Open source Kodi 19 Matrix-based LibreELEC 10 Linux distribution available for download
Kodi is a wonderful open source media player that provides users with an immersive experience that is optimized for the living room. While the software gets a bad reputation because some (most?) people use it for piracy, many strictly use it for legal media consumption. As more and more illegal Kodi add-on maintainers face legal trouble, and streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+ remain competitively priced, fewer folks are seeking pirated content nowadays.
LibreELEC is a Linux distribution that exists solely to run the aforementioned Kodi. It supports many hardware configurations, including traditional x86_64 for PC and some ARM devices like the Raspberry Pi 4. And now, a stable version of LibreELEC 10 becomes available for download. Sadly, support for the Raspberry Pi 0 and 1 is now discontinued.
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"The final version of LibreELEC 10.0.0 has been released, bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.1 to LibreELEC users. Users of LibreELEC 10 Beta or RC1 get an automatic update to the final version. LibreELEC 9.2 setups will not be automatically updated, you will need to manually update. We can offer stable and good working versions for Allwinner, Generic and Rockchip devices. The RPi4 is also in good shape but the codebase is rather new, so it is not polished yet," says the LibreELEC developers.
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Despite this being a stable release, there are several known issues. The development team shares bugs below.
- No deinterlacing with HW video decoders. Possible workaround: disable HW video decoding (“DRM PRIME decoder” in player settings), this works mostly fine for SD content (eg DVDs)
- 4K50/60 output is supported by the driver, but has some known issues (eg “no signal” when TV is put into standby and back on)
- 50/60fps H264 HW decoding may need
force_turbo=1orcore_freq_min=500in config.txt to avoid AV-sync-issues/skipping - 10/12-bit video output isn’t implemented yet, 10-bit video is displayed in 8 bits
- Kodi runs in 4096x2160 instead of 3840x2160 on 4k TVs after fresh installation
Solution: Change resolution in system settings (1920x1080 50 or 60Hz plus setting up whitelist and enabling “Adjust display refresh rate” in player settings is recommended) - Hyperion Add-on no longer works
No solution for now, Hyperion doesn’t support the new graphics driver stack yet
The open source Kodi 19 Matrix-based LibreELEC 10 Linux distribution can be downloaded here now. You should choose the LibreELEC USB-SD Creator for your current platform, and it will help you to create a bootable storage device for your media player. Whether you decide to use an x86_64 PC or an ARM-based computer like Raspberry Pi 4, the USB-SD Creator will be the right choice.
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