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Several features that are lacking in Emby.


leifrodhared

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leifrodhared

Hello

 

I've been testing the linux server and while Emby is great it seems to lack some basic functionality that other software has.

First off, the Now Playing screen should have a quick hot link in the left pane to avoid navigation confusion. 

There is lot's of clicking involved in Emby to find things and to get the logical view of things. Navigation UI improvements could be done to streamline the experience.

 

There is no shuffle option on the Now Playing nor is there a randomise order or remove duplicates option for the play queue. It would be useful to be able to manage the play queue more during playback.

 

Auto tagging is a loose cannon. Seriously the feature is a mess maker. I have music in thematic folders which contain artists and so on.

Emby sees the top folder as an album and desperately tries to name it despite it not being one.

This causes chaos in tags. There should be an option to tag a folder as a folder not a metadata "object" and leave it alone.

Images - uh this just does not work well at all, images keep changing on their own, reverting back to what they were and just a global mess really.

Artwork does not really load from the web either despite plugins present. I have to do a lot of manual image uploading.

There should also be an option to edit images in several files at once with the multiselect file option. 

 

Subtitles - a simple option to browse and load srt would be spot on, having to manually edit each subtitle file name is silly.

Web streaming - a Youtube / web link plugin would be nice. Not to mention hooking up Netflix and so.

Dashboard - continue listening does not load at all as a section

 

Overall kudos for the work guys but still lot's to do.

Given the lack of these major features for me I won't be buying the license until there is some further improvements as the product seems incomplete.

The inability to test the apps before purchasing the license is also a bit unfair, how can I make a purchase if I haven't seen the whole product?

A 1 week trial would suffice.

 

Now que on backlash from my post ;)

 

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leifrodhared

When I go into one of my folders that has subfolders in, Emby sees all them as a single album but I have albums in sub directories, the root is just a folder.

Once I am in the "album" view I can't see a folder view and can't multi select items to add to playlist.

Folder view should be available everywhere and multi select as well.

Like I said, there are a lot of navigational improvements to be made. I'm an experienced linux admin and I find navigating the UI very confusing.

 

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leifrodhared

What is this fixation with autotagging every folder as an album?

Emby has messed up my whole folder structure.

Editing metadata in the editor does not update the entries as well. They just show the same.

I think you have some rubbish left over in the database that is not being cleaned or updated.

 

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Hi. I've moved your topic to the general server area because the feature requests area is for single, clear requests for a particular feature and this is discussing lots of different things.

We can address these questions here and then, if individual features are discovered that you'd like to request, topics can be created for those.

Thanks.

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1 hour ago, leifrodhared said:

There is no shuffle option on the Now Playing nor is there a randomise order or remove duplicates option for the play queue. It would be useful to be able to manage the play queue more during playback.

Are you referring to the Play Queue?  If so you can choose the shuffle option as the way to add the items to the queue.

Auto tagging is a loose cannon. Seriously the feature is a mess maker. I have music in thematic folders which contain artists and so on.

Emby sees the top folder as an album and desperately tries to name it despite it not being one.

This causes chaos in tags. There should be an option to tag a folder as a folder not a metadata "object" and leave it alone.

Images - uh this just does not work well at all, images keep changing on their own, reverting back to what they were and just a global mess really.

Artwork does not really load from the web either despite plugins present. I have to do a lot of manual image uploading.

There should also be an option to edit images in several files at once with the multiselect file option. 

4.6 Server is basically 100% tag driven so it will read all data directly from your audio files.

Subtitles - a simple option to browse and load srt would be spot on, having to manually edit each subtitle file name is silly.

Web streaming - a Youtube / web link plugin would be nice. Not to mention hooking up Netflix and so.

Dashboard - continue listening does not load at all as a section

Emby can download SRT subs for you automatically so you don't have to do anything.  Check out each library setup (turn on advanced).

The inability to test the apps before purchasing the license is also a bit unfair, how can I make a purchase if I haven't seen the whole product?

A 1 week trial would suffice.

