Place Director First in Cast and Crew Listing

[Mister D 17]

Hi,

I am using the Android app version 3.4.24 and like that you can click on on the director's portrait and see a list of all their movies in my library. What I don't like is that the director is listed last in the cast and crew so you have to scroll all the way to the right past however many people are in the cast before you see them. I would like the director to be listed first in the cast and crew section.

[seanbuff 1313]

5 minutes ago, Mister D said:

I am using the Android app version 3.4.24

I'm assuming you are referring to using this app on a TV device with remote? 

As using it on a mobile device, you can simply click the text just above the Cast row to select the Director.

Agree, there should be a faster way to view the Director in TV Mode.

[Smitty018210 143]

14 hours ago, Mister D said:

Hi,

I am using the Android app version 3.4.24 and like that you can click on on the director's portrait and see a list of all their movies in my library. What I don't like is that the director is listed last in the cast and crew so you have to scroll all the way to the right past however many people are in the cast before you see them. I would like the director to be listed first in the cast and crew section.

In no way do I want the director listed first before the actors, but I agree the forced horizontal scrolling in TV Mode is awful.

I've complained forever about it. Devs claim to many clicks up and down make people upset, but 100 clicks to right and left 100% perfectly fine. Make zero sense.

Edited October 30, 2024 by Smitty018210

[ebr 16169]

Same desire different approach:

 

[eirik 9]

I disagree that it is much worse to have the director before the actors. As it is now even the smallest role is more important to show before the director! The director is only one entry so you will see the lead actors just beside it.

As said by others, every other movie app or site have the director easily visible so it can be selected showing other movies directed by the same person.

And Emby is not consistent among the platforms as on the Windows server and on the mobile app the director is a separate selectable entity.

It would be good if this can be picked up again.

[Luke 42077]

9 hours ago, eirik said:

I disagree that it is much worse to have the director before the actors. As it is now even the smallest role is more important to show before the director! The director is only one entry so you will see the lead actors just beside it.

As said by others, every other movie app or site have the director easily visible so it can be selected showing other movies directed by the same person.

And Emby is not consistent among the platforms as on the Windows server and on the mobile app the director is a separate selectable entity.

It would be good if this can be picked up again.

Hi, what platforms are not consistent?

[seanbuff 1313]

5 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi, what platforms are not consistent?

@Lukeas noted by others, the newest app layouts are inconsistent with the long standing ones.

Example of existing apps where the Director is clearly shown, and often clickable (minus ATV app)

 

Example of new app layouts where the Director is notably missing from the same screens.

The ask is that for both Android and Windows (TV Mode) - the Director is displayed AND clickable allowing for a quick "jump to" page

Thanks.

[Smitty018210 143]

 

Not 100% what's being asked her, but here is a feature request to add the clickable headers back to TV mode. 

This would bring TV mode back in line with features that is available in Desktop and Mobile modes. 

Doesn't fix the issue of scrolling through huge cast list, but maybe a clickable header can be added to allow a vertical view of the cast list. 

Edited August 7, 2025 by Smitty018210

[eirik 9]

Any follow up on this topic? 

I find it very disappointing that the Android app can't have easy access to clickable director. Now you have to scroll to the very end, after the list of "extras" in the movie to find the director. Quite interesting is that for director of TV series episode, the director comes first....

[Killface69 96]

1 hour ago, eirik said:

Any follow up on this topic? 

I find it very disappointing that the Android app can't have easy access to clickable director. Now you have to scroll to the very end, after the list of "extras" in the movie to find the director. Quite interesting is that for director of TV series episode, the director comes first....

Depends. Emby also has fields for the writer, producer and composer, which currently all come after the director, so there's already a separating for cat and crew. Currently I know of no scraper or tool other than my own that actually fills the remaining crew. 

With TV shows, Emby displays the main cast and mostly no crew on the show page. On the episode page, there's only the episode director show with additional guest stars, but no regular cast. 

So the order of appearance seem to be actor - director (- guest here) - writer - producer - composer (- or guest here)

[eirik 9]

I am referring to the Android app on Nvidia Shields where there is NO reference to the director unless you scroll to the very end of actors, even the tiniest smallest role is shown before the director. All other Emby app show the director and you can select it to get their movie list. Just look at Kodi which have been able to present the director nicely. Same goes with pretty much any other movie web service. But for Emby, the director seems to be not important.

[ebr 16169]

15 hours ago, eirik said:

I am referring to the Android app on Nvidia Shields where there is NO reference to the director

Exactly which app and where are you looking?

TV only app:

 

Universal app:

[GrimReaper 4739]

Personally, I find the director being listed first atrocious and never want to see it there. And it particularly irks me that 4.9 beta does that when reading local NFOs so much so that I will literally never update over current stable, meaning 4.8+ will apparently be my last Emby version ever (unless changes implemented or Cast & Crew split into their respective rows). 

But I do understand and respect users wishes that do want them more prominent and more easily accessible, layouts should be streamlined accross all clients and TV apps should have same ease of access to those as mobile and Web apps do. 

Edited September 9, 2025 by GrimReaper

[CBers 7450]

2 minutes ago, GrimReaper said:

Personally, I find the director being listed first atrocious and never want to see it there.

I was about to post the same.

I prefer the director, or any crew member, to be listed at the end of the Actors/Actresses.

There should be an option to show the order you want cast or crew.
 

Edited September 9, 2025 by CBers

[Smitty018210 143]

2 hours ago, GrimReaper said:

layouts should be streamlined accross all clients and TV apps should have same ease of access to those as mobile and Web apps do. 

But the clicks! That's just to many clicks up and down.....

[Smitty018210 143]

2 hours ago, GrimReaper said:

Personally, I find the director being listed first atrocious and never want to see it there. And it particularly irks me that 4.9 beta does that when reading local NFOs so much so that I will literally never update over current stable, meaning 4.8+ will apparently be my last Emby version ever (unless changes implemented or Cast & Crew split into their respective rows). 

 

Whats this now? Directors will be listed first now? Guess I wont be updating either. 

[GrimReaper 4739]

3 hours ago, Smitty018210 said:

Whats this now? Directors will be listed first now?

If reading externally written NFOs - yes.

 

[Smitty018210 143]

4 minutes ago, GrimReaper said:

If reading externally written NFOs - yes.

 

Great. I was looking forward to a few new features too. 

[eirik 9]

The app I am referring to is Emby for Android 3.4.74 which I am using on Nvidia Shields. Unless there is an update I've missed or some kind of config you can do, the director comes at the very end. Personally, I find the director more important than the list of extras and voice only actors. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2025 by eirik

[CBers 7450]

11 minutes ago, eirik said:

Emby for Android 3.4.74

Latest version is v3.5.02.

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/95467-emby-for-android-release-notes/

[eirik 9]

I don't think that version is on Google Play yet? 

[Luke 42077]

It will be very soon.

[DMazer 7]

I just updated, noticed the change of writer, director, actors/actresses.  Not happy with the change.  I like seeing the lead actor/actress first.  Why did they make this change?

Now, I have empty/blank boxes in the front, as many directors/writers don't have photos.  This is annoying.

Can you make this an option, not automatic, please

Edited October 9, 2025 by DMazer

[Luke 42077]

HI, just to clarify, the change was not to put directors at the top. We did not do that.

The change was to follow the order of the people list in your metadata.