps.

Performance Improvements
Improve performance of library scan
Improve resource consumption of live tv guide refresh
Individual Library Scanning
Now you can easily scan individual libraries on demand.

Cuvid Improvements
Support for HEVC decoding has been added.

Improved Live TV Program Progress Bars
For programs that are actively recording, we've made the progress bar red to help them stand out a little more.

Easier Mobile Details
Less cluttered and more self-explanatory.

Emby Server for Mac Updates
The Cover Art plugin is now compatible with Emby Server for Mac. Enjoy your custom covers !
Bug Fixes
Fix some cases where not all episode naming conventions being honored
Fix genre links on artist screen
Fix transcoding for tp container
Fix deleted artist cleanup
Other Improvements
Add settings to enable or disable hardware encoding and decoding separately
Update episode nfo parsing
Add subtitle language detection
Add guide tooltips
Add setting for m3u auto looping
Add more transcoding info to server dashboard
Add logo to video OSD
Improve multi-language xmltv support
Add media control to server dashboard

Emby for PS4 Updated with New Features

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 19:49:00 +0000

Emby for PS4 has been updated with new features. Here are the highlights.

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Stats for Nerds

Tinkerers will love this. Just toggle it directly in the video player OSD.

Make Your Subtitles Your Own

New settings allow you to control the size and appearance of subtitles.

New Subtitle Burn Setting

As many of you know, we can render many subtitle formats directly in the app such as ASS/SSA. This avoids having to burn them in on the server, in exchange for a subtitle rendering that is close enough to the original, but possibly not exact.

However depending on how complex your subtitles are, sometimes you may just need to burn them in anyway, so this will allow you to handle that.

Improved Live TV Program Progress Bars
For programs that are actively recording, we've made the progress bar red to help them stand out a little more.

Emby for iOS 1.4.0 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 18:23:00 +0000

Download app: https://emby.media/emby-for-ios.html

A new update is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Redesigned Episode List

It's now much easier and much more functional. In most cases you probably will never feel the need to click into the episode detail screen.

Stats for Nerds

Tinkerers will love this. Just toggle it directly in the video player OSD.

Make Your Subtitles Your Own

New settings allow you to control the size and appearance of subtitles.

New Subtitle Burn Setting

As many of you know, we can render many subtitle formats directly in the app such as ASS/SSA. This avoids having to burn them in on the server, in exchange for a subtitle rendering that is close enough to the original, but possibly not exact.

However depending on how complex your subtitles are, sometimes you may just need to burn them in anyway, so this will allow you to handle that.

Improved Live TV Program Progress Bars
For programs that are actively recording, we've made the progress bar red to help them stand out a little more.

Other Improvements
Show media logo in video player OSD
Add media control to Emby Server dashboard
Add more transcoding info to server dashboard

Emby Server 3.2.26 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 19:02:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Updated Season Detail Screen

Enjoy a more powerful episodes list. You probably will no longer feel the need to drill down to the episode detail screen.

Make Your Subtitles Your Own

With new subtitle appearance settings. Look for these in other Emby apps soon.

New Subtitle Burn Setting

This new setting is for the web app. As many of you know, we can render some subtitle formats directly in the browser such as ASS/SSA. This avoids having to burn them in on the server, in exchange for a subtitle rendering that is close enough to the original, but possibly not exact.

However depending on how complex your subtitles are, sometimes you may just need to burn them in anyway, so this will allow you to handle that.

Visible Buffer Progress

There is now an indicator for buffering progress.

Active Recordings In Emby Server Dashboard

Enjoy another place to access in progress recordings.

New Up Next Info Overlay

Easily see what's coming up next in your video playlist.

Other Improvements
Update horizontal scrolling in desktop layouts
Update c++ runtime detection
Improve video OSD touch features
Improve Emby Connect error messages
Add nfo saving error handling
Merge clean database scheduled task into library scan
Add spanish ratings file
Bug Fixes
Fix movie.nfo being ignored

More Improvements for the New Roku App

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 16:40:20 +0000

Another update to our brand new Roku app is rolling out to the store right now. It features a cleaner look, improved playback, video playlist support and more!

New, Cleaner Tile Display

Wrap-around Scrolling for all Rows

You can now go left from the first item of all rows to quickly get to the end and, when at the end, the items will wrap back around to the front.

Easier Access to Other Library Views

Remote Messaging Support

Use the new server feature to send messages to users - even during playback!

Video Playlist Support and More...

In addition to the above, the app now supports video playlists (created with the web app) features improved playback and several minor bug fixes. Install or update it now on your compatible Roku device!

Emby Live TV for Apple TV Now in Beta

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 21:57:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce that Live TV is finally coming to Emby for Apple TV. If you enjoy testing and submitting bug reports, then you can learn how to participate in the beta here:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/49304-live-tv-beta/

Enjoy a few teaser screenshots.

Emby Now Available for 2013 Samsung Smart TVs

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 10 Aug 2017 18:28:29 +0000

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Show your Emby pride with these awesome new T-Shirts

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:25:07 +0000

Now available everywhere on Amazon - Emby T-Shirts

Show your Emby pride with one of our new t-shirts. There are two options currently available - one understated one with just a logo on the front and another with the front logo plus a huge Emby icon on the back.

Both options available in Men's, Women's and Youth styles and four spiffy colors. Get yours now and be the first on your block to strut your Emby stuff!

Front Only
Front and Back

Emby Server 3.2.28 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 21:37:00 +0000

A new release is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Bug Fixes
Fix m4a audio playback in Chrome
Don't crop whitespace from jpg images
Resolve null reference in library scan
Ensure custom css is loaded last
Fix automatic switch to transcoding when the web app fails to parse ass/ssa subtitles
Other Improvements
Add user max bitrate per stream setting
Support hardware acceleration with image extraction
Update hardware decoding support for live tv recording conversion process
Expand on hardware decoding settings
Automatic fallback from GPU transcoding to CPU
Support double tap shortcut to fast forward or rewind video playback
Update offline downloading error handling
Improve next performance
Move auto-organize to plugin
Remove idle dlna devices from server dashboard

Emby for iOS 1.4.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 18:33:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for iOS is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

New Themes Feature

Have you ever wanted to lighten up the iOS app? Now is your chance with the new themes feature found in user display settings. You can configure your theme of choice for the iOS app.

There are several themes to pick from, ranging from light to dark with various accent colors.

Beautiful Apple TV and Windows Media Center Inspired Themes

How cool are these?

Bug Fixes
Fix automatic switch to transcoding when the web app fails to parse ass/ssa subtitles

Emby for PS4 Updated with New Themes Feature

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 22:39:00 +0000

Emby for PS4 has been updated with new features. Here are the highlights.

Installation
Simply open your PS4 Web Browser and visit tv.emby.media. Then bookmark with the browser for faster launching !

Beautiful Apple TV and Windows Media Center Inspired Themes

Have you ever wanted to lighten up the app? Now is your chance with the new themes feature found in user display settings. You can configure your theme of choice. Choose from the many available beautiful selections.

Emby Now Available for 2017 Samsung Smart TVs

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 21:37:00 +0000

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Emby Theater for Windows Updated with New Themes Feature

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 20:18:00 +0000

Emby Theater for Windows has been updated with new features. Here are the highlights.

Installation
Windows Desktop: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html
Windows Store: https://emby.media/emby-theater-xboxone.html

Beautiful Apple TV and Windows Media Center Inspired Themes

Have you ever wanted to lighten up the app? Now is your chance with the new themes feature found in user display settings. You can configure your theme of choice. Choose from the many available beautiful selections.

Make Your Subtitles Your Own

New settings allow you to control the size and appearance of subtitles.

Emby Server Now Available for NetGear ReadyNAS

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 21:48:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce availability of Emby Server for NetGear ReadyNAS. To learn how to install it, head over to the download page of our website:

https://emby.media/download

Enjoy !

Emby Server New and Improved for Asustor NAS

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 21:02:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce availability of a new package for Emby Server for Asustor NAS. To learn how to install it, head over to the download page of our website:

https://emby.media/download

Rebuilt with Smaller, Faster Components

We've rebuilt the server around Microsoft .NET Core, which offers major performance improvements over the Mono runtime that was used in the previous package.

Additionally, everything is self-contained into a single download which means no more manual installation of dependencies.

Built and Managed by the Emby Team

We've built this ourselves, which means you can count on new versions always being immediately available on our website for download following every Emby Server release.

Emby Server 3.2.32 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 22:11:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Built for iOS 11

HEVC is now supported in iOS 11 Safari. A new release of the iOS app is also on the way to support this.

Reports Feature

This is now moved to a plugin to allow for independent updating as well as facilitating community contributions.

Important Information

After installing this release, almost every plugin will need to be updated. Your patience is appreciated while the plugin updates are being applied.

Bug Fixes
Fix ffmpeg not closing in web app when changing quality or audio track
Fix and improve image upload drag and drop
Fix 3-dot menu for guests not working
Fix artifacts during seeking with transcoding
Other Changes
Support netflix keyboard shortcuts during video playback
Improve performance of Live TV Guide scheduled task
Update plugin loading for .net core
Adjust omdb metadata requests
Improve image orientation performance
Support .tif image extension
Rework epg storage
Fix podcast audio playback in web app
Support .vtt external subtitles
Improve .cr2 image support
Begin to restore swagger support
Odroid XU4 Hardware encoder support
Fix support for .tbn image files
Allow plugins to inject menus into server dashboard
Support hardware decoding with OMX
Add more control over deinterlacing when transcoding
Improve report playback stop when user closes browser during playback
Allow movie extras to be added to collections and playlists
Support new format of set node in movie nfo

Emby iOS App Updated for iOS 11

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 20:33:00 +0000

Version 1.4.3 is currently rolling out with improvements for iOS 11. There are only a couple highlights, but we know you're going to like these.

Direct Play HEVC

Thanks to hevc support in iOS11, you can now direct play mp4 files with hevc video and aac or mp3 audio.

Direct Play FLAC Audio

iOS now direct plays FLAC audio. Audiophiles are sure to enjoy this.

Manage your Home with Emby Users

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 23:43:47 +0000

Team,

Today, we're going to show you how you can be the master of your domain with Emby Users. Why create separate user accounts for each member of your household? Because users can have their own personalized media libraries, user data, recommendations, parental controls, security settings, and more. Users are managed by opening the server dashboard and navigating to Users.

Users

Users are generally intended to be people who don't already have an online Emby Connect account. This is where most people will add the members of their household:

A user will be displayed with a cloud if they're linked to Emby Connect. Why link to Emby Connect? Connect allows easy sign in away from home, where nothing more is needed than a username and password.

Guests

Guests are fundamentally the same as Users, but they provide an easy way to invite someone who already has an Emby Connect account. This will easily import their display name and image into your server.

Feature Access

To manage user feature access, start by visiting the Users page and clicking on a user account. Features can easily be granted or denied, such as the ability to sync media, view live tv, manage live tv, etc. The "Allow media playback" option determines if the user is able to play media or not. This option is handy if you'd like to setup a guest user who can browse the library but not play anything.

Content Access

Content access allows you to configure the libraries a user is allowed to access.

Channel access also provides the same ability to control what your users can view and what they can't:

Device Access

Device access allows you to configure the devices a user is allowed to sign in from. By default, users can use any device.

Parental Controls by Rating

Easily block content from users based on their official rating:

But sometimes it's also handy to control blocking of unrated content:

Parental Controls by Tags

Content can also be restricted based on the presence of tags:

Tags are treated recursively, meaning you can easily block an entire TV series just adding a tag at the series level.

Parental Controls by Access Scheduling

Easily block access during certain hours by creating access schedules. Now you'll never have to worry about your kids streaming videos during their biology lectures.

Advanced Controls

Need to quickly disable user accounts? Would you like to hide certain accounts from app login screens? Easily do that with advanced controls.

You can even take away a user's ability to edit their own profile settings. Maybe you don't want your kids accidentally changing their preferred subtitle language. Or maybe you have all your kids on one shared kids account and you'd like to manage the profile preferences yourself.

Passwords

Easily create passwords to keep your accounts secure and safe.

But we all know that passwords can be cumbersome in the living room, so that's why we offer an Easy Pin Code feature for in-home use:

Activity Log

Follow what your users are doing. Just about everything appears in the activity log, from signing in to signing out, playing or pausing content, changing passwords, settings, and more.

See What They're Watching, in Real-time

The server dashboard also gives you real-time access to monitor what your users are currently watching.

Easy Remote Control

Need to quickly remote control a user's app? This is easily done with the remote control functions built into the web interface. Stop, pause, rewind, change audio, subtitles, and more with the tap of a finger.

The over-sized buttons make them very easy to tap on a smartphone or tablet, which makes it quite fun to flick through the scene selection menu:

You can even send directional input just like a real remote:

We hope this gives you a little more information on what Emby Users can do. If you still have your whole family on one shared account, try creating user profiles. We think you'll enjoy them

Emby Server 3.2.33 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 21:10:00 +0000

A new version of Emby Server has been released. Here are the highlights:

Bug Fixes
Resolve high cpu usage when streaming live tv
Fix dng photo support
Fix dlna direct play with samsung smart tv's
Fix missing response headers causing over-aggressive caching in Internet Explorer
Add fixes for seeking while burning in subtitles
Other Improvements
Update delete function to handle files already deleted
Add skip forward/back length settings
Expand web app streaming quality settings
Move season zero display name to per library settings
Update response headers for HEAD requests
Improve support for compressed xmltv
Reduce data collected by anonymous usage reporting
Improve dlna playback status reporting
Update LG dlna profile
Support nef image format
Update recording file names to improve sorting
Add setting to require https
Add ability to hide items from certain libraries from home screen

Emby for Samsung Smart TVs Now Available In The UK

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 16:17:00 +0000

Installation

Users in the USA or UK with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA or UK with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Emby Theater for Windows Desktop Updated with Refresh Rate Switching

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 20:37:00 +0000

Emby Theater for Windows 2.9.3 has been released. Here are the highlights.
New refresh rate switching feature (enable in video settings)
Remember volume when re-opening app

Installation
Windows Desktop: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html

Emby Server New and Improved for MacOS

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 17:15:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce availability of a new package for Emby Server for MacOS. To learn how to install it, head over to the download page of our website:

https://emby.media/download

Rebuilt with Faster Components

We've rebuilt the server around Microsoft .NET Core, which is smaller and offers major performance improvements over the Mono runtime that was used in the previous package.

Additionally, everything is self-contained into a single download which means no more manual installation of dependencies.

Easier Installation

Just download and drag into your Applications folder, and that's it. Emby Server for MacOS takes only a few clicks to get up and running.

Emby for Apple TV Now with Live TV and Improved Layout

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 13:36:09 +0000

A major update to the Emby app for Apple TV is rolling out now. Simply re-start the app to get the update or, if you haven't tried it yet, install it from the app store on your 4th or 5th gen Apple TV now!

Live TV

The biggest new feature of the app is the implementation of Live TV (Emby Premiere subscription required). Now you can access programs, channels, recordings and recording schedules from the Apple TV just like you can with the other Emby apps. Full recording management is also available throughout the interface.

Improved Layout

In addition to Live TV, we've also updated the throughout the app to be more intuitive, easier to navigate and more like other apps on the platform. Pull down a menu in any of the libraries to get to the different views available within them.

4K and tvOS 11 Support

Finally, the new version supports the new 4K Apple TV as well as other improvements that come with tvOS 11 like direct play of hevc content (compatible container and audio required).

We hope you enjoy these latest improvements to the app and we are already hard at work on even more (like an improved guide experience). Install it on your Apple TV now!

Introducing Emby for LG Smart TVs

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 19:53:00 +0000

Installation

Users with an LG Smart TV can install now from the LG App Store. The app currently supports LG Smart TV's running Web OS 3.0+. We are working on update to support older versions of Web OS.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV & DVR

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins

Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users with an LG Smart TV can install now from the LG App Store. The app currently supports LG Smart TV's running Web OS 3.0+. We are working on update to support older versions of Web OS.

Emby Server 3.2.34 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 19:49:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

New Features
Add additional dark theme option
Support delete permissions per library
Support play next
Support azw3 book extension
Support mpeg2 hardware video decoding with OMX
Add setting to disable theme videos in the web app
Bug Fixes
Fix next up queries within libraries
Resolve version flipping back and forth in now playing section
Fix new item notifications being sent to all users
Restore restart button for mono releases
Fix scrolling after back button presses in web app
General Improvements
Improve recording schedule display
Improve upnp port mapping
Improve home video library features
Improve image aspect ratio detection
Improve tuner conflict error handling
Improve display title in now playing section
improve movie matching
Improve live tv direct play
Improve subtitle transcoding
Improve resolved video titles
Improve preservation of channel info from tv providers
Improve xmltv error handling
Adjust default metadata provider order
Reduce web socket activity

Emby for Samsung Smart TVs Now Available In Ireland

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 21:54:00 +0000

Installation

Users in the USA, UK, or Ireland with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

A Modern App for Modern Times

The interface for this app has been built with HTML, but this is nothing like the web apps you're accustomed to. This has been built purely with modern features that bring a level of performance that wasn't even possible a year ago at this time. For the nerds out there, that means WebAnimations, WebComponents, Service Workers, Polymer, and on and on.

Simple and Beautiful

Rediscover your Content with Recommendations

A popular feature from other Emby apps is finally making it's way to Emby Theater.

New Music Interface

The app finally has a design that makes sense for music.

Live TV

Watch Live TV or manage your recordings.

Details Gone Vertical

A common complaint over the detail screen of the current Emby Theater is that it's pretty but slow to navigate. We went back to the drawing board and decided to take a little inspiration from Android TV. It is now much, much faster to browse through detail screens.

Learn How to Create Skins
Can you do HTML and JavaScript? Then why not fork the default skin?

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-302-learn-how-to-create-skins-for-emby-theater/

Let us know what changes and improvements you're able to come up with. You can even release your forked version to the Emby community!

Installation

Users in the USA, UK, or Ireland with a Samsung Smart TV can install now from the Samsung App Store.

Emby for Xbox One Updated with Improved Playback

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 21:12:00 +0000

Emby for Xbox One has been updated with improved video playback. Here are the highlights:
Direct play more video formats, including hevc on supported models.
Reduced server transcoding decreases the load on your Emby Server machine
Pause, rewind and fast-forward live tv
Faster video start time

Reduced server transcoding decreases the load on your Emby Server machine

Emby for Android TV and Fire TV now with Themes and multi-version support

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 26 Nov 2017 22:51:16 +0000

Themes

The new release of the Android TV and Fire TV apps now have multiple themes you can choose from just like the web app and Theater (Emby Premiere required for theme support).

Multi-version Selection

Now, for movies for which you have multiple versions (in the supported convention) the app will allow you to choose which version to play when playing back from the detail screen.

Other Improvements

Additionally, several improvements have been made to general playback and stability as well as other minor bug fixes including:
Improved external subtitle handling
Faster seeking
Faster dismissal of OSD when resuming
Improved playback correction
Fix layout problems on non-standard hardware
Runaway Playback Prevention (Are you still watching)

Emby for iOS Updated with iPhone X Support

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 21:58:00 +0000

Version 1.4.5 is currently rolling out with improvements for iOS 11. Here are the highlights:
Support iPhone X
Support track selection prior to playback
Add Play Next queuing
Support tapping the screen to hide the video OSD

Emby Trakt Plugin Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 21:30:00 +0000

Our Emby Trakt plugin has been updated to version 3.1.3.

Important

Due to Trakt API changes, you will need to install the update, and then re-authenticate using the trakt plugin configuration screen.

Change Log
Update to latest Trakt authentication API
Various syncing and scrobbling fixes and improvements

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.04 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 22:13:00 +0000

Installation

Users with an LG Smart TV can install now from the LG App Store.

Now Available For Additional Devices

Emby for LG now supports WebOS 1.0+.

Bug Fixes
Resolve live tv playing without audio

Introducing Emby for Amazon Alexa

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 14:46:12 +0000

Voice Control for Emby with your supported Amazon Echo device

Intelligent Voice Control for Emby

The Emby Alexa Skill enables Emby Premiere members to get information about and control playback of their media on any Emby compatible device. Once you have successfully linked your Emby account to Alexa, you can start playing your favorite movies, TV shows and songs on your devices with your voice. Learn all about how to get the skill and set it up on our wiki.

