Web player

You can watch in any browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install. This page covers starting playback, the controls, subtitles, audio tracks, speed, casting and what to do when playback is blocked.

Open the web player#

Open the server address in your browser, for example http://<server-address>:5797/web/ (your port may differ). Choose a member, enter the PIN or password, and start watching.

On a phone you can add the page to your home screen and open it like an app.

Start playback#

• On a movie or series page, click Play. If you stopped halfway, the button shows Resume and continues from where you left off. Use the menu beside it to Play from beginning.
• Each slide in the carousel at the top of the home page has Play and more info.
• On a series page the main button picks for you: the episode you are halfway through, otherwise the next episode, otherwise the first one (specials are skipped).
• After an episode ends, a Next episode countdown appears at the bottom right. Cancel it if you do not want to continue, or turn off Autoplay next episode in your personal settings.
• When the intro or ending is marked, a Skip button appears. You can also turn on Auto skip in your personal settings and choose which kinds to skip (intro, outro, recap, preview).

If the browser blocks autoplay (some require a tap first), the player stays paused with the poster and a play button. Tap once to start. You do not lose your position.

Playback controls#

Notes:

• Browsers on iPhone and iPad do not let a web page change the volume, so there is no volume slider or gesture. Use the device's volume buttons.
• When a phone is held upright, the control bar is reduced to progress, time, settings, volume, picture in picture and full screen. Use double-tap to jump back or forward.
• On a phone, audio, subtitles and speed open in a panel that slides up from the bottom. Close it by tapping outside it, dragging the bar at the top down, or pressing close. In landscape the panel is on the right.
• Touch screens have no hover, so the control bar appears when you tap the picture and hides itself after a few seconds.

A movie stored in several parts plays them one after another without any action from you. Multi-part videos play only by direct play.

Playback speed#

Choose the speed in Settings (the gear), or with the speed button on a phone held upright. The choice applies only to the current video and returns to normal when you switch to another.

Audio tracks#

Open the Audio & subtitles panel to see every sound track of the video, with its language, format (for example AC3 5.1) and how it is handled. The active one has a check mark. Click another to switch without restarting.

If the video has several versions (for example 4K and 1080p), you also choose the version in this panel.

Subtitles#

• The panel lists embedded subtitles and subtitle files next to the video. Click one to show it. Choose Off to hide subtitles.
• Subtitle settings let you change size, position (bottom, raised, top), background, color, Subtitle delay (use it when subtitles come earlier or later than the sound) and Second subtitles (show two languages at once). The settings are remembered.
• Styled subtitles (ASS) and image subtitles (such as Blu-ray PGS) carry their own look, so color and background cannot be changed (styled subtitles can only change position; image subtitles only size and position). The panel says so.
• When you start a video, the Subtitle mode in your settings picks the subtitle (see Subtitles); the default is Smart.
• The audio track and subtitle you pick by hand are remembered (including turning subtitles off). A movie remembers per film; a series remembers per show, so every episode uses the same choice. Tracks chosen automatically are not saved, and choices made in Emby-compatible apps are not written back.
• If a picture subtitle cannot be shown (for example, extracting it from the current storage would take too long), the player says so and suggests another subtitle or an external player.

Search subtitles PRO · MAX#

If a video has no suitable subtitles, use Search subtitles at the bottom of the subtitle panel.

1. The search uses the title and year by default (season and episode for series). You can pick the language and search again.
2. The results show each subtitle's name, language and source. A result marked as an exact match was found by matching the file itself, and is the most reliable.
3. Click Download. The subtitle is added to this video and you can select it right away, without reloading. Every member who watches this video can use it afterwards.

Notes:

• Subtitle search has a daily limit and a cooldown. When it is used up, the player tells you how long to wait.
• Members do not see the unlock button. Administrators see it and can go to upgrade.
• The server fetches subtitles from the source. Your browser does not connect to third-party sites.
• Subtitles cannot be saved if the video's folder is read-only or the source is a read-only remote source. The panel says so.

