Please provide a Windows Emby Theatre legacy version

[Mazvydas 5]

For servers we can pick and choose any version we wish to run if we so choose.

For certain clients we can also use older versions, but for the Electron Theater app we don't have that option and will be forced to use the Microsoft store version from the vaguely defined "Final sunset will be some time in 2025" as in the FAQ 

As per the quote in that FAQ:

Quote

It is running the app code from an online URL to access our common code base which is full of specific code for this app. Sunsetting support for ET Desktop allows us to clean up and tighten our code base

Looking at the client code is it clear you have the option of running a local server to provide that codebase that you use presumably for development.

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-theater-electron/blob/master/main.js#L494

So could you either bundle that server code into a "Legacy Theater" version, or provide that as standalone download that we could run alongside our Emby servers.

I'm happy to lock my server and client versions and not update if I so choose. The only factor now is that the old Theater client utilized your servers for their operation, which I'm surprised by as I assumed initially it was not the case. This also raises concerns of what would happen if Emby LLC shut down.

[Luke 42077]

hi, it's still up for download:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-theater-windows/releases

I don't think we will ever take it away. I think what is more likely is that at some point it will just fall so out of date that things stop working.

[Mazvydas 5]

14 minutes ago, Luke said:

hi, it's still up for download:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-theater-windows/releases

I don't think we will ever take it away. I think what is more likely is that at some point it will just fall so out of date that things stop working.

I'm specifically referring to the Electron version that I linked in my comment.

It relies on pulling assets from tv.emby.media https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-theater-electron/blob/master/main.js#L492

    function getAppBaseUrl() {

        var url = 'https://tv.emby.media';

        //url = 'http://localhost:8088';
        return url;
    }

That commented out localhost URL, presumably used for testing, potentially could be packaged either directly into the app, OR for us to be able to run alongside our Emby servers. In turn it would let those who want to use the pre-Microsoft store Electron version indefinitely as long as we stick to supported server versions.

I much prefer the Electron version visually and functionally as it doesn't interfere with my monitor settings. I wish to run it for the foreseeable future, but even if I have the Electron version binaries - because you will sunset the tv.emby.media endpoints as stated in the FAQ - it's just a matter of time until the app will stop working.

Instead of sun-setting and removing those endpoint thus rendering this app useless - please release some version of it for the community to be able to use alongside the Electron apps, even if they will never receive an official update ever again. I'm happy to lock my Emby server version and stick with the Electron apps.

Edited April 1, 2025 by Mazvydas

[Luke 42077]

Oh ok well that's not a new thing. I think it would just be easier to make store version available for download. That's still going to come with all of the same windows/Microsoft requirements, but that's much more realistic.

The electron app is it's own separate thing, and it is just not feasible to pour man hours into more than one app per platform.

[Mazvydas 5]

Just now, Luke said:

Oh ok well that's not a new thing. I think it would just be easier to make store version available for download. That's still going to come with all of the same windows/Microsoft requirements, but that's much more realistic.

The electron app is it's own separate thing, and it is just not feasible to pour man hours into more than one app per platform.

I think the point I'm trying to make isn't coming across I apologize. Let's take a step back.

As it stands, we can open our Emby server frontends via browser and interact with Emby, watch our local content, etc.
This method of using the browser to interact with our Emby servers makes it fully local.
Neither the server nor the client need to get assets, code, or anything from emby.media servers.

However the now obsolete Electron app on the other hand relies on tv.emby.media, and not our local Emby servers, from which the app pulls various assets on load and during operation, from what I can tell mostly just JavaScript code, icons, etc.

So once you decide to sunset the Electron version (that relies on tv.emby.media for those assets) - could you please consider releasing the "tv.emby.media service" for the community or to bundle in those assets into a final legacy Electron app version.

As I stated previously - it could then be up to the us, the community, to either stick and use older Emby server versions to serve those Electron clients if we so choose.

Currently with this roadmap of sun-setting the Electron app will kill it not because of lack of updates or support, but because you'll be shutting down tv.emby.media (as stated in the FAQ) making it vaporware.

[Luke 42077]

Quote

So once you decide to sunset the Electron version (that relies on tv.emby.media for those assets) - could you please consider releasing the "tv.emby.media service" for the community or to bundle in those assets into a final legacy Electron app version.

Right I don't think we're ever going to sunset it. There are other things that use that domain besides that app, so it isn't going anywhere.

[Mazvydas 5]

2 minutes ago, Luke said:

Right I don't think we're ever going to sunset it. There are other things that use that domain besides that app, so it isn't going anywhere.

This conflicts with the FAQ.

Quote

Is this only a successor to the Windows Store app? What does it mean for Emby Theater Desktop?

The new Emby app for Windows supersedes and replaces both apps. Effective by the release date of the new Windows app, Emby Theater Desktop is now discontinued. 
Over the coming months ET Desktop will be phased out slowly, starting with a notice being shown on start, informing about the change and how to update to the new Emby app. 
Final sunset will be some time in 2025, after which it will no longer be usable.
(exact date tbd)
 

 

[Luke 42077]

I've edited it and removed that blurb.

[anacondo 4]

On 4/1/2025 at 11:38 PM, Mazvydas said:

It relies on pulling assets from tv.emby.media https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-theater-electron/blob/master/main.js#L492

Would it be possible to "capture" those assets once they're downloaded and build an Emby Theater version that's truly offline? The code is up for grabs on Github anyway, so it should be possible. I really am not happy about the recent outage and I'd like to make sure it won't happen again. 

