Set up and configuration
Let’s get Emby installed and your media libraries set up.
Before you begin, make sure you’ve allocated your server a static IP address. This gives you the same IP address each time you access your server via a web browser or SSH. To do this in Ubuntu, open System Settings and select Network. If you’re connected via Ethernet cable, select Wired, click Options and set a static address via the IPv4 Settings tab.
Next, visit http://emby.media/ downloads/linux-server for distro-specific installation instructions. During installation you’ll be asked to confirm the creation of a user called emby – if necessary, grant this user read/write access to your media folders. Once this is done, Emby will start running.
Once Emby’s in place, it’s time to review how your media files are organised. You can store your media anywhere you like – so long as the drive is accessible to your media server and mounts automatically at startup. Go to http://bit.ly/plimediaserver ( and see p33 if you need help with this step).
Emby searches the internet for artwork and information about movies, TV shows and music. For accurate matches, files must be named and structured correctly. Start by creating separate folders for your media: Music, Movies, TV, Photos, Music Video and so on. Next, use the naming conventions in the table (although if you’ve named files for rival media servers like Kodi or Plex, they should work fine here too). If you want to speed up file renaming, then take a look at Filebot. Ubuntu users can install a native version for $9.95 through the Software Centre; otherwise you’ll need to install Java 8 (use the ppa:webupd8team/java repos if JRE 8 is missing from the UbuntuSoftware Center) and then download and install the appropriate Deb package from www.filebot. net. To launch it for the first time, open a Terminal window, type filebot and hit Enter (subsequent launches can be done using the launcher shortcut).
Start by setting your naming format to match Emby’s requirements: click ‘Match’ and select ‘Edit Format’. Verify that Episode Format is set to {n} - {s00e00} - {t} for TV shows, then click the button in the bottom left-hand corner of the window to switch to Movies. Change this to {n} ({y}) and click ‘Use Format’. Choose Match > Edit Format again, and click the button again to switch to Music. Verify it’s {artist} - {t} or change it to {t} if you’d prefer the file recorded just the title either is fine by Emby. Click ‘Use Format’ to end.
Now click ‘Match’ again, but this time select one of the supplied databases according to the media you’re renaming – we recommend TheTVDB for TV and TheMovieDB for movies, and try AcoustID for unknown music files. You’ll see the suggested name for each file shown in the right-hand pane; if you’re happy, click ‘Rename’ to change the filenames.
Configure your media server
With your media properly named and Emby installed and running, it’s time to introduce the two to each other. Open your browser and type localhost:8096 to access Emby’s web-based interface. Start by making your way through the setup wizard – it’s simple enough: choose your country, then set up your own personal account. Emby supports multiple users, allowing you to set parental controls while giving individuals access to their own user preferences. You’ll also be invited to set up an Emby Connect account – a must if you plan to access your media outside your local network.
Next, set up your media libraries. Each library contains a specific type of content: music, movies, TV, other types of video or photo. The setup wizard allows you to add one library for now: click ‘Add media folder’ when prompted and choose content type – movies, music, TV, books, games, home videos, music videos, photos and a special mixed content option are all provided. Give your library a suitably descriptive name and click ‘OK’. Next, choose the folder inside which your content is stored – Emby allows you to add multiple folders to your library, but if you’ve followed our advice it’ll all be consolidated in a single location. Click ‘+1’ to browse and select it.
Next you configure various metadata settings – this is the information and artwork Emby uses to help you identify your media. You can choose to save the information directly to your media folders or keep it all centralised on your server – choose whichever option works best for you and your server’s available storage.
You’ll next be prompted to set up live TV – we cover this overleaf – so click ‘Skip’ for now. Accept the T&Cs and your initial setup is done. Now get your Emby server up and running by following the step-by-step guide ( seeright).
Return to the Server tab of the dashboard to monitor the adding of files to your media library via the Running Tasks section. When it’s complete – which could take hours if you’ve got a large media library – your media is ready to browse. Click the ‘Home’ link at the top of the screen to return to the main interface.
The My Media section lists all your libraries as well as live TV options if you’ve set it up ( see p36). Click a section to browse its contents. Click the headings at the top of the page to change views, including Collections, Genres and more. There’s also the standard Show or Movie view if you want to browse by title.
Once you start watching shows, Emby will start lining up the next episode for you (look under Suggestions). Select an episode, movie or music track, and Emby provides artwork plus a wealth of information about that item. Not only does it look great, it also helps you identify what you’re about to watch.
Take the time to properly explore Emby’s web-based interface – you’ll find useful shortcuts and options galore, such as the ability to edit the information and artwork stored for each show. For more tips on doing more with your media server, turn the page.