The skill is available now for your Amazon Echo device in the US or UK with more regions coming soon.
Get the US Version
Get the UK Version
Install the skill, connect with Emby Connect and start controlling your Emby media with just your voice. Things you can try:
"Alexa, ask Emby what's up next"
"Alexa, ask Emby to play a horror movie"
"Alexa, ask Emby to pause playback"
"Alexa, ask Emby to play the party playlist"
The possibilities go on and on. Get the Emby skill for your Echo device now!

Emby Server 3.2.60 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 18:10:00 +0000

A new release is rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Important Information for Windows Users

If you're currently running Emby Server 3.2.36, you'll need to install this update manually. To do this, simply shutdown Emby Server and run the installer from the website on top of your existing installation. If you're not sure what version you're currently running, then we also suggest updating this way.

Improved Multi-Version Support

If you have multiple versions of a video, now you can choose which one you'd like to play prior to playback.

Learn more about multi-version support in our video naming guide.

Support Track Selection Prior to Playback

Now you can select audio and subtitles prior to playback.

Bug Fixes
Resolve issues with windows uninstaller
Fix server update scheduled task progress reporting
Fix server dashboard occasionally not being scrollable
Fix initial audio stream selection in certain direct play situations
Fix windows network browsing
Fix windows sleep prevention
Clean up LoaderException from log file under Linux and MacOS
Fix music transcoding for iOS

Other Improvements
Allow specification of m3u stream limit
Support configurable subtitle download location
Add resiliency for customized transcode temp folder that is unreachable
Improve resiliency to moving server program data folder
Support m3u tuner stream sharing
Make music landing screen configurable
Improve metadata saving error handling
Improve web app playback error handling
Add fixes for m3u stream sharing feature
Improve image processing performance
Improve xml tv .gz file support
Support external subtitles with .strm files
Add setting to auto-run web app when server starts
Improve support for moviedb urls in nfo metadata
Add HLS attributes for Apple TV refresh rate switching
Delete 0-byte recording files after recording failures
Adjust rules for sample files
Improve live tv playback performance with external live tv services
Improve tvdb lookup by imdb id
Show favorite collections and playlists
Improve in browser support for ASS/SSA subtitles
Support play start index
Improve live tv recording images
Improve live tv stream re-use feature
Reduce dlna chatter
Update save metadata as hidden file setting to be windows-only
Update realtime monitor for MacOS
Improve direct play of active live tv recordings
Improve LG Dlna direct playImprove automatic home screen refreshing
Improve xmltv .gz support
Support de-interlacing with vaapi
Support provider id's contained in xmltv data
Speed up dlna server disposal

Emby Server 3.2.70 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 20:08:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Faster Live TV Start Time

Enjoy faster than ever live tv start time in this new release !

Support Hauppauge Tuners for Windows

Emby Server for Windows now has native support for Hauppauge TV tuners. Make sure to install the latest Hauppauge software from the Hauppauge website. Happy tuning.

Bug Fixes
Fix Dlna crash
Fix moviedb urls
Fix subtitle saving
Fix manual cancellations within a series recording
Fix tvshow.nfo saving error

Other Improvements
Improve library scan performance
Support additional multi-version naming conventions
Move folder.xml support to XmlMetadata plugin
Add active program shading to tv guide
Reduce dlna traffic
Handle nfo saver errors with custom provider names
Add setting to enable or disable remote access
Update startup wizard with remote access settings
Add m3u tuner setting to define custom user agent
Support custom user agent for xmltv

Emby Server 3.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 20:21:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Bug Fixes
Resolve occasional error with dynamic image generation
Fix music albums getting release year of 9999
Resolve Chromecast timeout when network disconnected
Fix user data not showing in playlist items
Resolve issues when deleting live tv recordings from plugins
Fix audio image extraction
Fix accent quotes in search
Fix external subtitles causing longer library scans and repeat kodi syncing
Fix music transcoding not respecting requested bitrate

Other Improvements
Reduce dlna play to traffic
Display default directory in directory browser for QNAP & Terramaster
Update design of Play On menu
Show photos in search results
Improve automatic refreshing on secondary list screens
Revamp sorting and view settings on secondary list screens
Improve offloading of transcoding to HDHR
Add SubDB subtitle provider
Update HLS manifests to include framerate information
Add new lan networks setting to configure local network addresses
Support codec folders with cinema mode, see wiki: https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Cinema-Mode

Emby for Apple TV Updated

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 20:15:36 +0000

A new update to the Emby Apple TV app has rolled out with several enhancements and fixes. They include:

Home Screen Layout

The app now follows the home screen settings you setup in user settings on the web or mobile apps. You cannot change these settings from this app yet so just use the web interface to set these how you wish. User Icon -> Home Screen

New Theme Setting

The app now follows the Apple TV Light/Dark/Automatic theme settings. The internal setting has been removed. To change the Apple TV system theme go to Settings -> General -> Appearance.

New Collections Tab

A Collections tab was added to the Movies view.

Detail Screen Updates
You can now mark a series as watched / unwatched.
IMDB ratings have also been added to detail screens where appropriate.

Bug Fixes
Fixed the black icons on the playback overlay
The playback overlay missing overview bug has been fixed
In certain circumstances external subtitles could be skipped and this has been resolved
The issue of external subtitles showing formatting characters such as has been resolved
Addressed views being updated when items are deleted
We hope you enjoy these enhancements. We are hard at work on many more which will be available in the near future.

Emby Server Now Available for TerraMaster NAS

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 22:01:00 +0000

Emby Server can now be installed on TerraMaster NAS devices. To install, simply browse the TerraMaster app store on your NAS and install Emby Server.

Please note the version in the TerraMaster app store may run a little behind the latest due to delays involved with the TerraMaster review process.

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.06 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 20:34:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for LG is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:
Improved direct play of 4K, HDR and HEVC media
Improved subtitle support
Improved navigation performance
Sorting, filtering, and view settings added to list screens

Sorting, Filtering and View Settings

Improved Live TV & DVR Layouts

Emby for Android TV Updated with common home screen layout and improved playback

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 17:31:16 +0000

A new version of the Fire TV and Android TV apps is rolling out to a device near you now. This new version has several improvements so be sure to update as soon as it is available for your device.

Common Home Screen Layout

The app now follows the same home screen layout as the web, mobile and Theater apps. Each user can define the order of and what appears in each home screen section and these settings will carry across all of these apps. You can access these settings from any of the supported apps (including this one).

Playback Improvements

The internal Google player used by the app has been updated and improved to provide an even better playback experience and require even less transcoding on the server than before. For stereo setups, the app can now downmix internally so it doesn't have to ask the server to transcode or remux to do this conversion - freeing up your server resources for other tasks.

Stats For Nerds

The popular "stats for nerds" feature is now available in this app. To activate it, use the option in the playback OSD settings menu or long-press the "select" button on your remote. You can also turn it off in the same manner. Display of stats for nerds will be remembered for an entire login session.

Improved Seeking Behavior

It is now much easier to seek further into content quickly. By holding down the seek buttons on your remote, the app will progressively seek faster and faster - allowing you to jump hours ahead if necessary much quicker and easier than before

New Season View

The app now has an improved TV Season view that matches the other apps and provides easier access to information for each of the episodes within the season.

Other Fixes and Enhancements
Refresh rate switching will now do a better job of matching rates that are "close"
Organize settings into logical sections
Include photos and photo albums in search results
Update language translations (thanks for community contributions!)
Shuffle play entire libraries - you can now use the play button on your remote to shuffle play at the library level
Include TV channels in search results
Stability improvements

Introducing Emby for Google Home

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 11:20:00 +0000

I'm so glad you asked. Why 'Emby' is the coolest personal media server on the planet and I can now control it for you. What would you like to do...?

Your Emby system is now available to control with your Google Home device. Just install the Emby for Google Home app, link it to your Emby Connect account and then here are just a few of the things you can do with your voice:

Okay Google...Ask Emby Home to

Play the next episode of The Walking Dead on Emby Theater

Suggest something to watch

Play a few episodes of The Big Bang Theory

Play songs by Adele

Bring up Deadpool

And after something is playing, you can do things like:

Change the audio to English

What's playing?

The invocation phrase for the app is "Emby Home" so be sure to use that key phrase when trying to talk to your Emby system. Try it out now on your Google Home device. It is available worldwide. Complete instructions are here.

Emby Server 3.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 03 May 2018 17:20:00 +0000

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

New Convert Media Feature

Want to reduce on the fly transcoding? We now have a feature that can help you convert your library into streaming-friendly formats. It's easy, just right click or tap on a video and select Convert in the menu.

Then specify the options you want:

The media will then be converted and stored in the original media folder with the original item.

Want to convert new content automatically as it gets added to your library? It's simple, just convert a folder such as a TV series, and then enable the option to automatically convert new content.

Collection Changes

The Collections folder has become a regular Emby library, which means that it now works nicely with all Emby features, including:
Customizing the library image
User permissions for the library
All other per-library settings
Important: If you update and notice Collections are missing, please do the following:
Run a library scan
Check your Emby user permissions for each user and make sure they are granted access to the Collections library

New Per-Library Settings

You can now control just about everything on a per-library basis. This includes:
Preferred metadata providers
Preferred metadata savers
Subtitle downloading
Image downloading
Important: We suggest you review your settings for each library to ensure they are correct following the upgrade.

Support for DVD & Absolute Episode Ordering Per Series

To use this, use the metadata editor to edit a series and specify the ordering that you prefer.

Important: Tvdb will need to be your highest priority Series metadata provider (which it is by default).

Import Music Playlists

Emby Server now supports wpl, zpl, m3u and pls playlist files, even with relative paths !

Wake For Recordings

On Windows, Emby Server can now automatically wake the machine for a scheduled recording. You no longer need to worry about your server going to sleep and missing a recording !

We hope to support this on more platforms in the future.

NVENC Transcoding Improvements

We've improved the performance of our NVENC hardware transcoding support. Additionally, our Linux x64 releases now include NVENC libraries, which means all you need to do is enable the feature in Emby Server transcoding settings.

Important: We include NVENC libraries but not the hardware drivers. Please refer to your Linux distro for instructions on how to install NVENC hardware drivers.

Improved Strm File Playback

In most cases, you'll notice you can now resume video playback from .strm files, and subtitle and audio track switching should be fully supported now.

Individual User Remote Access Control

You can now grant or deny remote access on a per-user basis.

New Remote IP Filter

In advanced server settings, you can now configure remote ip filters to better control who can access your server.

Improved Offline Media Support

We've resolved various issues with the library scan removing offline media. If you're someone who frequently takes your storage offline, you'll appreciate these improvements.

IMVDb Metadata Support

We've added IMVDb support for music videos.

Changes to Existing Features

Cinema Mode, IMVDb, and Open Subtitles are now pre-installed plugins.

As a plugin we're now able to update them in-between server releases, and you can also uninstall them completely if you don't intend to use them.

SubDb Subtitle Downloader Moved to Plugin

This has been moved to a plugin and is available in the Emby plugin catalog. Please make sure to install this if you wish to download subtitles from SubDb.

Bug Fixes
Fix https client certificate requirement
Fix various quirks when renaming libraries
Fix local port configuration in the web interface
Fix mouse cursor not hiding during video playback
Fix android m3u playback in certain situations
Fix SubDb download issue with very small video files
Fix occasional error with https redirect
Add samsung dlna fix
Other Improvements
Adopt linux log file rotation patterns
Support nested collections
Update multi-version display names
Expand user home screen settings
Improve library scan performance
Add default live tv screen setting
Add play/shuffle on photo albums
Display HDR info on detail screens
Add play all & shuffle to list screens
Include series year in recording folder name
Support relative paths in playlists
Support version selection when playing to dlna
Enable Chromecast for Opera
Improve series recordings for sports
Improve series recording images
Update Identify feature to respect per library metadata settings
Add music videos to Identify feature
Improve parsing of CIDR notation
Add amf to hardware transcoding menu
Fix multiple ffmpeg instances spawning in safari when changing audio tracks
Reduce frequency of image encoding
Exclude default.ext from photo libraries
use wmc naming conventions for recordings with dates in file names
Improve performance of grouping movies into collections
Add new secure connections mode setting to hosting page
Handle videos with invalid framerate metadata
Support windows media center episode file naming
Add photo albums to search results
Update to sqlite 3.23.1
Improve add user workflow

Emby for Apple TV Updated With New Features

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 10 May 2018 12:59:30 +0000

Another update to our Apple TV app is rolling out and should be on a device near you soon.

New Features / Improvements

The Favorites and Trailers tabs are now available in the Movies library:

The Genres tab in the Movie library has been reworked to allow you to more easily navigate between genres with the Siri remote.

The All, Trailers and Collections tabs have brand new sorting and filtering options.

You can now shuffle a movie collection and it has been updated to provide details about a movie in the collection without having to go into its detail view:

We have also made a few under the hood improvements that should make navigating between screens in the app a bit snappier.

Enjoy!

Introducing LDAP Support for Emby

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 16 May 2018 18:45:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce LDAP support for Emby Server, now supported by all Emby apps!

Installation

To setup LDAP, simply install the LDAP plugin from the Emby plugin catalog. This feature requires an active Emby Premiere subscription.

Then head over to your LDAP plugin configuration and setup the plugin to connect to your LDAP server:

Users are imported from LDAP as they sign into Emby. You can even set the default permissions for imported users:

Important: Users marked as administrators in Emby will always sign into Emby using Emby authentication, not LDAP. This policy is designed to avoid situations where you could potentially become locked out of your Emby Server due to an LDAP problem.

Let us know what you think and what improvements you'd like to see !

Emby for iOS Updated with New Video Player, Wake on LAN, and more

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 21:25:00 +0000

Version 1.5.1 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:

New Video Player

The app can now direct play quite a few formats thanks to the new video player. This results in less transcoding on your Emby Server and a better playback experience.

Wake On Lan

The app can now send wake on lan signals to your Emby Server. To send a wake on lan signal, select the "Wake Server" option on the app's server connection screen.

Other Improvements
Add photo albums to search results
Add playlists to search results
Add aspect ratio control to video player

Bug Fixes
Fix Chromecast disconnect not terminating Chromecast session
Fix intermittent video crashes
Fix iPhone X display issues

Emby for Apple Updated with Improved Layouts, Search and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 13:09:59 +0000

Version 1.2.09 of the Apple TV app is rolling out now with some more fixes and enhancements:

Bug fixes:
Fixed remote play/pause
Fixed resuming a movie
Fixed delete button not working on detail views
Fixed collection view with items other than movies showing an error
Fixed item unwatched counts not displaying with some server platforms (an empty green circle was shown)
Removed budget from sorting in the movie library as it's no longer supported

New Features / Updates:
Image quality has been increased across the app, particularly for Apple TV 4K users
Live TV Channels are now available in search
App will start up faster
Updated app icon
Added Dolby+ icon to items that have Dolby+ audio tracks
Replaced the default image used when a person image does not exist which matches the Apple theme
Changed the background color when Apple TV is set to dark appearance to align with Apple TV colors
Improved the user experience when sorting / filtering a large movie library. An activity icon will now display after 1 second if the sorting / filtering action is still in progress

Your app should prompt you to update automatically, or you can just force-restart it to get it right away.

Enjoy!

Emby for Android TV Updated with Oreo Flavor

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 15:04:54 +0000

Android 8 (Oreo) is in the process of being rolled out on the Nvidia Shield and the Emby for Android TV app now goes with it like a tall glass of milk .

New Launcher

Oreo brings with it a new launcher on Android TV which allows each individual app to have its own entire row(s) on the device home screen. Emby for Android TV will automatically add one of these rows (called "channels" in Android) to your device home screen the first time it runs under Oreo.

This new channel can be moved to where you want it on the home screen or hidden entirely if you don't want it via the "Customize Channels" button on the device home. It will contain in-progress items, next up TV episodes, latest unwatched movies and other suggestions that allow you to directly get to this content from the Android TV launcher.

Additionally, the app will add two more optional channels that you can enable if you wish (more may come in the future).

These optional channels are:

Next Up TV - If you enable this channel, then your Next Up TV row that usually appears on the Emby home screen will be presented right on the device launcher. Enabling you to quickly get to and watch the next episode in the series you are following. If this channel is enabled on the device, then the default "Suggested" channel will not show next up TV. Instead it will just show other suggested content.

Live TV Shortcuts - If you enable this channel it will give you quick ways to enter your Live TV library for On Now, the Guide and your recordings.

Finally, the new Android TV launcher also provides a special channel called "Play Next". The user can add content from any of the other channels on the device home to this special channel in order to make a kind of "next up queue" across all apps on the device. In addition to being able to add items from the Emby channels, you can also add any video from within the Emby app by using the long-press context menu and selecting "Add to Play Next". Then that item will have a direct shortcut in your Play Next row on the device home.

Other Improvements

In addition to the Oreo updates, other fixes and enhancements included in this release are:
Improved playback by updating the internal Google player
Support for Theme Songs while browsing (turn on the option under Display Settings)
Improved app display when deleting items
Faster app start up
Improved layout on non-standard Android boxes
Support for direct playing Opus audio in mkv
Fix selecting wrong resolution on some content with auto refresh rate switching

We hope you enjoy these enhancements and we are already working on the next batch. Thanks!

Emby Server Now Available for Western Digital NAS

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 21:15:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce availability of a new package for Emby Server for Western Digital NAS. To learn how to install it, head over to the download page of our website:

https://emby.media/download

Enjoy !

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.08 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 20:18:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for LG is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:
Resolves defect of app menus being rendered at 720p on all devices
Update filters and sorting options on all list screens
Improved direct play of 4K, HDR and HEVC media
Improve Live TV recording layouts
Various subtitle fixes
Improve navigation performance
Expose context menu options on media detail screens

Emby for iOS 1.5.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 17:58:00 +0000

Version 1.5.3 is currently rolling out to address a few issues. Here are the highlights:
Improve audio track switching
Fix crash when using sharing feature
Resolve intermittent video crashes

Emby Server 3.5.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 16:34:24 +0000

Use DXVA2 decoding on Windows when AMF is selected
Add automatic fallback from gpu to cpu with sync transcoding
Add blue radiance theme option
Support media playback to Roku app without requiring the Roku app to be running (requires Roku app update)
Add Appears On section to artist detail screen
Incorporate original title into search
Improve library browsing performance
Improve performance of search requests

Other Improvements
Update to .NET Core 2.1.2
Update to ffmpeg 4.0.1
Update to SkiaSharp 1.60
Update to sqlite 3.24.0
Support Emby Server for Western Digital NAS
Mono-based releases now require mono 5.4+ to run
Improve live tv recording process from m3u
Improve tvdb series queries
Improve musicbrainz artist queries
Add playlists to search results
Add convert option to replace original files
Rework devices display
Update albums per artist to be based on album artist only
Update more from albums to be based on album artist only
Add force_idr for NVENC
Improve M3U stream loop support
Rework hover menus
Virtualize persisted metadata paths
Update collection visibility per user
Update default audio track selection
Update date in recording file names
Restore features of Google Drive and Dropbox plugins
Improve support for resuming and seeking podcasts
Adjust keyframe interval for Roku transcoding
Improve audio and subtitle track switching support for live tv plugins
Linux & Mac: Ensure all folders beginning with a dot are ignored
Localize notification texts
Increase max time allowed for image extractions from video files
Restore swagger parameters
Restore swagger authentication
Update Denon dlna profile to transcode high res flac files
Disable older ssl protocols
Update naming for next up sync jobs
Bug Fixes
Fix season level shuffling support
Fix click destination on photo albums in search results
Fix sporadic issue of not being able to start live tv
Fix dlna server availability in mono releases
Fix xmltv support in mono releases
Fix Romanian text encoding
Fix Thai text encoding
Fix playlist queries
Fix issues parsing season folders with years, e.g. Season 2011
Fix issue when attempting to sign into local server using Emby Connect credentials
Fix m2ts files not showing up in DLNA
Fix subtitle resizing on window resize in firefox
Fix erroneous Emby Connect invitation error messages
Fix recognition of episode numbers greater than 365
Fix pagination when using library grouping features
Fix play all from here with large lists
Fix playback issues with .strm audio
Fix saving of image fetcher settings for new libraries
Fix theme songs not stopping
Fix convert feature re-converting when not necessary
Fix dlna photo support for Samsung smart TV's
Improve hauppauge error handling

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.09 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 21:39:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for LG is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:
Improved direct play of 4K, HDR and HEVC media
Resolves issue of audio track switching causing unneeded transcoding
Update filters and sorting options on all list screens
Improve Live TV recording layouts
Improve navigation performance

Emby Server for FreeBSD New and Improved

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 21:12:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce a brand new FreeBSD package for Emby Server. Here are the highlights and advantages over the previous installation process:
Fewer install steps required
New releases will be immediately available
Beta builds will now also be immediately available just like other platforms !
Currently based on mono, but we'll be switching to .NET Core as soon as it's available for FreeBSD. Keep an eye on: https://github.com/dotnet/corefx/issues/1626
Installation

See https://emby.media/download

Emby for iOS 1.5.7 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 22:17:00 +0000

Version 1.5.7 is currently rolling out to address a few issues. Here are the highlights:
Resolve occasional black screen on app wake up
Improve error handling within the download feature
Make deletion of downloaded content easier

Emby Server Now Available for QNAP Arm Units

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 22:15:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce we now have QNAP Arm packages in beta testing. To download, please see the instructions on our website:

https://emby.media/nas-server.html

Then make sure to leave feedback in the QNAP section of our community:

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/154-qnap

Enjoy.