[softworkz 5066]

This cannot happen with the new Windows app. It has everything included and doesn't load it's code from anywhere else.

[Maisy 37]

I don't like the Windows store app, it leave a bar on the top of the window that lovely old Emby Theater doesn't do at all. It really makes me want to crawl out of my skin seeing it all the time.

[Luke 42077]

Just now, Maisy said:

I don't like the Windows store app, it leave a bar on the top of the window that lovely old Emby Theater doesn't do at all. It really makes me want to crawl out of my skin seeing it all the time.

OK you can still get the previous windows app here:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-theater-windows/releases

[Maisy 37]

10 hours ago, Luke said:

OK you can still get the previous windows app here:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/emby-theater-windows/releases

I had been using an older version of Theater before I lost all my saves of stuff on my emby server drive. Going from Windows to Linux Mint, then back was brutal.

So the newest one you linked to have different display options. Tv or just not. So I like the desktop version of the old one, music was play and hit the place to open it to the play queue nice. 

Now on this newer version I can get the same play queue but it takes effort because it only shows play queue on top left of home screen like a tack on afterthought of carelessness. Not visual pleasing at all, and extra clicks to get to and go into the full play queue screen. 

Windows store emby app and webapp do it like the old theater did, but both have sigh, issues to make me not prefer them day in and day out.

I was running one of the older ones, so I'll have do or die. I'll miss desktop Theater if it totally dies.  

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Maisy said:

I don't like the Windows store app, it leave a bar on the top of the window that lovely old Emby Theater doesn't do at all. It really makes me want to crawl out of my skin seeing it all the time.

Double click on the window and it will be full-screen with no window/bar

[Maisy 37]

 

 

1 hour ago, generiq said:

Double click on the window and it will be full-screen with no window/bar

I like to watch some things windowed, and listen to a lot of music during the day, windowed. That's why I see it and get annoyed with it.

Full screen is fine for a ton of my content but not music and not some things. Thanks for the heads up on double-clicking it though.

[Houfino 41]

I disagree... I don't like the Microsoft Store. I don't understand why you're forcing us to use it. Is this like a hostage? Where is the freedom???

We want to use the regular setup.exe file. I see that the old version 3.0.20 from 2023 is available. Can't you update to a newer version???

emby-theater-windows 3.0.20

I know that in the future the old version of Emby will stop working... That will be a big problem. Please respect users who want to use either the Microsoft Store or the classic installer (setup.exe). You can't force us to use only the Microsoft Store.

[softworkz 5066]

The Windows Store is not as bad as people believe. I only realized that when looking into it during development.
It's merely an auto-updating mechanism. You don't need to be logged in to the store for installing.

You can also ask Google for "windows store download msix" and you will quickly find instructions how to download. Then you can install manually.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, softworkz said:

The Windows Store is not as bad as people believe. 

It's worse.

There really should be an installer on the Emby site. The Windows store, sucks.

[pwhodges 2012]

10 hours ago, generiq said:

It's worse.

What does it do to upset you?

Paul

[Guest]

5 hours ago, pwhodges said:

What does it do to upset you?

It's an app store.

[Mazvydas 5]

My biggest gripe is the Windows Store version has been clearly developed towards a HTPC full screen use case.

The launch and close (????!!!) animations are .. a choice .. let's put it that way.

The refresh rate switching from day 1 was horrific and clearly untested, developed by those who expect users to use Emby in a specific way.

This warning of "unsupported" for disabling refresh switching - I don't believe I've ever seen a piece of software warn this hard about the users refresh rate, and I still don't understand for what purpose this "feature" was even conceived.

What is also a big thing for me personally is the borderless window. I'm using a skin that does just that for PotPlayer as well (thesimplething2.1.1).

As this is a Windows (PC) application - it's not my main media consumption platform - my TV is. So I tend to watch something in the background/third monitor and having a non-fullscreen borderless window is visually more pleasant vs a windowed frame. And for whatever reason the store versions minimize/maximize/close buttons when not in focus turn an awful cyan blue (???!!). 

Basically for me the old Electron version is far superior as a windowed application, and doesn't do weird stuff with my settings as it does not have permissions to do so, vs the app store version.

[pwhodges 2012]

1 hour ago, generiq said:

It's an app store.

So what?

Paul

[Guest]

1 minute ago, pwhodges said:

So what?

If you don't see the problem, I can't explain it to you.

[Houfino 41]

Dne 16. 7. 2025 v 10:58 softworkz napsal(a):

The Windows Store is not as bad as people believe. I only realized that when looking into it during development.
It's merely an auto-updating mechanism. You don't need to be logged in to the store for installing.

You can also ask Google for "windows store download msix" and you will quickly find instructions how to download. Then you can install manually.

You are wrong that people think 'it's not bad' because of the Windows Store. There are a lot of limitations, bugs and other problems. We want a normal .exe program, not an app from the Store.

We don't want to download MSIX from the Windows Store. We want a normal installer! Don't you get it?

Edited July 18, 2025 by Houfino

[Houfino 41]

On 7/17/2025 at 12:31 AM, generiq said:

It's worse.

There really should be an installer on the Emby site. The Windows store, sucks.

That's right... The Store is absolutely terrible and limits us because of UWP.