z0mbi 76 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Kodi user here. While I absolutely LOVE using Emby with Kodi and the Arctic Zephyr skin for my HTPC, it's literally taken me hundreds and hundreds of hours to become a 'Kodi novice' lol. It is a complex piece of software. As much as I love it I honestly wouldn't recommend getting into Kodi to anyone unless I was attempting to scare them out of owning an HTPC. Keeping an eye on this thread hoping that a simpler piece of software eventually comes along that can give me everything Kodi does in terms of usability and visual attractiveness but without all of the hassle of managing such an overburdened piece of software, especially since Kodi is designed to do 100 things and I only use it to do one or two of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifespeed 42 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 z0mbi, on 28 Sept 2015 - 1:03 PM, said:Kodi user here. While I absolutely LOVE using Emby with Kodi and the Arctic Zephyr skin for my HTPC, it's literally taken me hundreds and hundreds of hours to become a 'Kodi novice' lol. It is a complex piece of software. As much as I love it I honestly wouldn't recommend getting into Kodi to anyone unless I was attempting to scare them out of owning an HTPC. Thanks for the heads up on Kodi. While I consider myself an dedicated HTPC enthusiast, I don't have much interest in overly-complicated software to play media. At the most basic level I can click on a movie file and launch Windows Media Player, so all the other niceties have to be compared to this basic simplicity. I have high hopes for Emby Theatre, hopefully this is proved out by some good beta software soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidman 589 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) Kodi user here. While I absolutely LOVE using Emby with Kodi and the Arctic Zephyr skin for my HTPC, it's literally taken me hundreds and hundreds of hours to become a 'Kodi novice' lol. It is a complex piece of software. As much as I love it I honestly wouldn't recommend getting into Kodi to anyone unless I was attempting to scare them out of owning an HTPC. . I think this is really quite subjective and depends alot on a vast array of factors Edited September 28, 2015 by Vidman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) As a recent WMC to Kodi convert (about 2 weeks in), I agree it's WAY too complex for novices. Also, the architecture syncing just seems inefficient...as I really only have one data store (Emby)...makes learning that whole process an added hassle. I think it's why I love it though...there is 1000 options and ways to do things. But just too many choices for a normal user. Once configured (and even the MCE remote setup was a PITA), it does run pretty swell. Edited September 28, 2015 by AgileHumor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z0mbi 76 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Thanks for the heads up on Kodi. While I consider myself an dedicated HTPC enthusiast, I don't have much interest in overly-complicated software to play media. At the most basic level I can click on a movie file and launch Windows Media Player, so all the other niceties have to be compared to this basic simplicity. I have high hopes for Emby Theatre, hopefully this is proved out by some good beta software soon. Don't get me wrong, once you've got it nailed, it runs fantastic and it looks amazing. Emby Theater will have to be really amazing to get me to uninstall Kodi. Browsing and playing media from your library is as simple and joyous as it gets. It's just that going from knowing nothing about Kodi to the point where it is totally set up the way you want it and runs perfectly (until the next update anyway) is as long and complex a process as it gets. Once you know the software inside and out, making it do what you want is a breeze. It's just that initial learning curve that is tricky to apex. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielpugh 2 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 The part tbat i dont like about kodi is that it has a skin that looks good, but then you go into a subsection and you are in a glorified file browser. Sure you can change the view and manually move stuff around but i dont want to browse through the root folders or see "..". I want a simple view with toggle for "unwatched". Conversely for music i want it to be prettier, have metadata, playlist and random play options. You can probably do all this in kodi, but after hours of fiddling i cant seem to get it right. That said i can see why many love it. Ill continue to watch it evolve, but still think that like with jriver it is trying to do too much, and sometimes less is more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z0mbi 76 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) The part tbat i dont like about kodi is that it has a skin that looks good, but then you go into a subsection and you are in a glorified file browser. Sure you can change the view and manually move stuff around but i dont want to browse through the root folders or see "..". I want a simple view with toggle for "unwatched". Conversely for music i want it to be prettier, have metadata, playlist and random play options. You can probably do all this in kodi, but after hours of fiddling i cant seem to get it right. That said i can see why many love it. Ill continue to watch it evolve, but still think that like with jriver it is trying to do too much, and sometimes less is more. Sounds to me like you didn't have it set up right. At no point should it look like a 'file browser'. Part of the draw of Kodi is its gorgeous visual library options. But I think we're way off topic. If you're interested in setting it up right, shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can't assist. Or maybe post in the Kodi section on here. Edited September 28, 2015 by z0mbi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bret1958 26 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 The part tbat i dont like about kodi is that it has a skin that looks good, but then you go into a subsection and you are in a glorified file browser. Sure you can change the view and manually move stuff around but i dont want to browse through the root folders or see "..". I want a simple view with toggle for "unwatched". Conversely for music i want it to be prettier, have metadata, playlist and random play options. You can probably do all this in kodi, but after hours of fiddling i cant seem to get it right. That said i can see why many love it. Ill continue to watch it evolve, but still think that like with jriver it is trying to do too much, and sometimes less is more. I had the same issue so looks like i never got it configured correctly as the prior post indicates. got my folders imported and then all i saw was an ugly folder lists with each mkv listed with no posters so I high tailed it. but even if i did its still kinda Plex looking but in a better color combo. Emby theater still shines in its presentation. My opinion any way. So I wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiretap 30 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Looks like it's going to be a while before we even get teaser screenshots.. maybe it really isn't in development and we've been strung along. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Looks like it's going to be a while before we even get teaser screenshots.. maybe it really isn't in development and we've been strung along. It's in development and the teaser will be made soon. I previously said it would be 1-2 weeks (my post was last week) and as far as I am aware the team is still working to have the teaser in that timeframe. They just need to do some more work so what they are showing is actually screenshots of the running build and not mockups. