Can't start videos until file is complete

[TheShanMan 40]

With Emby Theater, when downloading a video I could always start playing it before the download completed, as long as there was enough of the beginning of the video and I think it needed a bit of the end as well. Ever since switching to the new Emby app, I can never do that. Why is that? And is there any configuration I can do to get it working? I'm assuming this is kind of a known limitation of the new app, but if I'm wrong and this needs to be a bug report, I can gather the required info.

[softworkz 5065]

Emby Theater didn't have the integrated download/sync feature.

The infortunate part about this, is that it shows a "Download" menu item for media items (just like the web app) that allows you to do a direct download of the original media item to disk which is essentiallly a browser download.

The new Emby app has the Download/Sync feature instead which works in a different way:

• It converts media items first
  • to a format that is guaranteed to be playable by the client 
  • optionally with reduced bandwidth
    (no need to download gigabytes of 4k video when your device is a laptop with full-HD at max)
• It downloads media items in the background
  transfers are performed and completed adaptively and reliably
  • you can close the app
  • you can shutdown the device and it will resume after restart
  • network connections can be interrupted intermittently
  • etc.
• No matter what happens - downloads will eventually complete
• The new Emby app has an offline mode which allows you to browse and play downloaded items from within the app
  • they are played within the app in the same way like when online
  • you watch progress will still be tracked and synced back to Emby Server

 

The plain download feature offers none of those features, but yes, when there's a single download that is still in progress, you might be able to play it with a different player while it's still downloading.

[TheShanMan 40]

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not talking about Emby's download feature. I'm talking about when the source file itself is downloading and appears in Emby while still downloading, trying to play it doesn't work. I have to wait until it's 100% downloaded, or close the new app and play it in Theater instead. It's always been this way in the new app, which is why I'm guessing maybe it's an inherent limitation of the way the new app works or something, but I could be wrong. Hoping I'm wrong.

[TheShanMan 40]

Checking back on this. It would be nice if the new app could start playing a partially downloaded video the way Theater could.

[Luke 42077]

 

Hi there, let's look at an example. Please attach the information requested in how to report a media playback issue. Thanks!

 

[softworkz 5065]

On 8/17/2025 at 5:39 AM, TheShanMan said:

I'm talking about when the source file itself is downloading and appears in Emby while still downloading

Do you mean "downloading" into the media library of Emby Server?

AFAIK, media files shouldn't even be visible in Emby Server before they are complete... @Luke?

[rbjtech 5282]

I have also witnessed this in the past - if you are copying a large remux file (lets say 50-100Gb) over a 1Gig network, then if using RTM, Emby will pick up the file and may attempt to process it before the file has actually finished copying.   This is no issue in itself, but if you want to actually immediately play the file, or need to process it (lets say thumbnails for video preview) then it will become a problem.

A couple of solutions - a) do not use RTM and Refresh after the file copy or b) copy the file as an unrecognisable extension - and then simply rename when complete.  ie copy as file.tmp and then rename to file.mkv when complete.

[TheShanMan 40]

On 8/21/2025 at 10:23 PM, Luke said:

Hi there, let's look at an example. Please attach the information requested in how to report a media playback issue. Thanks!

Will do. I'm not in this situation very frequently but the next time it happens, I'll capture logs.

9 hours ago, softworkz said:

Do you mean "downloading" into the media library of Emby Server?

AFAIK, media files shouldn't even be visible in Emby Server before they are complete... @Luke?

Correct, and Emby Server has always recognized them. The file exists from Emby's perspective, but the contents of the file aren't yet filled in.

7 hours ago, rbjtech said:

I have also witnessed this in the past - if you are copying a large remux file (lets say 50-100Gb) over a 1Gig network, then if using RTM, Emby will pick up the file and may attempt to process it before the file has actually finished copying.   This is no issue in itself, but if you want to actually immediately play the file, or need to process it (lets say thumbnails for video preview) then it will become a problem.

A couple of solutions - a) do not use RTM and Refresh after the file copy or b) copy the file as an unrecognisable extension - and then simply rename when complete.  ie copy as file.tmp and then rename to file.mkv when complete.

