Emby in Xbox browser now requires Premiere?

[jOzy 0]

Emby started suddenly tossing up the Emby Premiere sign-up screen when I try to to play anything via a web browser on my Xbox One.

 

I'm running Emby Server 4.4.0.40 on Windows 10, and viewing on an Xbox One, connecting to my local server using the built-in Edge browser.

 

The logs before being locked out of playing say I was viewing on

App: Emby Mobile 4.2.1.0Xbox One

And after, it's

App: Emby Mobile 4.4.0.40Xbox One

I've done a hard reboot of the Xbox, and have restarted my server.

 

I've looked at the server release notes between those two versions the closest thing I can see to this change is "Add web app splash screen to provide user feedback in case of long loading times" in v. 4.3.0.26.

 

Is this an intended change, or a mishap?

Edited March 25, 2020 by jOzy

[ebr 15425]

Hi.  Our Xbox app has always been a version of Emby Theater which has always required Emby Premiere.

 

Emby Premiere Feature Matrix

[jOzy 0]

This wasn't using the Xbox app, it was the browser on the Xbox.

 

It's worked in the browser for at least the last couple of years, until this update.

[ebr 15425]

Hi.  That was unintended.  Emby on Xbox is a Premiere app.

[sidneisnp 0]

Ola estou com a mesma duvida, sempre reproduzi minhas mídias no navegador do xbox, agora esta pedindo conta premium no navegador!

Edited April 6, 2020 by sidneisnp

[ebr 15425]

Hi.  Our Xbox client has always been intended to be a Premiere app.  We work very hard on this system and have quite a lot of expenses to keep it going.  Thanks for your support.

[darkassassin07 540]

To be clear, has there been a change to the emby server that prevents the web browser app from being used on clients like xbox one whether that's LAN or WAN access?

 

As far as I understood, that app should function just fine on any device with a web browser...

 

The installable apps are a different story, but directly accessing the server via a web browser?

 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/emby/comments/g1aa0i/so_is_emby_pay_to_use_remotely_now/

 

 

/edit

 

In my testing, edge browser on xbox one works perfectly fine regardless of LAN/WAN or premier/not.

 

Removed my premier key, setup my phone as a hotspot, connected my xbox to it, and edge worked just fine playing media from my server. Server dashboard reported the client as the emby web app on edge browser, device name 'xbox one', and a remote ip address.

 

Dunno where others are having issues.

Edited April 14, 2020 by darkassassin07

[darkassassin07 540]

Here's another one: this time for ps4

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/emby/comments/g2w7tv/is_emby_on_ps4_via_the_web_browser_now_a_premier/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

 

 

 

https://emby.media/emby-ps4.html

Claims you just use the web app, though premier is required....?

 

Then:

https://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001173099-emby-premiere-feature-matrix

Claims the web app is free to use including playback, and there is no mention of PS4.

 

Figured maybe tv.emby.media was a separate app tweaked for ps4/similar but that doesn't seem to be the case, the web apps playback is behind a paywall if you're on ps4 regardless of how you connect to the server...

 

 

So.... Is the web app free to use or not?

Is it intentionally limited regarding what will load it and be able to play media now?

Edited April 17, 2020 by darkassassin07

[ebr 15425]

Hi.  By "web app" we mean through a traditional browser with point and click interface. When you talk about TV (big screen) presentations and navigation with remote controls we're no longer really talking about a web interface (even though it may be technically delivered via a browser because that's the only way we can get it there).

 

So, perhaps we should re-word those things to be more platform-centric instead of app-centric...

[daedalus 430]

By "web app" we mean through a traditional browser with point and click interface. When you talk about TV (big screen) presentations and navigation with remote controls we're no longer really talking about a web interface

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/84630-remote-control-in-web-app-is-amazing/

so the webclient has remote control now

 

the "apps" on PS and Xbox are no more then the webclient

 

so what is the difference here that justifies to charge?

Edited April 17, 2020 by daedalus

[ebr 15425]

I could couch that the opposite way but never mind.  We work very hard on Emby and have built it into a system that requires quite a bit of resources to keep going.  I'm sorry we cannot give everything away for free.

 

Thanks for your support.

[daedalus 430]

I could couch that the opposite way but never mind.

^ justification would be interesting

 

no one asked for everything, just equal treatment

 

jag a NUC to your tv, run the webclient from your couch -> free

jag a Xbox to your tv, run the webclient from your couch -> get premium

 

that there is no outstanding feature over the webclient on that platforms is not our fault

Edited April 17, 2020 by daedalus

[ebr 15425]

Justification?

 

Are you paid for your work?

[darkassassin07 540]

So Emby is free to use, I can setup a new server and watch my own media via a web browser on any device, again free, with the option to purchase access to more features on the server and access to more polished, feature filled apps.

 

UNLESS the only device you have for a client is a ps4. Then that purchase is no longer an option, pay us or leave.

 

 

 

I get that you guys need income. Hell I try to convince others to buy premier when I can.

But this seems like a pretty shitty change.

 

You guys can't get an exclusive installable app to be available, so you're going to punish those that use that device instead of it's competition or anything else with a browser?

