Home Theater

It’s been four months since the Kodi Foundation released the first build of Kodi 22 “Piers,” the long-awaited next generation of its widely used home theater software.

Following close on the heels of Kodi 21.3 “Omega,” which was released a few days ago, a new build of Kodi 22 has arrived in the form of Alpha 2.

The Kodi Foundation is still hard at work on Kodi 22 'Piers', with a second Alpha release expected soon. The team hasn’t forgotten Kodi 21 users however, and a new build for that branch has just arrived.

Kodi 21.2 'Omega' was released back in January, and now the Kodi Foundation has rolled out a new build, Kodi 21.3, with a raft of changes, fixes and improvements. This is what’s new:

It’s been two weeks since the Kodi Foundation rolled out the first alpha release of Kodi 22 'Piers', the latest generation of its hugely popular home theater software.

At the time, it arrived with little fanfare and no details regarding what was new or changed in the release. Finally, though, we now have a detailed breakdown of what's different in this 'significant' update.

Marshall has announced its first-ever TV soundbar, the Heston 120. Marshall says it’s engineered for both music and TV, refusing to settle for the usual compromise most soundbars offer. Dolby Atmos and DTS-X are both on board, with 11 drivers positioned to bounce sound around your space.

You’ll find plenty of modern features packed inside. HDMI eARC support is here, along with HDMI passthrough for extra flexibility. The Heston 120 also supports Wi-Fi connections via Google Cast, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect. Bluetooth is on deck, too, and even old-school analog fans get RCA input support, so vintage music gear isn’t left out.

The Kodi foundation is looking to make major changes to how its popular home theater system handles Blu-ray playback, with the aim of making the experience as straightforward as playing a regular media file.

At the moment, Blu-ray support in Kodi involves three less-than-satisfactory options. As the team explains “Kodi can show the Blu-ray menu, with all the navigation overhead; you can ask to play the main movie, and Kodi will just take a guess and play the longest media item on the disc, which may or may not be what you want; or you can go into file view, and wander around until you find that the main movie is labelled as item 636 out of a list of ... well, lots.”

Team Kodi is hard at work on the next generation of its hugely popular home theater software. Although it will be a while before we see the first build from the Kodi 22 branch, we do have a good idea of some of the new features and improvements set to make an appearance.

One of the features that will be arriving in the future software release will be a forum-requested feature, which will allow users of the PVR & Live TV feature to have Kodi automatically delete recordings once they’ve been watched, freeing up valuable hard drive space.

Kodi has long been a favorite for media enthusiasts, offering a customizable, open-source platform for streaming and managing media libraries, but it's not without its frustrations. The setup process, particularly installing and managing add-ons, isn't as intuitive as it could be, add-ons frequently break or becoming unsupported, and performance problems like buffering and crashes are common, especially on older devices.

If you’re searching for Kodi alternatives, you're in luck. There are several media center platforms that provide excellent options for streaming and managing your content. Here’s a look at the top 7 Kodi alternatives, along with key features to watch out for, and the download links you'll need.

Kodi 21 -- codenamed 'Omega' -- is the next version of the hugely popular home theater software. The Kodi Foundation released the second beta version of the program two months ago, introducing a number of new features, fixes, and cleanups.

Today, a brand new build arrives, which will be much more appealing to those users seeking greater stability from the software.

As the NFL season culminates in the highly anticipated Super Bowl, football enthusiasts are gearing up for an immersive viewing experience. The wait for the perfect TV to elevate your Super Bowl Sunday is over, thanks to TCL's timely big screen TV deals. Known for their partnership with the NFL, TCL is offering sports fans an amazing opportunity to witness every thrilling play in stunning detail.

TCL's latest promotion, available now through February 11, showcases a range of TVs designed to bring the stadium atmosphere right into your living room. Leading the pack is the colossal 98” S5 model, priced under $2,000 for a limited two-week period. With its 4K ultra HD resolution and expansive screen, 33 percent larger than an 85” TV, the S5 promises to be a game-changer for your home theater setup.

The LG CineBeam Qube (HU710PB) is quite the unique product. This 4K projector stands out for its compact design, featuring a 360-degree rotatable handle, making it highly portable and convenient for various indoor settings. Plus, it looks really friggin’ cool.

Despite its small size, the LG CineBeam Qube is quite powerful. It boasts a 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution, capable of projecting images up to 120 inches in size. The projector's RGB laser light source, combined with LG's advanced image refining technologies, ensures pictures of exceptional clarity and sharpness. Notably, it features a 450,000:1 contrast ratio and covers 154 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, ensuring color accuracy that aligns with the creator's vision.

Kodi 21 -- codenamed 'Omega' -- is the next version of the hugely popular home theater software. The Kodi Foundation released the first beta version of the program two months ago, introducing a number of new features, fixes, and cleanups.

Today, a brand new build arrives, which will be much more appealing to those users seeking greater stability from the software.

Kodi 21 -- codenamed 'Omega' -- is the next version of the hugely popular home theater software. The Kodi Foundation has been alpha testing its program over the past few months, giving users who don’t mind living dangerously the chance to try out new features, fixes, and cleanups.

Today, a brand new build arrives, which will be more appealing to those users seeking greater stability from the software.

Kodi 21 -- codenamed 'Omega' -- is the next version of the hugely popular home theater software. The Kodi Foundation released the second alpha version of the program three months ago, with new features, fixes, and cleanups.

Today, a brand new build arrives, which will be more appealing to those users seeking greater stability from the software.

Although The Kodi Foundation is hard at work developing the next version of its popular home theater software, Kodi 21 'Omega', it is ensuring that users of the current 'Nexus' generation don't get forgotten.

Today the team announces the release of Kodi 20.2 and although it doesn't come with any real new features, you'll still want to install it.

Yesterday, we revealed that the next big version of Kodi had hit an important milestone. Nightly builds of Kodi 20 'Nexus' have been available for months, but now there’s a much more stable release for users to download.

Although it’s only a pre-release build, and therefore will likely have some bugs to watch out for, Kodi 20 'Nexus' Alpha 1's arrival will excite a lot of people. Team Kodi is very proud of this release, and highlights the following changes and new features.