Some apps are completely free while others are only available to Premiere License holders.  Others are in between and can either be purchased or used with a Premiere License but may have a 2 week trial. The simplest method is just to get a one month Premier License to unlock everything and allow you to test all server features as well as all clients.

https://support.emby.media/a/solutions/articles/44001173099

 

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1 hour ago, leifrodhared said:

When I go into one of my folders that has subfolders in, Emby sees all them as a single album but I have albums in sub directories, the root is just a folder.

Once I am in the "album" view I can't see a folder view and can't multi select items to add to playlist.

Folder view should be available everywhere and multi select as well.

Like I said, there are a lot of navigational improvements to be made. I'm an experienced linux admin and I find navigating the UI very confusing.

 

In 4.6 Server your disc layout won't matter much as all info is pulled from tags in your media. However generally speaking you would likely still want to follow the music naming layout as shown here: https://support.emby.media/a/solutions/articles/44001159113

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51 minutes ago, leifrodhared said:

What is this fixation with autotagging every folder as an album?

Emby has messed up my whole folder structure.

Editing metadata in the editor does not update the entries as well. They just show the same.

I think you have some rubbish left over in the database that is not being cleaned or updated.

 

Again, try your music in 4.6 as it will following your tagging.  Then if something doesn't look correct it's almost 100% certain the issue is in tagging and can be easily fixed.

Emby Server 4.6 is currently in Beta but very close to release and would be fine for you to use on a new system.

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leifrodhared

Hi

 

What I meant was managing the play queue. On Android I use Black Player, you can scramble the queue by shuffling on/off and remove duplicate entries.

No multiselect support inside an "album" folder to add to playlist.

The tag driven logic is wrong in the folder view bit.

You should be able to use plain folders and make tagging down the subfolders as you wish.

Before applying tags and making a hash out of music libraries Emby should at least give you a list of changes and allow to pick what to update. The "let's mess up everything at once" idea is not very good.

Tags don't update manually, locks don't work either.

Like I said lots to do.

I'm not going to use an app that requires me to adapt, it should be the other way around. 

I can play and manage music quicker in DeadBeef or VLC than in Emby, so if it's supposed to be and improvement over standard players you should really think about functionality.

Emby "looks" nice but it's a nightmare to navigate and manage, not to mention going wild on tagging everything.

Good thinking, bad execution.

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leifrodhared

As for the licensing, I can't even try the apps , can use only the web interface in free.

So yeah, give us a week's trial for this Beta

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FIRST ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

First off, the Now Playing screen should have a quick hot link in the left pane to avoid navigation confusion. 

Confused about this one... not seeing a left pane in now playing... I do see link to Now Playing in the bottom right from the player ( which is always showing ).. It is always available if something is playing.. You do have to pause to keep your queue or Playlist.. or have it available.. Maybe you mean keeping current Queue would be nice regardless and a link to Now Playing available somewhere? Where exactly? Just too vague there... Possible +1

 

SECOND ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

There is lot's of clicking involved in Emby to find things and to get the logical view of things. Navigation UI improvements could be done to streamline the experience.

I do agree about this BUT specifics help the server and apps to change globally/per use scenario.. More exacting info would help here. 

 

THIRD ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

There is no shuffle option on the Now Playing nor is there a randomise order or remove duplicates option for the play queue. It would be useful to be able to manage the play queue more during playback.

I agree that shuffle should be added to player control, however; I think it is missing because of the way Now Playing is currently configured and works.. Shuffle ALL id present from most screens and would seem redundant, BUT I agree that it is not. Instances where a playlist or play queue is created, would allow for randomization of playback through this function... +1

 

FOURTH ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

Auto tagging is a loose cannon. Seriously the feature is a mess maker. I have music in thematic folders which contain artists and so on.

Emby sees the top folder as an album and desperately tries to name it despite it not being one.

This causes chaos in tags. There should be an option to tag a folder as a folder not a metadata "object" and leave it alone.

