Default Multiple Version Selection

[ebr 14913]

6 hours ago, laola said:

Now I run in the same problem - I want to reduce the intgernet/LAN traffic by using lower quality files as a default. However, in the meantime basically all devices are capable to play 4K files (i.e. FirteTV 4k) - in case the TV doesn't support, the devices will reduce the resolution by itself. So basically 4K is always played by default...

 

I would be great when there would be an option in the server settings - choosing "auto" as it is today or in an aplphabetical order or in a predifined order (as proposed by Pittlefield  on 28th Oct 2021 or any other method to pre-define which file is the standard file.

 

Now, the feature is requested since 5 years - and the auto option is not in all cases the best option.

 

Thanks

laola

Hi.  Why not just set the internet bitrate limit to a value you want to limit to?

[laola 12]

then there is a high risk that transcoding would be required sometimes - which won't work (my server is not fast enough)...

[Luke 37066]

What about an option to prefer higher or lower quality when all other factors are equal?  In other words, it wont' always force a specific version as the default. A higher quality one could still be picked if there's some other compatibility reason.

But when you have two files that can both direct play, then there could be an option to prefer the lower quality one.

[laola 12]

@Luke

sounds like a good compromize. How would you distinguish between "good" and "lower" quality ? File size ? Resolution ? Anyhow - when this option could be integrated into the user profile it should solve my "problem"  Any chance to integrate this in te near future ?

Edited August 31, 2023 by laola

[laola 12]

@Luke - any further thoughts/comments ?

[Quick1 0]

I think it'd be useful to have a user configurable per-device setting that allows someone to choose which resolution and/or Video Type they want to play on a certain device.


The Video Type filter was added recently and would allow a user to prefer "Dolby Vision" on one device and "SDR" on another device.  Allowing resolution preference would be useful as well.
 

[hthgihwaymonk 21]

There's been mention that emby picks a version that matches the users selected bitrate the closest.
But, using a browser and having the streamings setting set to 1080p 60Mbps, emby will always pick the 4K version because it's a higher bitrate, generally, than the 1080p version.
It doesn't seem that the algorithm takes into account the resolution selected.

Meaning if 1080p XXMbps is selected, emby should not pick the 4K version if a 1080p version is available.
As the 1080p version would not need to be transcoded 

[Luke 37066]

On 10/4/2023 at 6:33 PM, hthgihwaymonk said:

There's been mention that emby picks a version that matches the users selected bitrate the closest.
But, using a browser and having the streamings setting set to 1080p 60Mbps, emby will always pick the 4K version because it's a higher bitrate, generally, than the 1080p version.
It doesn't seem that the algorithm takes into account the resolution selected.

Meaning if 1080p XXMbps is selected, emby should not pick the 4K version if a 1080p version is available.
As the 1080p version would not need to be transcoded 

HI, this has been resolved for the upcoming 4.8 release. Thanks.

[hthgihwaymonk 21]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

HI, this has been resolved for the upcoming 4.8 release. Thanks.

Oh that's great to here.
So a 4.8x release beyond the current .51 version ?

[hthgihwaymonk 21]

On 10/10/2023 at 2:03 PM, Luke said:

HI, this has been resolved for the upcoming 4.8 release. Thanks.

follow-up to this - 

If the merged content contains a film in 3D, depending on streaming setting, it is being selected as the default item to play.
I've tested this in a browser as well as the android app and both will default to the 3D version.

Is it possible to have emby know when a device is not capable of streaming 3D correctly and default to the non-3D 1080p version ?

[Luke 37066]

On 10/20/2023 at 4:48 PM, hthgihwaymonk said:

follow-up to this - 

If the merged content contains a film in 3D, depending on streaming setting, it is being selected as the default item to play.
I've tested this in a browser as well as the android app and both will default to the 3D version.

Is it possible to have emby know when a device is not capable of streaming 3D correctly and default to the non-3D 1080p version ?

Hi, do you have any devices that can play 3d?

[hthgihwaymonk 21]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi, do you have any devices that can play 3d?

not currently no

[Zeckro 4]

I would like to add my opinion on this by linking my post that was marked as duplicate.

Generally, I don't think it is that helpful to set the default version depending on size or quality. I stated it in the linked post, most of the time, I have two MP4 files, a subbed and a dubbed version, and this leads to inconsistencies with the default version being set by Emby. I would like to have an option to set a string or something that is recognized in the file name to be set as default version, like in the first post of this thread stated. 

And because I read a discussion regarding "Auto" setting for video internet quality: "Auto" does not work properly. I use the web client in Chromium Edge (connection not local) and when the setting for video internet quality is on "Auto", even a 720p 1 Mbps MP4 file is streamed with a "reduced bitrate", while this does not happen when I set the internet quality to "4K - 40 Mbps". I already disabled the ability to transcode a video for my users because that lead to quality problems as well (lower resolutions being played on auto), but with video transcoding disabled and the internet quality set to "4K - 40 Mbps", my videos are being directly played without transcoding and without bitrate reduction. By the way, these problems do not occur on the android app.

[Nodiink 2]

Hello everyone,
I come from the free younger brother (and in the past I also had the orange companion for years) and I recently landed on Emby to try what the best it has to offer, and I found a lot of potential. But as with its younger brother, here too there is partial management of video versions, and it could really be a great strong point.

