Roku interface

[Silentalero 5]

Any plans on making the interface a bit more polished? I wont lie, on Roku, its rough. I love the added features EMBY has (including M3u live tv sources). But the one thing that has always sold alot of people to Plex is the interfacing being more polished and looking more like a netflix style menu.

 

Btw this isnt knocking Emby at all, because imo emby has much more usability and options on the backend than plex offers (they are a bit to ......corporate for my liking)

 

Ive debated the switch, and debating who to go premium with (its worth it on both).

[Luke 37022]

Hi there, what would you suggest with the Roku app?

[Silentalero 5]

So as far as functions, huge props on everything. Honestly Ive gone through EMBY and Plex to their fullest extent and EMBY has them beat hands down when it comes to functionality (plex doesnt even allow favorites)

 

I think maybe this goes across the board, but its the user interface. Ive used it on PC and Roku, the vertical version just looks basic and unfinished. I think if there was time devoted to a more polished user interface it would go really far. Especially considering this is the first thing people see when logging in.

 

Also one thing ive noticed that isnt bad on plex, is a recommendations option. Most of us have alot on our servers (and ill admit) i forget alot of whats on there and it brings it to my attention.

 

More inferface themes wouldnt be bad either with more than a solid color also.

 

btw please dont take offense to this, id just rather be honest because i really do love the functionality of emby, but the interface needs a serious face lift.

 

for the time being im testing out plex and while im missing out on alot of features, the looks of it are much better for the time being.

Edited December 28, 2019 by Silentalero

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

Just to chime in, or but in if that seems to describe this better, I think the developers will need specifics in order to even comment on the possibilities of effective changes. Many of us that have been using Emby for a while are quite happy with the functionality and appearance of Emby's Roku interface so it is possible that the developers see nothing really wrong.

 

Personally I would not care if the current Roku interface underwent little or no changes for quite a while to allow the developers to work on the little glitches that pop up from time to time.

[Silentalero 5]

Just to chime in, or but in if that seems to describe this better, I think the developers will need specifics in order to even comment on the possibilities of effective changes. Many of us that have been using Emby for a while are quite happy with the functionality and appearance of Emby's Roku interface so it is possible that the developers see nothing really wrong.

 

Personally I would not care if the current Roku interface underwent little or no changes for quite a while to allow the developers to work on the little glitches that pop up from time to time.

Im sure not everybody will agree with me and thats the problem when it comes to visual appearance (eye of the beholder). But im not the only one who feels this way (most just wont post to mention it). Ive had a lot of friends who run servers and they've switched solely based on the interface.

[Happy2Play 8252]

If specifics are not put out there, then the devs have no idea on specifics to change.  They are making changes but they are probably not what you are wanting.  And personally Emby should not be cookie cutter like other like apps, but that is just me.

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

Im sure not everybody will agree with me and thats the problem when it comes to visual appearance (eye of the beholder). But im not the only one who feels this way (most just wont post to mention it). Ive had a lot of friends who run servers and they've switched solely based on the interface.

I know a number of people that switched from Plex to Emby for a number of reasons including, but not limited to, the complexity of Plex's user interface on the Roku and the lack of user friendliness in their Roku interface. I am one of the people that have made the switch from Plex to Emby.

 

I have heard of very very few people that have switched from Emby to Plex and I very much doubt that the Roku interface could drive that kind of switch. Plex is just too clumsy and user-unfriendly to allow me to think that it is attractive to any but a very few users.

 

I just want Emby to pretty much continue as they are and in no way try to emulate Plex. This is kind of like the argument that Plex or Emby should try to behave like Netflix. Netflix drove me away because of their BAD user interface that tried to do too much and was not customizable at all. Plex is a lot like that now but Emby is not. I just want to view my media and play it and all the fluff in the world will not make that better. Emby does not need, in my opinion, to change just to be prettier. Pretty is as pretty does and Emby is pretty enough visually while Plex may be prettier, in some limited ways, in the user interface it is downright ugly in the functionality department.

[Luke 37022]

 

 

the vertical version just looks basic and unfinished.