Emby Server 3.5.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 13:44:00 +0000

Emby Server 3.5.3 has been released to address two small issues. Here are the highlights.
Resolve Chrome 69+ scroll problems
Resolve repeat install prompts for Visual Studio C++ libraries.

Emby for iOS 1.6.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 20:01:17 +0000

Version 1.6.4 is currently rolling out to address a few issues. Here are the highlights:
Resolve intermittent crashes during video playback
Improve Chromecast volume control
Restore multi-select feature

Android TV Updated with New Guide and Grid Views

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:40:06 +0000

A new update to the Android TV app will be released soon with a new fresh look and "smooth scrolling" capability in the live TV guide as well as new vertically scrolling grid views.

A Fresh, Smooth Guide

The live TV guide has received a make-over and now has smooth scrolling through both channels and time instead of the old "paging" implementation.

Going Vertical

You spoke and we listened. The grid views in the app now default to a vertically scrolling presentation. This allows you to navigate large collections more quickly and is in line with the designs on all the other platforms. If, however, you really prefer the previous horizontal scrolling presentation in this app, you can switch back to that in any of the views you wish by selecting the "Settings" icon (cog wheel) on the toolbar and selecting that option. It will be remembered for that particular view from that point forward.

In addition, we've now made the direct letter jump bar visible at all times (instead of behind a button) for easy access and made it behave more like you would expect in that it moves you to the first item for that letter within the content instead of restricting the content to only items after that letter.

Improved Performance for European live TV Streams

This release also should make some of those problematic live TV streams that previously may have required you to select the MPV player option play correctly within the default player simplifying your playback experience. There should be no reason to select MPV as the player anymore but we have left the option there for now if you wish to enable it (this option may be removed in the future).

Other Improvements

In addition to the major items above, this release also includes the following fixes and improvements:
Improve playback error handling
Fix shuffle play of external audio playlists
Don't loop theme song playback
Scroll default tab into view upon library entry
Improve some default images
Fix external playlists not showing
Add option to not allow video stream copy for live TV
Properly remove items from "Play Next" when manually marked watched
Add 240Kb/s bitrate option
Ensure "Continue Watching" obeys server-side settings
Fix playing music artists
Fix people search against beta server
Fix album sort by year
Option for focus rectangle
Default to higher bitrate on local LAN on all devices
Improve app response when can't validate Premiere do to outage
Audible feedback for trying to seek past live time
Add container to media details
Update translations
Make small "Up Next" panel the default (up arrow expands to larger one)
Implement new WoL method
Direct play items from Play Next
Refresh home screen on library change
Fix Premiere not recognized immediately
Fix diacritics in device name causing login failure
Add favorite episodes row to Favorites view in TV library
Allow favorite filter in "All" movies and series views
Use thumbs for latest TV
Sort favorites by name

Emby for iOS 1.6.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 17:46:00 +0000

Version 1.6.6 is currently rolling out to address a few issues. Here are the highlights:
Resolve blue flashes when playing HEVC videos
Resolve mpeg video sync problems

Emby Server Now Available for Arm64 (aarch64)

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 21 Nov 2018 14:56:18 +0000

We're pleased to announce that Emby Server is now available for Arm64 (aarch64) CPU's.

Docker
https://emby.media/docker-server.html

Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora)
https://emby.media/linux-server.html

Asustor
https://emby.media/nas-server.html

Exciting Additions Coming Soon in Emby Server 3.6

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 22:02:02 +0000

Hi Team,

As many of you know, we are currently working hard on getting Emby Server 3.6 released. We would like to take this opportunity to give you some advance information on some of the changes that are coming.

New Levels of Performance
Emby Server, as well as all Emby apps will perform faster than ever. The server can now easily scale to massive libraries, and the faster speed and reduced loading times will probably be the first thing you'll notice after upgrading to 3.6.

Live TV Guide Data Now Included with Premiere
Emby will be gradually switching from Schedules Direct to Gracenote for Live TV guide data. What does this mean? This means if you're in the USA, Canada or UK, you'll no longer need to setup an account with another website nor pay someone else for this data. You'll simply enter your zip code into Emby, select your channel lineup, and we'll handle retrieving your guide data.

We believe this will provide a better experience for Emby users with fewer setup steps. The data from Gracenote is also quite a bit richer, and we will be looking at how we can take advantage of that to bring new Live TV features to Emby. Going forward, Live TV will require Emby Premiere in the web app, where previously this was not the case.

How to Migrate From Schedules Direct
If you are setting up the server fresh, then you should use our new Emby guide provider, which will be the default. If you are already using Schedules Direct, then you can continue to use it through the remainder of your Schedules Direct subscription. Schedules Direct has pledged to continue to honor your subscriptions, and we thank them for that.

New and Improved Hardware Acceleration
We have revamped hardware acceleration on all supported platforms for Emby Server. This includes Windows, Linux, Android, NAS devices, and MacOS. We've added some sophisticated hardware detection that allows us to know exactly what your hardware supports, and with this information we can fine tune the transcoding processes to get the most out of your hardware.

This has truly been a massive effort and will continue to be a massive effort going forward into the future. For this reason, hardware acceleration will now require Emby Premiere on most platforms. On some platforms such as Nvidia Shield and certain NAS devices, it will be included freely out of the box.

A Long List of Improvements and Bug Fixes
Stay tuned for the announcement of Emby Server 3.6. It is packed with new features, bug fixes, improvements to existing features, and more.

Emby for Roku Updated With New Improvements

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 20:07:13 +0000

A new version of the Emby for Roku app has been released with a number of enhancements mostly around better playback and error recovery.

Included in this release is:

* Video Playback Correction Option
* Select Video Quality During Playback
* Repeat All in Video Player
* Crew added to Detail Display
* Genre Aspect Ratio fixed
* Refresh Metadata From Detail Screen
* Exit Menu Enhancements
* Fix Collection Display
* General Video Playback Improvements (more direct play)
* Ensure Transcodes are Stopped on Server when Exiting App via Home Button
* Properly Display Album/Artist
* Properly Display Additional Parts
* Support Secondary Audio
* Other various bug fixes

The update is available on your Roku TV or device now. Enjoy!

Emby for iOS 1.7 Released With Gapless Audio Playback

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:44:00 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.7 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:
Gapless audio playback, perfect for your Pink Floyd albums !
Improve orientation restoration after video playback
Improved support for DVB subtitles

Emby Server Now Available for QNAP Arm64 Models

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 20:51:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce availability of Emby Server for QNAP Arm64 (aarch64) models. This includes the new TS-x28A series !

This package is currently in beta testing. Installation instructions can be found on the Emby website:

https://emby.media/download

Happy holidays !

Announcing Emby Server 4.0

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 19:36:59 +0000

At long last we're pleased to announce Emby Server 4.0. This new release will begin rolling out over the next 24 hours, so please be patient. This has been our longest release period ever, and going forward we intend to get back to a more frequent release schedule. This release is packed with improved performance, updates to existing features, as well as several brand new features.

Important Upgrade Information
After installing the update, the server will begin a database upgrade operation. If you attempt to open the web app during this time, you'll be given a friendly message informing you about this. This operation could take a little time, so please be patient with it.

After this is complete, any plugins you may have installed will require updates, so please check the status of this on your server dashboard. If any plugins are updated, remember that Emby Server will need to be restarted. After all updates have been applied, we recommend that you run a library scan. The first scan following the update could take longer than usual, so please be patient.

With that out of the way, let's go over the highlights of this release.

No Telemetry or Anonymous Usage Reporting

If you're wondering why the anonymous usage reporting setting has been removed, it's because not only have we removed the setting, but we've removed the function altogether. We know our audience pretty well thanks to this community, and because of that we've decided we no longed need any data reporting.

New Emby Live TV Guide Data

As previously announced, Live TV Guide Data is Now Included with Emby Premiere, if you're in the USA, Canada, or the UK. What does this mean? This means if you're in the USA, Canada or UK, you'll no longer need to setup an account with another website nor pay someone else for this data. You'll simply enter your zip code into Emby, select your channel lineup, and we'll handle retrieving your guide data.

We believe this will provide a better experience for Emby users with fewer setup steps. The new data is also quite a bit richer, and we will be looking at how we can take advantage of that to bring new Live TV features to Emby. Going forward, Live TV will require Emby Premiere in the web app, where previously this was not the case.

How to Migrate From Schedules Direct
If you are setting up the server fresh, then you should use our new Emby guide provider, which will be the default. If you are already using Schedules Direct, then you can continue to use it through the remainder of your Schedules Direct subscription. Schedules Direct has pledged to continue to honor your subscriptions, and we thank them for that.

New Levels of Performance

A database re-structuring brings your Emby Server and apps to new levels of performance that were previously not possible. Screens will load faster, videos will start quicker, and more. This will also manifest itself in other areas, such as improved library scan performance, and faster live tv guide refreshes. Please Note: The first scan after the update may take quite a while depending on your library contents and exactly what features you have enabled. Please be patient as subsequent scans will be much faster.

New and Improved Hardware Acceleration

This has been rebuilt from the ground up and is better than ever. We now have sophisticated hardware detection that runs on server startup to determine what your system can support. This allows us to provide you with an "easy mode" setting:

And if you enable advanced control, you'll be able to see what was detected:

Our hardware transcoding has been rewritten to take better advantage of each of the major GPU platforms, whether it be QuickSync, Nvidia, DXVA, VAAPI, MediaCodec, or others. This will allow hardware transcoding performance to perform better than ever.

Best of all, you can now monitor this on the server dashboard. The green bar indicates the current playback position while the orange bar designates the range that has been transcoded so far.

Important: Hardware acceleration has been truly a major effort for us, and because of this, it will now require Emby Premiere on all platforms except for Nvidia Shield and Western Digital.

Transcoding Throttling is Back

This feature has returned after a two year hiatus and is better than ever. What is transcoding throttling? Sometimes your server can transcode content much quicker than you're actually watching it. When the transcoding process gets a big enough lead on your watching position, we can slow it down on the fly in order to reduce the load on your server. Then as you're watching, if we need to speed it back up, we can do that too.

And best of all, your server dashboard will show you when transcoding is being throttled:

Emby Server Now Available for Android and Nvidia Shield

Stay tuned for separate announcements.

Improved Search

Search is now faster and now supports fuzzy search! This means you don't need to type your searches perfectly in order to see the matches you're looking for. For example, if you accidentally enter "Bad Breaking", instead of "Breaking Bad", you'll still be able to see Breaking Bad in the results.

Multi-Resolution TV Shows

Without requiring any changes to your file names, we now support having multiple versions of episodes. This doesn't require any special setup and you'll now see the friendly version selection on the episode screen:

Revamped Grouping Into Collections

This has now been moved from a server setting to directly onto the Movies list screen where it can be easily toggled.

Expanded Filtering

You can now filter on more fields such as container, video codec, audio codec, subtitle codec, and more. This filters are also remembered !

Expanded User Library Access

User library access can now be controlled for sub-folders, providing you with even greater flexibility than before.

Other Improvements
Update to .NET Core 2.2
Update to Sqlite 3.26.0
Improve library scan performance
Improve performance of live tv guide refresh
Improve subtitle delivery performance
Support Brotli http compression
Display video size on detail screens in Media Info
Significantly reduce dlna related network traffic
Add More Like This On Live TV section
Add tabbed layouts for music videos and home videos
Add network browsing to directory picker for Linux, Android and MacOS.
Change new indicators for programs to match guide data
Rework mobile context menus
Rework tv tabs to be consistent with Emby Theater
Downloaded subtitles are now saved using the two-character language code
Improve transcoding of low bit rate hevc
Add Moviedb season image provider
Show favorite people
Support tvg-chno with m3u tuners
Support tvg-shift with m3u tuners
Allow a library to be named "backdrops", a previously reserved name
Improve server dashboard display with blue radiance theme
Improve mobile server dashboard with bottom navigation
Added live tv channels to search feature
Improve layout of live tv channels tab under live tv
Add audio books content type
Use es-MX with MovieDb when Spanish language is selected along with Mexico as the country
Improve metadata with absolute episode ordering
Cloud sync upload improvements
Support launching android server on device startup
Add container, video codec, audio codec, and subtitle codec filters
Improve multi-resolution naming recognition
Improve automatic refreshing in the web app
Improve resiliency with iptv streams
Improve Windows sleep prevention while server is being used
Improve Chromecast volume control
Improve xmltv parsing of European characters
Support multiple images with xmltv
Use transcode=none profile for HD Homerun when appropriate
Support splitting musicbrainz id's on both slashes and semi-colons
Make alpha pickers dynamic based on content
Improve identify feature
Improve manual refreshing when replacing existing images
Improve database cleanup procedures of removed content
Improve automatic refreshing of recordings
Restore user permission to change password and profile image
Prevent syncing of in-progress recordings
Improve authentication failure logging for Fail2ban support
Add API to find item by provider id
Update new user defaults to not allow deleting media
Make news notifications configurable
Reduce size of Windows and MacOS installers by 30 MB
Support user subtitle download permissions
Defer collage image generation until images are needed
Move AudioDb and Omdb to pre-installed plugins
Move fanart.tv to pre-installed plugin
Move MusicBrainz to pre-installed plugin
Move MovieDb metadata provider to pre-installed plugin
Move nfo saver to pre-installed plugin
Move tvdb to pre-installed plugin
Support per-library resume settings
Bug Fixes
Fix issue of changing password in Firefox when Firefox password manager is used
Fix repeated Visual Studio C++ install prompts when VS2017 is already present
Fix favorite artists page showing empty list
Fix search by accent characters
Fix web access by ipv6 ip address
Fix More Like This for artists always showing same content
Fix xmltv programs not being marked as new when they are also a Premiere
Fix recording image file names for shows containing a period in the name
Workaround .net core crashes on network availability changes
Fix collection and playlist separation per library
Fix hardware transcoding options being reverted to defaults
Fix cloud sync upload throttle not being applied
Fix xmltv failures with SMB paths
Fix audio books getting immediately marked as watched
Fix intermittent crash associated with log file rotation
Fix windows task scheduler entries not getting cleaned up
Fix typo in Exynos spelling
Fix remote URL showing with remote access disabled
Various DLNA bug fixes

Emby Server 4.0.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 21:27:14 +0000

4.0.1 has gone out to address a few issues we've uncovered with the new 4.0 release. Here are the highlights:
Fix movie matching regression of failing to determine movie year from file name
Fix sporadic video crashes on Apple TV
Improve external subtitles with HLS
Various fixes for .ignore files
Fix movie sub-folder detection with mixed content libraries
Add EMC seasons workaround
Fix editing of user preference access option
Fix A-Z picker on folders tabs
Add music videos to search results
Ensure resume options are available for audio books content type
Add played filter to songs tab
Remove display of year on collections list
Remove erroneous Dlna setting
Add list view to music screens
Show year for collection items
Show artists in playlists

Say Hello to the New Face of Emby for Android TV

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 13:23:19 +0000

New Look

Our Android TV and Fire TV apps have a new release rolling out over the next few days that will give you a nice new, much cleaner look to the overall interface.

We think this new look makes the app more modern and easier on the eyes - allowing you to take in the information better. And the new detail layout really allows your background artwork to shine.

Pre-playback Media Selection

This release implements optional fields to allow you to select the version (if you have multi-version items) as well as audio and subtitle tracks before beginning playback.

These controls are optional for all content other than mult-version items (where they will always show so you can select the version). If you would like them to show for all content, simply enable that option in the Playback Settings.

Google Assistant Integration (Android TV Only)

This version now integrates with the built-in Google Assistant search on Android TV 8.0+ devices. Now when you search from the home screen (or anywhere else) with the Assistant or voice search, you will see content from your Emby library along with other apps on the device.

And More...

In addition to those great new features, we've added many other improvements and fixes in several areas:
Add basic folder browsing to library tabs
Improved letter jump for 4.0
Play options in grids
Rearrange buttons on Server not Available dialog
Use all thumbs on Continue Watching row on home
Fix erroneous colon when connecting with no port
Display message on error connecting
Support refresh rate/display mode switching on Gen 2 Fire (and any "L" device)
Use random content backdrop for people
Fix episode not resuming when requested remotely
Fix no stop notification in dash
Fix 24bit FLAC not playing properly
Add skip amount options
Support HEVC in Android 5.1.1
Remove limits on "Also On" quick channel changer
Update translations
Fix audio switching with MP2 tracks
Up key show chapters during playback
Rewrite list view to properly handle large lists
Closed Caption support for live and recorded TV

Emby for Apple TV Updated With New Video Player and Less Transcoding

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 16:11:43 +0000

A major update to the Apple TV app that includes a new custom player that can direct play more content is rolling out now.

You should get much more direct playback support as we are no longer completely dependent on the Apple player capabilities. We hope to continue to improve format support in the future as well.

Also in this release:

* Fixed an issue where searching was not working on server versions 4 and above
* Fixed an issue where you could not view latest photos from the home screen
* Fixed an issue where the duration was not displayed on the movie detail screen
* Fixed an issue where selecting subtitles, audio tracks or versions required you to select them twice
* Fixed an issue where the playlists collection was not selectable from the home screen

Update or install now on your supported Apple TV device.

Emby Server Now Available for NVIDIA Shield

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:32:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce Emby Server is now available for NVIDIA Shield.

Please see the Emby website to learn how to download and install Emby Server onto your Shield:

https://emby.media/server-android.html

Once installed, the on-screen interface will direct you to the Emby web app to run the server startup wizard.

Emby Server 4.0.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:32:00 +0000

Emby Server 4.0.2 is currently rolling out to address a few issues we've uncovered with the new 4.0 release. Here are the highlights:
Resolve slow scans for movie libraries
Various fixes for mixed content detection
Fix multi-version movie support for mixed content libraries
Fix season shuffle
Fix hevc main 10 stream copying not happening
Fix continue watching not respecting sub-folder access
Fix shared user data for duplicated movies
Improve image language prioritization
Fix live tv recordings tab pulling media from wrong folders
Fix playlists and collections being case sensitive
Fix next episode autoplay in Firefox
Update Omdb to ignore #DUPE# results.
Fix forgot pin redirect
Fix continue listening header text
Fix alpha picker overlapping now playing bar
Fix favorite movies getting collection setting
Remove unnecessary conversion of .smi subtitles causing failures
Improve support for OpenSubtitles VIP status
Add folder views to Dlna
Add type icons to metadata manager sidebar
Prevent movies from inheriting images from parent folders
Improve dynamic probing of media with multiple media sources
Add workaround for image related crashing

ListenBrainz Plugin Now Available for Emby Server

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 18:37:00 +0000

There is a new ListenBrainz plugin available for Emby Server. Music fans will want to check this out in the Emby plugin catalog.

The ListenBrainz project is similar to the original AudioScrobbler®. Unlike the original project, ListenBrainz is open source and will publish its data as open data.

A team of former Last.fm and current MusicBrainz hackers created the first version of ListenBrainz in the space of a weekend. Since the original project was created, technology has advanced at an incredibly rapid pace, which made re-creating the original project fairly straightforward.

