Zerk Play - Custom Emby Frontend

[florinp93 8]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a project I’ve been working on called Zerk Play. It’s a custom Windows desktop front-end for Emby designed specifically for those who want a "lean-back" experience on a big screen without the overhead of a full browser.

What makes it different?

• Native Direct Play: Powered by media_kit / mpv on Windows, so it handles almost any codec natively without forcing your server to transcode.

• *Built-in seerr Integration: Seamlessly browse and request content via Overseerr/Jellyseerr directly within the app. If you don't have it, you can request it in one click.

• Couch-Friendly UI: Designed for fast browsing and high-visibility artwork.

• Dynamic Recommendations: Includes "Because you watched" and "Trending" rows pulled from your Emby history and *seerr instance.

Features:

• Full Search (Library + Requests)

• Skip Intro & Autoplay support

• Multi-language UI (English & Romanian + more to come)

• Built-in Auto-updater

I'm currently focused on the Windows build, but an Android TV version is high on the roadmap and with other versions being considered!

Check out the repo for screenshots and the latest release: GitHub

[florinp93 8]

Changed

- D-pad navigation is currently disabled due to ongoing changes for the upcoming Android TV build.

[1.0.1] - 2026-04-07

Fixes

- Windows playback smoothness: set mpv properties `video-sync=display-resample`, `gpu-api=d3d11`, `interpolation=yes`, and `hwdec=d3d11va` .
- Player input: mouse wheel volume works anywhere over the player surface (including over overlays/controls).
- Player overlays: subtitles are non-interactive so pointer signals can pass through.
- Next Up: The Next Up UI does not show the currently playing episode anymore.
- Feedback: adds a top-right “Feedback” button (hidden on the player) that opens the Discord link, with a settings toggle to disable it.
- First-time setup: exposes app preferences (language/playback defaults/feedback toggle) on the setup screen so users can set them before login.


Check out the repo for screenshots and the latest release:  GitHub

Zerk Play v1.0.1.exe

Edited April 7 by florinp93

[MediaIntelNUC 41]

Tried this out, looking forward to the Android TV version!

N.

[Mahinepua 106]

Does it support refresh rate switching?

Edited May 1 by Mahinepua

[florinp93 8]

Just now, Mahinepua said:

Does it support refresh rate switching?

Not at the moment, but I can look into implementing this. Mind if I ask what use case you have the requires it?

[Mahinepua 106]

It’s the single most important feature for smooth playback to sync frame to refresh rate.

Can mpv settings be customised by users? 

[florinp93 8]

11 minutes ago, Mahinepua said:

It’s the single most important feature for smooth playback to sync frame to refresh rate.

Can mpv settings be customised by users? 

Not in the live version, but the next release will include customizations for mpv in settings. I will look into enabling the refresh rate switching with that update. Currently I'm handling the Android TV port, so the next Windows update should be in 2-3 weeks time if everything goes well. Keep an eye on the github or discord for this. 

[Mahinepua 106]

That’s sounds great! Look forward to seeing it.

If users can edit mpv.conf with their own settings you’ll be ahead of the emby app.

[Mahinepua 106]

Just had a quick play with the app, here's some feedback.

Home screen is only a full screen window and not full screen so the task bar is shown, app should have a permanent full screen option.

Audio is only PCM no passthrough option (so no atmos support) but if you allow a mpv.conf file users can set to however they prefer.

The collections screen real estate is massive, need the same cover view as movies and tv.

Filters, there is no way on movie or tv views to filter by date added or date episode added. Refer the emby options.

Keyboard mapping possible and list of supported keys so a remote can be used.

Smooth scrolling would be nice.

Apart from that its pretty damn good, nice work, even multiple versions of movies are supported.

Could definitely see myself using it to replace the emby app at some point.

Have you done a version for Jellyfin?

Edited May 2 by Mahinepua

[Mahinepua 106]

FYI video-sync=display-resample` & `interpolation=yes causes high CPU usage depending on the users current refresh rate.

Changing refresh automatically to match framerate is much better, and dont revert back upon exiting playing.

The top of the spotlight on the homepage also disappeared, scaling issue?

[florinp93 8]

On 02/05/2026 at 02:46, Mahinepua said:

Just had a quick play with the app, here's some feedback.

Home screen is only a full screen window and not full screen so the task bar is shown, app should have a permanent full screen option.

Audio is only PCM no passthrough option (so no atmos support) but if you allow a mpv.conf file users can set to however they prefer.

The collections screen real estate is massive, need the same cover view as movies and tv.

Filters, there is no way on movie or tv views to filter by date added or date episode added. Refer the emby options.

