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Why use Emby for Kodi?


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NiallWaller
Posted

I'm moving away from WMC and evaluating different media setups (including live TV support).

 

Emby and Kodi both look like good options, very similar. So I don't understand the purpose of Emby for Kodi. Why use it?

Posted

My big thing for it is centralized data, I watch movies and shows on the go on different devices and via the web interface and it's nice to have something that remembers everything I've watched and where I am at.  Kodi itself is a great interface to use for home theater with lots of plugins so it only makes sense.  Plus wmc is dead in windows 10 which comes out next month.

NiallWaller
Posted

OK so reason are?

-Kodi has a better interface than Emby Theatre and better plugins

-Kodi doesn't have a web interface or ability to sync watched/resume points between devices

bluemonkey07
Posted (edited)

OK so reason are?

-Kodi has a better interface than Emby Theatre and better plugins

-Kodi doesn't have a web interface or ability to sync watched/resume points between devices

You can add these things to kodi in other ways , but emby for kodi works the best and is the easiest to setup.....IMO Edited by Vidman
Posted

Awesome for clients over the Internet (family etc)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yardameus
Posted

Another reason is a lot of people like the interface and player in Kodi, but Emby Server has a more robust library managing system and metadata managing.  Plus, centralizing watched status etc...

swhitmore
Posted (edited)

Another reason is a lot of people like the interface and player in Kodi, but Emby Server has a more robust library managing system and metadata managing.  Plus, centralizing watched status etc...

 

We should just officially combine the 2 projects already :P Call it... Koby

Edited by swhitmore
  • Like 2
Posted (edited)

While on the surface they look similar, they are actually fairly different.

 

Emby is a media server. It will handle metadata for all of your media, and track watched/progress by user. Emby also makes your media available to clients to consume ('serving' your media). There are Smart TV apps, mobile applications, desktop applications, a web application hosted right on the server, and also the http://app.emby.media/ that allows you to easily access your media from any device with internet anywhere in the world.

 

Kodi will also handle your metadata and watched, but it does not serve your media. It is just a client, reading from a hard drive, network store, or a media server like Emby. Because Kodi has such a well done UI, many people choose to use Kodi as a client on one of their devices to access their Emby server. Emby for Kodi is a plugin that lets Kodi access all the files on your Emby server with ease, and also keep your watched/progress information on the Emby server so that it is kept in sync when you access from any other device.

 

So yes you could just have Kodi accessing your files directly. The benefit of going through Emby is that you can also access those files from any device with internet and a web browser, or through any of the many apps in development (Roku, Android, iOS, etc.), and not only will you have access to your media, but you will have up-to-date information on your watched status.

Edited by TedA
  • Like 8
NiallWaller
Posted

Thanks, that helps clarify.

 

I do have multiple TVs so having a centralised server makes sense. I'd like to have live TV/DVR as well. So the last question is what client should I use, Emby for Kodi, Emby Theatre, The Emby Win modern app, other... ?

Posted

Awesome for clients over the Internet (family etc)

Really? I didn't think Emby for Kodi supported EmbyConnect as yet.

Posted

Thanks, that helps clarify.

 

I do have multiple TVs so having a centralised server makes sense. I'd like to have live TV/DVR as well. So the last question is what client should I use, Emby for Kodi, Emby Theatre, The Emby Win modern app, other... ?

I dont think the Kodi addon will support LiveTV via Emby like other clients do.

bluemonkey07
Posted

Really? I didn't think Emby for Kodi supported EmbyConnect as yet.

Emby connect is not required for remote access
bluemonkey07
Posted

I dont think the Kodi addon will support LiveTV via Emby like other clients do.

But kodi has its own live TV addons for all the same backends that emby server has and more besides
Posted

Emby connect is not required for remote access

But that's the accepted method for connecting to different servers.

 

Connecting to an Emby server via DDNS is OK, by EmbyConnect is better.

Posted

But kodi has its own live TV addons for all the same backends that emby server has and more besides

But then you're having to manage multiple entities.

 

You might as well just use Kodi.

Posted

But then you're having to manage multiple entities.

 

You might as well just use Kodi.

Got to disagree there pal, lots of the kodi tv backends are more mature. So you just set it up and it's done no maintenance required...

So at the minute I'd probably use them. However I'm hopeful at some stage theater drops and removes the need for kodi entirely.

bluemonkey07
Posted

But then you're having to manage multiple entities.

 

You might as well just use Kodi.

No you are not as both kodi and emby live TV plugins access the same backend api so they appear synced as they access the same data
bluemonkey07
Posted

But that's the accepted method for connecting to different servers.

 

Connecting to an Emby server via DDNS is OK, by EmbyConnect is better.

But again...it is not required
Posted

Got to disagree there pal, lots of the kodi tv backends are more mature. So you just set it up and it's done no maintenance required...

Fair enough, but still multiple things to look after.

Posted

But again...it is not required

Go on then, explain please.

bluemonkey07
Posted (edited)

You explained it yourself.... You can use DDNS if you want

Edited by Vidman
Posted

Fair enough, but still multiple things to look after.

Yeah I get your point, I set the dvbviewer plugin up and it just worked... Never touched it after that.

That said dvbviewer has it's own web interface and I did faff about in there a bit... But I did that with serverwmc too!

  • Like 1
Posted

But that's the accepted method for connecting to different servers.

 

Connecting to an Emby server via DDNS is OK, by EmbyConnect is better.

Really?

In my experience ddns>connect by a LONG way, I could never get connect to work properly/consistently for long enough to justify sticking with it.

Posted

Really?

In my experience ddns>connect by a LONG way, I could never get connect to work properly/consistently for long enough to justify sticking with it.

I've never used the Emby for Kodi addon with it, but I can switch between my son's server and also friends servers without issue.

  • Like 1
Posted
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