Search Results for: Kodi

The negative attention that Kodi has been attracting recently continues. A number of high-profile add-ons, such as Phoenix, have disappeared recently as interest in the piracy potential for the media player increases.

The latest victim appears to be TVAddons, a site which lists unofficial Kodi add-ons. The site was sued last week in a federal court in Texas, so the disappearance is not entirely surprising. But the removal of DNS records -- rendering the site inaccessible -- without any explanation is a little strange.

Kodi -- built from the ashes of XBMC -- remains a popular but controversial streaming media solution. The beauty of the software is that it allows for the streaming of just about anything, and that includes contents of questionable legality (oh, OK... let's just admit there are a bunch of add-ons that can be used to stream pirated content).

There has been a great deal of legal interest in so-called "fully-loaded" Kodi boxes of late, and this has had something of an unfortunate side-effect -- for fans of certain add-ons at least. Seemingly fearful of the legal implication of what their add-ons make possible, the developers of numerous well-known plugins are closing down. One of the latest is the popular Phoenix add-on.

Kodi has really hit it big in the past couple of years. While the home theater software is great for playing local content, its rise in popularity is largely down to Kodi's support for third-party add-ons that make it possible to stream any audio and video, including the latest blockbuster movies and TV shows.

The process for installing third-party add-ons varies depending on the add-on, but assuming you’re running Kodi 17 Krypton (or later), we'll show you the easiest way to install all of the most popular ones.

Kodi -- the software previously known as XBMC -- is a cross-platform media center solution that many people enjoy daily. Quite frankly, its not hard to see why it has become so ubiquitous -- it has tons of features, a great user interface, and the ability to gain new functionality with addons.

While the program is 64-bit on macOS, Android, and Linux desktop operating systems, Windows has remained a 32-bit affair. According to the developers, the transition to 64-bit on Windows was not seen as a priority. Finally, however, after many years of users requesting a 64-bit Windows program, it is here. Well, technically, it is still a nightly development release, but users can download that immediately and begin using it. A stable release will be here soon, with a UWP version much further out.

If you are looking for a dedicated media box for your living room or bedroom, the first thing you should consider is Kodi. This is a media center software package that delivers a very focused consumption experience. It can even be customized with "addons," although some of them can be used for piracy -- something we do not condone.

Unfortunately, Kodi is not its own operating system, meaning it has to be run on top of an OS. Sure, you could use Windows 10, but that is overkill if you only want to run Kodi. Instead, a lightweight Linux distribution that only serves to run the media center is preferable. One of the most popular such distros is OpenELEC. It can run on traditional PC hardware, but also Raspberry Pi, and, my favorite -- WeTek boxes. Today, version 8.0.4 achieves stable release. It is a fairly ho-hum update, focusing mostly on fixes and stability.

The XBMC Foundation has unveiled Kodi 17.0. Codenamed "Krypton", the new release is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and (jailbroken) iOS devices.

The new release unveils new default skins for both regular and touch devices. It also unveils significant improves to audio and video, music libraries, live TV and PVR.

If you love Raspberry Pi, but require a little more power for your projects, then ASUS’s Tinker Board could be just what you’re looking for.

Although there’s no shortage of Raspberry Pi alternatives, the low-cost Tinker Board is better than most because its quad-core 1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A17 processor has the oomph to handle 4K video and 24-bit audio, and it comes with twice as much RAM as the latest Pi.

The Raspberry Pi line of computers are wonderful for many things. If you are a builder or maker, it can be great for projects. If you just want a low-energy media computer, these little devices are a godsend.

The most powerful version is the Raspberry Pi 3, and earlier this year, I bought it. Recently, I even purchased the super-cool Kodi Edition case for it. The problem? I am not a maker or builder, and I mostly use my Apple TV as a media player. I simply do not have a need for my Pi 3 anymore. My problem can be your gain, however, as I am giving away both the computer and case. Interested? Read on to enter the giveaway.

The Raspberry Pi family of computers are insanely popular. It is not hard to see why; the mini machines are very inexpensive while also being very capable. They can be a great choice for tinkering, plus teaching children to code and make.

For many folks, however, the Raspberry Pi makes a great media center device. By loading something like Kodi (formally XBMC), you can have a rewarding diminutive home theater experience. Today, Kodi partners with FLIRC for an official Raspberry Pi case.

The XBMC Foundation has unveiled Kodi 15.2, a maintenance update of its open-source, cross-platform media center. This is the second release since version 15 debuted back in July.

The major focus of the new release is to improve stability on the Android platform, but there are numerous other bug fixes implemented in what Team Kodi has dubbed "The Final Chapter" in its release notes.

If you haven't heard the news, the program formerly known as XBMC, or Xbox Media Center, is now Kodi. The name change reflects the change in direction that the software has taken as it has evolved. It now does much more than it ever intended and runs on just about every platform.

Unless you have a Kindle Fire. Despite that the tablets run Android, it's very different -- the version is highly customized to fit the Amazon ecosystem, locking customers into the Amazon App Store and getting rid of Google Play. This generally is OK, most apps folks want are in both places.

XBMC has gone through many iterations over the 12 years of its existence. The program, which now powers a number of home theater computers, began life as Xbox Media Player, then morphed into Xbox Media Center, before finally settling on the shorter abbreviation of XBMC.

But the platform has moved so far off from its original Xbox beginnings that it has announced it will get away from the old name as well.

The yearly roundup you have (probably) been waiting for is here. Spotify Wrapped 2025 has landed, and this time around it is different to previous years.

This year Spotify has chosen to deliver more than just raw stats – although there are definitely still here.  In addition to learning which artist you’ve listened to the most, and how long you have spent listening to music throughout the year, you can also learn your “listening age” and compete in fan leaderboard. But there is more.

Windows 11 remains familiar territory for many users, but it continues to frustrate those dealing with sluggish performance and high system demands on older machines. Frequent updates often fix some problems while introducing others, leaving users searching for an alternative. For those ready to move away from Windows, there's Nitrux Linux 5.

After a long wait, the latest version of the Debian-based Linux distribution has arrived, bringing with it a wealth of changes and improvements. Top of the list is the Hyprland desktop which replaces KDE Plasma.

Every so often, we get hints about Windows 12, but Microsoft has yet to announce it. Now that the tech giant is only officially supporting one Windows OS, perhaps that will change.

But as 2025 draws to a close, and with a new year on the horizon, it’s time to look forward to fresh beginnings and groundbreaking innovations. It’s time for a new Microsoft operating system. Let me introduce you to Windows 26.