Can you give more specifics about this?

[Silentalero 5]

I know a number of people that switched from Plex to Emby for a number of reasons including, but not limited to, the complexity of Plex's user interface on the Roku and the lack of user friendliness in their Roku interface. I am one of the people that have made the switch from Plex to Emby.

 

I have heard of very very few people that have switched from Emby to Plex and I very much doubt that the Roku interface could drive that kind of switch. Plex is just too clumsy and user-unfriendly to allow me to think that it is attractive to any but a very few users.

 

I just want Emby to pretty much continue as they are and in no way try to emulate Plex. This is kind of like the argument that Plex or Emby should try to behave like Netflix. Netflix drove me away because of their BAD user interface that tried to do too much and was not customizable at all. Plex is a lot like that now but Emby is not. I just want to view my media and play it and all the fluff in the world will not make that better. Emby does not need, in my opinion, to change just to be prettier. Pretty is as pretty does and Emby is pretty enough visually while Plex may be prettier, in some limited ways, in the user interface it is downright ugly in the functionality department.

 

I agree, and thats why i wanted to dive into plex to see the true difference. And honestly, even after reading "reviews" they miss so much that Emby has to offer that plex never will

Can you give more specifics about this?

Hey Luke, sure thing (btw thanks for hearing me out, this is all my thoughts on what ive asked people)

 

So here are some of the things I wish could be tweaked.

 

#1 Give horizontal to Roku, it would honestly make a huge difference. I love the accessibility of having highlighted or recommended movies or shows. Some of us have thousands of movies and they get lost. Some hate it, some love it, me...Im a fan, maybe have it randomly rotate once a week (maybe an option to turn on/off ad how often it refreshes)

#2 With the vertical menu, the plain text and boring backgrounds make it feel like im just looking through a windows folder for the movie I want. Its very.....boring and root feeling.....

     - It reminds me of costco, the reason people love it is because they purposely make you wander past things you normally never would, and im sure a vast majority of us are pack rats with movies and shows. I would want a media server that lets me wander through my movies without scrolling past the same ones over and over I know im never going to click. But if it pops up, im more prone to say sure, lets watch this.

     -  Another example is, there is a reason Android and Apple focus a lot on HOW things are accessed rather than just giving them more features to access, and I think that's where Emby does fall a bit short in the menu interface. (on the movie screen with actor/director is great!). But again we lose those options with vertical menu in Roku. Horizontal, it'll show other movies like "movie A" or more by director B. Options like those are honestly some of my fav user options.

#3 Another feature which use to work that suddenly stopped, was there was an option when the movie screen came up, it would have an option to view the trailer on youtube of that movie (not upcoming movie trailers). Not sure what happened, but i've tried every plugin and nothing seems to work. Or unless that's just a roku thing?

#4 More backdrops and theme options. Again on PC, we can have wallpaper backdrops ect, but majority of the themes are single color monotone themes. I think some gradient options would go a very long way.

 

Now keep in mind, this is only on Roku, and given Roku is extremely popular and a simple way to use Emby without hooking up a full pc, I can bet, there is a good chunk of the population using it. (im sure you can see the downloads from roku store). This could also give you a bit of info on just how many people these changes could effect in a positive way.

 

These are just some things I can think of off the top of my head. And of course all of these are merely suggestions, some circles of people wont care, some will. But for a good amount of people they want pretty (not necessarily netflix pretty) but a great user interface tied in with all the features EMBY has could really set it light years above any other media server option out there. Even the articles I've read on the comparisons all said the same thing, that Plex is similar (which they are wrong) but a more polished version of EMBY. (They clearly didnt dive into the technical details like they shouldve) Most may not even use half of what EMBY offers and make their choice solely on a cosmetic appeal for them and their family/friends or whoever they share their library with. The people I've got testing out Plex all said the same that they do wish EMBY looked a bit better. But they all hate the fact that there is no live TV option (unless you get plex pass and even then you cant use an M3U file).

