FireStick Black Screen when opening emby.

[pir8radio 1305]

I have one family member that has been complaining when they go to "emby" that all they get is a black screen.  Hit home, go back to emby, all they get is a black screen.    They have to power cycle the fire stick to get back into the application.     Any ideas?  Manual server setup, https, Manual login.   latest fire stick and its software is up to date..

Edited June 24, 2017 by pir8radio

[Luke 40091]

So what you're saying is the second time it works? Is that right?

[pir8radio 1305]

So what you're saying is the second time it works? Is that right?

 

No you can try and try, all you get is a black screen.  But if you pull power to the fire stick, and reboot it, it comes right up.  let it sit over night and when you try the next day its a black screen again.  Reboot unit and it works again...   Not sure what the issue is.

Edited June 24, 2017 by pir8radio

[Luke 40091]

So it sounds like basically when you resume the app after having opened it previously.

[pir8radio 1305]

So it sounds like basically when you resume the app after having opened it previously.

 

 

Correct.

[ebr 15667]

So it sounds like basically when you resume the app after having opened it previously.

 

Correct.

 

Is that really true?  Does this happen if you immediately re-open the app?

 

How do the shut down the system?  Do they just turn off the TV with Emby still up?

 

What is their "Auto logoff" setting set to in the app settings?

[pir8radio 1305]

Is that really true?  Does this happen if you immediately re-open the app?

 

How do the shut down the system?  Do they just turn off the TV with Emby still up?

 

What is their "Auto logoff" setting set to in the app settings?

 

I Don't know if it is immediately after the app is closed, however I would guess after some time. 

 

I asked, their kid said she went to the home screen first but I'm not sure, I would guess they just left it open.

 

Their stick is plugged into their AV receiver, it stays powered, but i would guess hdmi would drop out while power is still applied (possibly the issue)

 

I'll find out the auto logoff settings..   

 

 

Good points,   Maybe Ill have them plug the USB into the receiver if its going directly to a wall outlet so that it kills power when the receiver is off.  Ill also find out the auto logoff settings. 

[regretfulapples 1]

I've been having this exact problem for over a year now on 2 fire tv sticks and 1 fire tv box.  I've tied to troubleshoot on numerous occasions to figure out what cause it and I've never got to the bottom of it.  The only solution is to either force close the app and relaunch or power cycle the fire tv devices.

 

I've submitted crash logs numerous times when this happens in the hope it would be resolved with an app update, it never has. Fingers crossed it will one day.

[Luke 40091]

We are looking into this, thanks for the reports guys.

[pir8radio 1305]

My parents are now complaining of this same issue after they moved firetv to  a new tv...  I found that they are now powering it from a power strip rather than the usb on the  TV.   So what seems to cause this issue is leaving the roku powered up, then shutting off the tv (or removing the HDMI) when it comes back emby doesn't work.   What I don't know is how long this takes...  I assume over night, firetv powered up with emby running, remove hdmi let it sit and then try to plug it back in 24 hours later should reproduce. 

[Koleckai Silvestri 1151]

Happens to my family every time someone leaves the Emby App by pressing the home button on the remote. To prevent the issue, you have to press the back button all the way out to the Fire home screen. The app is set to auto-logoff the user but it doesn't. If you leave and go back in before running another app the user is still logged in. If you go back in after running another app, you get a black screen and have to force close the app.

 

When it happens, you don't have to cycle the device. Go to Settings -> Application. Manage Installed Apps and force close Emby. It will start properly after that. I always clear the cache on the screen to manage Emby as well.

 

Though, we have the Fire TV not the stick. It is plugged into its own socket. Turning off the television doesn't cause the issue for us.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Koleckai Silvestri

[Luke 40091]

Apologies guys. Ebr is working on a fix in the beta channel of the app. Thanks.

[Luke 40091]

From a beta tester:

 

 

 

It's only been 24 hours since I tried the beta, but so far so good. No more gray screens. 

[dbowles1975 25]

From a beta tester:

I can confirm this as well. 

[Luke 40091]

Thanks for the feedback

[ebr 15667]

The app is set to auto-logoff the user but it doesn't. If you leave and go back in before running another app the user is still logged in.

 

What exact setting are you talking about?  There are two settings related to this.  One of them will auto logout (shut down the app) after a selected period of inactivity (this is so you don't accidentally leave it logged in to your 'naughty' profile one night and the kids start it up the next morning).  The other is the option to remember a specific user or show the login screen each time.

 

Even if you have the first option selected (and the time elapses), if you have the second option to remember a specific user, then it is going to automatically log that user in when you come back.

[Koleckai Silvestri 1151]

What exact setting are you talking about?  There are two settings related to this.  One of them will auto logout (shut down the app) after a selected period of inactivity (this is so you don't accidentally leave it logged in to your 'naughty' profile one night and the kids start it up the next morning).  The other is the option to remember a specific user or show the login screen each time.

 

Even if you have the first option selected (and the time elapses), if you have the second option to remember a specific user, then it is going to automatically log that user in when you come back.

 

The second one. Don't have a naughty profile or kids but each of us does have our own user accounts for watch statuses and such. When person A leaves Emby, and person B enters it before running another app it stays with person A's profile. You don't see the login screen like you should. None of the profiles are using Emby Connect either.

[ebr 15667]

 You don't see the login screen like you should. None of the profiles are using Emby Connect either.

 

Is the first setting set to "Show Login Screen"?

 

Now, if you hit the "Home" button from Emby and then immediately select the Emby tile from the home screen - you are just going to go right back where you just left.  This is how Android works - the app is still running and the system just takes you right back to it.

[Daniel8192 5]

Sometimes I will experience an all black screen in Emby on Firestick. Previously I chose the route of using Firestick to terminate the app and restart it, easy enough, but I didn't like it as a solution for my other users in-house.

But I think I found an alternative and easier solution.  Holding down the Home button on the Firestick invokes a 5 position menu { Profiles | Apps | Sleep | Mirroring | Settings }. Select Emby, and the black screen state is miraculously 'cured'.

I don't know what is going on in the internal state of Emby or Firestick when the black screen occurs but this seems to give the whole thing the necessary slap upside the head.

 

[Luke 40091]

1 hour ago, Daniel8192 said:

Sometimes I will experience an all black screen in Emby on Firestick. Previously I chose the route of using Firestick to terminate the app and restart it, easy enough, but I didn't like it as a solution for my other users in-house.

But I think I found an alternative and easier solution.  Holding down the Home button on the Firestick invokes a 5 position menu { Profiles | Apps | Sleep | Mirroring | Settings }. Select Emby, and the black screen state is miraculously 'cured'.

I don't know what is going on in the internal state of Emby or Firestick when the black screen occurs but this seems to give the whole thing the necessary slap upside the head.

 

Hi.  Can you try searching for our standard android app (Just "Emby" on Amazon and "Emby for Android on Google) on the same device's app store and see how that compares?

Thanks.

 

[Daniel8192 5]

4 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi.  Can you try searching for our standard android app (Just "Emby" on Amazon and "Emby for Android on Google) on the same device's app store and see how that compares?

Thanks.

 

Yes, I have both Emby for Firestick and Emby standard on one of my Firesticks (have 5 Emby for Firestick).  I will run the standard in my Man Cave office for the next while and see if I get the black screen.  It is not especially frequent, perhaps once a week, so may be a while.