Infuse 7.7 - Direct Mode

[james]

Infuse 7.7 has landed and includes our all-new Direct Mode feature for Emby, Jellyfin, and Plex.

Direct Mode for Emby, Jellyfin, and Plex

Direct Mode is a new connection option in Infuse which provides a more seamless experience when using popular media servers. This allows Infuse to display native lists and collections, retrieve newly added titles in seconds, access up-to-date search results, and load even the largest library categories with blazing fast speed.

Native lists and collections

With Direct Mode you’ll see a familiar face when connecting to Emby, Jellyfin, and Plex. The home screen can now pull in native lists from the server, matching the lists and collections pinned there, allowing for easy access to the items you want to see the most. If multiple sources are connected you can mix-and-match and reorder things just the way you want them—Plex lists next to Jellyfin lists above Emby lists alongside Infuse lists. All of the lists!

Blazing fast library browsing

No more delays while waiting for a the local library to update. Browsing in is now handled entirely on-demand, providing near-instant access to even the largest libraries and categories. Note: Support for browsing some categories such as collections and actor credits will be added soon.

Direct search with instant updates

Rounding out the Direct Mode feature set is a powerful direct search option. Searches are now sent to the server itself and provides fast results which are always up-to-date—even for the most recently added titles. The search scope can also be easily adjusted to switch between different servers to pin down exactly what you are looking for in the blink of an eye.

Direct Mode vs Library Mode

When connecting to a media server like Emby, Jellyfin, or Plex Infuse will always display metadata from the server instead of fetching its own from TMDB. The difference with Direct Mode is this info does not need to be pre-cached and stored in a local library on the device. Everything is fetched on an as-needed basis, on-the-fly. Not only can this help with a quicker set up process so you can start watching your favorite content sooner, it can also help provide faster updates when content is added or removed—especially for those with larger media collections.

With that said, each option has its own strengths and limitations so which mode to choose can vary depending on the situation.

Direct Mode

• Faster updates from server
• Smaller storage footprint on device
• Limited offline browsing
• Ideal for larger libraries

Library Mode

• Combines multiple sources into a single library
• Utilize Infuse library categories and filters
• More robust offline browsing
• Ideal for small or medium libraries

Feel free to mix and match with some shares set to use Direct Mode while others use Library Mode—the choice is entirely yours!

How to enable Direct Mode

Direct Mode comes enabled by default when setting up a new media server connection in Infuse 7.7. To enable Direct Mode for an existing share simply navigate to the Edit screen for the saved Emby/Jellyfin/Plex share and disable the Library Mode option found under the Advanced tab.

Plex skip intros, credits, and commercials

Last but not least, another great feature baked into 7.7 is the ability to utilize timestamp info provided by Plex to skip intros, credits, and commercials. When available, a button will appear during playback allowing you to skip all the boring bits and binge episodes faster than ever before! Note: A Plex Pass is required in order to use skip features.

Other tuneups and fixes, with more to come

A handful of other improvements are included so be sure to check out the full list of what’s new.

Release Notes

NEW

• Direct Mode for Emby, Jellyfin and Plex
• Support Plex skip features (intros, credits, commercials)
• Set custom forward/back seek times (tvOS)

IMPROVED

• Improved speed and reliability of Trakt sync

FIXED

• Fixed issues with meta ID tags in NFO files when manually searching for TMDB matches
• Other minor fixes and improvements

We’re also working on some other great things, including additional features for Direct Mode, expanded support for Dolby Vision, an awesome version of Infuse for Apple Vision Pro, and many other great additions—so be sure to keep an eye on this thread for updates.

Thanks!

We always love hearing your comments, feedback, and suggestions—so please feel free to continue the conversation below.

Thanks for using Infuse!

[Sprites]

Thanks so much for Direct Mode, it seems great! And 7.7 is even releasing on a day I have off from work! haha!

Just a quick question. After enabling direct mode, where can I find a list of all my movies and tv shows in alphabetical order like I could in Library Mode? These sections seem to have completely disappeared, I can’t find them. I’m using Infuse with Plex.

[james]

@Sprites

Just a quick question. After enabling direct mode, where can I find a list of all my movies and tv shows in alphabetical order like I could in Library Mode? These sections seem to have completely disappeared, I can’t find them. I’m using Infuse with Plex.

Correct. When using Direct Mode, you will not be able to use the Library features provided by Infuse, which includes the option to group multiple sources into a single view.

Instead, you can create libraries, lists, and collections in Plex and use Infuse to browse those directly.

[Sprites]

Thanks. But I must admit I’m a bit lost.

For example, in my Movies library in Plex I have a lot of collections. How can I make them appear in Infuse?

I’m on Apple TV right now. If I select the icon at the top of the Home Screen to be able to edit it I see three sections: Pinned Items, another section with the name of my Plex server, and Library. Under the section with the name of my server there are a lot of items, all having to do with recent items added in my different libraries.

So the only thing I’m able to get on the Home Screen right now is the Recently Added Movies and the Recently added TV Series lists. Nothing else. Where is the option to add my collections? Or the other lists Plex is generating like Unplayed Movies, Top Movies in Genre, etc.?

