Access to watch one movie/episode etc. via link?

[PeteGul 37]

Maybe a strange question, but is it possible to share a direct link to an movie on my server?

I tried to create a user without giving access to anything, but could not open an direct link anyhow. 

Even if I add the library where it is, I don't get a link to work.

Maybe this is just a no go?

 

Petter

[brothom 177]

18 hours ago, PeteGul said:

Maybe a strange question, but is it possible to share a direct link to an movie on my server?

I tried to create a user without giving access to anything, but could not open an direct link anyhow. 

Even if I add the library where it is, I don't get a link to work.

Maybe this is just a no go?

Emby is secured behind a logon - only validated (logged in) users or API clients can read information on the server. What you cán do however is give your user access to the server and share the link in the URL-bar.

When I want to "share" a library it looks sort of like this: https://app.emby.media/#!/item?id=52740&serverId=SuperSecretServiceIdImNotGonnaShare

If you want to give your user access to nothing except a single item you maybe want to try a different approach using, for example using Parental Controls:

Edited August 11, 2025 by brothom

[PeteGul 37]

Hi @brothom

That I know, and it's why I made the guest account.

Then I understand it is not possible to share an link directly to an item, it has to be shared the whole library it is placed in.

Or as you mentioned, make some kind of tag to show only the ones I want them to see.

Would be nice to have the possibility to show/share a video for one time/period of time ore something. But I know that this is not the aim of the software. Just would be nice, it not always you want to share everything

 

Thanks again

[PeteGul 37]

Btw, is there an way to share just an collection to a user?

I feel it is simpler to make a collection than add tags.

[brothom 177]

20 hours ago, PeteGul said:

Btw, is there an way to share just an collection to a user?

I feel it is simpler to make a collection than add tags.

I just tested this for you and from what I see is that playlist and collections are ALWAYS visible, unless they're empty. Adding the test tag changed nothing, the entries inside the collection don't have the tag so my users can't see them.

Looks to me like you'll need to give each entry the tag regardless.

[PeteGul 37]

That's to bad, but it is what it is.

A bit cumbersome, but that's how it is.

[visproduction 315]

You can create a special library and then just give access to one user and give them the user and a password. Then that user comes in and all they see is the one library and no one else would see it except an admin. 

You can just remove the content from the library and the option to view will turn off for that person. But then you should give him something normal to watch.Turn on a normal library for him.

You can even call it something special like John's weekend double feature.

Edited August 13, 2025 by visproduction

[brothom 177]

On 13/08/2025 at 03:20, visproduction said:

You can create a special library and then just give access to one user and give them the user and a password. Then that user comes in and all they see is the one library and no one else would see it except an admin. 

You can just remove the content from the library and the option to view will turn off for that person. But then you should give him something normal to watch.Turn on a normal library for him.

You can even call it something special like John's weekend double feature.

That would mean that @PeteGulwould have to copy the files that users only has access to. Creating a bunch of duplicates and a duplicate library which seems... suboptimal.

I guess it would be nice if "empty" playlists and collection were hidden from those users. That way a collection or folder that's allowed for this user can be created without interrupted any other user or having to shuffle media around to work around this issue.

[pwhodges 2012]

29 minutes ago, brothom said:

That would mean that @PeteGulwould have to copy the files that users only has access to.

They could just use STRM files rather than copy the whole media - but I agree it's a pain.  Depends how the OP feels about it really.

Paul

[brothom 177]

27 minutes ago, pwhodges said:

They could just use STRM files rather than copy the whole media - but I agree it's a pain.  Depends how the OP feels about it really.

Agreed. After giving it some thought it does sound interesting. People sometimes complain about wanting to watch an old show or movie. Giving the a OTP (or OTL hehe) does have some merit to it.

[TMCsw 249]

14 hours ago, brothom said:

Agreed. After giving it some thought it does sound interesting.

I've been recently testing (on the latest beta's) using sym-links (linux) for my recordings dir's (haven't tried with Win1x))  and it's working well...

...with the following cavit: if more than one of these libs are available to the user the 'Continue watching may have the same Video listed multiple times'  

[brothom 177]

5 hours ago, TMCsw said:

I've been recently testing (on the latest beta's) using sym-links (linux) for my recordings dir's (haven't tried with Win1x))  and it's working well...

...with the following cavit: if more than one of these libs are available to the user the 'Continue watching may have the same Video listed multiple times'  

Well, creating symlinks also does require some technical know-how and doesn't really compare to the feature within the thread.

Personally I'd prefer this sort of logic to be moved within Emny's database in stead of messing with the server's filesystem. I noticed Luke talking about something called "smart views" or "smart playlists" before, which is something in development at the moment. Maybe that's something you'd be interested in?

[PeteGul 37]

I don`t feel like making STRM files, or copy files into new folder for creating a new lib., is simpler than the tag making. And it does not steel any space on my server, the tag`s.

"smart playlist/views" could be a solution, if it possible share to given users. But wouldn't that just be the same (in mind) as creating a collection an share that?

I think what I`m thinking of, maybe just wont work because you have to share a lib., not just the playlist/collection or anything else. Because the need of access to the "files".

I could be way of in my thinking, this is not my field

[visproduction 315]

There is a hidden issue to this feature of having multiple listings point to a single copy of a media.  The dbase would consider that there are two copies and show this in any search and multiple copies would come up for genres, 'Like this' lists, actors and depending on your collection settings, might get automatically added to a collection, so you would see double up copies of media all over the place with a multiple listing feature.  OK, can this part be fixed?  I think it's not that easy.  The dbase search and list feature would have to notice that the media is a link, rather than the full file version.  You can write that code, but that means for every screen result, every single media has to be tested to see if it is a link or not.  Even tagging it as a link, requires a dbase select to be run.  I think the result would easily cause pages to load 3 to 10 times longer then they do now.  Is that acceptable? 

There is no easy way to pre cache a search, because it can be anything, genre, actor, by year, 'Like this'... If Emby ran online with a fast server, then it could be optimized and cache searches to have less delay.  But Emby is running on user's server. If pages take much longer to open because of this feature, I think you will lose more people than you gain.  Having an on and off switch does not fix this either.  Admin's leaving it on, forgetting they switched it and then finding Emby to be too slow would happen and again you would loose popularity.

If the reason to offer special list of media for one user, moving files to a directory, only that user can see and then moving them back, if you want is an easy fix.  If you want to give some users advance access, then you can make a "Newly Arrived" library and offer it first to some users and after 2 weeks, move the content to the general library.

I know it's nice to imagine additional functions, but something like this has hidden complications that no amount of code can fix.  The search and all the page listings will slow down too much.

[PeteGul 37]

Don't destroy a program that works, there is no point for a small thing like this.

Maybe I can multi mark many movies etc in Bulky Editor and add/remove tag's. Then this maybe isn't that cumbersome.

Just have to learn things and how it works.

 

Thanks again for all help

[Luke 42077]

On 8/18/2025 at 2:06 AM, PeteGul said:

Don't destroy a program that works, there is no point for a small thing like this.

Maybe I can multi mark many movies etc in Bulky Editor and add/remove tag's. Then this maybe isn't that cumbersome.

Just have to learn things and how it works.

 

Thanks again for all help

Hi, no one is destroying anything, not here at least.