Camera Upload - oddities, high storage use, and updating issues

[tillithz 1]

emby Version 4.8.10.0

installed on truenas scale Version ElectricEel-24.10.0.2

Storage ~140TB available after raid

Memory 40960 (in MB)  @Carlo

Trying to use Camera Upload feature for a single user and single iPhone 16.

I created the user, did not "allow camera upload" and assigned a movies and tv shows library to the user. Logged in on the iPhone with the user and then closed the app.

Returned to the settings and renamed the iPhone device. Then went to user setup and enabled "allow camera upload". Opened emby on the iPhone and went to app settings -> camera uploads. enabled the upload to server and removed upload only on wifi. There are about 103GB of photos/videos on the iPhone. I then enabled 6 albums/folders in the list. waited for it to upload and verified the picture count in emby, file explorer, and on the phone. Everything checked out exactly the same. Returned and enabled 6 more albums/folders. waited for upload to finish and everything checked out exactly the same. On the final run of enabling of folders and waiting for it to finish there was a discrepancy of 100 pictures/videos showing in the camera uploads library even though it said it was done uploading and I ran a scan library files.

I was able to determine that it was still uploading through the file explorer and file count is increasing. This was 24 hours ago, there is now 217 videos and 6467 photos in emby. In file explorer there are more than 7,400 files (both photos and videos) and the Server Dashboard Alerts have a time stamp of yesterday evening of about 6:00PM. I open emby app on the iPhone and go back to Camera Uploads and it begins syncing more photos/videos. I notice it is indicating the file count as 13/119 then 13/177 then 13/2110 and it bounces around.

In the time of writing up this post emby is reporting the video count now at 973 and photos at 6,898, while the file explorer count shows a total of 9,135 files taking up 107GB of server storage. Thats more than 1,200 file count difference.

There are file names I find in the file explorer that seem to be emby generated like, IMG_8760-poster.jpg. Maybe from "generate video preview thumbnail"

On the iPhone, it shows that emby is using 136GB of storage. There are no downloads, conversions, or anything else that would explain so much space being used by emby.

The library advance settings for "Date added behavior for new content" is set to use file creation date. However, all metadata dates are the date it was uploaded to emby.

There are many videos and photos that dont have a thumbnail and when opening does not show the content. The same files show the same result in a web browser on a PC, emby app on android, or iPhone. I can download the photo in a web browser and the photo is fine.

Is video preview thumbnail causing the video / photo count to not match?

What is causing so much storage use on the iPhone?

Why is the metadata stamped with the date added and not date created?

Are my expectations unrealistic for so many photos?

Am I doing something wrong?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you in advance.

 

[tillithz 1]

ok, thanks anyways   @Carlo

[Carlo 4560]

Did you ever figure this out?

[Carlo 4560]

On 12/11/2024 at 1:48 AM, tillithz said:

I was able to determine that it was still uploading through the file explorer and file count is increasing. This was 24 hours ago, there is now 217 videos and 6467 photos in emby. In file explorer there are more than 7,400 files (both photos and videos) and the Server Dashboard Alerts have a time stamp of yesterday evening of about 6:00PM. I open emby app on the iPhone and go back to Camera Uploads and it begins syncing more photos/videos. I notice it is indicating the file count as 13/119 then 13/177 then 13/2110 and it bounces around.

On devices with a lot of files, you will see the number growing as it discovers and processes your files.

On 12/11/2024 at 1:48 AM, tillithz said:

On the iPhone, it shows that emby is using 136GB of storage. There are no downloads, conversions, or anything else that would explain so much space being used by emby.

What is causing so much storage use on the iPhone?

The 136GB of Emby storage would include 107GB of camera pictures & videos.

On 12/11/2024 at 1:48 AM, tillithz said:

The library advance settings for "Date added behavior for new content" is set to use file creation date. However, all metadata dates are the date it was uploaded to emby.

Why is the metadata stamped with the date added and not date created?

I just tested this with it set to use file creation date and viewing the metadata for pictures uploaded showed the file creation date and not the current date of upload.

How are you looking at the date?

BTW, if you change this setting it will not affect media already in the system. It will only affect new media that's loaded in the system.

On 12/11/2024 at 1:48 AM, tillithz said:

In the time of writing up this post emby is reporting the video count now at 973 and photos at 6,898, while the file explorer count shows a total of 9,135 files taking up 107GB of server storage. Thats more than 1,200 file count difference.

There are file names I find in the file explorer that seem to be emby generated like, IMG_8760-poster.jpg. Maybe from "generate video preview thumbnail"

Is video preview thumbnail causing the video / photo count to not match?

Yes, what you see in file explorer will likely be higher if any programs access these directories. Explorer is going to create files used for preview, thumbnails, etc

On 12/11/2024 at 1:48 AM, tillithz said:

There are many videos and photos that dont have a thumbnail and when opening does not show the content. The same files show the same result in a web browser on a PC, emby app on android, or iPhone. I can download the photo in a web browser and the photo is fine.

Could you give an example of this?

[tillithz 1]

Hi Carlo, 

I havent figured it all out, thank you for checking. 