Keyboard mapping possible and list of supported keys so a remote can be used.

Smooth scrolling would be nice.

Apart from that its pretty damn good, nice work, even multiple versions of movies are supported.

Could definitely see myself using it to replace the emby app at some point.

Have you done a version for Jellyfin?

I'll be pushing an update in a few hours that goes over a few of the things you have mentioned:
1) Audio PCM or passtrough option
2) Smooth scrolling
3) True fullscreen
4) Fully customizable MPV. 


Thank you so much for your feedback. While I wasn't able to get everything in this update, I've written everything down for future updates. 

[Mahinepua 106]

Wow looks amazing will have a play with it today and give some feedback 

[florinp93 8]

v.1.1.0 Released
Full changelog is available here

Zerk Play v1.1.0.exe

[Mahinepua 106]

Cool going to take a look now.

[florinp93 8]

Android TV Version Launched

For instructions on how to install, please check the Github repo

Zerk Play Android v1.1.0.apk

[Mahinepua 106]

nice work.

[florinp93 8]

On 28/04/2026 at 16:27, MediaIntelNUC said:

Tried this out, looking forward to the Android TV version!

N.

APK has been published on Github. Please take a look. Looking forward to hearing your feedback  

[GrimEvil 80]

I installed this on windows, input my local server information but get the below error after inputting my username/password

And can get no further 

[Mahinepua 106]

Works fine for me both old and new versions,

Did you input the server address in the correct format?

[florinp93 8]

This is most likely related to the server address. The service is somewhat picky to the server address, and most likely fails due to the server being http and not https 

I'm publishing an update in a few minutes that should fix this, as long as some of the things  Mahinepua and I have discussed in PMs.

[florinp93 8]

This combined update focuses on stabilizing the core playback engine, improving desktop navigation, and resolving critical issues with the application updater.

---

New Features & Improvements

• Advanced Network Settings: Added an "Accept invalid SSL certificates" toggle (Settings → Network) or under "Advanced" during initial setup. This allows connections to Emby servers using IP addresses or self-signed certificates by suppressing app-wide TLS verification.

• Enhanced Audio Passthrough:

  The "Recommended" passthrough preset now includes DTS-HD MA.

  Two new dedicated presets added: "DTS-HD MA" and "TrueHD + DTS + DTS-HD MA".

• Persistent Library Sorting: Your selected sort order (Name, Date Added, Year, or Rating) is now saved individually for Movies and Series and will persist across restarts.

• Display Logic: A new "Revert refresh rate on exit" toggle (Settings → Display) ensures your monitor returns to its native Hz immediately after playback ends.

Navigation & UI

• Keyboard Support: Full keyboard navigation is now live!

  Arrow Keys: Navigate menus and libraries.

  Escape / Backspace: Navigate to the previous screen (disabled when typing in text fields).

  F11: Toggle Fullscreen/Windowed mode instantly.

• Desktop Comfort: Added a "Quit App" button to the bottom of the Settings dialog for desktop users.

• Refined Scrolling: Switched to Clamping Scroll Physics globally. This removes the "bouncing" effect, providing a smoother experience for mouse-wheel users and fixing UI clipping on the home page.

Critical Bug Fixes

• App Updater: Fixed a major issue where the updater failed to uninstall previous versions. It also now correctly registers the version number, preventing the update prompt from appearing on every launch.

• Playback Engine:

  Bundled a patched libmpv (mitzsch build) to fix TrueHD and DTS-HD MA bitstreaming failures on Windows.

  Resolved a bug where libmpv failed to initialize entirely, which previously made playback impossible.

• SSL Handshakes: Resolved TLS handshake errors for users connecting via IP addresses (when the new SSL toggle is enabled).

Zerk Play v1.1.3.exe

Edited May 10 by florinp93

[Mahinepua 106]

Looks good will test after work tomorrow.

Edited May 10 by Mahinepua

[Mahinepua 106]

2 hours ago, GrimEvil said:

I installed this on windows, input my local server information but get the below error after inputting my username/password

And can get no further 

I'm getting the same bug also.

i did get it going by overwriting an existing install but there are UI bugs in the settings, the top is cut off and cant be accessed.

The video playback video media.kit also bugged out with a window and froze like your previous version.

Edited May 10 by Mahinepua

[Mahinepua 106]

the app also cannot be installed without jellyseer and api, what is this?

I made the url and api up to install originally

[Mahinepua 106]

3 hours ago, GrimEvil said:

I installed this on windows, input my local server information but get the below error after inputting my username/password

And can get no further 

Ok that error is because the server address must be in the format 'http://192.168.1.11:8096/'