Emby Server on Raspberry PI 4b 4gb

[juro1971 11]

Hi all,

I just bought my first Raspberry PI. Main use case is to install and run PI Hole. Of course I would likte to be flexible. Future projects can be to install and run Openmediavault as a NAS and of course EMBY server.

I just moved my 8 GB USB 3 Harddrive from the Fritzbox to my main Media client which is a NVIDIA Shield 2019. The hard drive is mounted as a Network drive. So I can access all media file over the network to stream media to other client like FiretTVtick 4k. As client software I run Kodi.

Years ago I bought a lifetime licences of emby and tried to run emby server on the shield . Performance and overall handling were not off enough. To make it short I would like to reactivate emby and install this on the Raspberry PI 4b.

Can you recommend a good installation guide.

How can I realize my plans best?

Thanks!

JuRo

[Luke 38863]

Hi, what OS are you running? Can't you install using our normal linux install process?

https://emby.media/download

[juro1971 11]

Hi Luke,

I set up the PI already with the Standard PI OS. PI Hole is already running there ...

I think this one.

Is there no possibility to get up and run this on this OS?

Thanks!

Raspberry Pi OS with desktop

• Release date: March 15th 2024
• System: 64-bit
• Kernel version: 6.6
• Debian version: 12 (bookworm)
• Size: 1,105MB

Show SHA256 file integrity hash:

Release notes

[juro1971 11]

I found this one now, this should be the right one?!

[juro1971 11]

Hi I download the package and it could not be installed.

Then I tried this one

Debian Armv7 (armhf)

1. Download emby-server-deb_4.8.5.0_armhf.deb
2. dpkg -i emby-server-deb_4.8.5.0_armhf.deb
3. Open a web browser to http://localhost:8096

The installation with ssh "dpkg -i emby-server-deb_4.8.5.0_armhf.deb" did not function, so I installed via the PI GUI.

But I think this one is the right package: emby-server-deb_4.8.5.0_arm64.deb

So I would like to remove /purge this package emby-server-deb_4.8.5.0_armhf.deb first

Ho can I do this via the GUI or SSH?

Thanks!

JuRo

 

[juro1971 11]

found it

[Luke 38863]

Hi @juro1971are you all set now?

[juro1971 11]

Hey Luke, thanks for asking. Made a lot of experience in my first raspberry week. Yes emby is up and running on a dietpi os. Unfortunately the handling of usb drives in Linux based os system does not fit my requirements. I want to switch on and off my external 3.5" hard drive on demand. Here you have to mount and unmount drives. This has nothing to do with emby. On windows and even on Nvidia shield that's no problem at all. Maybe I will try on the shield again. But with Android TV 11 came so many restrictions. E.g autostart of emby server would not be possible out of the box.

As clients I use Kodi. Plan was to test emby for Kodi next gen. File bases media administration as in the past. In KODi Addons are available for all streaming platforms and you can even integrate them in the library. This is a must have for me. With emby and Kodi I will realise my dream of a central media DB and rich media client.

 

[Daniel8192 5]

Hi @juro1971

 

May I toss in a different installation for you?

But first the USB drive.  Raspberry PI OS full install auto mounts USB drives, so you can pop out and in drives without issuing a mount, but for safety you should issue a umount before disconnecting to ensure the file system is in a known state.

I actually don't ever run the full OS, I only run Lite as I have no need for a desktop or mult-media support as I run headless, no monitor, no keyboard, no mice. ever.  no, not even during setup.

All of my PIs get a Lite Install, then I install docker/docker compose.

 

My Emby runs as a container.

So I have a folder on the host with all of the config files, and other folders for the media files.  These are mounted onto file points within the Emby container when it starts.