I don't know what RTM is. But I'm not interested in a way to keep "in progress" downloads out of Emby until complete. I'm interested in starting playback while "in progress" (which has always worked in Theater). Thanks for trying to be helpful though!

[softworkz 5065]

7 hours ago, TheShanMan said:

Correct, and Emby Server has always recognized them. The file exists from Emby's perspective, but the contents of the file aren't yet filled in.

It may have worked by accidence, but it's a non-feature and incomplete files should rather not show up until complete. 

I'm afraid, but we have many ways to play media files and a large number of them cannot work on incomplete files. Please don't expect any kind of "fix" for it in client apps. The only fix I see as needed would be to hide incomplete files when technically feasible.

[TheShanMan 40]

It's a disappointing loss of functionality from Theater but I'm not all that surprised it was more of an accidental feature. I would settle for a way to choose which way to play a video (you say a large number of them can't work, implying some can) if that would get me what I'm after, even if that still doesn't mean it's considered a supported feature. Throwing that out as a long shot but I'm certainly not expecting it. I guess I'll have to continue relying on Theater because being able to start a video right after starting to download it sure is convenient. So no point in collecting logs then?

[softworkz 5065]

20 hours ago, TheShanMan said:

So no point in collecting logs then?

No thanks, I think the situation is pretty clear now. 

 

20 hours ago, TheShanMan said:

I would settle for a way to choose which way to play a video (you say a large number of them can't work, implying some can)

Well, the way of playback is only determined in the moment of playback start, so it's not possible to decide up-front whether it would play or not.
Very often it's also that you start playing in one way - let's say 'working' - and then a small detail changes: e.g. user lowers the bandwidth due to slow network connection or changes the audio track but that audio track requires transcoding, or user enables subtiles which need burn-in, etc.

In all those cases, playback would stop working (or continue for a while and then fail). And even more frequently, playback wouldn't even work on start. That's not the kind of experience we want to expose to users. It always creates the impression that there's a software fault and in most cases, people won't have the slightest clue that it's due to an incomplete media file in the library. 

I hope you can see and understand why things clearly weigh out in the other direction. 

Or to be even more clear about it:

An incomplete media file is a broken file and broken files should not be put into an Emby library.

 

Edited August 24, 2025 by softworkz

[TheShanMan 40]

Sure, I get it, but that doesn't make the loss of functionality any less disappointing.

[Luke 42077]

3 hours ago, TheShanMan said:

Sure, I get it, but that doesn't make the loss of functionality any less disappointing.

Nothing has actually been taken away, it's just that we're not actively testing doing that sort of thing.

[TheShanMan 40]

Well, yes it was taken away in the new app since it works in Theater, but it was done so inadvertently.

[Neminem 1516]

Hmm you found a bug that was useful to you

And sad the bug was corrected

[softworkz 5065]

7 hours ago, TheShanMan said:

Well, yes it was taken away in the new app since it works in Theater, but it was done so inadvertently.

It's the other way round: It has been inadvertently working in Theater.

(essentially that's what @Neminemsaid)

I'm sorry for the set-back this is causing, but there's really no sane and reasonable way to change anything in this regard.

[TheShanMan 40]

Yes and no... Yes, it has been working in Theater inadvertently, but no, no one made an actual decision to stop supporting playing incomplete files, which means it was taken away, inadvertently.

I'm merely answering things that are being said here and it seems to me as though we're entering nit-picking territory. Perhaps it hasn't been clear that I'm no longer seeking support for my use case so I'll make sure it's clear now: I'm no longer seeking support for my use case. Thank you.  

[softworkz 5065]

1 hour ago, TheShanMan said:

but no, no one made an actual decision to stop supporting playing incomplete files, which means it was taken away, inadvertently.

That's right, because nobody was even aware about that case, but if we would have been, the outcome would have been no different.

And sure that's all just nit-picking and I'm glad and thankful for your understanding of the situation - which has been clear already.
I just didn't want to let the conversation end with a joke, even though I liked it  

Thanks!