Emby for iOS 1.7.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 18:25:00 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.7.6 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:
Improve hevc playback
Support physical volume buttons for Chromecast
Improve Chromecast re-connection
Add support for external displays and airplay
Respect users WiFi only download setting
Update splash screen
Improve app navigation performance

Emby for Roku Updated With On Screen Live TV Guide

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:37:30 +0000

A new version of Emby for Roku has been rolling out this week and it provides some nice enhancements as well as minor bug fixes. The update should be coming to your Roku device soon!

New on-screen mini-guide

During live TV playback, you can now bring up a small version of the guide and move around and find other programs to watch easily. You can set programs to record or cancel them, or switch to a new channel. Pressing the "play" button on your remote will tune directly to the selected channel just like in the full guide.

Pre-playback media selection

The detail screen now has convenient fields for you to select the version, audio and subtitle tracks before starting playback just like the other apps. So you won't have to start your item in order to turn on subtitles or select specific audio.

Other Improvements

Additionally, we've made many improvements to playback and other general display and navigation as well as some minor bug fixes. We hope you enjoy this new update and we're already working on more improvements to come.

Emby for iOS 1.7.7 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 06 May 2019 20:27:44 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.7.7 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:
Fix Chromecast disconnection when opening server dashboard
Add subtitle color options
Improve Hebrew and Arabic subtitle support

Emby for Android TV Updated with Visual Seeking and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 15 May 2019 14:28:01 +0000

A new version of our Fire TV and Android TV app will be rolling out soon and it now allows you to take advantage of the new thumbnail generation available in Emby Server 4.1+. If you enable this new feature in the server, you will then be able to visually seek your content with thumbnails in the Android/Fire TV app.

Note: This feature requires that the new server thumbnail generation feature be enabled at an interval less than just chapter points and that it has completed successfully for the item being played. You can find this setting within the Advanced settings for each library.

Once you have thumbs for an item, either navigating to the timeline with the main OSD showing or holding down the right or left directional keys during playback will engage this visual seek mode. Once in this mode, you can move along the timeline with the right/left arrows and select a specific spot to resume playback.

Also in This Release
Improve Wake On Lan
Ensure theme songs stop when playback starts
Repeat mode in video player
Simplify latest recordings view
Add ability to modify subtitle and audio defaults in the app settings
Add subtitle display (color/size) adjustments
Add option to transcode SSA/ASS subtitles (for format preservation)
Various other minor fixes and enhancements

Emby for Apple TV Updated for tvOS 12.3

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 22 May 2019 21:22:00 +0000

We're currently rolling out a few TVOS 12.3 fixes to our Apple TV app. Here are the highlights:
Resolve home screen refreshing content every 15 seconds
Resolve random stutters and skips during video playback

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.61 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 20:45:55 +0000

An update for Samsung Tizen devices has been released. Here are the highlights:
Improve app performance
Expanded sorting and filtering options
Improved subtitle support
Support multi-version movies with version selection prior to playback
Improved uniform design with other Emby apps

Install from USB Now Available

Please see our community for details: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/74969-samsung-tizen-install-from-usb/

If the app is not in the app store in your country, or if you'd like to try preview builds, you can now install from a USB drive.

Emby for Samsung Tizen TV Now Available for USB Installation

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 17:24:00 +0000

Please see our community for details: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/74969-samsung-tizen-install-from-usb/

If the app is not in the app store in your country, or if you'd like to try preview builds, you can now install from a USB drive.

Emby for Roku - Now with multi-language support

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 12:52:22 +0000

A new version of our Roku app has been rolling out and, in addition to several other quality, consistency and performance improvements, the app now supports a full array of language translations - even more than the Roku devices themselves do!

The default setting will follow your Roku device setting but, if you'd like a different language that the Roku itself doesn't support, you can select it in the options. Our translations are an ongoing community project. If you'd like to help, just sign on to OneSky and look for the "Emby" project (thanks in advance!).

In addition to language support, many behind the scenes and general functionality improvements have been made both enhancing the functionality in this app as well as bringing the presentation more in line with our other TV apps.

Some of the improvements include:
Better playback error handling
More consistent displays across the board
Improved image displays in folder views
Implement "Still Watching" for Live TV
Improved Genre views
Updates for upcoming server version
Various fixes for minor issues

Emby for Apple TV Now Ready for tvOS 13

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 16:54:59 +0000

A new update for our Apple TV app has just been released which makes the app compatible with both tvOS 12.4 and 13. As a bonus, you also get all of the following :

Brand New Home Screen

We've entirely re-written home screen. This gives you top level access to your Favorites, and an improved search.

In addition this new home screen includes the following improvements:
High quality images on Apple TV 4K
Better refreshing when content changes
Faster loading compared to the old screen
My Media "small" support
Live TV shortcuts
Now Playing menu option when music is playing

Brand New TV Library

We've entirely re-written the TV media type library. To summarize this includes all the features similar to the Movies library including:

High quality images on Apple TV 4K
Added episodes tab
Improved sorting, filtering, shuffle and play all support
Default screen from your settings is now respected by the Apple TV app
Faster loading
Generally aligned features and UI with other Emby apps

Brand New Music Library

We've entirely re-written the music library. To summarize this includes all the features similar to the Movies and TV libraries including:

High quality images on Apple TV 4K
Improved sorting, filtering, shuffle and play all support
Faster loading
Improved playlist rendering w/ album icons for mixed content within a play list
Generally aligned features and UI with other Emby apps including instant mix support

Miscellaneous improvements and changes
Default Movie screen from your settings is now respected by the Apple TV app
Shuffle support is available in the movies library
Playlists now support video content
When displaying start/end-time on the scrub bar it now respect your device settings
Updated MPV and FFMPeg to 4.1.3
Bitrate options now include additional options for those on Apple TV 4K devices
Group items into collections support added to Movies and TV libraries
Increase number of in progress items to 4 on the Top Shelf
Improved searching when using voice to text

Bug fixes
Fixed a bug that caused the app to hang on start up
Fixed a number of bugs that would cause the app to crash when entering the background during video playback
Fixed a bug on collection views (e.g. Movies) where scroll position would be lost after playback
Fixed a bug where movies and shows on the Genres view were not sorting properly
Fixed a number of miscellaneous bugs that were introduced in tvOS 12.4 and 13
Fixed a bug that prevented play/pause on a universal remote from being recognized when the Siri remote was disconnected
Fixed a bug that would cause the Record Settings button to appear twice
Fixed a bug where movie suggestions were not respecting their parent library
Fixed a bug that prevented unwatched episode counts from displaying

Emby Server 4.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 14:10:28 +0000

Improved Performance
The entire server and all apps will perform better than ever before. This includes general navigation, and in some cases starting media playback.

Faster Live TV Guide Refreshes
The guide refresh process on the server will be much faster now, and in many cases will now complete in several seconds or less.

Improved DVR Recordings
Reliability is improved, and we now have timestamp correction which will help make the recorded files more playable across a broader range of devices and media players.

Raspberry Pi Hardware Acceleration
OMX hardware encoding is now supported on Raspberry Pi !

Updated Themes
Our themes have been freshened up a little to take advantage of newer browser features (Chrome 76+, Edge Insider, MacOS Safari).

Updated Detail Screen
We've improved consistency with our other apps by refreshing the detail screen buttons.

You can always get to your next episode quickly using the new Play Next Up button:

MacOS Improvements

Emby Server now supports keeping MacOS awake while users are active on your server. The delete function has also been extended to support the MacOS recycle bin.

Emby for Kodi Updates

The entire Kodi sync process will be faster, and lighter on it's feet than ever before. The server plugin is now extremely lightweight and will consume only a minimal amount of resources.

Emby for Kodi users are suggested to update their Emby for Kodi add-ons to the latest version in order to take full advantage of the performance improvements.

Tags Now Clickable

If you use tags, you can now click them from media detail screens and quickly see other items using the same tags.

Other Improvements
Update GCC compiler for improved ffmpeg performance
Update to Sqlite 3.29.0
Add timestamp correction for live streams and recordings
Improve database performance
Improve performance by eliminating unneeded messaging between Emby Server and Emby apps.
Improve search performance
Support delete to recycle bin on MacOS
Implement MacOS prevent system sleep
Improve transcoding for interlaced video
Add image download language library setting
Freshen up themes to utilize new browser features (chrome 76, Edge insider)
Show all next up on series detail screen
Improve next up performance
Improve performance of serving .tbn image files
Improve Upcoming on TV section
Expand Chinese metadata language options
Redesign local network password configuration
Enable support for nef photos
Display zxx language code as No linguistic content
Improve release notes display
Add subtitle color settings to the web app
Improve image processing error handling
Improve Cover Art plugin error handling
Disable cuda filters on 32bit Windows
Supports subs and subtitles sub-folders for videos
Support file: prefix in m3u playlists
Delete failed subtitle file downloads
Add DfsrPrivate to ignored folder list
Add .thumb to ignored folder list
Add iPod Photo Cache to ignored folder list
Show channel name in dvr schedule
Improve cleanup of missing episodes
Improve track display titles for mobile downloaded media
Preserve original file names when downloading log files
Improve refreshing of backdrop images
Reduce sync related database queries
Fix duplicate movies/trailers in similar items
Improve Czech subtitle encoding handling
Add app info to ffmpeg logs
Support customizing referrer for m3u tuners
Android: Ignore incompatible RockChip OMX decoders
Improve performance of live tv guide refresh
Move Dvd folder support to pre-installed plugin
Improve ignore rules for WMC temp folders
Try to improve shuffle sorting
Add additional filters to list screens
Add hidden config switch to vacuum databases
Bug Fixes
Fix conflicts with other Dlna apps on Linux
Various cinema mode fixes
Various throttle feature fixes
Fix incorrect next up entries
Fix live streams occasionally being left open
Fix dynamic images not being replaced periodically
Fix some videos stopping early in the web app
Fix seasons being incorrectly renamed when using Identify feature on Series
Fix live tv channel block via tags
Fix lan ip being lost after a period of time on Windows
Fix filtering with multi-version videos
Fix multi-version videos not showing in collections
Fix xmltv quality tag parsing
Add parental control tag restriction mode option
Fix sample files not being ignored in certain situations
Fix live tv channel search
Fix for QSV encoding errors with HDR video sources
Fix multi-select requiring extra click to close
Fix failures when attempting to convert empty subtitle files
Fix add to playlist not showing consistent results as other playlist views
Fix convert deleting original files of same name as new file
Fix genre image aspect ratio detection
Fix Nvidia green video issues
Fix image extraction for 3D videos
Fix web page title during video playback
Fix AC/DC adding artist with |
Fix old guests not being able to change password
Fix + in artist name causing A-Z prefixes to not appear
Fix subtitle failure with unrecognized language in file name

Emby for iOS Updated with Home Screen Shortcuts

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 18:08:00 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.8.0 has been released and now supports iOS home screen shortcuts.

On supported devices you can now tap the icon and apply a little touch pressure, and you'll see a menu allowing you to jump straight into various sections of the app.

Other Improvements
Improve shuffling from list screens

Emby Server 4.2.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 18:12:00 +0000

Emby Server 4.2.1 is currently rolling out to address a few small issues with our 4.2 release. Here are the highlights:
Fix guide tab button colors on light themes
Fix refresh progress display of individual libraries
Fix collections not getting an image when locked
Fix sync using path substitution when it should not be
Fix crashes on Linux due to network event binding
Fix more button on live tv setup page
Fix erroneous constraint on sync table for new installations
Fix ffprobe crashes on Android
Various Firefox scrolling fixes
CinemaMode 1.0.22
Dlna 1.0.23
MovieDb 1.1.9
NfoMetadata 1.0.18
Tvdb 1.0.17

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.0.18 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 19:34:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for LG is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:

New Detail Screen Button Design

A new and improved detail screen design matches our layout in other Emby apps and makes the most important features easier to find.

Other Highlights
Improved subtitle playback
Improve sorting and filtering to match capabilities of other Emby apps
Improve navigation performance
Tags now displayed on detail screens

Emby for Android Mobile Updated with Improved Downloading

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:34:00 +0000

Emby for Android 3.0.73 is rolling out and contains a number of important fixes and improvements. Here are the highlights:
Fixed downloading to external SD cards
Improved download reliability
Improved reliability of camera upload feature
Fixed audio/video sync for certain videos

Emby for iOS Updated for iOS 13 and New Video OSD

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 19:33:00 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.8.3 has been released and includes compatibility updates for iOS 13. Here are some other highlights:
Collections now shown in search results
New Video OSD

You asked for bigger buttons that are easier to tap, and now you have them. Additionally the entire presentation has been cleaned up in order to make it as easy and intuitive as possible.

Emby for iOS Updated with New Audio and Remote Control OSD

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 17:42:00 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.8.5 has been released. Here are the highlights:
New audio OSD
New remote control OSD
Improve video OSD

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.0.19 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 18:34:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for LG is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:

New Video OSD

The new on-screen display provides a cleaner design while still giving you access to the most important information and controls.

Other Improvements
Various subtitle fixes for WebOS 1 & WebOS 2 devices
Add "Are you still watching?" feature

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.0.20 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 15:20:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for LG is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:
Resolve ass/ssa subtitle crash on WebOS 4.0 +
Various bug fixes within the video OSD

Emby for iOS Updated with Camera Upload Feature

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 17:49:00 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.8.7 has been released. Here are the highlights:

Upload Photos and Videos To Your Emby Server

With Camera Upload and Emby Premiere, you can automatically upload photos and videos to your Emby Server, just by enabling it in the iOS app settings.

If you'd like to configure where the photos and videos get uploaded to on your server, you can do this in the Camera Upload section of the Emby Server dashboard:

Enjoy uploading your photos and videos !

Emby Server 4.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 20:39:00 +0000

Emby Server 4.3 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

New Video OSD

The new design features big buttons and big graphics, making it easier and more fun to use.

New Audio OSD
Similar to the new Video OSD design, with different variations based on the type of screen you're playing from.

New Remote Control OSD

The updated design now shares many of the same features as the video OSD:
Big buttons
Support for thumbnails while seeking
As well as:
Clickable links - album, artist, series, etc.
Favorite icon to mark now playing media as a favorite
3-dot button to manipulate the now playing library item

Convert to HEVC

Our media conversion feature now supports converting to HEVC !

Conversion Queue Management

This is now a separate section in the server dashboard, and as a result should be much easier to find and use.

Simultaneous Video Stream Limits

This is configurable both system wide as a total limit, as well as individual user limits.

New Screen Saver Options

The Emby web app now includes three screen saver options for Emby Premiere users.
Emby logo screen saver
Backdrop screen saver
Photo screen saver
This is a great way to put your family photos on the screen when you're idling.

Included In

Now you can see what Playlists or Collections a Movie has been added to right from the Movie detail screen.

Are You Still Watching?

Now in the web app, and configurable at the bottom of the playback settings screen.

Other Improvements
Update to ffmpeg 4.3
Build Windows & MacOS with .NET Core 3.0
Utilize ReadyToRun feature with .NET Core 3.0 for faster startup time
Support TLS 1.3 with .NET Core 3.0
Add web app splash screen to provide user feedback in case of long loading times
Expand media conversion feature to allow selection of containers, video codecs, and audio codecs
Improve video start time when resuming
Allow plugins to have translation files
Restore counts on list screens
Adjust live stream automatic re-connection
Improve handling of UTF-8 null chars in ass/ssa subs
Scrolling fixes for older versions of Firefox
Move up subtitles in Chrome
Improve browser rendering of ASS/SSA subtitles
Add Collections to search results
Move Bluray folder support to plugin
Support .pef images
Improve detection of HEVC REXT profiles
Improve MacOS file deletion
Read artist tags from videos
Added Swiss parental ratings
Improve support for filenames starting with brackets
Add filters for missing external Id's
Improve transcoding reason display after direct play error
Reduce dlna and scheduled task logging to prevent keeping Synology systems awake
Support aspect ratio adjustment in web app video player
Handle urls with double encoding caused by old Dlna devices
Display Chinese subtitles display language as just Chinese
Reduce excess logging
Improve Android Server native UI
Allow multiple libraries using the same name
Bug Fixes
VAAPI: Fix data twist in HEVC profile map
DXVA: Fix 10bit profile detection
Fix detection of DirectX 11.1 availability
Fix QSV DirectX initialization
Fix Failed to create Direct3D device Error creating a QSV device
Fix embyserver.exe file icon for Windows
Fix mpeg4/divx/xvid transcoding with Android server
Fix GPU to CPU automatic fallback when transcoding to Chromecast
Various Subtitle transcoding fixes
Fix very rare hang when recording Live TV
Fix download transcoding of audio files with embedded images
Fix subtitle file names with convert feature
Fix occasional hangs in media conversion feature
Fix sync features using path substitution when it should not be
Fix multi-version grouping in mixed content libraries
Fix display of quote characters in device names
Fix ServerWMC recording playback
Add additional image processing error handling
Fix playlists folder always showing up for brand new server installations
Fix collections not generating an image when locked
Fix delete error response codes
Fix delete recordings from live tv plugins
Fix now playing bar transparency on dark green and dark red themes
Fix occasional live tv or recording server crash
Fix user data restore with backup plugin
Fix scroll position after editing images or metadata
Fix saving playlist xml when playlist names end with a period
Fix repeated scanning of external subtitles
Fix latest trailers sort order
Fix season counts being incorrect with multi-folder series
Fix audio stream copy with multiple audio streams
Fix date last episode added sorting to not be affected by dates of seasons
Fix error in ffmpeg filter string when burning in subtitles
Fix manual ungrouping of merged episodes
Fix extras with multi-version videos
Fix updating user images not immediately reflecting
Fix renaming library requiring full library scan

Emby for Apple TV 1.4.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 12:50:22 +0000

A new version of our Apple TV app is rolling out now. Your device should upgrade automatically. This version cleans up a few things and lays the groundwork for the next release which should have some long-awaited improvements. In this release:

New Features / Improvements:
Rebuilt the startup / login flow to better align with the other Emby applications. This should significantly improve the reliability of the startup / sign in process.
Apple TV Top Shelf Improvements:
Top Shelf is now updated when the app enters the foreground or when playback stops.
Top Shelf sections have been updated to align with the other Emby applications (Continue Watching, Next Up, Latest Movies)
Top Shelf images now match that of other Emby applications

Home screen now dynamically adds the Continue Watching section when appropriate
Movie Suggestions screen now dynamically adds the Continue Watching section when appropriate
Shows Suggestions screen now dynamically adds the Continue Watching section when appropriate

Improved internationalization support on most screens. This includes significantly more languages as well as improving consistency in naming where possible.

Bug Fixes:
Fixed an issue where backdrop images weren't included in the Continue Watching section of the home screen of the app
The app will no longer make requests for images that don't exist. This would cause server logs to be polluted with errors
Movie images for the Continue Watching section on the home screen have been corrected
Fixed an issue where a loader would display when backing out of music playback
Fixed a bug that prevented the Person Detail from displaying in newer server versions

Emby Server 4.3.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 18:04:00 +0000

Emby Server 4.3.1 is currently rolling out to address a few small issues with our 4.3 release. Here are the highlights:
Fix arm64 transcoding crashes
Fix stopping live streams killing recordings
Fix m3u tuners with m3u8 sources
Fix photo downloads
Fix missing PlaybackPositionTicks in PlaybackStart event (for Trakt plugin)
Fix server uninstaller
Fix changing audio tracks when remote controlling another app
Add black theme option
Improve light theme

Major Update to Emby for Android TV and Fire TV Rolling Out

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 13:25:09 +0000

The update for the Android TV and Fire TV apps rolling out now is a biggie. Lots of improvements in design, consistency and features so let's get right to it...

New Home Screen

The home screen is now much more consistent with the rest of the app and makes it much easier to get to features like search, settings, and switching between users as these are now at the top instead of all the way on the last row.

Also, there is a new option in Display Settings called "Enhanced Home Screen". This is actually the old "Show Info Panel" option re-named because it now transforms the home screen into the same interface you've had in the library views - where you can easily see all the details for the selected item without having to navigate into its detail page.

Global Favorites

Long requested and finally available with this home screen design - a global favorites view for all your favorite items across all your libraries.

New Audio Player Design

The audio player interface has been totally re-vamped to be just like the new improvements on the other platforms. Bigger, simpler, more elegant.

