FAQ

[quickmic 1376]

Disclaimer:
This FAQ is valid for emby-next-gen plugin (6.x and higher)
It will be constantly updated over the next weeks.

Versioning:
X.X.X
First X is the major version. It indicates a compatibility with Kodi versions.
e.g.
6.X versions are for Kodi 18+
7.X versions are for Kodi 19+
4.X and 5.X versions are end of life and no longer supported

Second X indicates a mandatory plugin database reset. This will be automatically initiated. Read ahead for further information.
Third X indicates regular bugfixes. No further action required.

 

Installation:
First you need to choose which version you wanna install, there are 3 options.
stable
beta
public testing

stable is very well tested and no showstoppers are reported.
beta is also well tested and no issues are expected.
public testing can include bugs and is the current development version.

I recommend using public testing versions. Not only it helps me debugging issues, it also includes latest features and improvements. (rolling release)
However, you should be an active member in the forum to keep track of the new features and limitations etc.

Stable and beta versions are available via Emby's Kodi repositories.
You need to sideload and install them from here.
http://kodi.emby.tv/
STABLE: repository.emby.kodi-1.0.6.zip
http://kodi.emby.tv/repository.emby.kodi-1.0.6.zip
BETA: repository.beta.emby.kodi-1.0.9.zip
http://kodi.emby.tv/repository.beta.emby.kodi-1.0.9.zip

Once installed, you can browse via Kodi's addon menu, select the repository and install the plugin.
Addons -> Install from repository -> Kodi Emby (beta) Addons -> Video Addons -> Emby-next-gen

Public testing:
Those versions are not available via repositories.
There are two methods how you can install them.
If you have already a Emby-next-gen version installed, it adds a link in Kodi's filebrowser. You can install it directly via Kodi's menu:
Addons -> Install from zip file -> kodi.emby.media -> Public testing -> plugin.video.emby-next-gen-X.X.X.zip
Also it is possible to download the file manually and push it to Kodi's filesystem (sideload) and load it from there.

 

Under the hood/concept:
The plugin uses several techniques to make Kodi compatible with Emby server.
Instant communication with Emby server (dynamic content).
Syncing to Kodi's internal database (synced content).
The plugin has an internal http webserver (webservice) on port 57342 implemented and also opens a websocket connection to Emby server for realtime connection.
Supporting synced content a "helper" database for Emby's content is created on Kodi. Here it's called Kodi's Emby database. Don't mix this database with the actual Emby servers database, those are different.
The plugin uses Kodi's internal functionalities as much as possible for maximum compatibility. Anyway, not all plugins functions can be realized with Kodi's capabilities (review Kodi limitations for further information.

 

Addon mode vs. native mode:
After plugin installation you must choose a (sync) mode.
Almost everybody should select addon mode, don't bother with further explanation. If you don't know what to choose, addon mode is the one you want.
There are very limited cases you should select native (for experts only). Also it only affects the way how to access synced content. Dynamic content always uses addon mode.
Native mode means, the content will be accessed via filesystem instead of the http.
Kodi has some minor (feature) limitations accessing content via http. Also some 3rd party plugins could have issues accessing content via http instead of a filesystem base.
If you use 3rd party plugins (like Kodi's "Extras" addon), you may choose native mode. btw, "Extras" is not really required, the plugin has almost the same functionality implemented as "Extras".
Additionally native mode can be tricky to configure on Kodi/Emby server side, if you use network shares like smb/cifs/nfs.

Attention:
This selection can only be altered by an emby-next-gen plugin factory reset -> full Kodi database reset

 

Sync content vs dynamic content:
Synced content is available via Kodi's internal database. Kodi doesn't even know, that the content is actually coming from Emby server, ergo accessing content is very fast.
Dynamic content is build "on the fly" and generates overhead.
Use synced content wherever possible. Due to Kodi's limitations (e.g.folder access), this is not always possible.

 

Syncing libraries:
Kodi supports only following content types by its internal database: Movies, Musicvideo, TVShows and Music
Emby on the other hand has several more.
The plugin has functionalities to sync content even it's not directly supported by Kodi. e.g. homevideos, podcasts etc.
As Kodi does not have those categories, homevideos are synced as movies, podcasts as audio etc.
If you don't use a custom Kodi skin, it will end up in the movie node (section) showing both: movies and homevideos.
This can be avoided by using the Emby-next-gen plugin custom nodes (more in the Kodi skinning section)

 

What does Kodi not support by its build in functions (Kodi limitations):
Syncing pictures is not supported by Kodi. It just has a "filebrowser" accessing pictures also emby-next-gen plugin is not capable to sync pictures, however.
There are performance tweaks available to access pictures very fast by caching them. (review artwork caching section)
Cinema mode, skip intro and multi version content support are unique to Emby server and is fully supported by emby-next-gen plugin. (review the subsections for further information)
Kodi has no functions supporting musicvideos and music content for multiple libraries (Emby library based content view). Emby-next-gen plugin has solved this problem via workarounds and is fully supported via custom nodes (more in the Kodi skinning section).

 

Path substitution (plugin configuration option for addon mode, default is enabled:
The path substitution is workaround for a Kodi limitation extracting images/pictures from video streams. It's addressing the bookmark/chapter images extraction.
Kodi extracts bookmarks/chapter images "on the fly". It's not like "regular" artwork which are (usually) located as an image file or comes from a scraper. "Regular" images are stored in Kodi's database as a record.
For chapter/bookmark images it's different. They are extracted directly for the video file/stream and not stored in Kodi's video/music database. Therefore I cannot sync them directly into the database.
The problem is, Kodi disables image extraction for HTTP streams even technically possible. This is hardcoded in Kodi's sourcecode and cannot be adjusted in the settings.
The path substitution tricks Kodi believing it's a local file so the image extraction will be processed.

How it works:
A video stream from Emby server is a regular http URL (piped through the plugins "webserver").
It looks like http://127.0.0.1:54342/video_stream_info_parameters and is stored in Kodi's database.
The internal webserver receives this stream request and redirects it to the actual Emby server's video feed. http://192.168.0.207/emby_video_stream_parameters.
This would be detected by Kodi as a HTTP stream and disables image extraction.
The path substitution however replaces the "http://127.0.0.1:54342/" with a "fake" folder.
The video feed links are now replaced with "/emby_addon_mode/" in Kodi's database. The record looks like that:
/emby_addon_mode/video_stream_info_parameters

Now it's from Kodi's perspective a local file and the advancedsettings.xml parameter turns it back to the actual link replacing the "fake" folder

        <substitute>
            <from>/emby_addon_mode/</from>
            <to>http://127.0.0.1:57342/|redirect-limit=1000</to>
        </substitute>

There is some extra magic involved but I skipped that to keep it easier to explain.
In the end, I'm actually using a Kodi bug in my favor. Kodi should detect the stream type after path substitution if they would do it properly.

 

Edited yesterday at 04:31 AM by quickmic

[quickmic 1376]

Added:

Sync content vs dynamic content
Syncing libraries

What does Kodi not support by its build in functions:

Edited November 11, 2022 by quickmic

[quickmic 1376]

Added:

Path substitution