OpenELEC 8.0.4 Kodi-Focused Linux Distro Now Available (openelec.tv)

BrianFagioli writes: 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 team shares the following changes in the release.

- fix crash in WeTek DVB driver on WeTek Play (1st gen).
- enable Kernel NEON mode for RPi2 builds.
- enable some more SOC sound drivers for RPi/RPi2 builds.
- enable Regulator support on all builds.
- enable Extcon support on all builds.
- fix loading for some I2C sound modules on RPI/RPi2 builds.
- fix loading splash screen on systems with Nvidia GPUs.
- fix speed problems on Nvidia ION systems.
- fix problems loading dvbhdhomerun addons.
- fix using user created sleep scripts.
- build PNG support with SSE support for x86_64 builds.
- update to linux-4.9.30, mesa-17.0.7, alsa-lib-1.1.4.1, alsa-utils-1.1.4, kodi-17,3, mariadb-10.1.23, samba-4.6.4.

Comments

Anyone tried it?

[SmaryJerry]

I'm still on kodi 16.1 on pi 3. Does this make 17 usable? As in, will I be able to play files fine and use typical addons without long loading times and wierd menu bugs? I've tried virtually every Linux distro and nothing seems to 'just work' on kodi 17.

Re:Anyone tried it?

[guises]

If you haven't used OpenELEC: it works... fine? I guess? I haven't seen any weird loading times or menu bugs. These are somewhat lessor issues though - the big thing that you're going to notice is that you can't change the SSH password. It's "openelec" for everyone.

Given that this is intended for HTPCs, SSH is the primary way you're going to be addressing any bugs you do run into, or any other customizations that you'd like to do (like setting up a remote control, for example). I also found it to be the easiest way to get media onto storage attached to my OpenELEC device. Since SSH can't be secured, this is going to leave you turning it on and off again constantly, any time you want to do something. And forgetting about it, of course, and leaving it on for long stretches.

Re:Anyone tried it?

[Anonymous Coward]

To secure SSH, upload your public key into ~/.ssh/authorized_keys like any civilized person would do, fix the permissions, check that you can login using your public key and then turn off password access. Don't be that idiot who keeps using SSH with passwords.

Re:Anyone tried it?

[jimbo]

Have you tried OSMC.tv?

Re: Anyone tried it?

[Flymo2]

+1. OSMC works very well on my Pi 3 (must say I use default Kodi skin rather than OSMC one). It pretty much just works.

Re:Anyone tried it?

[Budenny]

There are so many idiotic design choices that {open|libre}ELEC made it baffles the mind.

1) They took the time to write a shell script named "passwd" that does nothing more than tell you they have removed the 'real' passwd utilit, and insult you for even wanting to have some control over your device in the way that you choose. 2) They loaded the binaries, but then removed all the man pages for said binaries. 3) They took the time to write a shell script named "apt-get" that does nothing more than tell you they have removed the 'real' apt-get utility, and insult you for even wanting to have some control over your device.

For me, it was 3 strikes & you're out...there are probably plenty more poor design choices, but after I encountered these, I moved on to the raspbian lite distro...Simply 'apt-get install kodi', then set the pi user to auto-login, and add a call to kodi at the end of the ~/.profile & you're set with a much more sane "minimal" OS on which to run kodi...

Similar experience but worse. I tried openelec and librelec. They both boot from usb, both install just fine, then after a short time when you start them up, they start to flicker and the system freezes with this uninterruptible flickering. Its probably due to a wrong resolution setting, but you cannot get into the resolution settings.... because of the frozen flickering! There is no command line. Nothing. Only think to do is stop wasting time, clear it all off and find another way. Its ridiculous really. They have taken out everything you might need to fix it if it goes wrong. Null points!

Re:Kodi?

[present_arms]

used to be called XBMC ;)

WeTek in the USA ?

[kjhambrick]

The WeTek Play Box looks pretty nice but ...

I can't tell ... does it even work in the USA ?

Thanks.

-- kjh

Re:WeTek in the USA ?