Edited December 28, 2019 by Silentalero

[Silentalero 5]

A suggestion for the front menu with recommendations, let us choose Genre or Actors or even directors on the front page. A clean way of doing it maybe a named tab that we can name but essentially its a "Recommendations" tab to go into. Personalization can make it a completely new experience, because lets me honest. Thats why we deal with servers and all this setup as admins. For the experience. The more we can customize the better (even if its letting us choose color combos, or gradient patterns) this way it becomes more about your style within the lifestyle of Emby. Make it a premium feature and Im willing to bet alot more would sign up for that option.

I would gladly pay $120 if i could customize the server visually/accessibility the way i wanted. It wouldn't even be a 2nd thought.

Edited December 28, 2019 by Silentalero

[riverboat2001 18]

Me too.

I'd love the option to make at least the front screen prettier and organise and show media how I want. I'd glady pay £3 or £5 for a nice customisable theme. Similar to MB3 days.

I have to say as a long time premium member Emby has been worth every penny and I can't see me moving anytime soon. Buy prettier and customisable would be the cherry on the Roku cake.

 

Sent from my CPN-W09 using Tapatalk

[ebr 14904]

Hi. To address a couple of your comments.

 

Launching YouTube trailers simply isn't practical on the Roku platform unfortunately.

 

Can you show us a screen shot of "plain text and boring backgrounds" so we know exactly what you are talking about?  As for gradients, etc. most current designs have moved away from the heavy-gradient world of WMC and we have mostly followed suit there.

 

Different themes will eventually come to Roku as well.

[Silentalero 5]

Hi. To address a couple of your comments.

 

Launching YouTube trailers simply isn't practical on the Roku platform unfortunately.

 

Can you show us a screen shot of "plain text and boring backgrounds" so we know exactly what you are talking about?  As for gradients, etc. most current designs have moved away from the heavy-gradient world of WMC and we have mostly followed suit there.

 

Different themes will eventually come to Roku as well.

Hey,

 

* So as far as youtube, i know it may not be practical, but there have been many times I wish i had the option. Just please keep in mind how many users that is alienating. This is one of the biggest features I miss not having to have a pc and keyboard laying about.

 

Unfortunately I had to reset the apps in my PC and uninstalled EMBY, Which is what led me to tryout Plex since there was no backup and it seems ive lost all my settings. So without resetting everything back up, getting screenshots would be a bit of work just to show what anybody can already see.

 

* Themes to Roku would be great, Im sure some have moved away from it, but the option to use it or customize it for those of us who prefer it would be a nice premium feature. (A lot of premium features to rest around the tech side of a server management, not to many cosmetic minus a few themes).

 

I think a great start to helping solve this would to give Horizontal to Roku, its not a small group and Im sure everybody would love to have that interface over vertical..

 

If Vertical is what we are stuck with, then maybe some more options of what types of media we can view would be nice (and the ability to adjust the home screen from Roku) for now we have to go through phone/profile to adjust the home screen on a diff device. Bit of a headache.

[Silentalero 5]

 

Btw this is what im talking about. While the menu is there, its just an endless stack all the way down. Nothing exciting. And btw roku has no options of any different theme or backdrop even.

 

 

[Happy2Play 8252]

rokuhome1.jpg

 

Btw this is what im talking about. While the menu is there, its just an endless stack all the way down. Nothing exciting. And btw roku has no options of any different theme or backdrop even.

Did you enable backdrops in setting?

[Allan Cameron 40]

Well i have been using plex since the beginning.. YEARS ago. Having said that, the past few years plex SUCKS! I don't like there lack of options and function or there UI. Also Navigation is terrible. Both server and client UI is just bad since the latest changes. Emby is so much better in every way. From the server to the client. Looks and functions much better as is. The only change i would like to see with the Roku client is to allow for themes. Solid colours are fine, just as long as the theme changes work throughout the client. As far as the way the Roku client looks right now, it's miles ahead of plex in my eyes. Plex can shove that side navigation "with pins" crap up there butt!! There layout and the way things are discovered, shown to you are a big mess.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Allan Cameron

[speechles 1917]

We are going to be improving that homescreen in the near future. The homescreen should be stellar because it is the most viewed screen of the app. There are going to be improvements in that area soon. Without "pins" and without imposing any extra clicks of your remote. Keeping keypresses minimal is the Roku way. We respect that. ^_~

 

If you want to help guide the way for the Roku app you need to be using the Emby Beta of the Roku app and participate in the testing threads for it. This will help us improve the experience with less disruption for users who just want to be left alone and play their items in peace.

