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AppleTV 4K - how is it as a dedicated Emby client?


ShoutingMan

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 Infuse is very basic, a bit slow and takes eons to scam media.

Infuse is just a content player and you can't compare a server-client solution like Emby, with a standalone solution like Infuse is. With a server-client solution, your library is a scheduled task, so your library is always up to date.

 

 MrMc has an absolutely horrendous UI and poor usability.

Looks like you never used Kodi intensively or you are a new user to Kodi, because every aspect of MrMC is Kodi based with almost the same functionality.

To me, your are saying the same now as " Kodi has an horrendous UI and poor usability"..... Explain that to millions of Kodi users !

 

On the Apple TV 4K, I let my wife and kids use MrMC for Live TV mainly and Infuse mostly for my SMB shared Movie library.

For ease of use, fast response times and guide/recording options, while watching a TV channel, MrMC provides MUCH more usability then the Emby Apple TV app, where you can't do anything while watching a TV channel (only pause/timeshift)....

 

Right now, with LIVE TV and some movie content, you can see Emby and MrMC on the Apple TV as two elevators from the same building, where the final destinations of those elevators is the same. It brings you to the floors (read content) you want. Only difference is this:

 

The Emby elevator, a fancy good looking one, when you press the button to go to your desired floor, it lets you wait TEN seconds or more, before the elevator has reached its floor and when you have arrived at that floor, you can't get any information from other floors, unless you step back in the elevator again and press on the information button for each floor.

 

With the MrMC elevator, a standard not so fancy one, when you press the button to go to your desired floor, it arrives within TWO seconds on your desired floor. And while you are viewing that floor, you can get information what is going on, on other floors, take pictures (read program info or set recordings) of other floors without the need to get back in the elevator again.

 

What elevator do you think, most people are going to use, when they find out that the less fancy elevator brings you to your destination faster, has some extra's functionalities to make life easier, that the fancy one doesn't have ?!

 

My wife and kids already now ;)

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CBers

2016 version had an IR sensor. FLIRC also works well with the Shield TV.

Might be a mistype, but there wasn't a 2016 version.

 

The original was 2015 and the newer version was this year, the 2017 version.

 

Just in case you go looking for a 2016 version :)

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ShoutingMan

Thanks. If I buy a Shield, I get it from a good retailer with good return policy in case there’s any surprise in working with universal remotes.

 

I use FLIRC for my HTPC. If I can buy a flirc and use it with a Shield, that’s an interesting option.

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jrcorwin

Infuse is just a content player and you can't compare a server-client solution like Emby, with a standalone solution like Infuse is. With a server-client solution, your library is a scheduled task, so your library is always up to date.

 

Looks like you never used Kodi intensively or you are a new user to Kodi, because every aspect of MrMC is Kodi based with almost the same functionality.

To me, your are saying the same now as " Kodi has an horrendous UI and poor usability"..... Explain that to millions of Kodi users !

 

On the Apple TV 4K, I let my wife and kids use MrMC for Live TV mainly and Infuse mostly for my SMB shared Movie library.

For ease of use, fast response times and guide/recording options, while watching a TV channel, MrMC provides MUCH more usability then the Emby Apple TV app, where you can't do anything while watching a TV channel (only pause/timeshift)....

 

Right now, with LIVE TV and some movie content, you can see Emby and MrMC on the Apple TV as two elevators from the same building, where the final destinations of those elevators is the same. It brings you to the floors (read content) you want. Only difference is this:

 

The Emby elevator, a fancy good looking one, when you press the button to go to your desired floor, it lets you wait TEN seconds or more, before the elevator has reached its floor and when you have arrived at that floor, you can't get any information from other floors, unless you step back in the elevator again and press on the information button for each floor.

 

With the MrMC elevator, a standard not so fancy one, when you press the button to go to your desired floor, it arrives within TWO seconds on your desired floor. And while you are viewing that floor, you can get information what is going on, on other floors, take pictures (read program info or set recordings) of other floors without the need to get back in the elevator again.

 

What elevator do you think, most people are going to use, when they find out that the less fancy elevator brings you to your destination faster, has some extra's functionalities to make life easier, that the fancy one doesn't have ?!

 

My wife and kids already now ;)

 

No...I have used Kodi extensively and for several years. All of their available skins are atrocious. 

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Thanks. If I buy a Shield, I get it from a good retailer with good return policy in case there’s any surprise in working with universal remotes.

 

I use FLIRC for my HTPC. If I can buy a flirc and use it with a Shield, that’s an interesting option.

 

I use my Shield exclusively with my Harmony Home Hub remote but the way I set it up was to simply program the activity to talk to the TV and then let CEC relay that to the Shield.  That way, my remote works perfectly for any TV specific setup or messages etc.

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Wilky13

Lots of reasons but the simplest is so you can have more than one client/app accessing the same media from virtually anywhere. This is basically what Emby is designed for.

Yes, I do that. I also access Emby through my Rokus and Xboxes in other rooms. But why waste the electricity of "just" having a server, when the PC Emby Server is on can act as a server AND an HTPC. You can cut out one streaming device.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Wilky13

I have a Windows 10 server that is also serves as the primary playback device, running Emby Theater. But Windows 10’s forced updates are causing problems for me, breaking Emby Theater playback. I don’t know if I can keep a stable, functional PC for Emby Theater use. So I’m thinking about switching to a new streaming client, if they can support all the audio and video formats that a PC does.