[swimboy]

Yes, the built-in tuner supports ATSC, which is what is used in US network broadcasts. If you're expecting to use it in lieu of your cable box you'll be disappointed, however.

Re:WeTek in the USA ?

[kjhambrick]

Thanks for the info swimboy !

Not looking to replace Cable but to augment it with internet content.

-- kjh

Re:Kodi?

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck off. There is not a single bit of code in Kodi to enable or promote piracy. It's an open system. If you add stuff to it to use it for piracy, that's on you and not on Kodi.

Unfortunately?

[aardvarkjoe]

Unfortunately, Kodi is not its own operating system, meaning it has to be run on top of an OS.

Unfortunately? What possible reason could anyone have to consider that to be a disadvantage?

Re:Unfortunately?

[thegarbz]

Unfortunately? What possible reason could anyone have to consider that to be a disadvantage?

The summary mentions it quite clearly. To run a single self contained media centre. Who thinks it's an advantage? The OpenELEC team. The LibreELEC team. And all the users who think a flash to an SD card and play with no more than a TV remote is preferable to installing an OS, installing an app on top, and then spending the best part of a month optimising it.

A small PCB under the TV the size of a credit card powered by a System on a Chip demands a Software on a Stick. Being just an app is a major disadvantage and I would happily wager there are more users out there of pre-built special purpose media centre OSes than there are people downloading and installing Kodi on a traditional OS.

Re:Unfortunately?

[aardvarkjoe]

The summary mentions it quite clearly. To run a single self contained media centre. Who thinks it's an advantage? The OpenELEC team. The LibreELEC team.

But OpenELEC and LibreELEC don't turn Kodi into its own operating system. They provide an OS that is suitable for running Kodi. There's a difference.

The fact that the Kodi developers focused solely on creating a media player, not an operating system, is "fortunate", not "unfortunate."

Re:Unfortunately?

[thegarbz]

Yes so "fortunate" that it is rarely used by itself and instead is attached to other people's effort who then write specific OSes for running the app.

Unfortunately in this context is perfectly true. Kodi itself is quite useless as a media centre. Fortunately some people took this work and bundled it in a usable way.

Re:Unfortunately?

[aardvarkjoe]

.... you do realize that there are tons of people using Kodi already without using these specialized distributions, right? It's pretty damn obvious that it doesn't have to be bundled with a specialized distribution to be "usable."

Re:Unfortunately?

[thegarbz]

You do realise their usage is dwarfed by box sales bundled with special OSes.

The hacker community is good and live but it none the less remains a small community. Installing a media centre app on a desktop OS and plugging it into a TV is a worst of all worlds attempt at frustration that would only suit the kind of person who has a keyboard and mouse along side their 20 remote controls in the living room.

Kodi's primary user base is ... simpler.

Re: Windows 10 IoT works better

[Anonymous Coward]

Pffff. Always used Linux with KODI on Pi and it is rock solid. You probably had a corrupted fs, falty SD or were using buggy addons.

Hurray, a few bug fixes.

[thegarbz]

Seriously, this is the kind of maintenance release that auto installs without anyone noticing. Not to dis a project which I love and use daily (or used to anyway since I'm using LibreELEC at the moment) but why is this news?

Even the official announcement didn't bother to even check itself (hint: the I2C interface is too slow to carry sound. RPi sound cards use the I2S interface).

Don't upgrade from Jarvis to Krypton...

[suss]

You will get an unwanted UI change, broken samba, and glitchy/broken menus when you switch back to the Confluence UI.

And for some reason, it turns from snappy to sluggish.

Aren't these things properly betatested anymore?

Re: Don't upgrade from Jarvis to Krypton...

[Flymo2]

Don't recognise these problems with OSMC.tv on Pi 3.

Re: Kodi?

[furry_wookie]

ACTUALLY Kodi is one of the best front end players for MythTV for making your own whole house DVR, LiveTV system.

Combine that with the ability to play your video own library of videos/DVD's and its a great media center.

That is what I use it for.