Kodi Reviews- Originally launched as Xbox Media Player (XBMP) in the year 2002 and later renamed Xbox Media Center (XBMC) in 2003, the XBMC Foundation has been taking Kodi through drastic changes. Finally, in the year 2014, the Xbox Media Center was officially renamed Kodi. Over the years, Kodi has gotten a lot of reviews and appraisals for being a great streaming hub option. Kodi is a free and open-source software media center. It doesn’t have set-up boxes or a piece of hardware to plug into your TV to have access to streaming services. Kodi lets you have access to both music and video streaming services and also lets you import your local content. It is a media center that helps you organize all your content in one place. Kodi does not let you bypass paying your subscription fee to streaming services. If you want to watch movies and listen to music that isn’t local content, you have to subscribe to a streaming service and set it up on Kodi using add-ons. Are you thinking if Kodi is right for you? Chill. In our Kodi reviews, we will let you know how Kodi works, its features, and supported devices.
How does Kodi work?
Kodi is an open-source software which means you can install it and customize it the way you like. There are no subscription fees to pay to access Kodi — it is free. All you have to do is install the software and you are good to go.
Kodi’s user interface is primarily designed for the television screen with the use of remote control. That is why the interface has large icons. But Kodi can also be installed on a variety of devices and run without any issues.
Setting up and using Kodi is easy. After installing the software, you can browse through the add-on library to select add-ons that would serve your entertainment needs. The add-on library is like the App Store for Kodi. There, you will find tons of add-ons for various kinds of streaming services.
The add-ons are categorized into video add-ons and music add-ons which hook you up to different music and video streaming services. Skin add-ons that let you change the look and feel of the software. And service add-ons and program add-ons provide extra tools for functionalities. While the web interface is used for controlling your own Kodi space remotely.
Supported Devices
There is support for many pieces of hardware and operating systems. Kodi can be installed on any piece of hardware that runs on the following operating systems: Windows, Linux, Android, Raspberry Pi, macOS, iOS, and tvOS.
Installing Kodi on the various operating systems is simple if you follow the installation guide that is provided on the official website. Installation for iOS devices takes more technical steps before Kodi can be able to install and run on iOS devices. Before an iOS device can run Kodi, it has to be jailbroken and running on iOS 8.0 or newer.
Kodi Features
- Customization
Kodi lets you customize your user interface by providing themes. In the add-on library, you will find many skin add-ons to choose from if you want to customize the appearance of your user interface. Think of it as a software skin you download from an app store.
- Paid streaming
Kodi offers the PlayOn add-on to integrate the streaming services you have subscribed for into the system. There is support for various music and video streaming services including popular streaming services like Hulu, Disney plus, Amazon prime video, Netflix, etc. Plus there is the ability to skip ads.
- DVR
Kodi offers DVR functionalities. Several streaming add-ons also let you record videos and/or music for your offline consumption.
- Remote Control
Apart from using your TV remote, Kodi also provides an add-on that lets you configure and link your smartphone as a remote control to Kodi. To turn your smartphone to remote control, for Android, download the kore app on the Play Store. For iOS devices, download the official Kodi remote app on the App Store. Follow the setup instructions on the official website and the mobile remote can be used on a variety of devices.
- Syncing and Sharing
You can sync and share your media library across your devices. This also includes settings, watched status, and media files. Kodi lets you use services like Emby, Mezzmo, UPnP, PleXBMC, PlexKodiConnect, and MySQL to sync and share your content abroad on multiple devices.
- Parental Control
Kodi comes with the parental control feature which lets you control what your kids watch and listen to on Kodi. You can set locks to certain channels or set a time limit on certain channels to lock after being open for a certain amount of time.
Conclusion
Kodi is a free popular open-source media center software. Its strength is in the 900+ add-ons it has. It has support for a large number of devices and gives you the ability to customize it to your preference. The downside is that it has an awkward control when using a mouse or keyboard on a computer and poor customer support.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I use Kodi for movies?
You can use Kodi to import movies or stream movies from streaming services. To import movies, select videos, select files, select add videos, and browse to find movies locally. To stream movies, you need to have a subscription to a streaming service. Head over to the add-on repository and look for your streaming service add-on. Install it, set it up and start watching movies.
- How do I install and use Kodi?
On the download page of the official Kodi website kodi.tv/download, you will find the installation links and instructions for the various operating systems that Kodi supports.
- Can I cast Kodi from my phone to TV?
You can cast Kodi from your Android phone to TV using the Chromecast. If you are using an iPhone, you can cast Kodi from your phone to TV using Airplay.