Yes. I run my HTPC on Windows 7 because WMC allows Xbox and Ceton Echo as extenders only on Windows 7. I also tuned off windows updates once they started pushing the Windows 10 "upgrade." Been very stable for the WAF. However Emby Server constantly restarting (and most of the time hanging) on updates requires manual intervention.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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jrcorwin

Yes, I do that. I also access Emby through my Rokus and Xboxes in other rooms. But why waste the electricity of "just" having a server, when the PC Emby Server is on can act as a server AND an HTPC. You can cut out one streaming device.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I previously did that, only with Kodi rather than Emby. The problem was/is a lack of simple access to the all the other streaming services and apps. Having a central server and a house full of Apple TV’s has been a better and more elegant solution for me.
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ShoutingMan

I use my Shield exclusively with my Harmony Home Hub remote but the way I set it up was to simply program the activity to talk to the TV and then let CEC relay that to the Shield.  That way, my remote works perfectly for any TV specific setup or messages etc.

Interesting. I don’t have a CEC capable display in my system. But maybe the receiver could do it. Always helpful know about the possible options. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
Everbrave

I don't use Emby app on ATV 4K on regular basis because MrMC natively supports Emby and Plex; it is definitely the better client; fast and doesn't require transcoding from the Server (Synology DS918+).

 

With Emby app, I experience frequent playback pausing especially when I play HEVC (with VA-API hardware transcoding enabled) which spoils the watching experience.

 

Today, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the Emby app playing a stream of 150 Mbps of a BDMV file transcoded by the server (70-90% CPU load) without pausing at all during the test period of 10 min.; not bad at all, good job Emby developer ;)

 

I only wished the app would start quicker and have a refresh option.

Edited by Everbrave
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ShoutingMan

I don't use Emby app on ATV 4K on regular basis because MrMC natively supports Emby and Plex; it is definitely the better client; fast and doesn't require transcoding from the Server (Synology DS918+).

How does MrMC do with various surround sound formats, in your experience? I’d not heard of it before, but it looks interesting.

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Everbrave

How does MrMC do with various surround sound formats, in your experience? I’d not heard of it before, but it looks interesting.

 

 

I don't use multi-channel audio at home; just Stereo. On my other place, I use Kodi with a multi-channel audio and it works fine, so I guess MrMC will too.

You can visit their forum and learn more.

https://mrmc.tv

 

MrMC is a fine product, offers much more than infuse at a much lower price (I have both). The UI is a matter of personal taste.

Edited by Everbrave
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Dibbes

I found this a very interesting thread describing all the issues I've been having with the ATV (slowness to start, missing options, etc). I have a love/hate relationship with my 4th gen. In a previous post I compared it to a red-haired step-child, which, in my opinion, it still is. Various app providers seem to have exactly the same issues as Emby, if they even manage to get in the store. I think Apple has crippled tvOS even more than iOS, just to get even more money out of the users' pocket. I hate this part

 

What I love about the ATV, is the ease of use. A simple remote even a 3yr old can use (literally). Unfortunately I have not found a replacement that I can stick on the back of my TV and has the same ease of use yet...

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Everbrave

I found this a very interesting thread describing all the issues I've been having with the ATV (slowness to start, missing options, etc). I have a love/hate relationship with my 4th gen. In a previous post I compared it to a red-haired step-child, which, in my opinion, it still is. Various app providers seem to have exactly the same issues as Emby, if they even manage to get in the store. I think Apple has crippled tvOS even more than iOS, just to get even more money out of the users' pocket. I hate this part

 

What I love about the ATV, is the ease of use. A simple remote even a 3yr old can use (literally). Unfortunately I have not found a replacement that I can stick on the back of my TV and has the same ease of use yet...

The upgrade to ATV 4K is really worth the cost; the A10X is very powerful; no comparison with the A8 of ATV4.

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Dibbes

The upgrade to ATV 4K is really worth the cost; the A10X is very powerful; no comparison with the A8 of ATV4.

 

Maybe, but since I don't own a 4K TV-set, I don't really see the use of upgrading. I don't use it for anything else than Emby and HBO. (I'd use Amazon Prime too, but the app never made it into the store...)

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corey

Maybe, but since I don't own a 4K TV-set, I don't really see the use of upgrading. I don't use it for anything else than Emby and HBO. (I'd use Amazon Prime too, but the app never made it into the store...)

 

The Amazon Prime app is available now in the tvOS App Store :)

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Dibbes

The Amazon Prime app is available now in the tvOS App Store :)

 

That must be new then, it wasn't just before Christmas... thanks for letting me know! :)

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Everbrave

Maybe, but since I don't own a 4K TV-set, I don't really see the use of upgrading. I don't use it for anything else than Emby and HBO. (I'd use Amazon Prime too, but the app never made it into the store...)

I also don’t own a 4K TV but not only the CPU is worlds over the A8 but also the GPU on ATV4K supports hardware decoding of HEVC.

It simply breathes new life in old apps.

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Looks like you never used Kodi intensively or you are a new user to Kodi, because every aspect of MrMC is Kodi based with almost the same functionality.

To me, your are saying the same now as " Kodi has an horrendous UI and poor usability"..... Explain that to millions of Kodi users !

I never liked the XBMC/Kodi UI. This is certainly a matter of taste. But it is also clear that the UI is not Apple-like. It is sluggish (Siri remote) and it looks and feels like a foreign body on the AppleTV. Beside that MrMc is certainly very good.

Edited by 27k
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I know this probably a long shot, but does anyone know if 24-bit multichannel FLAC gets preserved as 24-bit in the Emby app on an AppleTV 4K? On the Nvidia Shield, and nearly all Android boxes, the Android OS degrades PCM output to 16/48. So as someone with a lot of 24/48 FLAC in 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1, and some 24/96 and 24/192 FLAC 5.1, it's annoying to have your audio resampled.

 

I know it can also be hard to verify if the PCM output is staying at the original 16 or 24-bit without special equipment, but I figured I'd ask. I can send some sample files if anyone can test.

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