More Filtering in Grid Views

The Movie and TV Show grid views now offer much more filtering capability. The quick toggles for favorite and unwatched are still there but you can also bring up a filter dialog with more of the options you are accustomed to in the web app (and more to come in later releases).

Notice - you can also select multiple values from each of the filter categories.

Edit/Download Subtitles

Just sat down to watch something and realize it doesn't have the subs you need? Now edit, search for and download subtitles right from your couch (requires proper setup of Subtitle Downloaders).

Other Fixes and Improvements

In addition to all those great enhancements, the following items were added or addressed:
Add "included In" row on detail screen showing collections, playlists, etc.
Improve song display
Search for Artists instead of Album Artists in search
Update Exoplayer
Improve image loading
Fix collections limited to certain number of items
Implement "play from here" on video grid
Implement "add to playlist" for most items
Allow letter jump list to scroll
Option to show labels or not on all grid views
Fix some views not reacting to deleted items
Fix a number of possible "black screen on start" issues
Implement standard genre grid for music
Improve "On Now" row to show more relevant channels
Implement ability to edit padding on individual scheduled recordings
Fix unable to play item when audio cannot be mixed down locally
Implement seeking in audio player
Fix chapter OSD display issue
Add support for direct play of m4a
Add 4K indicator to guide
Implement "My Media Small" display
Add separate resolution switching option (in addition to frame rate)
Fix display of very long album/song names in list view

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.0.72 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 20:10:00 +0000

An update to Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TV is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

New Video OSD

The new design features big buttons and big graphics, making it easier and more fun to use.

New Audio OSD
Similar to the new Video OSD design, with different variations based on the type of screen you're playing from.

Other Improvements
Various subtitle and playback improvements
Improved search feature

Emby for iOS Updated with Improved Performance, New Themes and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 19:06:00 +0000

Emby for iOS 1.9.2 has been released. Here are the highlights:

Improved Performance

Scrolling performance in the app has improved considerably. The paging buttons are gone and you can now easily flick your way through large lists. The A-Z pickers have also been improved and will help you scroll through large libraries more easily.

Other Improvements
New Black theme option
Redesigned menu for add to Playlist and add to Collection
Various fixes and improvements for Camera Upload

Emby now available on Soundiiz

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 19:38:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce integration with Soundiiz !

How it Works

Once you have connected your Emby server to Soundiiz (be sure to have enabled external connection), it will be able to retrieve your audio playlists and also search in your library.

So that means you will be able to export your playlists from Emby to match them with Spotify, Apple Music (and many more, Soundiiz supports almost 40 music services) catalogs, having your playlists everywhere. Soundiiz also allows you to import playlists into Emby. We will match as much as possible your source data with tracks you have in your Emby audio library.

Soundiiz also supports favorite Artists, Tracks and Albums !

Head on over to Soundiiz at https://soundiiz.com to try it out, and as always, please make sure to leave your feedback so that we can continue to improve your experience.

Emby for LG Smart TVs 1.0.24 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 19:44:00 +0000

A new release of Emby for LG is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:

Included In

Now you can see what Playlists or Collections a Movie has been added to right from the Movie detail screen.

Are You Still Watching?

Now in the LG app, and configurable at the bottom of the playback settings screen.

Other Improvements
Resolve ass/ssa subtitle crash on WebOS 4.0 +

Emby Theater for Windows Updated With Improved Performance, Better HDR, and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 17:45:00 +0000

Emby Theater 3.0.11 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Improved Performance

Scrolling performance in the app has improved considerably. The paging buttons are gone and you can now easily flick your way through large lists. The A-Z pickers have also been improved and will help you scroll through large libraries more easily.

Better HDR

Backed by mpv 0.32, HDR playback has improved considerably in this new release.

Other Improvements
New Black theme option
Redesigned menu for add to Playlist and add to Collection

Installation
Windows Desktop: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html

Emby for Apple TV Updated with Improved playback and Live TV Guide

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 20 May 2020 15:01:00 +0000

A new release of our Apple TV app is rolling out now with improved playback for native-supported formats (mp4) and a much-improved Live TV guide experience. Should be hitting your devices soon.

New Features

Native Player

We've re-introduced the native tvOS player back into Emby. The native player supports dynamic range and refresh rates that the MPV-based player currently doesn't support. The native player is enabled by default but you can enable MPV by going into the settings as shown below:

Live TV Re-write

We've re-written all the Live TV screens in the app which include a grid-based EPG, better image handling and general alignment with the features of the web app. Here's a sneak peek at the screens:

Folder Screen Re-write

We've re-written our folder screens to align with similar capabilities of the Movies, TV and Live TV libraries. You'll see higher quality images, better sorting, filtering, and navigation options among other capabilities:

You'll also see similar improvements across other libraries like Music Videos.

Added a Photo Player

In previous versions of Emby you had to manually navigate photos and you had no way to play a slide show of photos. In this release we've added a photo player to simplify that process.

Bug Fixes / Minor Improvements:
Fixed a bug that prevented audio playback if there was no album art
Fixed a bug on the trailer detail view when there was no backdrop image
Fixed a bug that had chevrons and checkmarks displaying incorrectly in dark mode across the app
Fixed a bug where if you were on the detail of an item, went to the home screen and selected that same item in the Top Shelf it'd add another detail view to the stack and make you have to back out twice to dismiss it
Fixed a bug where Remember Me wouldn't properly toggle
Fixed a bug where the Resume button image wouldn't display after stopping and the detail screen refreshes
Fixed a bug where the Top Shelf would be empty while a recording was in progress when the recording was in the Movies library
Fixed a bug where a Movie Trailer view wouldn't load if it didn't have a background image
Fixed a bug where the proper image for the Live TV library wouldn't show
Remember Me changes now take effect the next time the app restarts to minimize the impact when changing the setting
Improved Home Screen refresh reliability
Improved login flows for better reliability
Changed the delete icon on the detail views to be a trash can
Changed the artist icon on the album detail view to match the Apple artist icon
Changed the select audio or versions icon to the Apple versions icon
Removed in-app restart capability due to a couple tvOS related bugs that result in the loss of refresh functionality

Emby for Roku Updated with a Major Face Lift

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 07:05:26 -0400

A major face-lift for the Roku app - bringing it more in line with the other apps - is on its way to your Roku device. 4.0 brings the familiar "tab" style interface to this app. Allowing you to easily move between views in a library and set your default landing page in each of them.

To set the default landing tab, simply enter a library and select the "cog" wheel at the top (or use the * button on your remote).

In addition to the new library interface, the music player has been updated to the new view seen in the other apps as well.

We hope you enjoy these long-awaited updates for our Roku app. Your device should update automatically when available.

Emby Now Available in the Mac App Store

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 15:27:20 -0400

We're pleased to announce our Emby Theater app is now available in the Mac App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/emby/id992180193?ls=1&mt=8

The app works very well as a desktop app for your Mac as well as an HTPC connected to your TV. Enjoy these screens below and check it out in the app store !

Emby for Apple TV 1.4.7 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 08:48:00 -0400

Internet no longer required to run

Most of the changes in this version are "under the hood" but the most significant thing you will notice is that a constant internet connection is no longer required for this app to function. Emby Premiere will still need periodic internet to validate but this app used to require a constant connection to function and no longer does.

Other changes and improvements:

New Features / Improvements:

App no longer requires the Internet to function

"mov_text" subtitles are now embedded on the Native Player.

Added play button support on Siri Remote to libraries

Fixed jerky scrolling behavior that was prevalent in most of the app but especially in grid-based views

Improved handling of missing episodes by adding a "MISSING" tag to episodes in a season and on specific episode detail view

App now respects Live TV access settings

App now respects Live TV Recording Management access settings

Folder items no longer display the tabs across the top

New Playback settings view that aligns with the web app

New Subtitles settings view that aligns with the web app (no subtitle appearance settings yet)

tvOS 13 Launch Screen updates:

The Launch Screen now respect the device Appearance (Dark / Light)

The "Starting Up..." screen has been replaced with a screen that looks identical to the Launch Screen creating a smoother experience

Instead of showing a white screen on startup (say when Internet is unavailable to validate a device) the Emby loading screen is persistent until those requests finish. Additionally, an activity indicator is present so the user knows something is happening.

Loaders are now present when selecting a server and a user so the user knows activity is taking place.

Select Version / Audio / Subtitles view has been re-written. With this update we've added a Resume button in addition to the play button

Now when you play an item in the middle of a playlist or music album it will continue playing the next item. In a previous version it would only play that one item

There is now a played indicator for items in a video playlist so you can tell if it's been watched or not

The Now Playing menu item is back. This was removed in previous releases due to a tvOS bug that would cause duplicate "Now Playing" and app crashes. Apple fixed this in tvOS 13.4.

DTS 5.1 audio is now correctly transcoded to AC-3

Bug Fixes:

Fixed a bug where a movie’s poster was shown in a thumb during a recording

Fixed a bug that prevented playing an active recording from detail when selected from the home screen

Fixed a bug that prevented playing an active recording directly from the home screen

Fixed a bug where an active recording wasn't showing the proper image

Fixed a bug where the Episode Detail view would show "undefined" when other episodes had no episode numbers

Fixed a bug in tvOS 14 where an error would display when backing out of playback

Fixed a number of bugs in the Live TV Guide that would cause app crashes

Fixed a bug where the Season Detail view would show "undefined" when an episode didn't have a number

Fixed a bug where the episode title would not display in the Info menu for the native player

Fixed a Top Shelf crash when image URLs did not exist for items

Fixed a bug that prevented podcast art from showing when using the Podcasts plugin

Fixed a bug where pressing back/menu from when selecting Instant Mix from an album detail would show a black loading screen

Fixed a bug where pressing back/menu from when selecting Instant Mix from an artist detail would show a black loading screen

Fixed a bug where pressing back/menu from shuffle on album detail would show a black loading screen

Fixed a bug where pressing back/menu from shuffle on artist detail would show a black loading screen

Fixed a bug where pressing back/menu from shuffle on albums, album artists, and songs tabs would show a black loading screen

Fixed a bug where pressing back/menu from play all on albums, album artists, and songs tabs would show a black loading screen

Fixed a bug where track numbers weren’t displaying properly

Fixed a bug where album that has been favorited would not show in UI

Fixed a bug where actor roles with quotes would show as HTML encoded quotes

Fixed a bug where network requests would fire for first tab in a Menu view even if it wasn’t your default

In the Channels view of Live TV if there is no channel number if previously displayed "undefined." Now it just displays the channel name if the channel number isn't defined.

Emby Server 4.5 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 15:00:25 -0400

Subtitle Offset

You can now adjust subtitle offsets directly in the web app video player.

Look for this in other Emby apps in the near future.

Playback Speed

You can now adjust playback speed directly in the web app video player.

Look for this in other Emby apps in the near future.

New Install & Update Process for Synology

Going forward, there is a new procedure for installing and updating Emby Server on Synology. Please follow the instructions on the download page of our website. This will bring the following benefits:

Built with .NET Core (no more mono runtime)

Improved support for hardware accelerated transcoding

Spk's will be available for download and manual installation like other platforms

Spk's for both the stable and beta releases will always be immediately available at the same time as other platforms.

Bugs Resolved

Fix Nvidia color conversion from mjpeg with yuvj422p
Fix Nvidia level calculation
Fix Live TV radio playback
Fix pageup/pagedown in Emby web app
Fix admin editing settings for other user
Fix transcoding of m4v files
Fix space bar during video playback with Vivaldi browser
Fix intermittent active recordings display problem
Fix multi-select refresh metadata
Fix automatic restart to avoid attempting to restart multiple times
Fix download jobs getting duplicated
Fix extras with multi-version movies
Fix adding playlist to a playlist
Fix season 0 items out of order
Fix manual metadata edits of movie extras being lost
Fix active sessions filter
Fix add to collections/playlists menu getting cut off in certain situations
Fix certain situations where an admin editing another user's profile would not be able to see all options
Fix H264 preset configuration
Fix rotation of dynamic images
Fix crash when uploading jfjf user image
Fix India and Kazakhstan parental ratings
Fix the list of available parental rating choices in the metadata editor when the library metadata language differs from the server default
Fix HD Homerun with TVHeadend
Fix second theme song being played in foreground
Fix occasional errant scrollbar on video detail screen
Fix configuring series settings right after creating series
Fix query with AlternateMediaSources
Fix rare transcoding failures when media info is absent
Fix cinema mode with local trailers that don't have a rating
Fix multi-select delete option not showing
Fix content type being lost for restored libraries
Fix videos that were split apart getting rejoined on next scan
Fix remote content (strm files) ignoring quality setting

Other Improvements

Support adjusting subtitle offset in web app video player
Support adjusting playback rate in web app video player
Update to .NET Core runtime 3.1.7
Re-activate http2 features
Improve scrolling performance in Live TV guide
Improve http server performance by consolidating layers of data flow
Improve database performance via index adjustments
Reduce database writes when saving new items and refreshing metadata
Improve conversion chances of downloaded txt format subtitles
Add mmal into ffmpeg builds for RPI
Handle multiple addresses in x-forwarded-for
Allow include tags to override parental rating restriction
Alac playback fixes
Opera browser playback fixes
API: require admin to get full server configuration
Improve image downloader presentation
Improve scrolling performance in Live TV guide
Support embedded creation_time in exif data for videos
API: Require admin rights to get all users list
API: Require admin rights to get list of detected hardware transcoders
Improve cleanup of missing episodes
Ignore unsupported subtitle formats when searching for downloads
Support other folder as alias to extras
Add au/ra artist exception
Support .aax audio files
Adjust backdrop image save file names
Support tags in people queries
Improve performance of adding to collections
Add audio language filters
Add subtitle language filters
Ignore @Recently-Snapshot for QNAP
Disable missing episodes for dvd and absolute order
Incorporate resume into Ends at display
Show music videos for artist
Add favorite channels
Improve codec selection when streaming with Edge browser
Minor freshening up of dark themes
Rtsp fixes
Add green subtitle color option
Don't download subtitles for disc placeholders
Improve Denmark rating options
Support yyyyMMdd episode by date format
Improve multi-version display names
Improve recovery from bad image urls
Allow left menu to be pinned as a sidebar
Allow left menu sections to be collapsible
Various fixes for adding items to playlists
Avoid duplicate terms in version display name
Support backdrops on list screen
Remove background overlay from context menus

Emby Server 4.5.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 14:21:57 -0400

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out to address a few small issues with the 4.5 release. Here are the changes:

Resolve install failures on certain Synology NAS models

Fix include by tags feature returning incorrect content in certain situations

Fix SSL http2 errors on Windows 8 & 2012

Fix connection issues when used with HAProxy

Fix local network address detection causing virtual adapters to be preferred

Don't try to schedule wakes when running as windows service

Fix audio podcast playback on mono-based platforms

Update MovieDb plugin to 1.3.7

Emby Server 4.5.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 11:59:05 -0400

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out to address a few small issues with the 4.5 release. Here are the changes:

Resolve slow file read/write performance on Windows

Emby for Apple TV Updated with Improved HDR and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:18:09 -0400

Emby for Apple TV 1.4.9 has been released with improved support for HDR ! Here are the highlights:

Improved support for HDR

Support in-app AV1 video decoding

Implement support for tvOS 14 search suggestions

On episode detail use the series logo as the hero image.

Emby for macOS Updated with Improved HDR and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 11:45:06 -0500

Emby for macOS 1.9.9 has been released. Here are the highlights:

Fix screen turning off during video playback

Fix fuzzy app icon

Support subtitle offset control during video playback

Support playback speed control during video playback

Support downloading subtitles during video playback

Improve HDR video support

Support decoding AV1 video in-app

Media Info display is now TV mode friendly

Brighter detail screen backdrops

Emby for iOS Updated with CarPlay, Improved HDR and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 13:02:26 -0500

Emby for iOS 1.9.9 has been released. Here are the highlights.

New Apple CarPlay Support

This is a treat for our Emby Premiere users. Now you can take advantage of Apple CarPlay while you're on the road.

Other Improvements

Improved HDR playback

Support in-app AV1 decoding

Added camera upload photo folder selection

Support playback speed and subtitle offset selection

Media Info display is now TV mode friendly

Brighter detail screen backdrop when used on larger screens

Support downloading subtitles during video playback (requires Emby Server 4.5.1+)

Emby Server Now Available for Additional Western Digital NAS Devices

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 14:06:37 -0500

We now have packages for twelve Western Digital NAS models, where previously we had just four. The supported models are now:

My Cloud DL2100

My Cloud DL4100

My Cloud PR2100

My Cloud PR4100

My Cloud EX2

My Cloud EX2100

My Cloud EX2 Ultra

My Cloud EX4100

My Cloud Mirror Gen 1

My Cloud Mirror Gen 2

My Cloud Gen 1

My Cloud Gen 2

Download

https://emby.media/western-digital-server.html

Everything is self-contained within the package so there are no dependencies. We use the .NET core runtime on models that support it, otherwise we use the mono runtime. Enjoy !

Emby for Android Updated with Improved Android Auto, HDR, and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 13:12:04 -0500

Emby for Android 3.1.60 is currently rolling out to the Google Play Store, and is also available for download on our website if apk's are needed.

Highlights

Revamp audio and video playback

Improve HDR video support

Add refresh rate switching option for video playback

Add speed control to video player

Added camera upload photo folder option

Improve voice search support with Android Auto

Support search with google assistant

Support subtitle offset feature (including now with Chromecast)

Support play queue management with remote control (works now with Chromecast, requires Emby Server 4.6+ to control other emby apps)

Support downloading subtitles during video playback (requires Emby Server 4.5.1+)

Brighter detail screen backdrop when used on larger screens

Improve automatic fallback from hardware decoding to software decoding

Media Info display is now TV mode friendly

Update android task switcher icon

Fix direct play/transcoding status for audio file playback in Emby Server dashboard

Emby Server 4.5.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 14:37:40 -0500

Emby Server 4.5.3 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

New Search Experience

New search for mobile and desktop layouts. Improvements over previous search:

There's now a Top Results section which provides a truly global search, something we didn't have before

You can see all the different types of items that matched the search, and filter by type

The type categories are now ordered by search relevance, whereas previously they were just hard-coded

Mobile version:

Download Subtitles During Video Playback

There's a new search for subtitles option in the subtitles menu of the video player:

Click that and you'll get the subtitle search dialog that you're already accustomed to:

Select one to download and the dialog will close, and your new subtitles will show up immediately and also embedded into the subtitle menu:

Add to Playlists and Collections with Drag and Drop

This should make adding to collections and playlists a little more fun. You'll notice that collections and playlists are now in the sidebar:

If you pin the sidebar to make it always visible, now you can drag and drop content to add them to your collections and playlists:

You can drag just about anything, from posters, to list items, to individual text links such as the artist name underneath a song:

And this will add everything for that artist.

This should help make building your holiday playlists and collections more fun than ever, and it all works with touch input as well.

Add to Play Queue with Drag and Drop

Just drag something onto the now playing bar such as a poster:

As soon as you hover over, you'll see this:

But you can drag logs of other things too, such as list items:

Or even text links from posters or list items. For example, drag the whole item to queue that item, or drag one of the text links to queue the artist, album, etc.:

And most important of all, it works with touch input.