For Emby showing 136GB of storage used on the iPhone.... the iPhone has say 150GB of storage used (estimate) and 136GB is Emby. Im lost as how Emby has so much more in pictures over what is on the phone from say the camera app.

For The library advance settings for "Date added behavior for new content" is set to use file creation date.... I had tested the install a number of times before and then began uploading camera pics and videos only to see they were not in order of creation date. Since those tests I reinstalled Emby on the server and configured a fresh install. I just recently changed it from date uploaded to creation date, so I will see how this version of install reports.

Example of There are many videos and photos that dont have a thumbnail and when opening does not show the content.....would be (attached). While there are far less files like this, it may just be processing time because of the large amount of photos and videos. 

 

Thank you for responding and I have not added comments to a couple of the points/questions above only because I can no longer verify the same issue since uploaded file count would be very different today and theres no way to apply a control to the results and interpret accurately. 

 

 

 

 

 

[sa2000 674]

@tillithzHi - I am working with @Carloto go through the issues you raised.

My first feedback is that on my iPhone where I have thousands of uploaded photos (gigabytes) to an emby server, the storage used by the Emby app is only 107 Mb as showing in iPhone Settings / General / iPhone Storage

Can you tell me versions in use for Emby Server and Emby for iOS and if you have tried the betas

Is the server now on 4.8.11.0 ?

To start off, could you enable debug logging on the server (server settings / logs / settings)  and then restart the server and get some uploads going and then capture the logs after you confirm the uploaded photos/videos can be seen in the camera upload library - then please get the server log and share it

thanks

Edited April 29, 2025 by sa2000

[sa2000 674]

@tillithzgoing the list of issues you mention:

1. Storage use of 136 Gb by Emby for iOS app. I have not come across this for camera upload use. Some questions:

- did you ever use the downloads feature to download media on that iPhone through Emby? 

- what shows under Downloads?

- Do you know if this happens on any other mobile device ? any other user ? or are you still just trying it out with this non-admin user accoujnt?

2. Library Advanced Setting - using "Created Date".

I will look into this and if you can get me an actual example of a photo having a creation added and is then showing as date added in emby, then please zip and send me the photo by private message,. In the mean time I will look into the current behavior

3. Image thumbnails

We do currently have issues with genetating thumbnails from videos - often timing out. This has been fixed in the beta for linux platforms and other platforms will follow. If you have evidence of it happening for a photo - please let me have example with debug server log covering time the photo was added to the library and attempt to create a thumbnail

 

[sa2000 674]

@tillithz 

1. Storage use - i have setup a test on a different iphone uploading to a linux emby server. I can see the phone storage use increased and emby app on this iphone now shows 10Gb use. I will follow this up.

2. Date Added. I have found that actual photos do get the added date set to the photo creation date. Images saved into photos on the phone from other sources eg whatsapp end up picking up the upload date/time. I will look further to see what date fields are set on these images

 

[sa2000 674]

On 11/04/2025 at 22:46, tillithz said:

For Emby showing 136GB of storage used on the iPhone.... the iPhone has say 150GB of storage used (estimate) and 136GB is Emby.

This does not sound right - unless you have photo optimization enabled and the photos that emby server was uploading are no longer on the phone but in iCloud

 

From my tests - I had 10Gb of photos on the iPhone and during initial upload period, emby used up 10 Gb and iPhone sorage use ended up going up from 33Gb to 43Gb because emby must have had local temporary copies of the photos whilst uploading

So initially it was 

10Gb Photos - 33Gb Storage used on iPhone

Emby use 81Mb

Then during the initial upload period:

10Gb Photos - 43Gb stotage used on iPhone

Emby use 10Gb

But this was transient peaking up at that level - Now emby storage use is 86Mb

On 29/04/2025 at 20:27, sa2000 said:

2. Date Added. I have found that actual photos do get the added date set to the photo creation date. Images saved into photos on the phone from other sources eg whatsapp end up picking up the upload date/time. I will look further to see what date fields are set on these images

I can confirm this. Any photos / video in an album on iPhone that was not from the camera will not have a Date Taken timestamp and Emby will use the date / time of the upload. I have raised an enhancement request with the development team to pick up the date/time of such photos/videos eg those saved from WhatsApp and use that instead of the upload date/time if you have the library advanced setting set for creation date

On 29/04/2025 at 14:22, sa2000 said:

3. Image thumbnails

We do currently have issues with genetating thumbnails from videos - often timing out. This has been fixed in the beta for linux platforms and other platforms will follow. If you have evidence of it happening for a photo - please let me have example with debug server log covering time the photo was added to the library and attempt to create a thumbna

The fix for video thumbnails have now been released to all platforms in the latest 4.9.0.51 beta of Emby Server

 

[sa2000 674]

On 29/04/2025 at 21:27, sa2000 said:

. Date Added. I have found that actual photos do get the added date set to the photo creation date. Images saved into photos on the phone from other sources eg whatsapp end up picking up the upload date/time. I will look further to see what date fields are set on these images

@tillithz FYI the new functionality of picking date/time of images saved by apps eg WhatsApps has now been released in the latest betas of the Emby for iOS and Emby Server

I have confirmed it being in place on Emby for iOS 2.2.41 and Emby Server 4.9.1.6 beta