Since the thread has been open for years, I will repeat some concepts already covered to try to summarize and give my opinion.

First of all, the concept of version that Emby currently offers should be divided. A breakdown by resolution, or quality, is one thing. Another thing is a subdivision by edition of the video, or by other peculiarities of the video itself.

So first of all my first suggestion would be to create 2 types of subdivision, in order to manage these two characteristics:
Version - by resolution/quality (priority 1)
Edition - for differences in the same resolution (eg cut, extended, hardsubbed...) (priority 2)
By managing these two variants one after the other, I believe it would be possible to cover all, if not almost all, user requests on this aspect.

The other issue, which I would have considered a bug but I'm talking about it here because I see it is part of the discussion, concerns the choice of version (resolution) by the various Emby clients.
I did some simple tests: a film with 4k resolution and DoVi, and 1080p resolution.
On my Bravia, 4k is automatically suggested. Optimal!
Then I try an old Shield (2015) connected to a TV with 1080p resolution... and Emby again chooses 4k. Why?
I open a browser, on a 1920x1080 monitor, I choose the film and... again 4k is chosen. Same story on the smartphone.
I don't understand how the player decides that a 4k HDR (to be encoded) is better than a ready-made 1080p.
Another test: TV series, 2 versions: 1080p SDR, 1080p HDR. Everywhere (Shield on 1080p SDR TV, Chrome browser, smartphone) the HDR version is chosen.
And it doesn't keep my choice of SDR: if I start the first episode in SDR, and then exit the episode, and press the generic "play", it starts in HDR.

So here are two other suggestions: first of all, improve the choice of the version that best suits the device. Probably, implementing version/resolution splitting would be easier?
And finally, save your version choice to a device. I am convinced that the sum of these two changes (better player decision + saving the user's choice) are already a good compromise.

Obviously the file nomenclature will probably have to evolve, and it would be excellent to be able to manage this information in the .nfo file that accompanies each video.

[cubatilles 3]

Hello,

I opened a request on general forum for something related to whats' being discussed on this post:

Someone pointed me to come here and show my support to this petition, so I've done so...

In my petition I'm asking Emby to remember which version is being played for an episode on a tvshow with multiple episodes versions, and plays automatically the next episode of the same version when autoplaying next episode. It's not the exact same issue which is being talked on here, but I think the root cause is the same.

I wish it's being attended and implemented at some point. Seems like an easy and logical implementation. Not trying to be rude, but in the past I've been unlucky having my petitions implemented.

 

[ebr 14913]

46 minutes ago, cubatilles said:

Seems like an easy and logical implementation

Hi.  The issue is there is no relationship between one version of one video and another version of a different video so "the same version" is quite ambiguous.  Our version system is actually designed for different qualities as opposed to different cuts and the system chooses the best quality for playback on the device at the time.

More discussion in this topic.

Thanks.

[Nodiink 2]

42 minutes ago, cubatilles said:

In my petition I'm asking Emby to remember which version is being played for an episode on a tvshow with multiple episodes versions, and plays automatically the next episode of the same version when autoplaying next episode. It's not the exact same issue which is being talked on here, but I think the root cause is the same.

I would consider it quite close to the point I expressed in my previous post. When a more efficient way of managing versions and editions is implemented, memorizing the last started  version/edition becomes easy, and at that point reproducing the same one, or searching for the same "tags" for the next video becomes certainly easier.
 

I'm perplexed that this thread is so little frequented, I can't say if it's because it's actually a much more niche problem than I think, or simply because the common user doesn't participate in this type of thing

[Nodiink 2]

4 minutes ago, ebr said:

Hi.  The issue is there is no relationship between one version of one video and another version of a different video so "the same version" is quite ambiguous.  Our version system is actually designed for different qualities as opposed to different cuts and the system chooses the best quality for playback on the device at the time.

More discussion in this topic.

Thanks.

It can be considered the main reason from which my thoughts arise. When the concept of "different quality/resolution" will be divided from the concept of "different cut, edition, etc" it will be possible to deal with any improvements on this whole aspect much more easily.

fyi: I use TMM to manage my video library, and it seems to insert the <edition> tag when a video is in a particular edition, but I don't think that's a Kodi nfo standard.

[ebr 14913]

1 minute ago, Nodiink said:

It can be considered the main reason from which my thoughts arise. When the concept of "different quality/resolution" will be divided from the concept of "different cut, edition, etc" it will be possible to deal with any improvements on this whole aspect much more easily.

Correct but getting there is a significant design/implementation effort and this particular use case just isn't high enough on the list to justify that yet.  We definitely would like to get there but there are other items that impact a larger audience still.

[Nodiink 2]

5 minutes ago, ebr said:

Correct but getting there is a significant design/implementation effort and this particular use case just isn't high enough on the list to justify that yet.  We definitely would like to get there but there are other items that impact a larger audience still.

You were extremely clear, thank you.
I'm not very familiar with the forum, is there an area where it is possible to evaluate the various possible improvements, for example a sort of survey in which users can indicate which features they would consider most desirable?

[ebr 14913]

5 minutes ago, Nodiink said:

for example a sort of survey in which users can indicate which features they would consider most desirable?

Hi.  "Like" the first post of a feature request in this forum section to register your desire for a feature.

Thanks.