Arloes: a TRUE modern Android TV client for Emby

[lcann25 2]

Played around with a new update this morning, getting better every time. I absolutely love the new look with the episode count being blacked out with a colored outline. Now I need to learn about MDB lists

[fallenwitch3r 45]

@Pejamascould you add themoviedb.org as a trailer source that supports trailer with alternative languages?

Edited Tuesday at 02:45 PM by fallenwitch3r

[lcann25 2]

I'm noticing that the sort order under playlist doesn't save. When you back out and go back in it resets. Also wondering if we could do the same treatment as playlists in the collections folder.

[ChrissiW 0]

First of all, thank you for the great new sorting feature for collections in Arloes! It works really well and makes browsing large collections much more convenient.

I have two additional feature requests:

Left navigation menu: Would it be possible to add selected Emby collections as separate entries in the left navigation menu, so they can be opened directly?

"Show all" option: Could you also add a "Show all" option at the end of custom collection rows, similar to the one available in the standard Movies and TV Shows rows? This would allow users to open the complete collection directly in the expanded poster grid.

[kdackiw 1]

Great updates as always.  TY!

More thoughts:

1) Is there a technical reason why collections with the new grid view couldn't just present as a normal Movie / TV library with all the filtering, sorting, and even views that are available to the other libraries?  I like the grid view but here a Wall style view (with commensurate little info popup on hover) would be welcome too as it maximizes the screen real estate.

2) An option to show "all episodes" as well at the end of the Seasons display?  This is actually pretty useful and is used well in the Emby TV Android app.  It saves me from hunting for an episode by continually entering and exiting seasons.  As above, the possibility to present agnostically with filters, sorts, etc. besides the obvious sorting by S01E01, S01E02, etc...

TY!

Kev. 

[lcann25 2]

Just noticed that when you sort by name in the playlist folder it doesn't remember it. You have to re-sort every time you go back in

 

[Pejamas 149]

1 hour ago, ChrissiW said:

First of all, thank you for the great new sorting feature for collections in Arloes! It works really well and makes browsing large collections much more convenient.

I have two additional feature requests:

Left navigation menu: Would it be possible to add selected Emby collections as separate entries in the left navigation menu, so they can be opened directly?

"Show all" option: Could you also add a "Show all" option at the end of custom collection rows, similar to the one available in the standard Movies and TV Shows rows? This would allow users to open the complete collection directly in the expanded poster grid.

Sidebar/top links sorry no, they are limited to physical library items only. Collections ill have a look for view all, it should be there might have just missed something, they shopw up for playlists etc.

[Pejamas 149]

24 minutes ago, lcann25 said:

Just noticed that when you sort by name in the playlist folder it doesn't remember it. You have to re-sort every time you go back in

 

Fixed in the next update.

[Pejamas 149]

55 minutes ago, kdackiw said:

Great updates as always.  TY!

More thoughts:

1) Is there a technical reason why collections with the new grid view couldn't just present as a normal Movie / TV library with all the filtering, sorting, and even views that are available to the other libraries?  I like the grid view but here a Wall style view (with commensurate little info popup on hover) would be welcome too as it maximizes the screen real estate.

2) An option to show "all episodes" as well at the end of the Seasons display?  This is actually pretty useful and is used well in the Emby TV Android app.  It saves me from hunting for an episode by continually entering and exiting seasons.  As above, the possibility to present agnostically with filters, sorts, etc. besides the obvious sorting by S01E01, S01E02, etc...

TY!

Kev. 

1.  all ill say for now.

2. I'll look into how emby tv app does it and see what i can do.

[ChrissiW 0]

16 hours ago, Pejamas said:

Sidebar/top links sorry no, they are limited to physical library items only. Collections ill have a look for view all, it should be there might have just missed something, they shopw up for playlists etc.

Okay - so it's fine for me to get there via the collections-view. 
Maybe you will find the missing piece to set the "view all"-button  - that would help a lot.
I am also looking forward to the mdb companion plugin 

[Grumpy1 50]

Hi

When using poster view set to medium and have all the other info off it stretches the poster out of proportion

[fallenwitch3r 45]

I’ve noticed that your app forces transcoding for some MP4 and MKV files, even though the original Emby app does not. I’m not sure if this is related to the audio track or the container format. Could you take a look at this?

[Pejamas 149]

1 hour ago, fallenwitch3r said:

I’ve noticed that your app forces transcoding for some MP4 and MKV files, even though the original Emby app does not. I’m not sure if this is related to the audio track or the container format. Could you take a look at this?

Not without the logs I can't.

