Don't want to watch Super Bowl LIII today? Install the Kodi 18 Leia-focused LibreELEC 9.0 Linux distro instead!
Well, folks, it is finally here. After a rather lengthy beta period, LibreELEC 9.0 is available for download. Wait, are you not familiar with this specialized Linux-based operating system? Please know it is a lightweight OS that only exists to run Kodi -- the very popular open source media center. It provides an easy to use environment for consuming media, such as movies and music. This new version of LibreELEC is based on the recently released Kodi 18 Leia and can run on a lot of different hardware, including the very popular Raspberry Pi devices. Yes, with LibreELEC, you can turn a Pi (or many similar devices) into a powerful media box!
If you are dreading watching Super Bowl LIII later today, why not install and play around with LibreELEC 9.0 instead? Look, not everyone enjoys spectating sports -- don't let society make you feel bad about preferring to tinker with Linux than watch football. This new version of LibreELEC even has game emulation support, making it far more interesting than merely watching video and listening to music.
Kodi 18 'Leia' is officially available -- download it NOW!
The Kodi Foundation pushed out the fifth and final Release Candidate of Kodi 18 two weeks ago, and after some minor bug fixes and improvements, the hugely popular cross-platform home theater software is finally judged ready for prime time.
If you’ve been waiting patiently for the official stable release of the new Kodi, the great news is you can download it now.
Kodi 18 'Leia' RC5 available to download now
Kodi 18 'Leia' RC4 available to download now
If you were expecting the full and final release of Kodi 18 to arrive before the end of 2018, you’re going to be disappointed as it's now scheduled for very early 2019.
However, the Kodi Foundation has rolled out the fourth and final release candidate today which should tide you over nicely until then.
LibreELEC 9.0 Beta 1 Linux distro (based on Kodi 18 'Leia' RC3) now available
Kodi is an excellent open source media player, allowing the user to have an immersive experience with both music and video. While the software gets a bad reputation due to people using it for piracy, many folks only use it for legal media consumption. As more and more illegal Kodi add-on maintainers face legal trouble, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu remain competitively priced, fewer folks may seek pirated content. In fact, the LibreELEC developers claim the "Kodi piracy scene continues to decline."
Not familiar with LibreELEC? Please know it is a Linux distribution that exists solely to run Kodi. It supports many hardware configurations, including traditional x86_64 for PC and ARM for devices like Raspberry Pi and WeTek. Following the release of Kodi 18 'Leia' RC3, LibreELEC 9.0 (8.95.1) Beta 1 becomes available for download. Its most significant change is a clever way to handle Kodi start up crashes due to buggy add-ons. After five consecutive crashes, the OS will boot without any Kodi add-ons, allowing the user to at least have a usable device.
New Kodi 18 'Leia' Release Candidate (RC3) available to download now!
We are edging ever closer to the full and final release of the next major version of Kodi, codenamed Leia.
Coming two weeks after RC2 arrived, the third release candidate drops today. Work is now underway on RC4, which does mean the full release likely won’t occur until January.
New Kodi 18 'Leia' Release Candidate (RC2) available to download now!
New Kodi 18 'Leia' Release Candidate (RC1) available to download now!
It’s been two years in development, but the next big release for Kodi is nearly here.
Today the hugely popular home theater software hits a major milestone, with the arrival of the first Release Candidate for Kodi 18 'Leia' -- RC1. This release should be much more stable that the five previous betas, and the Kodi Foundation shares the following stats:
New Kodi 18 'Leia' Beta 5 arrives -- download it now!
The recent roadmap for Kodi 18 'Leia' planned for four beta versions, followed by two release candidates, and then the finished thing.
That plan has gone slightly out of the window, however, as today the Kodi Foundation releases a fifth beta. This is the final beta release and fixes a number of issues.
Interest in Kodi declines following introduction of anti-piracy measures
The Kodi Media Center has developed something of a reputation as a platform for pirated content. Although the Kodi Foundation has tried to distance itself from this, it seems other measures are having an effect.
The anti-piracy coalition, Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), along with new anti-piracy rules in the EU and UK, plus bans on Kodi boxes being sold via online marketplaces, has seen interest in Kodi decline sharply.
Kodi 18 'Leia' will come with fewer features installed, and that’s a good thing
The Kodi Foundation is busy finishing off the next major release of its hugely popular home theater software, and has made a fundamental change.
In Kodi 18 'Leia', the binary add-ons will be removed, reducing the size of the installer significantly. When you download the program, you’ll get just the basics and can install additional features as required through the binary repository. There’s another benefit besides avoiding bloat.
New Kodi 18 'Leia' Beta 4 arrives -- download it now!
Development on the next big version of Kodi, codenamed 'Leia', is well underway, with new pre-release versions arriving on a regular basis. The full version of the software is expected to be ready by the end of this year.
The Kodi Foundation has today released the fourth Beta for Kodi 18, and as you would expect the focus is on squashing bugs and fixing usability issues.
Reddit Browser for Kodi scrapes video and more from the best subreddits
There’s a lot of fantastic media content on Reddit, although finding it isn’t always easy. The new Reddit Browser for Kodi scrapes subreddits for video, live streams, audio, images and discussions.
The add-on has been in development for almost a year, and while it’s still very much a work in progress, it’s easy enough to use.
New Kodi 18 'Leia' Beta 3 arrives -- download it now!
TVAddons' new transparency report reveals blacklisted Kodi add-ons
Taking a leaf out of the Lumen Database, unofficial Kodi add-on provider TVAddons has been maintaining a list of blacklisted Kodi Addons in a regular transparency report.
This blacklist is not the result of DMCA takedown notices, but rather is compiled based on Kodi addons that were submitted to its index but judged not to meet the company’s own verification standards.
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