Other Improvements

Support clicking individual text items in list items

Support add to play queue with drag and drop

Support add to playlists and collections with drag and drop

Add profile checking for MP2Video hardware decoders

Improve subtitle track selection when always show subtitles is selected

Prevent ffmpeg hw processing of 10bit when device doesn't support it

Add Nvidia NVDEC decoder variant for HEVC

VAAPI: Use color formats from detection

Improve detail screen backdrop display

Reduce messaging from server to android and iOS apps causing the app background processes to run

Show songs on artist detail screen

Support downloading subtitles during video playback

Update same time recording threshold to 15 minutes

Improve ability of other devices to discover emby server

New search interface for mobile and desktop

Add top results section to search

Improve searching for songs using album name

Expand artist split whitelist

Add http version to server log

Bug Fixes

Fix play all/shuffle on collections comprised of folders

Various fixes for codec level detection

Fix interlaced video being incorrectly stream copied with HLS

Fix remote play of playlists being sorted by name

Fix webp image support not being used in certain cases

Fix repeated subtitle downloads of .sub format

Fix undefined dlna display name

Fix channel logos intermittently disappearing while scrolling the guide in Firefox

Fix incorrect iOS scroll after cancelling context menu

Fix artists added to collections not showing

Emby Server 4.5.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 14:31:19 -0500

Emby Server 4.5.4 is currently rolling out to address a few small issues with the previous release. Here are the highlights:

Fix regression in 4.5.3 causing slow browsing and search performance in certain situations

Fix regression in 4.5.2 causing incorrect items to be queued to conversion tasks

Fix Nvidia HEVC level detection

Emby for Apple TV 1.5.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:03:03 -0400

An update to Emby for Apple TV is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights:

tvOS user support. App data is now stored per user on Apple TV

MPV is now the default player when the app is freshly installed

Filtering by favorite Live TV Channels is now available in the Channels tab of Live TV

You can now sort Live TV Channels in the Channels tab of Live TV

Live TV, Movies, Shows, Music and Home search screens have been updated to align with the webapp. You may see additional item types returned on these screens now

TV Channels and Songs now display on the Home favorites menu

Improved handling of Genres, Studios and Tags in search results

Native Player

Audio content in M4A containers should direct play

Program information when playing a channel is displayed in the OSD

Live TV Info in the OSD refreshes automatically

If you're controlling the app remotely you can now mute / unmute

MPV

MPV now uses "bwdif" for when playing interlaced content.

Program information when playing a channel is displayed in the OSD

Live TV Info in the OSD refreshes automatically

Tabs in OSD now match the orderding of the native player

Tabs in OSD are now hidden when appropriate instead of disabled to match native player

Look and feel updates to OSD and transport/seek bar to match native player

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug that prevented Live TV Series recording settings from being changed

Fixed a bug in MPV where the menu button would not work to stop playback

Fixed a bug that stopped playback when using MPV when invoking Control Center

Fixed a bug that prevented the ability to change music quality settings

Emby for iOS Updated with Improved CarPlay Support and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 14:57:56 -0400

Emby for iOS 2.0.3 has been released. Here are the highlights:

Improved CarPlay browsing

Fix duplicate devices displayed in Emby Server activity

Various subtitle fixes

Add support for multi-select filtering

Fix genre screen occasionally being empty depending on where you came from

Restore death date on person detail screen

Improve dynamic data refreshing on detail screen

Add home videos landing screen option

Emby for Android TV and Fire TV 2.0 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 03 May 2021 10:43:34 -0400

Version 2.0 of our popular Android TV and Fire TV apps are rolling out to stores now. This version brings many internal improvements for playback and also supports the new features in the upcoming 4.6 release of the server. Your device should update automatically when available.

Improved Subtitle Support

These apps can now natively render most types of advanced subtitles (Dual Layer PGS/SSA etc.) with full formatting and multiple sub placements without requiring the server to transcode or burn in.

With supported external subtitles you can also adjust the placement and time offset of the subtitle display.

Improved Playback

We've implemented several customizations to the Google player the app utilizes that provide us with even more direct play in more situations and also simplified some of the playback options to allow you to choose how your media plays.

Tags View

You can now see tags for movies and albums on their detail page and also view other items with the same tags by clicking on them. Tags are also returned in search results.

Artist Songs

Directly view and access songs right from an artist page.

4.6 Server Support

Version 2.0 of these apps fully support some of the new features coming in the 4.6 server release like channel grouping, improved channel logos and an improved Continue Watching display.

Other Enhancements and Fixes

In addition to the above, many more improvements and small fixes have been made. Including:

Fix play from grid when folder browsing music

Increase size of cast on OSD

Tweak default background

Update translations

Fix stream copy for interlaced content (requires server 4.6)

Increase playlist and album limits to 1500

No longer try to auto play from "Play Next" channel

Fix series date display in folders

Fix bad price display in purchase screen

Add send logs to video playback menu

Force player interface to LTR presentation

Group by tags in channel grid (requires server 4.6)

Implement filter by tags in TV guide (requires server 4.6)

Simplify filter selection (fewer clicks)

Fix shuffling video playlist

Implement playlist and collection tabs in library for 4.6 server

Remove collections from individual genre display

Align EQ animation with other apps

Improve list screen in Apple TV theme

Allow screen saver during pause (except for live TV)

Implement new search

Improve hi-res flac audio

Add a default poster size setting

Make library prefs a popup for better navigation (can back out)

Make library cog button a menu for app or library settings

Add "All Items" button to Collection screen

Add music videos to Artist view

Allow converting dts-hd and not plain dts

Indicate https in SFN when using SSL

Implement play options from music genre

Improve spinner layout

Adjust home screen layout settings for server 4.6

Fix DTS HD badge not always showing properly

Indicate in SFN when software audio decoding is occurring

Clarify display HDR support labels

RTL fixes

Fix play first unwatched on some series

Implement subtitle offset (external subs only)

Improve play next up button when no next up episode

Improve usability of DTS options

Simplify audio option

Fix crash on startup on non-standard boxes

Add new "Extra Info" option and reduce clutter by default

Emby Server 4.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 21 May 2021 14:01:00 -0400

Emby Server 4.6 is currently rolling out. Here are the highlights.

Rewritten Music Scanning

This 4.6 release will rescan your music library. We apologize if this causes any inconvenience. This solves a lot of our previous music-related shortcomings, specifically:

Any folder structure now accepted, no matter how clean or dirty

Albums are now fully tag driven and are no longer tied to folders

Local metadata for albums will still be supported, and local metadata for artists will be back as well. This will be the only feature of a music library that will require a predictable folder structure. If you enable these options you'll need to have an artist\album\track folder structure, otherwise you'll likely end up seeing nfo files and images in unexpected places. You'll need to use your music library options to indicate your music folder structure if you'd like to use local artwork.

Preserve original order of tagged genres, artists, album artists, tags, etc.

Support multiple musicbrainz id's tagged on songs and albums

Support for composers

Library metadata options for artists now working again (and still working for albums)

The Folders tab is now an actual folder view and will work properly as such

Music Composer Support

This was mentioned above, but if your audio files are tagged with composer values, then you'll now see a new Composers tab in your music library:

Improved Database and User Interface Performance

All Emby apps should feel snappier than ever thanks to a plethora of new improvements in your Emby server database.

Reworked Collection Storage Model

Collections have now been reworked to be based on the set tag in your nfo files (if you use nfo). The popular AutoBoxSets plugin is now a built-in feature:

HDR Tone Mapping When Transcoding

Check out the new options in the server transcoding menu!

If you have a server machine powerful enough, you can now enjoy tone mapping when transcoding. No more washed out colors !

Combined Next Up and Continue Watching

Hopefully this is not a controversial one, but our out of box behavior is now a Netflix-style Continue Watching list, with everything together:

If you prefer the old Next Up section, you can use your Emby user home screen settings to add it back as a configuration section.

New Live TV Channel Management Screen

This is a new WMC-inspired channel management screen that will allow you to quickly disable channels you don't want, drag and drop re-order, edit channel names, channel numbers, and map channels to guide data.

Just click on a channel to edit the options:

Support for Live TV Channel Groups (via Tags)

Use the above editor to add tags to channels, and now you'll see a new Tags tab in your Live TV section.

Automatic importing of groups in m3u tuners is also supported.

You can even group your channel display into Tags if desired:

Improved Performance of Live TV Guide Refresh

The live tv guide refresh process for all live tv should be slightly improved (5-10% faster). But if you're using xmltv guide data, you can expect major, dramatic improvements in the neighborhood of about 70% faster. To give you an example of the improvement, on a guide with 4000 channels, the guide data refresh has gone from roughly 2.5 hours to 45 minutes.

Multiple Channel Logo Support

Using Emby Guide Data, the server now downloads multiple logos per channel in different colors. This way our apps can choose the most appropriate logo based on your chosen color scheme in the user interface.

If you don't use Emby Guide Data, you can still configure these logos manually using the image editor.

Multi-Select List Items

Lists now have the same multi-select management features that you've already grown accustomed to in poster views.

Multi-Select Filtering

When you filter by genres, tags, studios and other criteria, you can now select multiple.

New User Profile Options to Control Remembering Track Selections

For both audio and subtitles, you can now control whether or not track selections are remembered, as well as clear your remembered tracks anytime you wish.

New Field Display Options

The 3-dot menu above lists has been enhanced to allow new fields to be displayed:

This allows you to see ratings in lists if desired.

New and Improved Image Editor

It comes with the following improvements:

Dedicated options to set an image from a url

All image slots visible in the editor to allow you to easily see what can be customized

Easy drag and drop backdrop reordering

New Live Button in Live TV Guide

As you scroll ahead in time, now you can easily jump back to the live time with the press of a button.

Live TV Programs Grouped in Suggestions and Search

You'll now see Shows and Movies grouped as one single entry, rather than separate entries for every single airing.

When you click on a show, you'll then see all of the showing for it:

This will make it easier to find shows and movies that you'd like to watch and record.

Improved Single Channel Screen Display

The single channel listings not only perform better, but now also display much more information than before.

Remove from Continue Watching

Would you like to get something out of continue watching, but without having to lose your watch progress? Now you can:

This will remove it from the Continue Watching menu, and it will reappear if you start watching again.

Context Menu Improvements

The addition of the title and poster should help make the menus a little more fun to use.

Improved DLNA Support

DLNA fans will appreciate the following enhancements:

Improved device discovery

Improved ability for other devices to discover your Emby Server

Greater compatibility with more devices

More efficient communications, less chatter on your network between Emby Server and your devices

Auto-detection of supported audio and photo formats. No profiles needed if your device is also a digital media renderer (DMR) ! Supporting this for video playback is a much more complex task but we plan to incorporate this in future updates.

Other Improvements

Support multi-select remove from playlist/collection

Improve Linux QuickSync support

Adjust extracted images for HDR videos

Add favorites to context menu

Add mark played to context menu

Run sqlite optimize on server shutdown

Unify live tv channel sorting options in all places (guide, channels tab, on now, etc)

Rework display of locked fields in metadata editor

Support special episodes in Continue Watching & Play All

Add hidden config switch to optimize databases on shutdown

Improve detection of supported formats for Dlna devices

Include all subtitle streams with conversion and download features, when possible

Prefer D3D11 QuickSync codecs by priority

Add h264_mmal decoder

Improve 3D detection from file names

Support SXXEXX episode numbers in xml tv guide data

Ensure proper handling of yuv422p10 color format

Improve Dlna device detection

Significantly reduce Dlna message chatter with devices on the network

Support series-id tags from xmltv

Support discnumber audio tag in addition to disc

Make determination of series recording path a little smarter about finding existing series in the library

Restore death date on person detail screen

Default folder browsing to list when all items are audio tracks

Improve dynamic data refreshing on detail screen

Add adult metadata library option

Move option to save metadata as hidden files to per-library option

Sanitize data from metadata editor to prevent accidental user error such as trailing spaces

Update scheduled task logging to try and avoid preventing Synology NAS servers from being able to sleep

Improve MMAL codec support

Improve Roku remote control support

Rework device access with new user permission to hide users from login screens on devices they've never signed into before

Support episode backdrops in season folder

Support extras in playlists

Add HDR info to video stream titles

Check first IP address of x-forwarded-for

Have real-time monitor ignore .DS_Store

Prefer Artist tag over Artists when there is only one artist

Improve handling of invalid content-type header when downloading images

Add home videos landing screen option

Support clicking individual text items in list items

Add profile checking for MP2Video hardware decoders

Support playback speed control during audio playback

Add button to clear filters when no results are returned

Add Nvidia NVDEC decoder variant for HEVC

VAAPI: Use color formats from detection

Prevent ffmpeg hw processing of 10bit when device doesn't support it

Support EP.01 episode naming

Resolve slow file read/write performance on Windows

Improve recovery from invalid configuration in the lan networks setting

Improve detail screen backdrop display

Make media info visible accessible in TV display mode

Reduce messaging from server to android and iOS apps causing the app background processes to run

Show songs on artist detail screen

Add delete, download and preview functions to external subtitle tracks in media info section

Support downloading subtitles during video playback

Support manipulating the play queue of remote controlled players

Update same time recording threshold to 15 minutes

Improve local network address detection

Block windows 8 & 2012 from using http2

Add http version to server log

Improve subtitle track selection when always show subtitles is selected

Expand artist split whitelist

Improve ability of other devices to discover emby server

New search interface for mobile and desktop

Add top results section to search

Improve searching for songs using album name

Bug Fixes

Fix rare case of tuner being left open following a recording with a series whose name ends in a dot

Fix episode images being saved with incorrect file name

Fix custom collection images reverting to default auto-generated images

Fix repeated unzipping in xmltv provider, causing excess disk space to be consumed

Fix genre screen occasionally being empty depending on where you came from

Add additional fixes for downloading txt format subtitles

Fix odd, alternating behavior when refreshing metadata while replacing images

Fix incorrect conversion job status being reported when converting

Various fixes for codec level detection

Fix key presses affecting video OSD while popup dialogs are open and have focus

Fix remote control restarting playback in some cases

Fix custom genre images being replaced

Fix play all/shuffle on collections comprised of folders

Fix successful audio conversions misinterpreted as failures

Fix Nvidia HEVC level detection

Fix interlaced video being incorrectly stream copied with HLS

Fix remote play of playlists being sorted by name

Fix webp image support not being used in certain cases

Fix repeated subtitle downloads of .sub format

Fix undefined dlna display name

Fix channel logos intermittently disappearing while scrolling the guide in Firefox

Fix incorrect iOS scroll after cancelling context menu

Fix artists added to collections not showing

Emby Server 4.6.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 25 May 2021 12:51:41 -0400

A small update to our 4.6 release is currently rolling out to address a few minor issues that came up. Here are the highlights:

Resolve sporadic database locked errors (may require an additional server restart)

Various fixes related to non-standard episode naming

Fix library options sometimes appearing to not save

Fix regression in xmltv series identification (requires running the live tv guide refersh)

Fix clicking see all on next up showing an empty list

Fixes for GameBrowser

Fix multi-select remove from playlist when removing the same track with multiple selections

Improve metadata editor lock icon

You can learn about the original 4.6 release here:

Emby Server 4.6.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:43:49 -0400

A small update to our 4.6 release is currently rolling out to address a few minor issues that came up. Here are the highlights:

Fix incorrect season 0 content showing in series next up list

Fix queries by album ids not respecting user library access

Fix sessions getting dropped from active devices display when the server admin has restricted their own remote control access of other devices

Fix detail screen for light themes

Fix legacy next up not respecting library access

Fix incorrect horizontal scroll position after using metadata editor

Fix year not showing in search results

Fix special episode sorting

Fix sporadic duplicated backdrop image

Improve support for following redirects when downloading xmltv

Improve release date sorting

You can learn about the original 4.6 release here:

Emby Server 4.6.3 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 11:41:26 -0400

A small update to our 4.6 release is currently rolling out to address a few minor issues that came up. Here are the highlights:

Fix web app playback regressions of videos that successfully played in previous server version

Fix sporadic cases of audio playback stopping in the web app

Fix sporadic cases of subtitle burn in not working

Update sort by date last episode added to not be affected by virtual items in the database

Fix Synology dashboard showing Emby Server as stopped when it is still running

Fix album items being added to playlist alphabetically

Fix transcoding audio channels for converted files using the convert media feature

You can learn about the original 4.6 release here:

Emby Server 4.6.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 16:11:49 -0400

A small update to our 4.6 release is currently rolling out to address a few minor issues that came up. Here are the highlights:

Resolve cause of sporadic database locked errors

Fix graphic subs burn-in with tone mapping on qsv

You can learn about the original 4.6 release here:

Emby Server for Synology DSM7 Now In Synology Package Center

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 12:51:53 -0400

For those running the Emby Server stable release, now you can install directly from Synology Package Center:

This is the easiest possible method of installation. Please note the Synology Package Center version of Emby Server may sometimes run a little behind due to the Synology review process. For this reason we'll still be making downloads available on our website for manual installation:

https://emby.media/download

Emby for iOS Updated With Apple Watch Support, Improved CarPlay and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 12:13:11 -0400

Emby for iOS 2.0.9 has been released and now includes Apple Watch support! Enjoy the following features directly on your Apple Watch:

Play music on your Apple Watch

Control playback of your iOS device from Apple Watch

The new release also includes improved CarPlay support, new options for control of subtitle appearance, and more.

Emby Server 4.6.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 12:25:05 -0500

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out, and this is largely a bug fix maintenance release while we work on new features for future updates. Here is the list of improvements and issues resolved:

Fixes

Fix outgoing SSL errors on some Linux distros

Fix android server database errors on deletion

Fix android server ffmpeg errors on android 11

Fix android server SSL errors with fanart.tv

Fix QuickSync HW overlay with tone mapping

Fixes for Apple TV top shelf content

Fix cbr books sending wrong mime type

Fix transcoding throttling not occurring with Chromecast

Fix classic image series extraction

Fix music album parsing error when album name is ()

Fix folder images getting replaced when not saving images in media folders

Fix identify feature with music videos

Fix episodes with season numbers greater than 200

Fix scaling of wrong-sized graphical subtitles

Fix incorrect hw context indication for D3D11VA decoders

Fix artists inheriting genres from albums when they shouldn't

Fix detection of video stream vs. embedded image

Other Improvements

Add south African ratings

Improve camera upload error handling

Improve efficiency of real-time monitor

Improve DSD audio support over DLNA

Allow for higher audio stream copy bitrate

Support subs and subtitles folder case-insensitive

Update album/song links with Included In section

Set subtitle filename when downloading subtitle files to the browser

Add Italian ratings

Always record episodes when the option to check existing library is not selected

Adjust recording image save behavior for series episodes that are sports

Don't convert really large images to webp

Support audio description and studio from copyright tag

Support wm/year and original year tags

Improve same subnet detection

Add paths to log file for reference

Allow deleting albums and artists

Avoid resetting real-time monitor to parent folder when possible

Improve series grouping in mixed content

Remove rejection of large camera uploads to allow any file size

Support .mid audio files

Support sort_with embedded sort title for videos

Prevent split button on missing episode detail screen

Emby Server 4.6.7 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 12:28:34 -0500

A new release of Emby Server is currently rolling out, and this is largely a bug fix maintenance release while we work on new features for future updates. Here is the list of improvements and issues resolved:

Fix regression with local network multiple subnet detection

Improve cleanup of transcoding processes

Emby for Android 3.2.43 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 13:14:00 -0400

Emby for Android 3.2.43 has been released. We hope you enjoy some of new features!

Visual Timeline Seeking including Thumbnail Graphics
Included in our new 3.2.43 release is support for visual seeking. You can Rewind, Fast Forward or Jump to any position in the timeline
quickly and easily. Best of all our thumbnails graphics help you pin-point the scene you want to re-watch or queue up.

The above picture shows how easy it is to find a scene you want to watch. You even get the chapter name embedded in the thumbnail picture.

Speaking of which, Chapters make use of our thumbnail graphics as well with their own set of information and use of graphics.

The above screenshot shows the use of Thumbnail graphics in our Chapter selector available from the easy to use OSD menu. This screen
demonstrates how easy it is to view the Name, Starting Time as well as Thumbnail showing the action taking place at the start of the Chapter.

Improvement to Audio On Screen Display (OSD)
You can now toggle the play queue on and off, allowing you to choose between seeing the list, or just the artwork.
This change makes room for additional space needed for a new user requested feature that is quite popular.

New Use of Graphics Elements

This release of Emby for Android uses additional graphical elements in subtle ways that sure to please. It still has the classy interface you've
come to love but uses additional graphics in a modest manner giving it an elegant and refined look.

The screenshot above demonstrates this with a change from a text based movie title to the graphical logo version shown. Pretty sweet!
Of course that's not all.

Releasee 3.2.43 has additional new features including:

Addition of a Resume Rewind Playback Option

Additional Info in the OSD including Chapter, On Now and a Guide for Live TV

Newly added Support for A-Z Picker with Descending Order

New Support for A-Z Picker when Sorting by Album or Album Artist

New Subtitle Background Color and Opacity Options to make Subtitles Easier to View

Improved Audio Book Detail Screen

Updates to the Top Tab Design to be More Discoverable and Easier to Use

Improved Performance of Playlist Detail Screen

Improvements for HDR Playback

Various Subtitle Improvements

Emby For iOS 2.1.3 Released Featuring Timeline Seeking and Thumbnails

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 12:41:01 -0400

Emby For iOS 2.1.3. Has Been Released, Featuring New Timeline Seeking and Thumbnails Graphics!

