Issue playing a specific (or just one) episodes from a series

[Theodore 129]

So this started a few weeks ago (at least that is when I noticed it) but this is on me for waiting so long to report it. When playing a single episode form a TV series or trying to play several specific episodes by right-click and "Add to play queue" the entire season is added to the play queue. It is the same scenario when playing a specific item out of a playlist. To reproduce this I am selecting an episode from a series/season in a web browser and telling Emby to play it on my MPC running Theater. This is happening because rather than going to the queue for TV episodes, it sticks waiting for "Next Episode" prompt on the MPC and Theater is set to NOT play next episodes automatically.

I can tell where the problem with this is because even when hitting play on only a single episode, it adds the entire season to the playlist/queue instead of treating it as an individual play like happens with movies. When hitting "play" on a single episode either in the Season folder or on a playlist, it should play only that episode and return to the main menu when done or play the next item that has been added (by me) to the queue.

To be perfectly clear, this is NEW behavior and I cannot give you a specific start date other than "a few weeks ago". For literal YEARS of using Emby prior to this, this behavior was not the case. And this is a big item to me and needs to be fixed in the next release.

I apologize if this isn't completely clear what I am describing. If so please ask and I'll try to clear it up.

Thank you!

[Luke 37009]

Quote

I can tell where the problem with this is because even when hitting play on only a single episode, it adds the entire season to the playlist/queue instead of treating it as an individual play like happens with movies.

Hi, this is normal. It allows you to use previous and back to go back and forth between episodes.

It shouldn't happen with add to play queue though, so we'll look at that. Thanks.

[Theodore 129]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi, this is normal. It allows you to use previous and back to go back and forth between episodes.

It shouldn't happen with add to play queue though, so we'll look at that. Thanks.

It isn't normal though, it has never happened before a few weeks ago. If I click play on a single episode, only that episode should be added to the play queue, not the *entire season*. The entire season should *ONLY* be added to the queue if you click play on the season or on "Play all from here".

[Luke 37009]

That's the new behavior, but if you disable autoplay, it won't auto-advance to the next one, you'll get a prompt in between.

[Theodore 129]

Just now, Luke said:

That's the new behavior, but if you disable autoplay, it won't auto-advance to the next one, you'll get a prompt in between.

And that is the problem. If I play a SINGLE episode it should only add that one episode to the play queue. I'm not sure where the disconnect is here, but you are unilaterally making the decision that anyone that wants to watch a single episode of a season will want to watch the entire season? That is ridiculous and I think you know it too. Put it back the way it was. If I click play on "Archer S04E11" it should only add that episode to the queue and then exit back to the main screen when done, just like a movie. 

If you were to click play on "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" you wouldn't automatically assume you are going to watch "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" next, would you? No, you would play the movie then exit back to the main screen. This needs to be the default behavior for episodes too.

[Luke 37009]

But you already said you have auto play disabled, so what problem is it causing you?

[Theodore 129]

It adds the entire season to the queue then stops on the "Play next" prompt and if I have added something else to the play queue after that single episode it does not play because the entire season has been added when I clicked play on just ONE episode.

[Luke 37009]

You could always use Play Next instead of Add to Play Queue. 

I think the new behavior makes sense for most users, but options to control it are always possible for future updates.

[Theodore 129]

Play Next defeats the purpose of having a queue. And even then, the *ENTIRE SEASON IS AUTOMATICALLY ADDED* and does not allow the next item in the queue to play. I don't understand what is so hard to understand about that. Can you get someone else to weigh in on this please?

[Luke 37009]

We knew about this use case when we made the change, so it's not as if this is unexpected. The change was made based on feedback of our previous queuing behavior that we had seen over the years, where users want to always have the ability to play next even when autoplay is disabled. There had been a lot of feedback about that and that's why the change was made. 

We also knew that there might be a few users against the auto-queuing, and that an option to control it could always be added later.

[Theodore 129]

Then please add the option to disable auto-queueing immediately. You have always had the option to include it with the "Play all from here" so making that the default action when hitting Play on a *SINGLE* item is, quite frankly, stupid. The default action for play on ONE item should be to play only that ONE item.

[Luke 37009]

1 minute ago, Theodore said:

Then please add the option to disable auto-queueing immediately. You have always had the option to include it with the "Play all from here" so making that the default action when hitting Play on a *SINGLE* item is, quite frankly, stupid. The default action for play on ONE item should be to play only that ONE item.

I understand that viewpoint, but it seems that more people want to have the opportunity to go back and forth no matter how they start playing, so that's why the change was made. Options are always possible to control it.

[Theodore 129]

You guys have to stop making extreme unilateral changes to behavior like this without also including a way to opt out of it at the same time. You are quite literally telling me and people like me how to consume our own media in a way that we don't want to. At best that is arrogant presumption. 

I think it is great that you want to add new features, but you have to also provide a way to let YOUR CUSTOMERS NOT use them. How would you feel if I turned your monitors 90 degrees and said "this is the only way you can use them from now on"? Or what if I made it so your car turns off every time you come to a stop and said "You have to turn the key and start it again each time. Sorry, that's the way it is"?

[Luke 37009]

It's a better default behavior and what we should have had to begin with. If we had done it this way from the start then I think this would just be a normal feature request. But we can certainly add an option to control it.

[Theodore 129]

So I just tried your "solution" of right clicking and "Add to Play Queue" to play just one episode and it still added not only the entire season, but it also added the entire fraking series! WTF man? There is no way y'all tested this and thought "this is good!" There is no way anyone anywhere EVER asked for THIS.

[Luke 37009]

1 hour ago, Theodore said:

So I just tried your "solution" of right clicking and "Add to Play Queue" to play just one episode and it still added not only the entire season, but it also added the entire fraking series! WTF man? There is no way y'all tested this and thought "this is good!" There is no way anyone anywhere EVER asked for THIS.

 

On 10/28/2022 at 12:39 PM, Luke said:

Hi, this is normal. It allows you to use previous and back to go back and forth between episodes.

It shouldn't happen with add to play queue though, so we'll look at that. Thanks.