Blu-ray ISO in the browser#

A Blu-ray .iso that sits on the server's own disk or on a mounted drive can play in the web player, with the disc's original PGS subtitles.

What the server does:

• The video is copied as it is, never transcoded. Sound the browser cannot play is converted to AAC, at most 5.1 (7.1 and Atmos are mixed down to 5.1).
• Only the main feature plays. There is no disc menu and no multi-angle.
• A disc without a seek table (EP map) can only be watched from the start; you cannot drag the progress bar.

Which discs play in the browser:

• The video must be H.264 or HEVC, and the main feature must be a single piece: the main segment makes up at least 95% of the playlist and the other segments add up to 60 seconds or less. Discs with VC-1 or MPEG-2 video, or a main feature split into several segments, do not play in the browser. Open them with an external player that can read ISO files (see External players).
• The browser must be able to decode the video. H.264 plays everywhere; HEVC depends on your browser and system.
• A remote ISO behind a .strm file is not supported.

Browsers: desktop Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, iOS 17.1 or later, and Chrome on Android.

Subtitles:

• The disc's PGS subtitles (up to 16 tracks) are laid over the picture and never burned in. After you drag the progress bar they catch up, but a long subtitle that spans the point you dragged to appears only at the next line.
• You may see "Preparing subtitles" for a moment while the server extracts the current segment. If extraction fails, the video and text subtitles keep playing and the subtitle menu tells you why.
• PGS can be the main subtitle, with a text subtitle as the second one. PGS cannot be the second subtitle.
• In Fill mode the subtitles stay where they are in Fit mode; in Stretch mode they stretch with the picture.

Limits:

• If you open a Blu-ray disc's external play link in PotPlayer, it may show the picture without sound. mpv and VLC play it normally.
• Before iOS 17.1 there is no MSE, so the disc's PGS is not shown; the subtitle menu marks it "Needs an external player", and text subtitles work as usual.
• In the iPhone's system full screen and picture-in-picture, PGS and ASS subtitles cannot be seen, because the system draws the video itself. Text subtitles switch to the system's own display there.

External players#

Some videos cannot play in a browser (certain codecs, Dolby Vision, or subtitle types the browser cannot draw), or you may simply prefer another player. In the player menu, or next to Play on the detail page, choose External players:

• Pick one of the listed players (for example Infuse, VLC or VidHub, depending on your device) to open the video in that app.
• Choose Other app (system chooser) to let the system pick.
• You can also Copy play address and paste it into a player. The link is valid for 12 hours.

With an external player, watch progress is kept by that player and does not appear in Continue watching here. Switch audio and subtitles inside that player.

Cast#

The control bar shows a cast button on the right. It appears only when there is a target available.

• AirPlay (Apple devices). In Safari, click cast and choose a TV or speaker.
• Chromecast and DLNA. Click cast and choose a TV or box found on your network. Once the TV starts, this device turns into a remote: progress, pause and volume are controlled here.

Limits:

• When casting, whether image subtitles (PGS) show depends on the device: over DLNA it depends on whether the TV supports embedded subtitles; AirPlay does not show them.
• You cannot change the aspect ratio while casting.
• An administrator can turn casting off. You then see "Casting is turned off".
• The cast link expires. Click cast again after it ends or expires.

When playback is blocked#

The player explains the reason in one sentence and shows an error code you can report. Common cases:

Retrying does not help in these cases, so the screen only offers Back. Other errors, such as a network drop or a busy server, offer Retry.

If it does not play or is not smooth#

• The picture keeps spinning. The server may be preparing the video. Wait a few seconds.
• No sound. Pick another track in the audio panel, or use an external player.
• Subtitles out of sync. Adjust Subtitle delay in the subtitle settings.
• Playback resumes after a long pause. The player reconnects by itself and continues from the same spot. You do not need to refresh the page.