 

The Emby Beta for Roku is where new functionality and features appear first. If you aren't already using it there is no penalty for doing so. Beta does not mean broken or buggy. It means "testing copy" before store release. You can help test and/or not. You can use the beta and not tell us anything. That is fine as well. This is voluntary. There is nothing implied in using the beta that you must commit time to us for anything. Just enjoy your media with it and get early features. That is enough.

 

We are working to improve your experience on Roku everyday.

 

side-note: we do enjoy all feedback, criticism, and critique. if you have time to commit there please spend some time explaining how we do. thanks again. it is hard to do better without knowing where we are doing things wrong.

Edited December 29, 2019 by speechles

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

rokuhome1.jpg

 

Btw this is what im talking about. While the menu is there, its just an endless stack all the way down. Nothing exciting. And btw roku has no options of any different theme or backdrop even.

I do not want or need my Emby interface on the Roku to be "exciting" at all. It is the content that should be exciting and my content is quite exciting.

 

I have my content on my Roku organized in exactly the order I want and I can access it in the order of what I expect to see. I have "Next up" (I only have TV shows in Next up) first and my libraries on the next line and "Continue watching" on the third line. I very very rarely access any other section so I need to see nothing else.

 

There is nothing "exciting" in my layout and there does not need to be. I just need access to my content in an expeditious manner that makes sense to me. I do not need or want more clutter or flash.

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

...

 

side-note: we do enjoy all feedback, criticism, and critique. if you have time to commit there please spend some time explaining how we do. thanks again. it is hard to do better without knowing where we are doing things wrong.

I am home now and recovering from pretty major surgery so, as my recovery permits, I will be participating more in that beta section. I hope that at least most of my input will be productive.

BTW: For my stay in the hospital I used Emby remotely. (I usually do not use or even enable remote access) It should be noted that it worked but hospital guest networks are not as reliable as they could be and there were a LOT of glitches. I used an Android tablet so this really does not belong here. Sorry.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Gilgamesh_48

[speechles 1917]

I do not want or need my Emby interface on the Roku to be "exciting" at all. It is the content that should be exciting and my content is quite exciting.

 

I have my content on my Roku organized in exactly the order I want and I can access it in the order of what I expect to see. I have "Next up" (I only have TV shows in Next up) first and my libraries on the next line and "Continue watching" on the third line. I very very rarely access any other section so I need to see nothing else.

 

There is nothing "exciting" in my layout and there does not need to be. I just need access to my content in an expeditious manner that makes sense to me. I do not need or want more clutter or flash.

 

define exciting...

 

Does this mean using your existing media images in innovative ways? The way Emby uses backdrops for example. This isn't meant as flash or clutter. It is your metadata used that you collected and presented so you can actually use it since you are storing it. Otherwise you are storing it for no reason. It is clutter then. This is why it is allowed to disable backdrops. Those can eat bandwidth on remote connections. Turn them off.

 

But backdrops are part of the presentation. This is why we call them "back" drops. They go behind the action in front. So this usually isn't considered noise. Nor are transitions. These are manipulations of said backdrops via animation or otherwise. So if these were to zoom and shrink and you entered an item it would not be considered flashy or clutter. It is a transition meant to convey a navigational choice.

 

These types of things are more modern to do than just keeping a grey blob of a backdrop. The grey blob backdrop is going to fade out like a red dwarf star. It isn't interesting and doesn't add value to the presentation. It makes every screen look the same which may be their intent. It takes away the developers choices and reduces every app to ordinary. There is nothing special anywhere. It is grey. All color gone and reduced to the average on everything.

