Shuffle / Continue Watching - Intended Functionality?

[Dreakon13 143]

Hi, I'm seeing some odd behavior when using Shuffle on a series and how it effects Continue Watching on the home screen.

For example, the series South Park.

I go into South Park, and see the next episode to play is Season 3, Episode 3.  I've manually removed this from Continue Watching.  While in South Park, I click Shuffle and play a random episode (let's say Season 10, Episode 6) halfway and stop it.

Now I'd expect to see one of two things on the Home screen... either a resumable option for Season 10, Episode 6 sitting in Continue Watching... or nothing in Continue Watching (because I think I've heard that Shuffle isn't supposed to add to it).  Instead, South Park reappears under Continue Watching with Season 3, Episode 3.

Personally, I like the idea of Shuffle not causing items to appear on Continue Watching, because if I shuffled I usually don't intend to watch the "next episode".  However if it is going to add to Continue Watching, I'd expect the episode I was watching (Season 10, Episode 6) to show up in Continue Watching so I can resume... and not Season 3, Episode 3.

Just wondering if anyone else has run into this and agree it's an issue, or if it is intended functionality in some way?

 

EDIT: I'm on Emby Server 4.6.7... using Roku app 4.0.31

Edited December 19, 2021 by Dreakon13

[Luke 42085]

Hi, once you start playing any episode of the series, no matter how you started playing, then that will make it eligible again for continue watching.

And yes, ideally, the one you just started should be the one in continue watching. It's something we're continuing to work on improving. Thanks.

[Happy2Play 9783]

One question would be are we talking fully watched episodes or multiple partially watched episodes as combined Continue Watching row can only show 1 item from a Series and will always be the lowest partially watched item.  If we are talking partially watched scenario.

If you expect more than one you need the Continue Watching row and the Next Up (Legacy) row.  This will show all partially watch item of a Series.

Edited December 20, 2021 by Happy2Play

[Dreakon13 143]

5 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

One question would be are we talking fully watched episodes or multiple partially watched episodes as combined Continue Watching row can only show 1 item from a Series and will always be the lowest partially watched item.  If we are talking partially watched scenario.

In this case, Season 3 Episode 3 was totally unwatched.  It was just the next episode that the series suggested (maybe I watched Season 3 Episode 2 at some point).  As @Luke said I think ideally the partially watched item would come up over the unwatched, but it seems to be missing the mark a little (maybe just via Shuffle).

EDIT: If you have multiple partially watched items from the same series, I guess I'd expect the most recently watched to show?  And as you finish watching or mark played/unplayed, for it to cycle through the partially watched by order of most recent until you're done.  (This may be how Emby works, I haven't tried, just answering the question generally)

Edited December 20, 2021 by Dreakon13

[ebr 16194]

52 minutes ago, Dreakon13 said:

In this case, Season 3 Episode 3 was totally unwatched

The one you partially watched was already also marked watched, correct?

[Dreakon13 143]

24 minutes ago, ebr said:

The one you partially watched was already also marked watched, correct?

I couldn't be sure, I suppose I could try this again and check the episode it shuffles to on another device before it gets far enough in to potentially change its watched status.  For this example, since shuffle hits random episodes, I wouldn't remember off hand.

At the end of the day, whether it's marked watched or unwatched prior, it'd still be "partially watched" if I'm halfway through it and stop right?

Edited December 20, 2021 by Dreakon13

[ebr 16194]

5 minutes ago, Dreakon13 said:

it'd still be "partially watched" if I'm halfway through it and stop right?

Yes, but it if is also already marked watched then that would exclude it from the current "next up" procedure which is looking for the first unwatched episode after the last one you fully watched.

With the combining of next up and continue watching, watching a TV show in random order with a mixture of non-sequential watched episodes is going to throw off the current algorithm.

In the end, you are correct.  We need to figure out a way to make it a little more intelligent.

[Dreakon13 143]

17 minutes ago, ebr said:

Yes, but it if is also already marked watched then that would exclude it from the current "next up" procedure which is looking for the first unwatched episode after the last one you fully watched.

With the combining of next up and continue watching, watching a TV show in random order with a mixture of non-sequential watched episodes is going to throw off the current algorithm.

I can understand the predicament and I appreciate you explaining.  Does this mean that Shuffle is kinda being depreciated (since it inherently creates the issue as using it presumably marks random episodes watched non-sequentially), or just that there's still some work to do to get the two features jiving?

Edited December 20, 2021 by Dreakon13

[Luke 42085]

No it's not. It's only marked watched because you watched it.

[Dreakon13 143]

On 12/20/2021 at 11:58 AM, Luke said:

No it's not. It's only marked watched because you watched it.

I was just saying that the issue seems to stem from Continue Watching getting confused because episodes are being marked watched non-sequentially... which is basically exactly what Shuffle does through general usage (since you're watching episodes in a random, non-sequential order).  So it's a bug created by a conflict between these two features (Continue Watching and Shuffle)?

Edited December 21, 2021 by Dreakon13

[Luke 42085]

Right but regardless of the order, if you watched the episode, then the server is going to mark the episode watched.

[Dreakon13 143]

Yes. I'm not sure I implied otherwise, if so I apologize, but that would seem to be a true statement.

[RaptorCentauri 59]

Could a feature be implemented such that shuffle will simply revert whatever was played to its previous watch status? Essentially

I click shuffle,

it’s gets a snapshot of the status,

when shuffle is over it restores the snapshot