A request to Emby - please clarify the situation with the AndroidTv app

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, Neminem said:

If you join beta program, it still updates.

That is good to know but only a handful of people are ever gonna know this.

[sheeezzzan 1]

21 hours ago, Neminem said:

If you join beta program, it still updates.

 

20 hours ago, embaaa said:

That is good to know but only a handful of people are ever gonna know this.

 

Agreed... had no clue about beta providing this.  Prob should have been an official release.  Maybe intentional to push folks to the emby android version.

On either case thank you both for posting this information.  Looks like trailers working again.

Just to reiterate though for the emby devs... Right now tbe ux experience is far superior on Android TV than android version, atleast.on my shield TV with 85" TV.  The way resolution is and even responsiveness.  If emby strategy moves forward without fixing this without the android TV version... Based on user responses this will be bad news bear for the emby community.

[Luke 42083]

29 minutes ago, sheeezzzan said:

 

 

Agreed... had no clue about beta providing this.  Prob should have been an official release.  Maybe intentional to push folks to the emby android version.

On either case thank you both for posting this information.  Looks like trailers working again.

Just to reiterate though for the emby devs... Right now tbe ux experience is far superior on Android TV than android version, atleast.on my shield TV with 85" TV.  The way resolution is and even responsiveness.  If emby strategy moves forward without fixing this without the android TV version... Based on user responses this will be bad news bear for the emby community.

HI, what is it that you prefer about it?

[sheeezzzan 1]

11 hours ago, Luke said:

HI, what is it that you prefer about it?

It's mentioned in all my posts.

Responsiveness on Nvidia shield.  Ux and resolution is more friendly on my large 85" TV.

[CBers 7452]

12 hours ago, Luke said:

HI, what is it that you prefer about it?

Have you read the 100+ pages here? 

 

[CBers 7452]

@LukeWhy doesn't the Universal Android app (or the server) show the VIDEO RANGE information? 

The ATV app does. 

ATV app 

Universal Android app 

In fact, there's a lot of differences between the ATV and UA apps when it comes to this info. 

Thanks. 

 

[Luke 42083]

Not for sdr. I don’t think it’s really necessary to have that extra line.

[CBers 7452]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

Not for sdr. I don’t think it’s really necessary to have that extra line.

But with 4K content, it would be nice to know if you have an HDR version, or if it is SDR, which is not ideal. 

Something else to add to the 100+ pages thread. 

 

[Luke 42083]

2 hours ago, CBers said:

But with 4K content, it would be nice to know if you have an HDR version, or if it is SDR, which is not ideal. 

Something else to add to the 100+ pages thread. 

 

And the absence of hdr isn't enough to determine that?

[rbjtech 5284]

The presence of 4K using SDR is something that should be highlighted as it is not the norm.   On my MediaInfo Plugin I explicitly add SDR into the title rather than just ignoring it (ie no HDR, be it HDR10, HLG or DV) so that I am aware of this.

Likewise, for HD, I don't add SDR - as it is assumed to be SDR, but I do add the HDR type if it is - because that is useful info and I should expect HDR to be engaged if my TV supports it.

It's all about showing useful info especially if it's not the norm - nothing should be assumed imo.

[CBers 7452]

13 hours ago, Luke said:

And the absence of hdr isn't enough to determine that?

No. The info must already be there, otherwise the ATV app wouldn't show it. 

Edited December 28, 2025 by CBers

[CBers 7452]

1 hour ago, rbjtech said:

my MediaInfo Plugin

Is that in the catalog, or in a thread on the forums? 

Does all of the information translate to the clients, including the web app and the ATV app? 

[ebr 16187]

On 12/25/2025 at 8:19 PM, embaaa said:

This is the concerning post.  Luke made it sound like we will continue to use it.  ebr makes it sound like that isn't actually true.  Still unclear.

Sorry for the confusion.  My comment was about mainline store delivery of the app.  We still have it updated both via APK and the beta store version.

 

On 12/25/2025 at 8:30 PM, embaaa said:

They fixed the androidTV app but sounds like you need to sideload it.  It's concerning it hasn't made it to the play store

Please join the Android beta program. 

 

[rbjtech 5284]

4 hours ago, CBers said:

Is that in the catalog, or in a thread on the forums? 

Does all of the information translate to the clients, including the web app and the ATV app? 

it's not in the Catalog no as I don't want to officially support it - but it's in the Plugin thread if you want the DLL.   It's still in development tbh, but I'm waiting for the SmartViews before I spend any more time on it.

Yes, the Plugin updates the MKV directly with the new video & audio title, so after a metadata refresh, the new titles are automatically updated with the options you selected in the plugin (see below) - these translate to all the Apps very well - although the AndroidTV app has limited display space, so sometimes the end of the info is cut short, but the bonus of the AndroidTV App is it picks up details in the title as highlighted info - such as Atmos for example.  None of the other apps do this currently.

Using the UHD SDR Example 

In the AndroidTV App (using DD5.1)

It will also get all HDR/DV etc as well as Atmos, DTS-X etc - 

It will only use what you specify - so if you want to keep it very short, then you can do so :-

Official Plugin thread is here :

 

tbh - it needs an update .. haha.