 

This isn't where you want Emby headed is it? We have backdrops. We have color. Soon we will have themes and a better looking homescreen. This is the direction you have asked and we listen.

Edited December 29, 2019 by speechles

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

define exciting...

 

Does this mean using your existing media images in innovative ways? The way Emby uses backdrops for example. This isn't meant as flash or clutter. It is your metadata used that you collected and presented so you can actually use it since you are storing it. Otherwise you are storing it for no reason. It is clutter then. This is why it is allowed to disable backdrops. Those can eat bandwidth on remote connections. Turn them off.

 

But backdrops are part of the presentation. This is why we call them "back" drops. They go behind the action in front. So this usually isn't considered noise. Nor are transitions. These are manipulations of said backdrops via animation or otherwise. So if these were to zoom and shrink and you entered an item it would not be considered flashy or clutter. It is a transition meant to convey a navigational choice.

 

These types of things are more modern to do than just keeping a grey blob of a backdrop. The grey blob backdrop is going to fade out like a red dwarf star. It isn't interesting and doesn't add value to the presentation. It makes every screen look the same which may be their intent. It takes away the developers choices and reduces every app to ordinary. There is nothing special anywhere. It is grey. All color gone and reduced to the average on everything.

 

This isn't where you want Emby headed is it? We have backdrops. We have color. Soon we will have themes and a better looking homescreen. This is the direction you have asked and we listen.

The backdrops are perfectly fine. In fact I like them although I rarely notice them. As I thought I said the home screen is fine the way it is.

 

What I do NOT want are things like auto play or background music or anything else that gets in the way of simply accessing my content. I also do not want the interface to get loaded with fluff so that it slows down everything. So far everything that you have implemented that I would consider "fluff" has been able to be turned off or must be turned on to get in the way of my experience on the Roku.

 

Keep up the good work and I will be happy. If I "think" you stray from the "path" I can guarantee that I will be neither quite or accepting. I will bitch and moan as I feel the need arises. But of course you know that from the past.

 

BTW: "Modern" is not always better.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Gilgamesh_48

[speechles 1917]

Then you and I think alike sir. Nothing we do for transitions can "slow" the experience at all. These are just "filler to see" as the loading spinner spins. These things do not cause a slower response at all. That is what I meant to say. There is no impact as far as how quickly you can navigate around when this stuff occurs. You can still move at "your pace" whatever that is. Your media your way at your own pace. That is Emby.

[Silentalero 5]

Did you enable backdrops in setting?

 

Yes I did, but in roku they dont activate (Pc they do)...Thats part of the problem is Roku users seem to lose a decent amount of options, and Ill be honest, im not excited to hook up my media pc to my tv again. Its nice using 1 universal remote to control everything and not having to bust out the keyboard/mousepad combo.

We are going to be improving that homescreen in the near future. The homescreen should be stellar because it is the most viewed screen of the app. There are going to be improvements in that area soon. Without "pins" and without imposing any extra clicks of your remote. Keeping keypresses minimal is the Roku way. We respect that. ^_~

 

If you want to help guide the way for the Roku app you need to be using the Emby Beta of the Roku app and participate in the testing threads for it. This will help us improve the experience with less disruption for users who just want to be left alone and play their items in peace.

 

The Emby Beta for Roku is where new functionality and features appear first. If you aren't already using it there is no penalty for doing so. Beta does not mean broken or buggy. It means "testing copy" before store release. You can help test and/or not. You can use the beta and not tell us anything. That is fine as well. This is voluntary. There is nothing implied in using the beta that you must commit time to us for anything. Just enjoy your media with it and get early features. That is enough.

 

We are working to improve your experience on Roku everyday.

 

side-note: we do enjoy all feedback, criticism, and critique. if you have time to commit there please spend some time explaining how we do. thanks again. it is hard to do better without knowing where we are doing things wrong.

 

Thank you for this, I will gladly download it (never knew it existed). When it comes to programs that are useful I love being an opinion on how to improve hoping it can help overall.