[lcann25 2]

Wife likes to watch this show, and for whatever reason, (and this is the only show that we've seen do this so far) it will kick her out partway through the episode and give this "retry compatible playback" message. She can go in and resume and it carries on. It doesn't do this with the official Emby app.  Kinda strange. 

[kdackiw 1]

Yet another collection feature...

The ability to remove an item from a collection.

Lots of room for future items here too!

Bonus:  Emby Android on the TV offers a wealth of additions - very handy is the replacement of artwork with an integrated search.  That can be down the road...

TY.

Kev.

[Pejamas 149]

1 hour ago, lcann25 said:

Wife likes to watch this show, and for whatever reason, (and this is the only show that we've seen do this so far) it will kick her out partway through the episode and give this "retry compatible playback" message. She can go in and resume and it carries on. It doesn't do this with the official Emby app.  Kinda strange. 

Could you get the playback report for me? Settings > account > save report

[Pejamas 149]

1 hour ago, kdackiw said:

Yet another collection feature...

The ability to remove an item from a collection.

Lots of room for future items here too!

Bonus:  Emby Android on the TV offers a wealth of additions - very handy is the replacement of artwork with an integrated search.  That can be down the road...

TY.

Kev.

The emby app might do it but I honestly I don't see the point? The app should be how you watch the content not how you edit the images, that's what the PC running it is for? 

[Pejamas 149]

On 04/11/2026 at 09:02, kdackiw said:

2) An option to show "all episodes" as well at the end of the Seasons display?  This is actually pretty useful and is used well in the Emby TV Android app.  It saves me from hunting for an episode by continually entering and exiting seasons.  As above, the possibility to present agnostically with filters, sorts, etc. besides the obvious sorting by S01E01, S01E02, etc...

next update has the all seasons folder at the end of seasons or when viewing a season you can use the season selector button to pick it (the one in the hero section when you load a season) pressing down shows the normal grid of episodes but seperated into seasons. I cant add any filters/sort options though since its not a view type and i cant load that into a custom view. It's better than a long continuous list though...

[Danpergal84 1]

Hi Pejamas, do you have a release date for the APK yet so we can install it on Fire TV?

[Pejamas 149]

16 minutes ago, Danpergal84 said:

Hi Pejamas, do you have a release date for the APK yet so we can install it on Fire TV?

Possibly this weekend, just a few bugs to fix but ill most likely be just going the direct get it on amazon store route to make it much easier.

[Pejamas 149]

ARLOES — 1.10.0: The music overhaul

Changes since 1.9.0

NEW

• Compact navigation header with an account avatar on the left, centred quick links and a cleaner clock. Home keeps its label visible; other compact links reveal their labels when focused.
• The avatar menu is now available across top-bar, sidebar and Glass navigation. Account, Settings and Search sit together, with optional favourites and library shortcuts below. Choose extra links without repeating libraries already on the main navigation. Recordings is offered only when the server supplies a recordings library. Back from account options returns to the avatar menu.
• Independent navigation setups for Compact and the other header/sidebar styles. Compact supports up to 8 main links; other styles support up to 7. First-time setup now includes choosing main navigation and avatar-menu links.
• Info Grid brings the collection-style poster grid and selected-title information into regular libraries. It is the default for Movies, TV Shows and Collections on fresh installs; existing saved views are preserved. A dimmed backdrop fills the view behind the selected title’s information.
• Info Grid companion panels add useful details below the synopsis: Next Up for shows, cast for movies, watched progress for collections, and music information for albums and artists where available.
• All Episodes is available at the end of a show’s seasons and in the season selector. It uses the show’s poster and groups the episode grids by season.
• Hold Back while music is playing to open compact Previous, Play/Pause, Stop and Next controls on browsing pages where the mini player appears. Press Back to dismiss them and return to browsing.
• Unwatched-episode spoiler protection follows your Emby setting by default, with local controls to hide synopses, images, or both. Image hiding has an optional Blur images toggle (only for episode stills). Protection covers episode previews and chapter pictures, while Continue Watching keeps its selected artwork style.
• Home videos & photos now has Videos, Photos, Tags and Folders tabs. Browse the original folder hierarchy or view photos and videos separately across subfolders.
• Full-screen photo viewing fits the complete image on black without the hero shading. Use Left/Right to change photos and OK to play or pause the slideshow. Folder playback can include photos from nested folders.