Installing the latest Emby container image is simply:

docker-compose pull emby

starting up and shutting down simply:

docker-compose up -d

docker-compose down

From a fresh instance of the Raspberry Pi OS:

# make sure all up to date
ssh youruser@your machine
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y upgrade

# make the container data folder
sudo mkdir /mnt/emby
sudo mkdir /mnt/media
sudo chown 1000:1000 /mnt/emby
sudo chown 1000:1000 /mnt/media

# instal Docker
sudo curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh
sudo rm get-docker.sh
sudo usermod -aG docker 1000
#exit, then log back in and ensure user 1000 can run:
exit
ssh youruser@your machine
docker version

# install stand alone docker-compose
sudo curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.27.0/docker-compose-linux-aarch64 -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable docker

# do a network speed test
docker run --rm robinmanuelthiel/speedtest:latest

 

Here is what your docker-compose file would look like:

services:
  emby:
    image: emby/embyserver_arm64v8
    container_name: emby
    network_mode: host
    #network_mode: "service:gluetun"
    environment:
      - UID=1000
      - GID=1000
      - TZ=America/Toronto
    volumes:
      - /mnt/emby:/config
      - /mnt/media/television:/tvshows
      - /mnt/media/movies:/movies
      - /mnt/media/recordings:/recordings
    restart: unless-stopped

If you also want to run Emby through a VPN like Nord to ensure privacy on streaming some channels.. then into that docker-compose file you can include the below and change the network_mode line above:

gluetun:
    image: qmcgaw/gluetun
    container_name: gluetun
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
    network_mode: host
    environment:
      - VPN_SERVICE_PROVIDER=nordvpn
      - VPN_TYPE=openvpn # or wireguard
      - OPENVPN_USER=a_secret
      - OPENVPN_PASSWORD=another_secrret
      - SERVER_COUNTRIES=Canada # or somewhere else
    restart: unless-stopped

To load up the config folder, you can start Emby with the /mnt/emby folder empty and it will create all configs fresh, you can then set up as required. There really isn't that much.  after starting the container once, shut it down and copy over an existing config into the appropriate (and freshly made) folders.

Note that from Emby's perspective, your data folders are all in the container's  /.

 

Containers are really the way to go, it simplifies everything you do on a Linux (or other) box.  And backing up is simply backing up your docker-compose.yml file and your /mnt folder (or other path, some guys use /opt/ of /home/ and if you use docker volumes (I don't) they are in /var/lib/docker/volume.

 

Hope this helps

Daniel

Edited May 16, 2024 by Daniel8192

[juro1971 11]

Hey @Daniel8192, I made some experience now with the Pl. I feel more comfortable now. As os I run dietpi. From my point of view non skilled Linux users supported best. As apps I run PiHole, home assistant and emby server. My external drive I connected to my Nvidia shield. In the meantime docker as a new topic pops up for me. I now plan to build a smal media server. Unfortunately I bought a Pl 4. I better brought a PI5 that Emby transconding is supported ...I now plan to go for a PI 5, power supply,  case and internal 2.5, 5 TB sata hard drive or external. I did not find the right case so far. As an alternative maybe a refurbished thin client makes sense. I like the idea to have everything in a smal box. Important is that power consumption idle is < 5 W. As os I would like to use dietpi. The I will install docker and portainer. Emby , home assistant and PiHole should run then as docker. I will test this on my current PI. I suppose that I have to setup emby totally new or is there a way to restore the dB and all the user folders? If I remember right, on windows this was no problem.

[Daniel8192 5]

You can run Emby on a Pi4/8, I did that for several months, but I would not run H/A on the same PI both for loading issues, but also cohesion.  I am a Homeseer user, and run my H/S on a separate Pi5/8.  I tend to keep my Pis very task oriented, so in my world it's okay to add media managements tools to the same box as Emby, but it's not okay to add unrelated stuff.

For your docker containers you specify where your media and config is.

  volumes:       - /mnt/emby:/config       - /mnt/media/television:/tvshows       - /mnt/media/movies:/movies       - /mnt/media/recordings:/recordings

So.. you could load up all of your media, and an empty config folder, start up Emby, give it time to build its fresh configuration, then shut the container down, and copy in your existing config files overwriting the fresh ones - That was you can see exactly where everybody needs to be.

Then restart the container, and ensure that media library configuration points to the correct mount points in your volume statements.