By Auto tagging are you referring to aggregating information online from databases? Not aware of any auto-tagging feature.. EMBY usually is supposed to read your metadata, from your files and requests information from online sources to fill in artist info, album info and images for those items as well as logo and backdrop. I have seen a few instances where MusicBrainz does not return the proper result.. unless you embed MusicBrainz data and worry about two sets of information instead of basic metadata tags for identification. Some of this occurs because of different notation and release types.. but I do see an issue there on occasion.

The folder structure should not really be a an issue... if it is followed throughout... though I would have to actually see it to be sure of that..

I think this could be a combination of issues.. possible metadata problems, and or EMBY/Musicbrainz also need more info..

 

FIFTH ISSUE:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

Images - uh this just does not work well at all, images keep changing on their own, reverting back to what they were and just a global mess really.

Artwork does not really load from the web either despite plugins present. I have to do a lot of manual image uploading.

There should also be an option to edit images in several files at once with the multiselect file option. 

This in my opinion should be extracted from the files and usually are but I have seen them overwritten and extended support for this needed. When changing those images and Refresh on Metadata sometimes will remove the images.. and replace them with images from sources online.. EMBY should be using images n the folders if present, IMO as well as many people have them there.

I embed all of mine into the metadata of my files, so I expect all of the work I did to to be represented and extended.. Sometimes this does not happen and IS changed by EMBY. I do the changes because I believe that addressing the issue at the source of the problem is the way to go and not inside EMBY, unless to fix mis-identification.

I do have BOX SETS and Albums with multiple art per file.. This works on some while it doesn't on others... my [adult swim] works great but my BLUR BOX SET.. does not nor my GORILLAZ BOX SET.. for example ( contains 14 Vinyl rips with main art for the box.. and each DISC has separate art embedded per album..) I see how some of these scenarios would harder to code.. but being able to change the art for multiple files would help fix this, as well as being able to extract exact images for selections again. +1 on these two relative issues, within the one subject.

 

SIXTH ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

Subtitles - a simple option to browse and load srt would be spot on, having to manually edit each subtitle file name is silly.

I agreed in the beginning or the ability to add subtitle from a main directory like in MPC-HC.. The transition was easy (for me) because they had to match the movie filename to work correctly as well... There are file naming apps that can help work this out.. SUBTITLE RENAMER ( matches subtitles with movie files and renames accordingly in batch mode )..FILE RENAMER, METAX.. to name three of them.. and batch file renaming can take care of a lot of the trouble.. in adding language extension to the file..

EMBY requires that they are in the folder with the movie or video file.. This can also be addressed ( folder creation per movie with a batch script is available makes short work of it )

 

SEVENTH ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

Web streaming - a Youtube / web link plugin would be nice. Not to mention hooking up Netflix and so.

Advertising, and corporate endeavor... as well as various means of doing so.. Legalities.. are more than likely to blame for this.. Has been discussed before.. even Plex has not implemented this.. EMBY is a media server.. not really doing this sort of thing except for TV Tuners... Most TV and media boxes include apps already and deals even have to be struck to have these apps included on the devices.. the same would be with EMBY.. and this creates a breach.. as well as contractual agreements could be a vendor-ship, and deny access to various competitors.. 

Becomes a nightmare.. It may happen in the long term future if things change.. but as they set.. a lot stands against it.

 

EIGHTH ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

Dashboard - continue listening does not load at all as a section

Are you meaning the Home Screen here?.. If so maybe check per user and device settings here.. ( Display and accompanying setting on Dashboard ) and make sure the timing are set right.. stopping mid song should show media... This could be an issue if not..

 

NINTH ITEM:

2 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

When I go into one of my folders that has subfolders in, Emby sees all them as a single album but I have albums in sub directories, the root is just a folder.

Once I am in the "album" view I can't see a folder view and can't multi select items to add to playlist.

Folder view should be available everywhere and multi select as well.