[daedalus 430]

Justification?

 

Are you paid for your work?

 

yes and you want my money

 

so why pay for something you give to someone for free, just because i use a different device than the free guy?

Edited April 17, 2020 by daedalus

[daedalus 430]

Hell I try to convince others to buy premier when I can.

 

i gave that up

 

tbh even some of the "dedicated" ones are questionable, eg ET, at the current state, the webclient with an 3rd party player jammed in, and then neglected af, not justifies to charge a thing

Edited April 17, 2020 by daedalus

[Jdiesel 1240]

Honestly I think either go all in or nothing. The premiere features, device licenses, and free/versus paid functionality is all just confusing. I don't think trying to lure in new users buy giving them limited functionality in hopes they will upgrade is the best approach. Just go full paid, focus on your paying userbase's experience instead of the freeloaders, and the improved product will attract more paying users. There are two types of people, those who pay for software and those who don't. You will find it very difficult to convince someone to pay for something that they were already getting for free especially when there are other alternatives out there.

[daedalus 430]

selling by honesty and performance, a rare concept nowadays

[Deathsquirrel 743]

I'm with Jdiesel.  I've said it before but less stuff should be free with Emby.

 

This is an expensive hobby.  I have 1800 movies, all but 100 are bu-ray.  There's 177 TV series on disc. I buy on sales but if I manage to average $5 a movie and $20/series that's still $12500 on media...and I know my average disc costs are higher than that.   The freaking BINDERS to hold those discs cost more than Emby, and the NAS and drives are easily 15-20X the cost of a lifetime subscription.

 

The single most important thing that let's me use all that media effectively cost a relative pittance.  You'll excuse me if I find it hard to take seriously demands for more free shit.

 

Without Emby my movie collection stalled out at about 400 titles.  I couldn't browse easily.  It was a hassle.  This thing is cheap at twice the price.

[daedalus 430]

no one here asked to get any "discount" or anythig free that costed money before or even about the costs itself

 

the other way around is the case, the unequal treatment for the same thing was just extended again

and now "forced" users to pay for something, while others can continue using it for free

and thats not a good thing

[ebr 15425]

no one here asked to get any "discount" or anythig free that costed money before or even about the costs itself

 

the other way around is the case, the unequal treatment for the same thing was just extended again

and now "forced" users to pay for something, while others can continue using it for free

and thats not a good thing

 

The issue here is your perception of "the same thing".  First, it is not necessarily all that uncommon for different usages of "the same thing" to cost different amounts. Happens all the time in a number of normal contexts (airline seats, taxi rides, theme park tickets, user software licenses vs. commercial software licenses, etc.).

 

However, in our context, at some level it is all "the same thing".  It is all Emby and many pieces of Emby's technical implementation are the same in many different apps and platforms (and some are different by necessity).  You have chosen to view "the web app" as a particular thing and this is really our fault because we defined it that way. 

 

The reality is that that is an arbitrary distinction so we need to redefine how we present this with respect to our feature matrix.  As I said previously, we should change this to be by platform instead of "app".  We will do that.

 

Thanks.

[daedalus 430]

the same thing is the same thing, it's pretty clear here

 

just that you "correct" now your fault by randomly redefining what is a "website" and/or what is an "app", does not give it any sense nor changes the situation of inequality

 

jag a NUC to your tv, run the webclient from your couch -> free

jag a Xbox to your tv, run the webclient from your couch -> get premium

^ would be nice to finally point the difference, that justifies the monitary difference, what all this here is about and stop generalizing and trying to make the "stingy" users bad feelings

Edited April 18, 2020 by daedalus

[ebr 15425]

the same thing is the same thing, it's pretty clear here

 

just that you "correct" now your fault by randomly redefining what is a "website" and/or what is an "app", does not give it any sense nor changes the situation of inequality

 

^ would be nice to finally point the difference, that justifies the monitary difference, what all this here is about and stop generalizing and trying to make the "stingy" users bad feelings

 

The web client will not function in the same way but, again, you keep asking for specific justification and I've already explained that.  All these distinctions are arbitrary.  The economic reality is that we have to charge for some forms of usage of the system or the system cannot exist.  Basically, the people paying are subsidizing or paying for the people who are not.  In which situations you need to pay is something we define as some subset of the functionality and service we provide.   

 

You cannot "justify" why the guy sitting next to you on a plane paid either half or twice what you did.  It is just an economic model that allows the airline to exist by creating an average revenue value for the entire plane.

 

Nothing is free.  Someone is paying something, somehow.

[V4mpire 0]

so to clarify using a web browser on a PC can access the server for free, but now if you use a web browser on a console, you have to pay for premier like you would if you wanted to use the app on it?

 

the app I can understand, but web browser i'd expect to be the same across the board, is there something different when accessing through a console for it to be a premiere function?

[ebr 15425]

so to clarify using a web browser on a PC can access the server for free, but now if you use a web browser on a console, you have to pay for premier like you would if you wanted to use the app on it?

 

the app I can understand, but web browser i'd expect to be the same across the board, is there something different when accessing through a console for it to be a premiere function?

 

Hi.  My post right above yours attempts to explain this.