Daniel

[juro1971 11]

Hi all,

in the meantime a made huge progress. Also I learned a lot around Linux based OS. In the meantime I still running a PI 4 with 4 GB with dietpi. Home assistant and emby a re running on the machine. The overall power consumption is < 2 W in idle. Now I also would like to add my external usb 3.0 Media drive directly to the PI. This workes great now.

Now emby. I just would like to substitute my library paths with the new ip and network share name. Unfortunately there is no official way to this. I really would like to avoid a rescan because this takes ages .... I remembered a way to do this with SQL lite, where I did this successfully with a Kodi TV db.

I also found this: 

 

Unfortunately it is not done with a path replacement. There is something else, but what?

Maybe someone can help out here?

Thanks!

JuRo

PS In the meantime I also testet a setup on a mini PC with I5 16 GB RAM. It's a windows machine where I run emby native in the machine. I also used Hyper V with a virtual HA system and a virtual Dietpi. Works good. But power consumption is around 5-6>10 in idle. So much more and total oversized and also active cooling system, what I don't need

 

[juro1971 11]

I got and answer the linked post.

[Hannes_GER 0]

Hi juro1971,

Yes, just before the turn of the year, someone like me comes around the corner again, because I'm also thinking about installing an Emby server on a Pi4b ..... but the media files should be stored exclusively on an NFS share. The Pi4b will be used as a pass-through for an "old" TV.
Do you have any experience if it is possible to mount an NFS share in Emby without much effort and if the transcoding can be done by the Pi4b too ?

Thx forward
Hannes

[Luke 38863]

2 hours ago, Hannes_GER said:

Hi juro1971,

Yes, just before the turn of the year, someone like me comes around the corner again, because I'm also thinking about installing an Emby server on a Pi4b ..... but the media files should be stored exclusively on an NFS share. The Pi4b will be used as a pass-through for an "old" TV.
Do you have any experience if it is possible to mount an NFS share in Emby without much effort and if the transcoding can be done by the Pi4b too ?

Thx forward
Hannes

Hi, can you mount the share on the Pi to a local path? Then you can import that path into Emby Server.

[widget100 8]

On 30/12/2024 at 19:41, Hannes_GER said:

Hi juro1971,

Yes, just before the turn of the year, someone like me comes around the corner again, because I'm also thinking about installing an Emby server on a Pi4b ..... but the media files should be stored exclusively on an NFS share. The Pi4b will be used as a pass-through for an "old" TV.
Do you have any experience if it is possible to mount an NFS share in Emby without much effort and if the transcoding can be done by the Pi4b too ?

Thx forward
Hannes

Create a new directory - sudo mkdir /mnt/movies

Change permission on the directory - sudo chmod 777 /mnt/movies

Edit fstab - sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add lines to fstab for your share. I use CIFS rather than NFS but it should be similar.

//IP Address/folder_path_to_your_storage  /mnt/movies cifs vers=3.0,username=guest,password=,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777,nofail 0 0

For NFS try:

IPaddress:/mnt/folder_path_to_your_storage /mnt/movies/ nfs rw,bg,soft,intr,nosuid 0 0

Transcoding is in software on the Pi4, but it's pretty fast and low impact
 

[juro1971 11]

Hi all,

in the meantime I decided to move away from a Raspberry and Dietp PI. I tested a lot. I now have a mini PC with proxmox. Here Adguard Home is running as LXC and Home Assistant is running as VM. on the HA VM I run emby as an add on? Why? Network handling on Linux based system is still a nightmare for me. On HA are I am using also a samba share/ nas add on. In combination with HA automations I have the full flexibility to mount and unmount drives in combination with switching hem on and off via a wlan power connector. This also works on a raspberry 4b with native HA os installed. With Proxmox I have even more flexibility for testing. For now this is the perfect solution.

Beside that emby migration is still a nightmare!!! it is strongly recommended to set the media pathes with a fixed IP. When you then switch emby installation, assign the existing emby IP fix to new installation on your router  and all should work. A switch from Windows to Linux based systems or the other way round is impossible. Otherwise you start from scratch reading all your media. This can take ages .....

Greetings JuRo