How to Setup Kodi on Raspberry Pi-A Comprehensive Guide

People from different countries enjoy using raspberry Pi devices because they allow you to do certain things like improving your coding, using said coding knowledge to create some self-running devices at home, building multiple systems, etc. It is a great device because it provides all these benefits at an affordable price. A great way to improve the user experience of the individual using the raspberry pi system is to implement the use of media. A media player that can run on almost any operating system is Kodi. The big question though, is how exactly do you set up Kodi on a raspberry pi system? Let’s Know How to setup kodi on Raspberry Pi.

How to Setup Kodi on Raspberry Pi

You can get Kodi on your raspberry pi system either by using Terminal or the Raspberry pi imager. If you are using Terminal to install Kodi, you are setting it up as a separate application on your Raspberry pi. You load your terminal window and install the Kodi application from there. If you decide to use the Raspberry Pi manager to install the Kodi application, you are essentially setting it up as the device’s major interface. Meaning the Kodi application is the first thing you’ll see when you start your Raspberry Pi device.

What is the raspberry Pi system?

It is a relatively affordable system that runs on Linux and allows you the freedom to a certain extent to control hardware parts for computing. It helps you with certain tasks like coding, setup of automated devices, hardware construction, etc using General purpose Input or output pins. There have been a lot of Raspberry Pi models since the first one was made. Raspberry Pi was developed into 5 generations of devices: Pi1, Pi1, Pi3, Pi4, and Pi 400, and from each of these generations, multiple models were created.

What is the kodi application used for ?

The Kodi application is a spin-off of an open-source application called XBMC. It is an application that serves as a media player for almost all operating systems and can be used to substitute most media-related applications you possess. How is it functional on all the operating systems you ask? Most open-source applications are, and since Kodi is an open-source application it has the benefit of being able to be used on any operating system.

How to setup kodi on a Raspberry Pi device?

The first thing you need to do is crosscheck if you have the latest version of your operating system. As I mentioned before, there are two methods you can use to setup Kodi on your Raspberry Pi device:

  • Using the Terminal method 
  • Using the Raspberry Pi imager

Terminal method

This involves installing the Kodi application on your raspberry pi device as a separate application so that you can navigate through your device freely. 

Step 1: power on your raspberry pi device updated to the latest OS version

Step 2: Navigate through the device and bring up a terminal window using an open-source method

Step3: Type the following code using your keyboard: studio apt install Kodi

Step 4: wait for a couple of minutes as the Kodi application is installed on the raspberry device.

Step5: once the app is finished installing, find your way to the menu bar and check the drop-down under video and sound; there you should be able to find the newly installed Kodi application.

Raspberry Pi imager method

The raspberry pi imager method installs the Kodi application onto your device as the principal interface. Doing this would automatically open the Kodi application once your raspberry pi device is turned on. You won’t need to rely on the normal Pi interface to operate your Kodi application. To install it using this method, implement the following steps:

Step1: Make sure your OS is updated to the lasted version

Step 2: Search on the Raspberry Pi website for the raspberry pi imager application and click on the download 

Step 3: Run the raspberry pi imager application  and insert the storage device for your raspberry pi system 

Step 4: On the raspberry pi imager app, click on the “choose OS” option under the operating system 

Step 5: From the menu that appears right after, select the Kodi OS media player 

Step 8: Click on LibraELEC and select the version that corresponds with your Raspberry Pi OS

Step 9: Choose your SD card from the storage devices under the storage 

Step 10: Click on the “write” option and confirm your decision to completely clear your SD card 

Step 11: Exit the menu once you are done with the process and eject the SD card.

Conclusion 

The installation process for the Kodi application onto your Raspberry Pi device could be easy or cumbersome depending on the method you feel is the best.  At the end of the day, both of them don’t take that much time but the Raspberry Pi imager method is less straightforward. 

How to Setup Kodi on Raspberry Pi-A Comprehensive Guide

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