Visual Timeline Seeking including Thumbnail Graphics
Included in our new 2.1.3. release is support for visual seeking. You can Rewind, Fast Forward or Jump to any position in the timeline
quickly and easily. Best of all our thumbnails graphics help you pin-point the scene you want to re-watch or queue up.

The above pictures shows how easy it is to find a scene you want to watch. You even get the chapter name embedded in the thumbnail picture.

Speaking of which, Chapters make use of our thumbnail graphics as well with their own set of information and use of graphics.

The above screenshot shows the use of Thumbnail graphics in our Chapter selector available from the easy to use OSD menu. This screen
demonstrates how easy it is to view the Name, Starting Time as well as Thumbnail showing the action taking place at the start of the Chapter.

Improvement to Audio On Screen Display (OSD)
You can now toggle the play queue on and off, allowing you to choose between seeing the list, or just the artwork.
This change makes room for additional space needed for a new user requested feature that is quite popular.

New Use of Graphics Elements

This release of Emby for iOS uses additional graphical elements in subtle ways that sure to please. It still has the classy interface you've
come to love but uses additional graphics in a modest manner giving it an elegant and refined look.

The screenshots above demonstrates this with a couple simple changes from a text based titles to the graphical logos. Pretty sweet!
Of course that's not all.

Release 2.1.3. has additional new features including:

Fixed intermittent app crashes on device rotation during video playback

Addition of a Resume Rewind Playback Option

Additional Info in the OSD including Chapter, On Now and a Guide for Live TV

Newly added Support for A-Z Picker with Descending Order

New Support for A-Z Picker when Sorting by Album or Album Artist

New Subtitle Background Color and Opacity Options to make Subtitles Easier to View

Improved Audio Book Detail Screen

Updates to the Top Tab Design to be More Discoverable and Easier to Use

Improved Performance of Playlist Detail Screen

Various Subtitle Improvements

Emby For iOS 2.1.5 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 11:12:40 -0400

iOS 2.1.5 Has Been Released

This is a follow up release to the recent Emby For iOS 2.1.3. Released, Featuring: Timeline Seeking & Thumbnails release.

We wanted to get this out to you as quickly as possible.
This release features a resolution to:

An Intermittent Loss of Audio Issue that Manifests When Audio is Transcoded.

This release also contains a minor fix for:

Problem with Scrolling on Certain Server Management Screens.
You can now scroll fluently from top to bottom of management screens found on the Emby Server Tab.

Please install this maintenance release at your earliest convenience.

You can follow Emby iOS development as well as report any issues on our community forum site:
https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/94-ios/

Emby For MacOS 2.1.4 Has Been Released, Featuring New Timeline Seeking

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:01:00 -0400

Emby For MacOS 2.1.4. Has Been Released, Featuring New Timeline Seeking and Thumbnails Graphics!

Visual Timeline Seeking including Thumbnail Graphics
Included in our new 2.1.4. release is support for visual seeking. You can Rewind, Fast Forward or Jump to any position in the timeline
quickly and easily. Best of all our thumbnails graphics help you pin-point the scene you want to re-watch or queue up.

The above pictures shows how easy it is to find a scene you want to watch. You even get the chapter name embedded in the thumbnail picture.

Speaking of which, Chapters make use of our thumbnail graphics as well with their own set of information and use of graphics.

The above screenshot shows the use of Thumbnail graphics in our Chapter selector available from the easy to use OSD menu. This screen
demonstrates how easy it is to view the Name, Starting Time as well as Thumbnail showing the action taking place at the start of the Chapter.

Improvement to Audio On Screen Display (OSD)
You can now toggle the play queue on and off, allowing you to choose between seeing the list, or just the artwork.
This change makes room for additional space needed for a new user requested feature that is quite popular.

New Use of Graphics Elements

This release of Emby for Mac uses additional graphical elements in subtle ways that sure to please. It still has the classy interface you've
come to love but uses additional graphics in a modest manner giving it an elegant and refined look.

The screenshots above demonstrates this with a couple simple changes from a text based titles to the graphical logos. Pretty sweet!
Of course that's not all.

Release 2.1.4. has additional new features including:

Fixed intermittent app crashes on device rotation during video playback

Addition of a Resume Rewind Playback Option (Server version 4.7+ required)

Additional Info in the OSD including Chapter, On Now and a Guide for Live TV

Newly added Support for A-Z Picker with Descending Order

New Support for A-Z Picker when Sorting by Album or Album Artist

New Subtitle Background Color and Opacity Options to make Subtitles Easier to View

Improved Audio Book Detail Screen

Updates to the Top Tab Design to be More Discoverable and Easier to Use

Improved Performance of Playlist Detail Screen

Various Subtitle Improvements

Here's a couple more screenshots showing different overlays on the OSD.

Emby for Windows Store - 1.1.409 Released, New Timeline Seeking and More

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 10:28:53 -0400

Emby for Windows Store - 1.1.409 Has Been Released, Featuring New Timeline Seeking and Thumbnails Graphics!

Visual Timeline Seeking including Thumbnail Graphics
Included in our new 1.1.409 release is support for visual seeking. You can Rewind, Fast Forward or Jump to any position in the timeline
quickly and easily. Best of all our thumbnails graphics help you pin-point the scene you want to re-watch or queue up.

The above pictures shows how easy it is to find a scene you want to watch. You even get the chapter name embedded in the thumbnail picture.

Speaking of which, Chapters make use of our thumbnail graphics as well with their own set of information and use of graphics.

The above screenshot shows the use of Thumbnail graphics in our Chapter selector available from the easy to use OSD menu. This screen
demonstrates how easy it is to view the Name, Starting Time as well as Thumbnail showing the action taking place at the start of the Chapter.

Improvement to Audio On Screen Display (OSD)
You can now toggle the play queue on and off, allowing you to choose between seeing the list, or just the artwork.
This change makes room for additional space needed for a new user requested feature that is quite popular.

New Use of Graphics Elements

This release of Emby for Windows Store uses additional graphical elements in subtle ways that sure to please. It still has the classy interface you've
come to love but uses additional graphics in a modest manner giving it an elegant and refined look.

The screenshots above demonstrates this with a couple simple changes from a text based titles to the graphical logos. Pretty sweet!
Of course that's not all.

Release 2.1.4. has additional new features including:

Fixed intermittent app crashes on device rotation during video playback

Addition of a Resume Rewind Playback Option (Server version 4.7+ required)

Additional Info in the OSD including Chapter, On Now and a Guide for Live TV

Newly added Support for A-Z Picker with Descending Order

New Support for A-Z Picker when Sorting by Album or Album Artist

New Subtitle Background Color and Opacity Options to make Subtitles Easier to View

Improved Audio Book Detail Screen

Updates to the Top Tab Design to be More Discoverable and Easier to Use

Improved Performance of Playlist Detail Screen

Various Subtitle Improvements

Here's a couple more screenshots showing different overlays on the OSD.

Emby for Fire TV 2.0.70 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 11:23:00 -0400

Version 2.0.70a of the Fire TV App Released

Version 2.0.70a of our popular Fire TV app is now available on the Amazon store as well as Emby for Fire TV Download Web Page

This version contains fixes and internal improvements for general use and includes compatibility updates for an upcoming server release. Your device should update automatically or you can update manually from the Amazon store.

Normalize max height on 1080 setups

Improve SSL support - this should help with compatibility of self-signed certificates

Compatibility with upcoming server release

Improve audio handling

Improve WOL support

Various minor improvements and fixes

If you want to check out all the cool features in Emby for Fire TV make sure to checkout and scroll down this page looking at all the features.
Emby for Fire TV Web Page

Emby For LG 1.0.35 Is Released With Many New Features

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 11:03:00 -0400

Emby for LG 1.0.35 has been released. We hope you enjoy the many new features of this build!

Visual Timeline Seeking including Thumbnail Graphics
Included in our new 1.0.35 release for LG is support for visual seeking. You can Rewind, Fast Forward or Jump to any position in the timeline
quickly and easily using our new seeking. Best of all, our new seeking combined with thumbnail graphics makes it easy to pin-point the scene you want to re-watch or queue up.

The above pictures shows how easy it is to find a scene you want to watch. You even get the chapter name embedded in the thumbnail picture.

Speaking of which, Chapters make use of our thumbnail graphics as well with their own set of information and use of graphics.

The above screenshot shows the use of Thumbnail graphics in our Chapter selector available from the easy to use OSD menu, no bull. This screen
demonstrates how easy it is to view the Name, Starting Time as well as Thumbnail showing the action taking place at the start of the Chapter.

Improvement to Audio On Screen Display (OSD)
You can now toggle the play queue on and off, allowing you to choose between seeing the list, or just the artwork.
This change makes room for additional space needed for a new user requested feature that is quite popular.

New Use of Graphics Elements

This release of Emby for Mac uses additional graphical elements in subtle ways that sure to please. It still has the classy interface you've
come to love but uses additional graphics in a modest manner giving it an elegant and refined look.

The screenshots above demonstrates this with a couple simple changes from a text based titles to the graphical logos.

Additional useful information is now available right in the OSD besides the chapter shown above. You can now quickly get a look at different things on TV with graphics using On Now or easily bring up a traditional Guide in grid format. These new OSD designs strike a nice balance of providing additional information while still allowing you to easily enjoy the content be watched.

Of course that's not all.

Emby for LG 1.0.35 has additional new features and fixes including:

Better remote control and fixes for certain models

Improve Performance with Large Libraries

Improved Performance of Playlist Detail Screen

Improved Audio Book Detail Screen

Addition of a Resume Rewind Playback Option (Server version 4.7+ required)

Newly added Support for A-Z Picker with Descending Order

New Support for A-Z Picker when Sorting by Album or Album Artist

Various Improvements for Subtitles

New Options for Subtitles allowing you to set Background Color and Opacity Options for Easier Viewing

Emby for Samsung Tizen Smart TVs 1.2.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Mon, 09 May 2022 12:02:50 -0400

Emby for Samsung 1.2.6 has been released. We hope you enjoy the many new features of this build!

Visual Timeline Seeking including Thumbnail Graphics
Included in our new 1.2.6 release for Samsung is support for visual seeking. You can Rewind, Fast Forward or Jump to any position in the timeline
quickly and easily using our new seeking. Best of all, our new seeking combined with thumbnail graphics makes it easy to pin-point the scene you want to re-watch or queue up.

The above pictures shows how easy it is to find a scene you want to watch. You even get the chapter name embedded in the thumbnail picture.

Speaking of which, Chapters make use of our thumbnail graphics as well, with their own set of information and use of graphics.

The above screenshot shows the use of Thumbnail graphics in our Chapter selector available from the easy to use OSD menu, and that's no bull. This screen
demonstrates how easy it is to view the Name, Starting Time as well as Thumbnail showing the action taking place at the start of the Chapter.

Improvement to Audio On Screen Display (OSD)
You can now toggle the play queue on and off, allowing you to choose between seeing the list, or just the artwork.
This change makes room for additional space needed for a new user requested feature that is quite popular.

New Use of Graphics Elements

This release of Emby for Samsung uses additional graphical elements in subtle ways that sure to please. It still has the classy interface you've
come to love but uses additional graphics in a modest manner giving it an elegant and refined look.

The screenshots above demonstrates this with a couple simple changes such as changing the title that was text to graphical.

Additional useful information is now available right in the OSD besides the chapter shown above. You can now quickly get a look at different things on TV with graphics using On Now or easily bring up a traditional Guide in grid format. These new OSD designs strike a nice balance of providing additional information while still allowing you to easily enjoy the content be watched.

Of course that's not all.

Emby for Samsung 1.2.6 has additional new features and fixes including:

Better remote control and fixes for certain models

Improve Performance with Large Libraries

Improved Performance of Playlist Detail Screen

Improved Audio Book Detail Screen

Addition of a Resume Rewind Playback Option (Server version 4.7+ required)

Newly added Support for A-Z Picker with Descending Order

New Support for A-Z Picker when Sorting by Album or Album Artist

Various Improvements for Subtitles

New Options for Subtitles allowing you to set Background Color and Opacity Options for Easier Viewing

Emby For iOS 2.1.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Tue, 17 May 2022 11:35:20 -0400

Emby For iOS 2.1.6 - Point Release: Additional Changes & Fixes

This is the latest point release of Emby for iOS containing the latest changes & fixes.

Fix double paste when copy/pasting text into text fields
Minor fix to stop pasting copied items twice (double paste)

Exclude downloads from iCloud backups
This change excludes the Emby download folders from iCloud backup, reducing your iCloud bandwidth and storage needs

Fix sporadic video playback crashes
This set of fixes address video playback crashes that could happen under specific situations.

Other related Blog posts to this release:
Emby For iOS 2.1.3. Released, Featuring: Timeline Seeking & Thumbnails

Maintenance releases:
Emby For iOS iOS 2.1.5 - Release: Fix For Intermittent Loss of Audio

Please report any issues you may have in the iOS forum of our Community Forums: Emby Community iOS Forum

Emby Server 4.7 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Wed, 18 May 2022 09:07:00 -0400

Emby Server 4.7 is Released with Many New Features, Improvements and Fixes

Emby Server 4.7 is starting to rollout to different platforms. It's packed with new features, improvements and fixes. We wanted to give you a Preview of some new functionality and changes to Live TV as well as bring to your attention possible post installation configuration changes that might be required.

If you currently use one of the following Live TV Plugins (NextPVR, MediaPortal, ServerWMC, TVHeadEnd, TVMosaic, Vu+, DVBLink or DVBViewer) you will need to reconfigure the plugin after it is updated following the 4.7 installation (the server checks for new plugins after a new install). As part of this process the guide will refresh. Please let it completely finish before going to the next step. Once the guide refresh is complete please go to Live TV menu and add a new tuner. You will see an entry for the plugin you are using. See Below:

Live TV has many new features as well as a new plugin framework. Our own internal tuners and guide have been moved into plugins using this new framework as well. Setting up a tuner for use in Emby thanks to the new framework allows for a unified architecture, simplifying tuner/source setup. Here's an example of the Add TV Source dialog showing a few of the different choices using the new plugins.

Whenever you install a new Live TV Plugin an entry will appear on this dialog. All available tuner types are now managed from one central place simplifying setup and configuration. All tuner types now share a common set of features. This allows 3rd party plugins to work exactly the same as Emby provided sources. This is now possible thanks to a new TV framework Emby uses debuting in this release. This new framework allows for simpler TV plugin creation as the server takes over responsibility of many functions previously needed at the plugin level. This helps to prevent issues related to specific plugin code as Emby server can now handle streams in a very consistent manner regardless of source. This is a WIN/WIN for developers as well as users!

Emby Server 4.7 along with it's new TV plugin Framework includes new features and expanded functionality. Some of the highlights are:

Support for OTA ATSC 3.0 & 4K Live TV
If you have an ATSC 3.0 compatible tuner and live in a TV market currently broadcasting ATSC 3.0, Emby has everything you need to embrace this new technology. This includes new support for the proprietary AC-4 coded needed to decode audio streams. Not only will you get a beautiful picture especially on 4K HDR channels, but awesome sound as well!

Cable Support for 4K Channels

Emby supports receiving 4K digital cable channels. All you need is a compatible tuner like the ever popular HDHomeRun Prime. Of course your provider needs to support 4K channel transmission and have this turned on for you account. Check your providers website for 4K support as many providers have this available, often at no additional cost.

4K Channel support is not limited to built in OTA and Cable tuners but is fully supported through all tuner types if the source itself support 4K.

Here's a great screenshot of a 4K SDR broadcast captured from an HDHomeRun Prime tuner:

Universal Closed Caption Support In All Emby Clients

Every Emby Client including web browsers fully support Closed Captions, not to be confused with subtitles. The Emby Transcoder is fully Closed Caption aware, so it doesn't matter how or where you play Live TV in Emby, it's now available if you require it.

Manual Recordings Support

Another new addition to Emby is support for manual recordings regardless if you have guide information or not. You can setup these recordings to use specific channels, set the starting start and end times, you can set the frequency of recordings (one and done or Recurring) as well as specific days of the week. Of course you can personalize the title of the recording(s) as well.

You can setup a manual recording easily by clicking the the Create Recording button followed by choosing the Channel and Time option on the popup window.

You can then setup the manual recording criteria that will be used.

Here you see the custom recording already scheduled to record.

Multiple Channel Support for Series Recordings

You can now setup a single recording that can be used across specific multiple channels you choose.

Emby also has adds new options to allow:

Support Negative Recording Padding Values

Enter a negative Number in the Start or End Options

Max Recording Length for Series Recordings

You can now set as a precaution a maximum duration that any recording can have. This shouldn't be needed but is there if you need it should you have a "fringe" reception channel that sometimes causes you grief with recordings.

All New Views in Live TV Recordings Tab
Emby now supports viewing your recordings just like other Movies or TV Shows libraries.
Explore this option on your own and you should feel right at home with it.

Server Dashboard Changes

The server dashboard has been reorganized a little to make it easy to quickly find information. It also adds additional information.

Here you can quickly see 2 Active Recordings taking place on the Server.

Now Playing Dashboard

The Now Playing section on the Dashboard sports a lot of new information but is easier to view as well.

In the above picture you can quickly see Apollo 13 is Direct Playing the content as well as see additional information about the streams.
My Cousin Vinny on the other hand is Transcoding the Video while leaving the Audio untouched, but is sending this to the client using HLS.
The little graphics in the Video section following HEVC tell you it's using Hardware Transcoding. You can see the transcoder is Throttling (waiting) as it's producing 53fps which is more than what's needed at the time.

The new Now playing also sports new features such as being able to click on the video name (ie Apollo 13) and be taking directly to it's detail page. Same with clicking on the username or device type. It's very cool!

Improved Tab Design Used at the Top of Pages
Emby now uses an improved design for tabs whenever show on a page.
It's much easier to quickly see there are multiple tabs on the page with options and features.
It's also much easier to see which tab your currently using.
The new tab interface look follows your choice of theme information as well.

New Theme Options
Emby Server 4.7 gives you more control than ever over the look of your pages by allowing you more control over the theme options.
You now have separate theme and accent color options.

Want a strong all blue theme?

How about and easy to see dark theme with Pick Highlights?

You can also use a bit of imagination mixing different Theme, Setting Theme and Accent colors to achieve interesting results not possible previously.

Embedded Lyrics Support for Music Files
Emby now supports display of musical lyrics you provide. This doesn't require modifying your actual music tracks but is done using a text file residing next to the track!
You can quickly and easily use a tool such as MediaHumon Lyrics Finder that makes quick work of adding Lyrics to your existing content. Rescan your music library and have this:

This is a great new feature that's easy to implement, uses hardly any storage space (text files) and gives you great results! (first icon bottom left)

Audio now playing screen
The above picture shows one view of our new audio Now Playing Screens. Here's another version of the same screen without the lyrics showing your current queue:

This view uses the middle button at the bottom between Lyrics and the cog/settings icon.

Clicking the last icon (cog/settings) brings up a mini menu allowing you to change playback speed, Stats for Nerds or the ability to save your current queue as a playlist.
Without any of the options selected you can have a simpler viewer centered on the page like this:

You can get to these screens clicking the far right icon on the audio playback toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

This new audio toolbar put everything you need right at your fingertips. See the artist, album and song. Change volume, set repeat mode, pause, stop, change tracks or switch views as shown above. The toolbar stays at the bottom of the screen for music while allowing you to explore other parts of the system. Very Nice!

Audio Book Continue Listening
Emby supports continue listening to Audio Books. The above screen shot shows the docked toolbar at the bottom of the screen while the top portion show a new option being set to display on the home screen to be able to quickly access and continue listening to audio files.

New On Screen Display (OSD) Features

Some of the new 4.7 OSD features have been shown recently in a couple Emby client blog posts using a preview release of 4.7. Some of the functionality of visual timelines and thumbnail graphics have been available in some form the past but now are fully unified in a cohesive manner that's very easy to use from a keyboard, mouse or remote. It's very slick, adds new navigational functionality as well as additional information you had to quick playing in the past to access. You can see how much thought and care went into this design allowing it to work effortlessly across the different cleints.

