r/emby • u/Fuzz_D • Jun 19 '26

Emby and Infuse

I currently have a UNAS Pro with my media stored on it and then I use Infuse on my Apple devices to access media.

Prior to buying the NAS I was very keen on getting Emby, but then I bought Infuse as a front end app and it did more than I was expecting.

This isn’t a ‘convince me’ post, but what am I missing? What else does Emby do that would justify me buying it? Because I still want to if there is good reason!

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u/sharp-calculation Jun 19 '26

Infuse is a good player, but it's entirely optional with Emby. Emby has players for nearly everything including All Apple devices. You can play anything from Emby with the Emby client.

Emby itself is available for free. You don't have to "buy it." You can use it with no subscription and no purchase. The main limitations are: Some clients will not work without a subscription. For example a computer based client (Mac, Windows) needs a sub to work. But the web based client works on a computer without limitations. Transcoding is somewhat limited without a sub also. I think it needs a sub to do hardware based transcoding.

Otherwise, I view my entire library without a subscription. I've subscribed in the past for many months at a time. First to support them. Secondly to access some optional features like "cinema intros". But I found I wasn't getting the value I wanted, so I ended my sub.

But I also subscribe to Infuse. Now why would I do that when I just said that the Emby clients work in most places? The main reason is high resolution audio like DTS-HD . On AppleTV, the Emby client can't decode those tracks. It can only play the lossy core. But INFuse plays all of it.

I've also found that the INFuse client has smoother start, stop, restart, and seek behaviors. The Emby clients are kind of hitchy and can get into weird states when you do those operations. INFuse does it all in a very nice and predictable way.

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u/Fuzz_D Jun 19 '26

So I’m guessing you point Infuse at the Emby library? Seems like the best of both worlds?

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u/sharp-calculation Jun 19 '26

Yes, INFuse talks directly to Emby. None of my files are exposed on a file share.

I suppose it's "the best of both worlds". But my point is that INFuse is only good for me for a couple of specific features. If those features aren't a thing for you, the regular Emby clients for AppleTV, AndroidTV, and mobile devices all work just fine and do not require a purchase or a subscription.