[james]

If you have Collections pinned to the home screen in Plex you can also have these appear on the Home Screen in Infuse. Note: I believe adding collections to Plex’s Home Screen requires a Plex Pass.

We’re also working on additional features for Direct Mode which will be available soon, and this includes browsing of collections without having to pin them to the home screen. You can follow this thread for updates.

[m4r1k]

TBH congrats to the Infuse team for this mastodonic release.

[R-W-W]

Please, James, How do I turn this off for my iPads…I specifically installed Infuse to hook into my plex because I hate the way plex lists things.

[james]

If you have existing shares set up in Infuse these will not change. Everything will be as it was before.

If you’re adding new shares, you can enable Library Mode under the Advanced tab on the share’s settings page when adding (or editing) the share (see the screenshot above).

[R-W-W]

upon installing the update on my first iPad, it did in fact change. Initially, I can go into my share, click on the folder icon and I have a list of files for cinematic/animated/live … BUT, when I click on any of those, the next screen is a bunch of thumbnails (not a list) and I am forced to use the plex method.

[R-W-W]

OK, I found the edit button. My mistake for not seeing the little icon on the far right in dark mode with my terrible eyes. Still have an issue tho. When I turn off the Library Mode, then save, then go back to check, the setting is not sticking at all.

[james]

Sorry for the confusion.

If you are browsing the server directly (even with Library Mode enabled) you will also be using the new Direct Mode features, as these are dramatically faster and more efficient than previous versions.

Some options for direct browsing are not yet available, but will be available soon. You can follow this thread for updates.

[pearcenator]

I’m also a bit confused. I have Plex. I turned off library mode. So, my Movies and TV shows disappeared. My pinned Plex playlists still show. Although nothing plays from them. I have collections pinned in Plex to the home page, but I don’t see these accessible anywhere in Infuse for me to surface them.

[R-W-W]

James, I don’t want direct mode. I want my stuff listed as lists. Are you saying I am being forced to use direct mode now, even though I am trying to turn it off?

[pearcenator]

Oh wait I think I got it. I didn’t realize you had to favorite the shares. Once I did that, it started changing over.

[Sprites]

As a test, I made a smart collection in Plex containing all my movies. My goal with that was to be able to get back the list of all my movies in alphabetical order. Like I was able to access in Infuse before, and like I’m able to access directly in Plex.

But all it did was adding a new row on the Home Screen limited to 30 items (out of 600+). And I can’t seem to “open” it to get a grid view of all the items.

Furthermore, I tried adding all my collections the the Plex Home Screen like you suggested, and what it did in Infuse was to create a completely new row per collection item. I have something like 20 movie collections, I don’t want a new row for each item, I just want one row with all my collections (like I was able to do in Library Mode).

Basically, here are the ways I’m usually interacting with Infuse:

1. Easily access what’s new on my server – Available in Direct Mode
2. Easily start a movie or a TV show I was previously watching – Available in Direct Mode
3. Browse my library of movies and my library of TV shows in alphabetical order to find something new to watch – Not available in Direct Mode
4. Easily access the 20+ movie collections I made in Plex – Not available in Direct Mode in a practical way

Am I missing something? Am I doing something wrong?

Unfortunately, without point 3 and 4 above (and especially point 3), for me Direct Mode is missing some critical elements and I don’t see how I could actually use it. And it’s kind of a bummer because this new mode is actually very neat!

Please let me know if I’m missing something. Or maybe all of this is already planned for a future release?

[runedalsgaard]

I’ve turned off library mode to enable direct play.
But how do I make a movie folder + tv folder on the Home Screen like I used to have on my Apple TV and iPhone from my Jellyfin server?

PLEASE help

[james]

@R-W-W

James, I don’t want direct mode. I want my stuff listed as lists. Are you saying I am being forced to use direct mode now, even though I am trying to turn it off?

At the moment, list view isn’t available when browsing directly, but this will be returning soon.

List view can be used when browsing Infuse library categories.

Thanks for your patience.

@Sprites

Furthermore, I tried adding all my collections the the Plex Home Screen like you suggested, and what it did in Infuse was to create a completely new row per collection item. I have something like 20 movie collections, I don’t want a new row for each item, I just want one row with all my collections (like I was able to do in Library Mode).

Direct browsing of Collections is in progress and will be available soon.

@runedalsgaard

But how do I make a movie folder + tv folder on the Home Screen like I used to have on my Apple TV and iPhone from my Jellyfin server?

You can manage the lists and collections which appear on the Home Screen by tapping the List icon which appears in the top right corner. Once there, you will see the server name which has a set of lists available.

On Apple TV you can also pin libraries directly to the home screen as Favorites. Favorites can be added by navigating to Infuse > Settings > Shares > Share Name > Add Favorite(s).

Note: Direct Play features are available in both Direct and Library Modes.

[R-W-W]

OK, ok … I get it now. You are doing some great work here James, as usual. Change is hard for some, especially in these times. I am going to work around the things for now and patiently await your updates.

[m4r1k]

I’m not sure this is just my iPhone / PMS combo but I get 500, internal server error.

Remote connection to plex is enabled, pre direct mode all worked just fine.