I agree that in some areas of EMBY folder View should follow exact structure provided... inheritance of images should be addressed.. I disagree that it should be everywhere.. but proper representation of the album/s should be.. This would include all of the options in the 'recursive' view, containing media... with the same type of options for selection and playback.. should be refined, yes.. +1

Folder View should allow you to drill down precisely in your folder structure the way it sits.. HARD PATHS ONLY.. More code requirement to properly identify albums ( DISC 1 and DISC 2 ) with proper visual representation.. should be looked at unless IMPLICITLY saved for last FOLDER in PATH.. Leaving the last with a view and options we get in the rest of the media server when cruising albums and so on. <-- That I would say yes to and +1

 

TEN ITEM:

1 hour ago, leifrodhared said:

What is this fixation with autotagging every folder as an album?

Emby has messed up my whole folder structure.

Editing metadata in the editor does not update the entries as well. They just show the same.

I think you have some rubbish left over in the database that is not being cleaned or updated.

Hopefully you are only talking about representation in the server.. EMBY DOES NOT nor SHOULD NOT change any folder structure or alter data/metadata embedded... For so many reasons... During initial scans this also can appear this way but changes as information is aggregated in the database.

There does seem to be an inconsistency or an issue which prevents some of these changes from happening as expected.. That still is the Ghost In The Code that causes issues.. will hopefully be worked out in the beta.. Between issues with online databases/changes/API's.. and problems triggered by other things.. there are some strange issues that can crop up... The server SHOULD be something that allows for a basic and easy one to two-click fix.. if not consistencies in behavior... Something does seem to get in the way of this off and on for some reason.

Hopefully this can be addressed by BETA release time..

 

ELEVENTH HOUR, I MEAN ITEM:

As far as the Trials, are concerned total EMBY Staff response on that one I have no idea.. most apps allow browsing.. but not playback.. 🤷‍♂️

 

My thoughts... ;) 

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leifrodhared

Thank you, nice comment.

What I meant by "autotagging" was the scanning and renaming behaviour.

I add a Music folder to the library, it has subfolders like Rock, Pop etc.

Emby scans those and gives them a music album tag probably taking the first random artist it can find and tells me all in this folder is one album/artist.

This is just wrong logic, an ability to disinherit objects from the metadata tree needs to be there otherwise if you use Emby, you have only one option of organising your music.

Folder view with hard paths allows to circumvent this, I never got used to all these music apps telling me how to organise my music, I always use folder structure.

 

Multi select in the album window, again file operations should be standard in all view panes, including drag/drop etc.

 

Now Playing / Queue 

I'm finding my way around it but it lacks some features like I mentioned before, shuffle and multiselect, click on the album art to pause/play, global hotkey support for web instance so I can control the playback out of focus.

 

Main navigation

The Play button in the middle of each thumbnail is not a very good idea, you click it and you mess up your queue and the old one is gone, this kind of interaction needs to be better thought of regarding user.

 

I will wait for Emby to mature more and then when the product is ready to my liking I will pay for it but for now I must say it's not.

The main problem for me is that it does not make my life easier, my music or videos management, playback etc.

For now it just confuses me and makes a hash out of my media, in the meantime VLC and DeadBeef are just drag, drop , play , with loads of features to tweak and a clean easy interface. 

So making "another app" for music and videos is not that easy as you might think ;)

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leifrodhared

image.png.a9e7a7a8c870b7d383635a117c642827.png

That's the behaviour, changes title to whatever it "finds" in it's brain and won't allow me to change it either. Reverts back all the time.

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Have you checked or modified the actual music files to make sure they have the correct tagging?

That is what Emby will read and use.

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Happy2Play
1 hour ago, Hxemby001 said:

EIGHTH ITEM:

4 hours ago, leifrodhared said:

Dashboard - continue listening does not load at all as a section

Are you meaning the Home Screen here?.. If so maybe check per user and device settings here.. ( Display and accompanying setting on Dashboard ) and make sure the timing are set right.. stopping mid song should show media... This could be an issue if not..

Continue Listening currently only applies to Audio Books.

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Happy2Play

But yes overall 4.5 requires proper structure and embedded track tags.  4.6 will eliminate required structure and give you your folder view.