[CBers 7452]

25 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

it's in the Plugin thread if you want the DLL

Ah, it's Dave's old plugin. 

Thanks. 

 

[Guest]

16 hours ago, ebr said:

Sorry for the confusion.  My comment was about mainline store delivery of the app.  We still have it updated both via APK and the beta store version.

Thanks for the comment @ebr

I have been sideloading the app for years now so this future workflow (or join beta requirement) doesn't effect me anyways. 

AndroidTV app for Movies and TV.

Standard Android app for Music. 

 

My life is complete again.  I have been stressed out for months now thinking we were losing the AndroidTV app.  The AndroidTV app brings me joy everyday I never take it for granted.  I'm the type of person that will put on a movie just to skip ahead and watch a couple chapters. The "up arrow" action with the chapters beautifully laid out along the timeline makes me melt.  Zero playback issues the entire time I have been using it.  The nice gray font perfect for HDR / DolbyVision doesn't blow my eyes out.  Super smooth all around I could go on for days.   

 

The Standard Android app is hands down the best music app ever created.  @Lukemade my year listening to my feedback and fixed the "now playing" indicator on the ShieldTV. There isn't anything I would change on this app now.  Everything about it is perfect for my music workflow.   I'm living the dream with your software guys and will continue to support you forever. 

 

I enjoy having both apps installed.  I can instantly flip between my movies and my music without even needing to click into "change server" 

 

I hope your team has a great new years. Much love for real 

 

[jacobsluss 0]

Okay, sorry for the restate, but as a new customer I just want to be clear that I was following this thread discussion. Do I understand correctly, that the go-forward development will be on the "Emby for Android TV" app? On the right? and the old one that will only get basic support is on the left?

P.S. - I just purchased a new onn. device specifically for Emby. 

UPDATE: Per @GrimReaperthe currently developed app is "Emby for Android" on the left. I've updated the screenshot so it is clear to me any anyone else.

 

Edited January 3 by jacobsluss
Updated with answer to question.

[GrimReaper 4748]

9 minutes ago, jacobsluss said:

Do I understand correctly, that the go-forward development will be on the "Emby for Android TV" app? On the right? and the old one that will only get basic support is on the left?

Nope, it's the other way around.

[jacobsluss 0]

4 minutes ago, GrimReaper said:

Nope, it's the other way around.

 Thx. Glad I checked. 

[mrmorrison 22]

Greetings to everyone. 
I'm here to leave my testimony too. I recognize the great work done by the developers to improve the Android app which has made considerable progress. Despite this, at least when it comes to the TV experience, it's not even close to the Android TV-specific app.

I agree with those who say that it almost seems like multiple button presses on the remote control are required to reach the desired point, which presents slowdowns perhaps due to a more modern interface, significant lag during the OSD display and also some frame skips that seem to appear every now and then. 

So I will be grateful if developers could maintain ATV even just via apk.

[Canaletto 3]

I'm also a fan of the Android TV version, but knowing the publishing process and the constraints imposed by Google, I understand your difficulties! I hope you succeed.

[buhochileno 4]

Hi guys,

I was looking for help with an issue I’m having where suggestions aren’t loading properly on my new Onn 4K Pro. While searching, I found this thread and, oh boy, what a ride. I had no idea the Android TV version of Emby is going to be retire at some point.

I tried the Emby Android (beta) version for a couple of days and gave it a fair chance, since I was already testing the TV version on this new device. I have to say the Android version is fairly close to the TV version experience, but I agree that the TV version feels like a premium experience. It’s buttery smooth, fast, and responsive, even with demanding media, with quick navigation and the most common actions just a couple of clicks away.

Don’t get me wrong, the Android version on the same device works fine. I like that it shows more info about my media and gives me more settings, including server settings. But it’s slower to load and display images, clunkier, and it stutters when you move around. It’s also slower to start playback and to navigate during playback. Trailers are working, yes, but that’s not a deal breaker for me if I can keep the TV version. Overall, it feels like I went back to my old Mi Box S2 experience.

As a lifetime premium subscriber, this is the first time I’ve felt disappointed by a decision from the dev team. I’m sure digital stores don’t make things simple, but I’m also sure there is a way, and professionals need to be up to the challenge. If there are specific constraints or behaviors in the Google Store or elsewhere, let us know and I’m sure we’ll do our best to make your voice heard.

I hope you can reconsider the decision to retire Emby for Android TV, or at least provide an equally smooth experience with the new one before doing it. Right now it truly feels like a downgrade.

In the meantime, can someone help me with this? I’m not sure who to blame. The suggestion rows show up on the Home screen on the Onn device. I have two rows for Emby because I currently have both versions installed, but they fail to load images or whatever they’re supposed to show. If I click on any suggestion, it does open the movie. I granted all permissions that were offered for the app on the device, so I’m not sure what else to try.

By the way, did I read correctly that there is an Android TV beta version of Emby too? If so, where? I signed up for the beta program in the Google Play Store, but only the Android version offers me a beta version. Maybe I misunderstood.