Kodi is one of the best media players on the market. It is available on many platforms and has a more extensive set of features than the shopping list of a large family. Emby is an alternative to Kodi for those who want to exploit everything related to streaming playback. In other words, if in Kodi you can configure your PC as a remote server to view multimedia content from other devices, Emby takes all that to the next level.
Emby, a premium alternative to Kodi to stream movies using your PC as a server
What Emby proposes is something like a “home Netflix”. First, install the application on the computer. After configuring the server, you can stream any video from your collection from an Android TV, mobile phone, laptop, or other devices.
One of the most attractive aspects is its interface, which makes it look like a streaming platform, with actor files, IMDB scores, movie information, subtitles, favorites, and even the ability to watch the trailer or even download the movie on your own device for offline viewing.
Emby also has support for Chromecast and has an option that allows you to configure IPTV list for live TV (all remotely from the server). The truth is that there is not much to criticize at the functional level.
Differences
One of the big differences compared to Kodi is that with Emby, you can stream all this content from the internet without having to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. This allows you, for example, to watch a movie on your phone while eating at university or at work, which is not bad at all. As long as you remember to turn on the PC before leaving home, of course.
The Android TV app also works surprisingly well, with accessible menus and well-organized content with a very intuitive and colourful interface. If you install it on the smart TV in the living room, you can make very good use of all the multimedia content stored on the PC’s hard drive.
Emby Price
Now, if you think of Emby as a free alternative to Kodi, you will be disappointed since a home streaming tool as well designed as this one comes at a price. And it is not excessively cheap.
From the outset, you can download and install the application completely free of charge. After configuring the server (a fairly simple process), you have 15 days of free and limited use. The free version does not allow you to perform certain actions such as downloading subtitles, watching live TV and many other functions. Let’s just say it’s pretty basic access.
If you want to unlock all the features and have full access, you should opt for a premium subscription of $4.99 per month or pay for a lifetime license currently at $119.
Therefore, it is not a cheap application, far from it, but once you try it, you really want to savour that premium version. For its price, you can practically pay for a Netflix subscription, but if you have a good collection of movies at home and want to take advantage of it, this is a tool that greatly simplifies things.
If interested, you can download the Emby server from its official website. The client application is also available for all media types, from Android, through iOS, Windows, Amazon Fire TV and others.