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1 hour ago, leifrodhared said:

What I meant by "autotagging" was the scanning and renaming behaviour.

I add a Music folder to the library, it has subfolders like Rock, Pop etc.

Emby scans those and gives them a music album tag probably taking the first random artist it can find and tells me all in this folder is one album/artist.

This is just wrong logic, an ability to disinherit objects from the metadata tree needs to be there otherwise if you use Emby, you have only one option of organising your music.

Folder view with hard paths allows to circumvent this, I never got used to all these music apps telling me how to organise my music, I always use folder structure.

I agree with this.. I have a structure to my own.. which differs from another directory I use to DJ.. #Mix-Podcast Mixes-Radio Shows, $Soundtrack, @VA - Compilations, and Artist w/Disc if applicable.. as an archive.. The separation allows for browsing the file system quickly and works with all players on several accounts.. as well as using the embedded metadata to have art and information in each file, not loose - goes with it everywhere, even when re-encoding. The DJ share contains new music with all embedded metadata.. in genre folders only.. which rotate to the archive following the above format. I would not want to combine them, and pull out of the archive like a record shelf to the folder if/when needed.. I use TagScanner to create a folder structure before cutting the folders and merging into the archive.

The advice I have found everywhere actually points the Professional's advice ( DJ ) which tells people to organize by genre. ( True that a proper Genre Listing is 27 pages long and exists online, BUT ) This actually means that most people seeking this information online or wind up following what would seem to be good advise would, in fact - organize their main archives in this manner. So unless a setting was initialized to identify in this manner.. People would have to organize their libraries differently for EMBY.. while they work in a different manner in other players.. So I do see that point completely.. Does work differently in the BETA

I do however wonder about the embedded metadata in the (your) files as; if detected, EMBY should be organizing those into proper albums and showing them thus.. ( except for folder view which should display differently at the end point destination in the path, should still give eye candy ( would be nice ).. but this may be impossible depending on what's in the folder.. the view gets VERY complicated if trying to show it that way )

1 hour ago, leifrodhared said:

Multi select in the album window, again file operations should be standard in all view panes, including drag/drop etc.

 

Now Playing / Queue 

I'm finding my way around it but it lacks some features like I mentioned before, shuffle and multiselect, click on the album art to pause/play, global hotkey support for web instance so I can control the playback out of focus.

 

Main navigation

The Play button in the middle of each thumbnail is not a very good idea, you click it and you mess up your queue and the old one is gone, this kind of interaction needs to be better thought of regarding user.

 

These three points there are a couple of threads which are sort of looking at and addressing this issue currently.. I think a couple of Feature Requests.. which I hope go well.. quite a bit more extensive however but they include a resolution to these issues and a few more. Add to Play Queue control to be available directly in album's playlist browse view - Feature Requests - Emby Community  and there a are a few more around the Forums..

24 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

Continue Listening currently only applies to Audio Books.

This used to work for music.. thought it did.. I can see why it would apply to Audio Books.. Integration in the case of creating Play Queue Memory and separation of Playlist.. and continuation of those items for listening would offer seamless integration between devices and allow for us to pick up where we left off, especially when accessing remotely.. or changing devices in the home. So I would +1 on this applying to Music in that manner in the future.

21 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

4.6 will eliminate required structure and give you your folder view.

This supported in 4.6.. I can verify that.

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vdatanet
1 minute ago, leifrodhared said:

Thank you, can I just dirty install the deb over the old ver?

 

Yes, I've done that several times, but keep in mind you can't downgrade

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leifrodhared

Yep worked, and I can see folders now and there is multi select so progress.

Will keep testing.

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Dashboard - continue listening does not load at all as a section

 

Hi, sure it does, but it's an audio book only feature.

 

 

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leifrodhared

How do I get the images to be pulled automatically? Nothing's happening I have to do all manual. In ver 4.5 there was a hidden option to search for an image on the web, in 4.6 there is a handy weblink option but I can't get the system to automatically download images.

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