I do not want or need my Emby interface on the Roku to be "exciting" at all. It is the content that should be exciting and my content is quite exciting.

 

I have my content on my Roku organized in exactly the order I want and I can access it in the order of what I expect to see. I have "Next up" (I only have TV shows in Next up) first and my libraries on the next line and "Continue watching" on the third line. I very very rarely access any other section so I need to see nothing else.

 

There is nothing "exciting" in my layout and there does not need to be. I just need access to my content in an expeditious manner that makes sense to me. I do not need or want more clutter or flash.

 

This is why I mention to just have the options to make it exciting. Not everybody will have the same desires and style. And even then in time it changes. But my request wasnt meant to replace anything, its merely adding to what Emby already offers.

define exciting...

 

Does this mean using your existing media images in innovative ways? The way Emby uses backdrops for example. This isn't meant as flash or clutter. It is your metadata used that you collected and presented so you can actually use it since you are storing it. Otherwise you are storing it for no reason. It is clutter then. This is why it is allowed to disable backdrops. Those can eat bandwidth on remote connections. Turn them off.

 

But backdrops are part of the presentation. This is why we call them "back" drops. They go behind the action in front. So this usually isn't considered noise. Nor are transitions. These are manipulations of said backdrops via animation or otherwise. So if these were to zoom and shrink and you entered an item it would not be considered flashy or clutter. It is a transition meant to convey a navigational choice.

 

These types of things are more modern to do than just keeping a grey blob of a backdrop. The grey blob backdrop is going to fade out like a red dwarf star. It isn't interesting and doesn't add value to the presentation. It makes every screen look the same which may be their intent. It takes away the developers choices and reduces every app to ordinary. There is nothing special anywhere. It is grey. All color gone and reduced to the average on everything.

 

This isn't where you want Emby headed is it? We have backdrops. We have color. Soon we will have themes and a better looking homescreen. This is the direction you have asked and we listen.

I agree with this 100%. Transitions are great, and so are heavier Graphical uses/menu dividers ect....The little things that make it look more refined. But they aren't for everybody, a simple option to turn on/off solves this for everybody.

 

The backdrops are perfectly fine. In fact I like them although I rarely notice them. As I thought I said the home screen is fine the way it is.

 

What I do NOT want are things like auto play or background music or anything else that gets in the way of simply accessing my content. I also do not want the interface to get loaded with fluff so that it slows down everything. So far everything that you have implemented that I would consider "fluff" has been able to be turned off or must be turned on to get in the way of my experience on the Roku.

 

Keep up the good work and I will be happy. If I "think" you stray from the "path" I can guarantee that I will be neither quite or accepting. I will bitch and moan as I feel the need arises. But of course you know that from the past.

 

BTW: "Modern" is not always better.

This would be the purpose of having everything able to turn on/off. You may hate bells and whistles, but others do not. And while its impossible to make everybody happy, with a platform like this there has to be the respect that everybody has different styles.

 

[ebr 14904]

As for YouTube - I'm sorry but the Roku OS is not multi-tasking like most other devices.  Therefore, while it is possible for us to launch YouTube to play a video, it is not possible for you to then go back to our app where you came from.

 

This is a limitation of the platform.

[speechles 1917]

Roku does not allow apps to chain together. This means you cannot share registry information across apps. You cannot have a background app and a foreground app.

 

On Roku all apps run in the foreground. The foreground allows for a single app instance. This means you must kill an app before one can be started. To start Youtube Emby must exit. Now Youtube starts. Youtube does not know Emby exists and why would they allow a route back to the Emby app? Youtube will never do that for any app except for its own ecosystem. So you become stuck inside Youtube until you exit. Now navigate the Roku homescreen back to the Emby app. Login and all that back into the Emby app. Navigate back to where you were prior to playing that Youtube trailer. Now you are back where you were. That navigation is painfully clumsy and interminably intolerable to 99.99% of users. This is why the app abandoned that idea pretty quickly in its first 15 seconds of life. It is a good idea until you factor in the navigation chores.

Edited December 29, 2019 by speechles