UPDATED

• Music browsing has been reworked around Suggestions, Favourites, Album Artists, Albums, Artists, Playlists and Genres, with sorting, artwork and view choices where supported. Suggestions includes Recently Played and Frequently Played rows.
• Album and artist pages now use a full hero presentation with clear logos, descriptions, counts, runtime and playback actions, followed by album rows or track lists. Track previews more clearly distinguish the song, artist and album.
• Square music artwork has consistent sizing across Home, library cards, playlists and View all actions. Music card sizes and centred metadata have been adjusted to give titles more room.
• Music Wall and Info Grid views show information suited to albums, artists and tracks, including available descriptions, track counts and runtime, without repeating the artist name when a clear logo already identifies it.
• Now Playing has a centred album cover, clearer track/artist/album information, an animated playback indicator and a dimmed full-screen backdrop. Transport controls use consistent spacing, with Stop beside Play/Pause and stable positioning when tracks change.
• The app gets a dedicated mini music player with a slim layout, clear track/artist/album information and a single progress/time/queue line. The collapsed player stays out of directional navigation, and music controls follow the selected theme’s focus styling. This can be accessed at anytime when music is playing by holding the back button down on the remote (overrrides the return to home function, only while music is playing).
• Playlist and collection sort menus include additional choices such as album, artist and file name where applicable. Each playlist and each collection’s contents remember their own sort order and direction.
• Genre browsing shares its view and sort preferences across genres within the same library, so each genre does not need to be configured separately.
• Top-bar links now stay grouped and centred instead of stretching across the available width. Glass sidebars have improved account labels, clock placement and focus styling.
• Glass and Compact headers hide when moving into lower sections of detail pages, giving the content more room. Collection browsing keeps the appropriate header for its custom layouts.
• Home View all actions now support custom collection rows and use the current theme’s button styling. Focused actions retain the row’s artwork size, with tighter labels for long library and playlist names.
• Account menus use consistent left-aligned labels and right-aligned icons. Empty avatar menus omit the unused divider, and library types use matching icons across navigation and Home row headings.
• New settings, menus and controls are translated across Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Dutch.

FIXED

• External VLC playback could resume an item even when Play was chosen. Play now explicitly starts from the beginning, while Resume keeps the saved position.
• Theme music could stop when opening a Continue Watching item’s details instead of continuing into the title page.
• Update ratings could disappear from context menus after installing the Emby-catalogue version of Rating Sync. Detection now recognises its catalogue package identity while retaining the required account permissions.
• Home videos & photos folders could use different card sizes depending on whether they contained subfolders. Folder cards now use consistent dimensions and retain a folder indicator.
• The library action rail could leave Play difficult to reach with the remote. Its vertical focus route now explicitly connects the available actions.
• Returning upward from Upcoming could jump to the start of the episode grid. Season overview navigation now allows the synopsis to be reached and expanded when progress information is present.
• Cards with all labels disabled could distort the artwork. Label-free cards now preserve its proportions without reserving an unused footer.

[lcann25 2]

8 hours ago, Pejamas said:

Could you get the playback report for me? Settings > account > save report

Here you go 

Arloes-playback-1793881796448.txt

[fallenwitch3r 45]

I’ve noticed that the Spotlight section remains unchanged when the app is launched. By default, the home page is selected upon startup; the Spotlight content only updates once I navigate to the "Continue Watching" section—by pressing the down button on the remote twice—and then return to the Spotlight area. Furthermore, the Spotlight slideshow only begins after I press the down button and then the up button on the remote once more.

Here is the log file for the transcoding issue. It appears that transcoding is being triggered by the video bitrate, even though the selected quality is set to "Auto."

Arloes-playback-1793897925517.txt

[ChrissiW 0]

Thanks for the latest update.

I'm on 1.10 now.

The "show all"-button at the end of the collection row on the homescreen is still missing, but I hope IT will be there soon.

I have another issue now: When I open a large collection it takes a while til I can scroll down to the titles. When I scroll through the titles arloes collapses and closes so that I have to restart it. I have cleaned the cache, but it happens again.

I'm running arloes on a Waipu TV box 

[Pejamas 149]

3 hours ago, fallenwitch3r said:

I’ve noticed that the Spotlight section remains unchanged when the app is launched. By default, the home page is selected upon startup; the Spotlight content only updates once I navigate to the "Continue Watching" section—by pressing the down button on the remote twice—and then return to the Spotlight area. Furthermore, the Spotlight slideshow only begins after I press the down button and then the up button on the remote once more.

Here is the log file for the transcoding issue. It appears that transcoding is being triggered by the video bitrate, even though the selected quality is set to "Auto."

Arloes-playback-1793897925517.txt 179.77 kB · 0 downloads

Ill look into spotlight, what exactly is your spotlight set up as though? like what content etc? For now can you just set the bit rate to 1000.