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 (edited) maybe it really isn't in development and we've been strung along. What an unproductive comment. Edited September 29, 2015 by AgileHumor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielpugh 2 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Lets try and draw a line on the negative stuff then: Its coming Developer(s) are assigned and working on it A preview/taster is coming soon The release will come "when its ready" Be patient Is there anything we (the community) can do to help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Is there anything we (the community) can do to help? The best thing the community can do to help is to answer any questions other users have (that you know the answers to). This frees up time for the devs to work on Emby Theater, Emby Server, etc. instead of answering questions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yardameus 220 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 That, and become better acquainted with other options and/or help those developers fine tune their product so there are more options for other users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiretap 30 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 What an unproductive comment. It was sarcasm, hence the weird emoji face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 There is always next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z0mbi 76 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Sorry to shoot off-topic again, but just an FYI to @@bret1958 and @@danielpugh using the Arctic Zephyr skin, this is what your Kodi file browser should look like. Any skin will have a similar setup, and all have multiple viewing options for your media, such as thumbnail view, info view, coverwall, etc etc. Arctic Zephyr has about a dozen gorgeous and totally configurable ways to array and view your media. If you're just seing a file list and you're using the emby plugin and have not accidentally also used Kodi to generate a library, the problem might be that your skin by default is pointing to the wrong submenu items. By default, Arctic Zephyrs hub items point to 'Movies' which if I recall actually does give you a straight text file list, but if you change it in the options to 'Movie HUB' then you get the full visual widget-filled experience. *edit: as an aside, and ON topic, if Emby Theater emulated the Kodi visual experience, in a non-configurable and simple to use package that includes the ability to boot into Emby theater as an appliance front end, I would totally switch over and be thrilled about it. I know that'ss asking a lot, but... I really do love how Kodi works once you've got it set up, and I love all of the information it gives you about what you're looking at, especially on the 'info' screen for a movie just before you play it. Edited September 30, 2015 by z0mbi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielpugh 2 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Yep, movies is like that in kodi, videos too apart from the.. Back arrow. Music view is pants and thats after 3 hrs of fiddling. Plex is better by default. Persinally emby theatre feels cleaner, but is missing some key bits (unwatched toggle in tv section and live tv guide for example).. Thats why im excited about the new version for the same reasons as you. Am fine for waiting using a mix of mbt and kodi in the meantime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 There is always next month. Or longer. The Xbox One app has been "in the works" since it launched. The Emby team (or any open source project) has never been great communicating roadmaps, timelines, or even the team acknowledging known issues/bugs (or documenting them). It all operates kinda at the whim of who is actively developing. Just the nature of the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Or longer. The Xbox One app has been "in the works" since it launched. The Emby team (or any open source project) has never been great communicating roadmaps, timelines, or even the team acknowledging known issues/bugs (or documenting them). It all operates kinda at the whim of who is actively developing. Just the nature of the system. Yeah, that is one reason why I am running Plex and Emby side by side right now... Haven't decided to jump ship but it gets closer every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14913 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Yeah, that is one reason why I am running Plex and Emby side by side right now... Haven't decided to jump ship but it gets closer every day. So, you're saying you actually get a better view of the development roadmap and better communication with the developers and the state of the system with Plex? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 So, you're saying you actually get a better view of the development roadmap and better communication with the developers and the state of the system with Plex? No..Their clients are available and working better on PCs though. I don't really care about the roadmap but it has been many months and every month we're told a blog about the upcoming version is going to be available in a few days. Another month gone and no blog. It would be be a better service to your customers (open source of not, we're customers because we have to pay money for features and apps) to simply say you're no where near releasing the new version. At least then we know where it really stands. A blog only takes an hour and the lead developer doesn't have to write it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pclausen 41 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Koleckai, I completely agree, but let's be patient for a bit longer and hope this becomes reality: (posted yesterday) --- cut --- It's in development and the teaser will be made soon. I previously said it would be 1-2 weeks (my post was last week) and as far as I am aware the team is still working to have the teaser in that timeframe. They just need to do some more work so what they are showing is actually screenshots of the running build and not mockups. --- cut --- Now, if 2 weeks goes by and there are still no screenshots, then yes, I agree we are being stringed along and nothing is really happening. My hope is that they really have something awesome and they need "just a few more days" to get to the point where it is at a point of being able to take some screenshots of it actually working 95% like what is going to be released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 It has been a year - http://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-115-media-browser-theater-preview-2-home-screen-and-item-details/. However like I said, there is always next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 It has been a year - http://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-115-media-browser-theater-preview-2-home-screen-and-item-details/. However like I said, there is always next month. Unfortunately that version of the "new" Emby Theater had to be mostly scrapped (there are many reasons that are mostly just boring) but the end result will be a better product. And as far as the Xbox One app is concerned. There isn't anything the Emby team can do at the moment as far as releasing something. It's "in the works" because the Xbox once upgraded to Win10 will run a version of the universal apps so there is already a large portion of the code that can be reused. They will just need MS to release the final API for the Xbox enhancements and then do some tweaking. Yes, Plex has an app on the Xbox One but only a select few developers have been given the API for the Xbox and allowed to release their app. Emby was never given that opportunity so it's not like they have spent their time working on an app and just not finishing it or releasing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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