Visual Timeline Showing Overlayed Chapter Information Done Through Keyboard Navigation

Info - Bottom-Left Menu Option

This will bring up information about the movies, show episode or TV channel you happen to be watching.

Chapters Menu

This shows the next menu option displaying a list of embedded chapters including the Chapter name, the timeline it starts as well as of thumbnail from the start of the scene.

Cast & Crews

How often have you watched something and wanted to know the actor or actresses name playing a part? Previously you had to exit playback to look this information up but now it's right here always available a click or two away. What a non-intrusive time saver this option is!

On Now

You can quickly and easily see what's on TV using the two new views added to the OSD. The On Now view above uses the programs graphics if available (Emby Guide supports this) to show what's currently on each channel in your lineup. You can easily scroll the list sideways to get a good look at everything currently being broadcast. The Guide showed below allows you to quickly see what's on a currently as well as what's coming on later. It's not limited to what's shown but allows scrolling up and down channels as well as the timeline so you can see what's coming on 12 hours from now. It's a fully functional Mini-Guide built right into the OSD.

All of the OSD functions shown above work right over top the currently playing media allowing you access to a lot of new information with the least amount of disruption possible. Previously you probably got gripes and complaints from family members if you exited the media playback to get a look at the cast list to see the name of the actor. Now instead of having to wait to the end of the movie to see the cast list or catching wrath from the family, you can quickly view this information in a non-disruptive manner.

Having all this new information as well as new tools for easier navigation right at your fingertips during playback shows how much thought and design went into this new version. Emby sets the bar high for OSD functionality that others can't compare to.

More To Come!
We're excited to share how awesome Emby Server 4.7 release is. We plan to following up this blog post with additional posts in the coming days expanding on it's new features. A special thank you goes out to all the people that helped test the many beta versions along the way! Inevitably with a monster release of this size there will likely be some issues we'll address with quick to follow maintenance releases. Please make sure to let us know in the community forum what you think of our new 4.7 release and any issues or questions you might have. Post Questions, Comments and Issues Here.

Other Improvements
Update to .NET Core 6.0
Update to ffmpeg 5.0
id3v2 parsing: Read full null separated list for text info frames
Add Log anonymization feature
Add now playing screen style options
Reduce port mapper network traffic
Add library option to control importing of playlist files
Add log file rotation option
Clean HLS segments during playback when disk space is low
Reduce sizes of server log files when debug logging is not enabled
Add subtitle download max age option
Add subtitle download option for forced subtitles only
Support comment tag as description for audio files
Preserve subtitle track language with conversion and download features
Safeguard against junk year values when probing audio files
Save writers as composers when probing audio files
Support a-z picker in descending order
Support a-z picker when sorting by album artist or album
Support reading roontracktag for music
Clear episode external ids when changing series display order in metadata editor
Improve deriving hw devices
Support Audio Book resume
Adjust for QSV changes in ffmpeg
Support HW Acceleration for (graphical) subtitle burn-in
Add subtitle background color and opacity options
Add logo as title display option
Add resume rewind playback option
Make context menu header texts clickable
Update TVDB plugin to newer TVDB API
Update multi-episode metadata fetching to work with all metadata providers
Add South African ratings
Improve camera upload error handling
Support convert feature with multi-select tool
Improve multi-version display names
Don't show video OSD on double tap skipping
Reworked Active Devices display into Now Playing
Improve audio book detail screen
Improve audio OSD
Improve efficiency of real-time monitor
Improve DSD audio support over DLNA
Minor adjustment of detail screen buttons
Display chapter name in seek thumbnail previews
Add channel name and channel number as DVR post processing command line arguments
Improve scan metadata folder scheduled task progress reporting
Improve performance of playlist detail screen
Add sort by track number option to folder views
Add Copy to Clipboard support in API Keys screen
Enable chapters for audio books
Update decision making for periodic refreshes
Support TCM as composer
Show full Chinese display name in track languages
Update top tab design to be more discoverable
Improve layouts with docked sidebar
Set DLNA Server to off by default
Allow for higher audio stream copy bitrate
Support subs and subtitles folder case-insensitive
Update album/song links with Included In section
Make DVR wake server optional on supported platforms
Set subtitle filename when downloading subtitle files to the browser
Always display sort title in the metadata editor
Make sort title lockable in the metadata editor
Add Italian ratings
Always record episodes when the option to check existing library is not selected
Adjust recording image save behavior for series episodes that are sports
Don't convert really large images to webp
Improve album Identify search results display
Support audio description and studio from copyright tag
Support wm/year and original year tags
Improve same subnet detection
Improve episode parsing with episode titles contain numbers
Add paths to log file for reference
Allow deleting albums and artists
Update folder queries to fix metadata manager sorting for albums
Log DX detection into main log if debug logging is enabled
Avoid resetting real-time monitor to parent folder when possible
Adjust continue watching query
Improve series grouping in mixed content
Remove rejection of large camera uploads to allow any file size
Support .mid audio files
Support sort_with embedded sort title for videos
Update sort by date last episode added to not be impacted by virtual episodes
Prevent split button on missing episode detail screen
Resolve performance issues associated with having large numbers of devices in the server database

Bug Fixes
Fix android database errors on deletion
Fix year not being parsed from movie folder name
Fix QuickSync HW overlay with tone mapping
Fix display of incorrect video format names
Fix Avoid detection of duplicate DX11VA devices
Fix regression bug with ASF when reading image attachments
Fix search displaying previously aired programs
Fix incorrect photo orientation in slideshows
Fix Roku playback failures with very long recordings
Fix Windows: restart scheduled task and DVR times when system time changes (daylight savings)
Fix QuickSync HW overlay with tone mapping
Fix CBR books sending wrong mime type
Fix DVD & Bluray folders not being hidden via .ignore files
Fix transcoding throttling not occurring with Chromecast
Fix classic image series extraction
Fix music album parsing error when album name is ()
Fix folder images getting replaced when not saving images in media folders
Fix identify feature with music videos
Fix episodes with season numbers greater than 200
Fix photo scanning getting stuck in a loop with certain files
Fix edge case closing of streams being left opened after stopping playback
Fix occasional display of incorrect video format names
Fix occasional duplicated Sign Out entry
Fix list view multi-select in FireFox
Fix hide from resume getting unhidden after adding a new episode
Fix local NFO ignoring date added value in certain cases
Fix for graphic subs burn-in with tone mapping on QSV
Fix scaling of wrong-sized graphical subtitles
Fix incorrect hw context indication for D3D11VA decoders
Fix av1 direct play
Fix album items being added to playlist alphabetically
Fix transcoding audio channel count with convert function
Fix artists inheriting genres from albums when they shouldn't
Fix sporadic cases of burned in subtitles not appearing
Fix detection of video stream vs. embedded image
Fix web app playback failures in cases of videos that played successfully with Emby Server 4.5
Various fixes with manual subtitle downloading for multi-version videos
Various fixes for Apple TV top shelf content
Various transcoding fixes

Emby Server 4.7.1 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 27 May 2022 09:21:06 -0400

Emby Server 4.7.1 - Point Release: Round 1 Fixes

This is the latest point release of Emby Server containing fixes for identified issues.

Windows - Fix unnecessary ffmpeg dependency on Windows Media Foundation

Improve Chinese language detection of embedded audio and subtitle tracks

Remove errant play/shuffle buttons appearing on various list screens in server web interface

Display timestamps with lyrics

Original Blog post for this release:
Emby Server 4.7 Release: Many New Features, Improvements and Fixes

Please report any issues you may have in the General/Windows section of our Community Forums: Emby Community General/Windows Forum

Emby Server 4.7.2 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 09:00:01 -0400

Emby Server 4.7.2 - Point Release: Round 2 Fixes

This is the latest point release of Emby Server containing fixes for identified issues.

Add episode intro detection feature to library options

Add user profile options for episode intro skipping

Fix regression with episode number parsing from file names

Fix file names of home videos being truncated after last dot in the file name

Fix downloads redownloading on deletion

Remember subtitle selections if enabled, even when user subtitle mode is set to default to None

Original Blog posts for the 4.7 release:
Emby Server 4.7 Release: Many New Features, Improvements and Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.1 - Point Release: Round 1 Fixes

Please report any issues you may have in the General/Windows section of our Community Forums: Emby Community General/Windows Forum

Emby Server 4.7.4 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 09:00:01 -0400

Emby Server 4.7.4 - Point Release: Round 3 Fixes

This is the latest point release of Emby Server containing fixes for identified issues.

Add Episode Intro Detection and Skipping feature

Add new table view option

Add more fields for selection in poster views

Add new theme options

Fixes for downloads automatically redownloading

Remember subtitle selections even when user option is set to None

Fix graphic subtitle position when burning in subtitles with transcoding

Fix sporadic cases of errors when reordering live tv channels

Improve automatic channel mapping with xml tv

Support sort by composer

Fix glibc errors on certain NAS devices

Image processing fixes on FreeBSD/TrueNAS

Original Blog posts for the 4.7 release:
Emby Server 4.7 Release: Many New Features, Improvements and Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.1 - Point Release: Round 1 Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.1 - Point Release: Round 2 Fixes

Please report any issues you may have in the General/Windows section of our Community Forums: Emby Community General/Windows Forum

Emby Server 4.7.5 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fru, 08 Jul 2022 09:00:01 -0400

Emby Server 4.7.5 - Point Release: Round 4 Fixes

This is the latest point release of Emby Server containing fixes for identified issues.

Fix a/v sync regressions with live tv and recordings

Fix web app subtitle sizes being too small

Various fixes with new table view feature

In Depth Coverage of new Table View Feature

Original Blog posts for the 4.7 release:
Emby Server 4.7 Release: Many New Features, Improvements and Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.1 - Point Release: Round 1 Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.2 - Point Release: Round 2 Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.4 - Point Release: Round 3 Fixes

Please report any issues you may have in the General/Windows section of our Community Forums: Emby Community General/Windows Forum

Emby Server 4.7.6 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 12:25:05 -0500

Emby Server 4.7.6 - Multi-Select & Right to Left Languages

This is the latest point release of Emby Server containing a couple new features as well as fixes for identified issues.

Support shift to multi-select

Newly added to 4.7.6 is the ability to multi-select. Instead of having to select each and every media item you can now select the first media item as shown below:

then holding the shift key on your keyboard, select the top-left circle with your mouse on your end media item. In two quick clicks we now have 18 items selected in this example!

Right to Left languages:

4.7.6 adds support for languages that display right to left. Here's an example Nest Hub view using the Hebrew language.

Other improvements and fixes include:

Improve filter menu indicator

Add Select None to multi-select lists

Fix regressions related to image extraction

Improve the use of internet metadata with recordings

Improve photo loading performance

Include activity log database file when vacuuming databases

Mark all video versions as played when toggling played

Change wording of transcoding reasons to be more user friendly

Fix sort by sort title being case sensitive in some views

Fixes for file names with years at beginning

Improve dsd/dsf playback over Dlna

Original Blog posts for the 4.7 release:

Emby Server 4.7 Release: Many New Features, Improvements and Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.1 - Point Release: Round 1 Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.2 - Point Release: Round 2 Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.4 - Point Release: Round 3 Fixes

Emby Server 4.7.5 - Point Release: Round 4 Fixes

Please report any issues you may have in the General/Windows section of our Community Forums: Emby Community General/Windows Forum

Emby for Android 3.2.77 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:00:00 -0400

Emby for Android 3.2.75 Released: Mini Sidebar & New OSD Features

Requires: Emby Server 4.7 or later

Emby for Android Version Changes:
• New brightness control in video OSD
• New lock screen feature in video OSD
• New mini sidebar docking option
• Voice input support on search screen
• Various video playback fixes

New brightness control in video OSD

One of the new features added to Emby for Android is the ability to adjust the brightness of the video being watched. This new feature is easy to use. Just bring up the OSD and the brightness feature is all the way to the right as highlighted in the following picture. All you need to do is touch and slide the control up or down to brighten or darken the video.

New lock screen feature in video OSD

Tired of accidentally touching the screen and having the video jump to a new scene or doing something you didn't intend? The new lock screen will put an end to this when-ever you choose to use it. Simple click the lock button highlighted in yellow in the picture below to activate this.

Any screen touches from this point on during the video will briefly bring up the following screen but do nothing else. In order to de-active this feature you would click the lock icon shown on the picture below, then click the confirm after that. This new feature is straight forward and very easy to use.

New mini sidebar docking option

One of the coolest features in this new release is the mini sidebar docking option. In order to access this, click the highlighted icon shown in the picture below.

Now, click the following icon one-time.

You will now have the mini sidebar open as shown below.

The mini sidebar is scrollable so if you have more libraries then would fit on screen you can simply scroll this menu up or down to gain access to all libraries on your system.

Voice input support on search screen

Another great feature added to Emby for Android is the ability to use voice search. You can use voice search anywhere you see the microphone icon shown highlighted in the picture below. All you have to do is click the microphone button and then speak your search term.

Other Changes

Various video playback fixes

Emby Server 4.7.10 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 05:01:01 -0500

Emby Server 4.7.10 - Library Improvements & LiveTV/DVR Fixes

This is the latest point release of Emby Server. It's a small maintenance release, containing improvements to existing functionality as well as fixes for user identified issues.

Improvements to Library Functionality
Improvements have been made to library functions to reduce triggering events that don't need to be processed multiple times. This can reduce false RTM events, pulling subtitles, updating Trakt or other similar plugins as well as stop un-needed notifications from Webhooks and other notification plugins. This is done by implementing a delay before triggering new item additions until after the metadata has download and been processed.

LiveTV/DVR Improvements and Fixes

We corrected a translation issue that could sometimes print HeaderLiveTV instead of LiveTV on the home screen for non-English systems.

A fix has been made to stop intermittent recording issues that happen when the series keep episode limit is set to only one.

Emby for Apple TV 1.6.8 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 07:01:01 -0500

Emby for Apple TV 2.1.6 Released - Skip Intro & Multi-Player Support

This is the latest release of Emby for Apple TV. It's a small maintenance release, containing improvements to existing functionality as well as a couple fixes for user identified issues.

Revamped video player with automatic switching between two player engines
Emby for Apple TV 2.1.6 includes enhancements to improve video playback. One of the new enhancements is the Preferred Video Player in Playback settings. You can choose to set either MPV or the native player as the default or use the auto setting and let the client decide which player to use.

Version 2.1.6 supports one of Emby's newest features that allow skipping the Into segments of TV Episodes. This feature needs to be enabled on the server for any/all TV Series Libraries.

Emby Server will analyze all Episodes of each series to figure out exactly where the intro starts and stops recording this information in the database. Once each series is complete it's available on the client to skip.

You can set this up on each client to work manually or automatically. You will see a skip into button on the display bottom right as shown in the following screen shot.

The newest version of Emby for Apple TV sports an improved detail screen for media making it very clean looking and easier to use as shown in the following picture.

We have revamped the interface and greatly improved the way you can sort media and interact with it. There are now many ways to sort your media collection to get different views.

Other improvements and fixes included in 2.1.6 include:

New Genres and Artists tabs in Music Videos

Improved HDR support

Improved refresh rate switching support

Emby Server 4.7.11 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 09:01:01 -0500

Emby Server 4.7.11 - New Intuitive TV Guide Improvements & Other Fixes

This is the latest point release of Emby Server. It's a small maintenance release, containing improvements to existing functionality as well as a couple fixes for user identified issues.

New Intuitive TV Guide Option Panel for Configuring the Display of Your Guide Data.

4.7.11 features a slick new way to quickly adjust the different options used for the TV Guide grid. Click the icon shown below highlighted by the yellow box.

This opens a new panel where you can set over a dozen options including the sort order of channels, the channel groups (tags) you wish to see (or hide) as well as the data used in the far left column representing the channel. The rest of the options configure the information displayed with the program data.

Setting the Channel Display to Title gives you this look in the first column.

This is how it looks using:

This is how it looks using:

Right next to the icon we used above is our date picker:

Clicking on the date gives us this:

The number of days shown will depend on the guide data itself. If using Emby Guide data this can be adjusted here:

If your provider supports Groups these will be available as shown below. You can also add tags to any channel you wish to edit which will show up here:

Other improvements and fixes included in 4.7.11 include:
* Fix intermittent scroll problem with Live TV Guide
* Improve intro detection error handling for TV Series

Emby For LG 1.0.37 Released With Many New Features

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 08:36:28 -0500

Emby for LG 1.0.37 features Intro Skip, Lyrics & RTL Support

Embedded Lyrics Support for Music Files
Emby now supports display of musical lyrics you provide. This doesn't require modifying your actual music tracks but is done using a text file residing next to the track!
You can quickly and easily use a tool such as MediaHumon Lyrics Finder that makes quick work of adding Lyrics to your existing content. Rescan your music library and have this:

This is a great new feature that's easy to implement, uses hardly any storage space (text files) and gives you great results! (first icon bottom left)

Audio now playing screen
The above picture shows one view of our new audio Now Playing Screens. Here's another version of the same screen without the lyrics showing your current queue:

Save Time with Emby's Intro Skip

New to LG 1.0.37 is the ability to skip TV Show Episode Introductions segments. This allows you to jump right to the start of the action, saving a great deal of time allowing you to quickly get to the good stuff! Combine Into Skip with Automatic Play Next Episode for a superior binge-watching experience!

Please see our blog post on Intro Skip setup and use on the server side:

Configure Emby Client for Automatic or Manual Intro Skip
Each client can be set to ignore TV Show Intros, automatically use Intros, or to prompt use showing a button. You can set this option in the client option's Playback Menu.

Using Intro Skip

With the Skip Intro button selected you can clearly see the button on the OSD immediately at the start of playback. The timeline is still at 0:00 before the show has started to play and we can already skip the introduction of the show.

Clicking the Skip Intro button immediately jumps right to the start of the Episode.

With the client option set to Automatically skip intros our TV show intros have been put on auto pilot.

Right at the start of playback it jumps to the end of the intro right at the point of the fade in.

Right to Left languages:

Emby for LG 1.0.37 takes advantage of Emby Server's (4.7.6) support for right to left languages.

The above two examples come from the 4.7.6 Server blog where you can read more about this.

Emby for LG 1.0.37 has many fixes including:

Various subtitle improvements

Various video playback improvements

Presenting the new Emby SDK

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 09:36:28 -0500

Background

Plugins, extensions and integrations make an important part of the Emby ecosystem. Plugin development is open to everybody and many great plugins have been created by Emby community members. To show our appreciation for the great work and achievements of community developers, we took steps in order to improve in an area where we haven't done that well in the recent past: Developer Support.
When talking about support, there are several different facets to evaluate and consider. We probably did fairly well when it was about responding to user questions - but not that much when it came to providing accurate and up-to-date information, documentation and code examples.

Emby SDK

It has been just about time to make a change to that and over the past months we have intensively worked on improving that situation. Eventually, we have ended up with a fully loaded package of information, resources, tools and sample code - exclusively for all of you developers, so today we're proud to present:

The EMBY SDK

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby.SDK

Website - emby dev

In parallel to the SDK, we are launching:

the new emby developer site

https://dev.emby.media

Introduction Video

For a comprehensive introduction to the Emby SDK, watch the video, either by installing the Plugin for The Emby Show

Or watch it on YouTube: The Emby Show Episode 3 - Emby SDK - or below

Questions?

Please ask questions in the developer forum: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/forum/47-developer-api/

Watch

Emby for Apple TV 1.7.0 Released

apps@emby.media (Emby) — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 10:36:28 -0500

Emby for Apple TV 1.7.0 Released - OSD Info Tab, Next Episode Playback

This is the latest release of Emby for Apple TV. It's a small maintenance release, containing new OSD features and improvements as well as a fix to existing identified issues.

New Information tab in video OSD.
Emby for Apple TV 1.7.0 adds the information tab to the OSD (On Screen Display) as shown in the pics below.

Next Episode Button near the end of episode playback.
New to the Emby for Apple TV apps is the ability to jump to the next episode when watching TV Shows. You can set or adjust Next Episode functionality such as manual vs automatic use as well as showing information about the next episode from the playback menu in each app.

Fix error when returning from YouTube trailer playback.
A fix has been implemented to seamlessly return back to the app when YouTube trailer playback has concluded.

Emby for Apple TV is available in the tvOS app store.