New user - Am I missing something?

[Pdes 0]

I discovered Emby yesterday as I was looking for an alternative to Kodi and Plex.  I installed the new server app on my QNAP NAS and the appropriate apps on a couple of devices.  Being a new app on the server, I had to leave it indexing overnight.

 

This morning I opened everything up to test the new setup.  What I have found is that I cannot try this out in anger without paying a subscription.

 

Is this correct?  All the words like "donate" and "benefits" suggest to me that any contribution is voluntary or you decide you want enhanced features.  How can this be a replacement for Kodi and Plex which, despite their shortcomings are free if you just want a basic player.

 

Having put so much effort into the installation, I am a bit miffed that it was not made clear from the outset that Emby is useless without paying.

 

I hope I have got this wrong and that basic operation is available.  To be clear, what I have seen so far I like and so have no problem paying for a setup that works.

 

Any guidance appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[ryandavidg 30]

Well here is my experience over the last year or so (use it for music mostly, but also have a tv series and movie library)

- Server free to setup and install. At one stage I had two servers on two different machines, had friends in other parts of the country connecting via Emby connect without issues

- Free to use web browsers/web apps, think there's also an old version of Emby theatre which is free, but didn't test this much. The web apps give a 10 second countdown every now and again, reminding one about Emby Premiere - which some complain about - but after this there is full functionality

- Once I got everything working (still hadn't paid a cent) I moved some users over to paid apps (think it was something like a one-off $5 each), to support the project and for ease of use, but it is still possible to use browsers instead of the apps

- When finances allow I will probably get Emby Premiere to support the project. There are also other plugins and backup functionality etc which come as perks of Premiere, as well as a certain number of app licenses included, but again this is not essential to run your server

 

So I would say it certainly is free if you just want a basic player, even without delving into DLNA or other approaches, but I guess it depends on what 'testing' you want to do. I've seen those wanting to set up more advanced arrangements with lots of users often get a 1 month subscription to test everything out before possibly switching. I guess this is necessary if you want to test apps on lots of different devices and not just the free approaches, but I wouldn't describe Emby as 'useless' without paying.

Edited October 30, 2017 by ryandavidg

[Pdes 0]

Thanks for this.  With the client apps I have installed (Android and Windows 10) whenever I select "play" I just get the flash screen offering the Premier option.  There is no option to just continue with basic functionality.  

 

I'll take a look at the web player options.

 

Cheers

[arrbee99 1817]

There is also a plug-in thing for Kodi, to allow Kodi to use Emby's server if you happen to be a Kodi person. Think that's free.

 

As far as I can tell, using Emby for LiveTV tends to need Premiere for most 'programs' (like Roku, FireTV, Emby Theater), though I may, of course, be wrong.

 

As mentioned, try Chrome (or Firefox etc), and maybe later a months subscription after that.

[ryandavidg 30]

Oh, and if you haven't connected to the web app before there's a link at the top of this page/the forum

[Pdes 0]

Thanks for the pointer to the web app which seems to work well.  I happily retract the term "useless"! :-)  But, it's not always practical to use the web app especially on a small device.  I'll keep playing.  Who knows what I will discover!  I'll certainly be looking at the Kodi addin.

 

Cheers
 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Pdes

[BAlGaInTl 288]

When I tested, I bought the Android app initially so that I could play around on mobile.  After a short time, I went premier.

 

You can also buy a one month premiere membership and test all the different apps during that month.

 

A small price to pay to see if it will really work for you.

 

In the end, I went premiere, and I'll probably get the extended license soon to support the project.

[Pdes 0]

I have no problem paying to support the project and probably will. My beef is that it was not clear (to me) up front that basic use with dedicated clients was chargeable.  Looks like a good app though so I am becoming pleased 

 

Cheers

[BAlGaInTl 288]

 

Is this correct?  All the words like "donate" and "benefits" suggest to me that any contribution is voluntary or you decide you want enhanced features.  How can this be a replacement for Kodi and Plex which, despite their shortcomings are free if you just want a basic player.

 

Having put so much effort into the installation, I am a bit miffed that it was not made clear from the outset that Emby is useless without paying.

 

 

I have no problem paying to support the project and probably will. My beef is that it was not clear (to me) up front that basic use with dedicated clients was chargeable.  Looks like a good app though so I am becoming pleased 

 

Cheers

 

I'm sure that the developers wouldn't mind trying to improve that marketing.

 

That being said, what actually led you to believe that before your install?  I read through the official Emby pages and didn't see anything that would lead someone to believe that everything was free.  I'm not saying you didn't have that impression, I'm just curious where it came from so that maybe it can be improved.

[Pdes 0]

I'm sure that the developers wouldn't mind trying to improve that marketing.

 

That being said, what actually led you to believe that before your install?  I read through the official Emby pages and didn't see anything that would lead someone to believe that everything was free.  I'm not saying you didn't have that impression, I'm just curious where it came from so that maybe it can be improved.

Without going back through all the web pages, I guess I formed an opinion based on a number of sites stating that Emby was an alternative to Kodi and Plex - which are free.  I didn't notice anything to the contrary when grabbing the Emby apps.  However, I do remember that the Server app was stated as free which added weight to my assumption.  I guess I could have researched further but to be honest, how many of us look deeply into this stuff when trying out apps.

[BAlGaInTl 288]

Without going back through all the web pages, I guess I formed an opinion based on a number of sites stating that Emby was an alternative to Kodi and Plex - which are free.  I didn't notice anything to the contrary when grabbing the Emby apps.  However, I do remember that the Server app was stated as free which added weight to my assumption.  I guess I could have researched further but to be honest, how many of us look deeply into this stuff when trying out apps.

 

Okay, I see how you came to that then.

 

I don't think people should say it's an alternative to Kodi.  That's a completely different animal and works alone or with Plex/Emby.

 

It is a replacement for Plex.  You also have to pay for Plex apps to stream to devices other than web pages.  I remember, because I bought the Android app to do just that.  Emby is the same way.  Streaming from a browser is free, but the apps are paid. 

 

Live TV is what ultimately made me switch.  On either platform, that is a Pass/Premier function.

 

They are both good media sever platforms, but I prefer the Emby's community and privacy over Plex.  Personally I feel like Plex is getting too big and have made some recent changes that sit well with a lot of folks.