In this age of the internet and smart TV, Kodi is the one thing you constantly hear everywhere you turn. Just stop worrying if you have no clue about it. Everyone’s got to start somewhere, right? Let’s just begin with what it is and what it can do.
Table of Contents
What is Kodi?
Originally called XMBC or the Xbox Media Center since it was initiated in 2002, Kodi is a software media player to put it in a simple way. A 100% free and open-source entertainment hub that brings together all your digital media is what Kodi is.
With a very simple and user-friendly interface, Kodi lets you access streaming media content. By media content, I mean all media content. It doesn’t leave out any content of media unattended, for that matter. You want Music, Movies, TV shows, Photos, Live TV, and whatnot – It offers them all to you.
Kodi, having a 10-foot interface and originally designed for home theatres, works on almost all devices, including TVs, Laptops, Tablets, Smartphones, streaming devices like Firestick, set-top boxes as well as Xbox One. I’m sure there is no device it has left out. It works with almost all the remote controls if you are going to watch it on your TV.
And as for Operating systems, Kodi runs on Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, and even Raspberry Pi. Left something out? Pretty sure it has covered everything on this front as well.
Kodi has a very powerful web interface that makes it work on almost all the web browsers available without a hitch.
The one thing that I like the most about Kodi is that it releases updates regularly within a span of a month or two. This helps in enhancing the existing features, adding new features, and fixing bugs.
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Kodi on the media front
I’ve told you about the different forms of media Kodi provides access to, but I haven’t told you anything about the different formats and features Kodi supports on each media, have I? Let’s start with that.
As for Music, it supports Music in almost all the formats available, including AA3, MP3, OGG, and many more.
Kodi is the best place to binge-watch TV shows or to randomly pick a movie to watch. I’m telling you this because Kodi has a well-organized library of movies and TV shows that it customizes according to your preferences. It provides a description of the movie or TV show you’ve selected to watch with information on the actors who have worked on it.
Another appreciated feature of Kodi is that it lets you record TV shows to be watched at a later time.
You might have heard that Kodi is the best replacement for cable TV, and you might be wondering about Live TV channels. You must have understood by now that Kodi covers everything on the media front.
Kodi lets you stream Live TV channels, provided you have a PVR connected to the backend TV server.
Add-ons on Kodi
Add-ons on Kodi are designed in such a way as to enhance the experience of using the service. There is a legion of add-ons that are offered by Kodi for various purposes starting from weather applications and screensavers to movies, TV shows, Podcasts, Kids, Gaming, Fitness, and more. Whatever you choose to do with Kodi, there is always an add-on readily available.
For just movies and TV shows, there are hundreds of add-ons available such as YouTube, Disney Plus, Netflix, DC Universe, Marvel TV, and many more. As for Live TV, you will find add-ons like Pluto TV, Limitless, Mobdro, 7 to 9, and more. Spotify, Soundcloud, Tidal, etc., are the add-ons for Music. You will also be able to find the Apple iTunes Podcast add-on for Kodi.
You can find a variety of add-ons from the Kodi Add-on Repository.
Skins
As discussed above, you can customize Kodi according to your taste. This way, Kodi makes you feel welcome every time you access the application. Customization can be done through Skins which is an add-on offered by Kodi to enhance its look and feel.
Skins from Kodi let you change the look of the interface and make it more attractive. You’ll be able to find a number of skins out of which at least one would surely fit your liking.
Is Kodi legal?
It is totally legal. It is, in fact, like a clean slate; it shows you what it offers just like that. The apps or add-ons it provides you with are also legal and upfront. However, some of these applications or add-ons can be used to host copyrighted or pirated content which is illegal.
It is even said that TV add-ons are the only ones that put you in the line of lawsuits. As for Kodi being safe, it is the same. It itself is completely safe to use, but it can’t be said for the add-ons it provides.
These can be prevented by using a VPN as it masks your IP address, thereby protecting you from legal issues and cyber-attacks.
Also Read: How to Install Kodi Bae Repository
How to Download and Install Kodi on Smart TV?
Now that we have discussed all the features of Kodi, you would like to know how it works, don’t you? Let us begin with the steps in installing Kodi on your smart TV.
# Step 1.
Launch the Google Play Store from your Apps menu.
# Step 2.
Type Kodi in the search bar and hit enter.
# Step 3.
Select the app and click on Install.
# Step 4.
Once it is installed, you’ll find the app in the Apps menu.
Note: If you are using a Samsung Smart TV, you will not be able to install the app on your TV directly. However, you can access the app by using Chromecast and USB.
How to Install Add-ons on Kodi?
A requisite before installing add-ons
Once you have installed Kodi, the next step would be to access the application and install add-ons to it. This is because Kodi is all about add-ons. All that it does is through add-ons, be it movies, TV shows, Music, skins, etc.
But before installing the add-ons, you must let the app allow downloads from unknown sources because add-ons are not from within the app but from its repository.
# Step 1.
Launching the Kodi app, click on the Settings icon from the left sidebar.
# Step 2.
Under the Settings tab, locate System and click on it.
# Step 3.
Hover over Add-ons that you’ll find by scrolling down and enabling Unknown sources.
# Step 4.
You will be displayed a warning prompt on which you’ll just have to click on Yes.
Press the back button on your remote to return to the previous screen.
Installing Add-ons
You can now install the add-ons that you would want on Kodi. Follow the steps below to install add-ons.
# Step 1.
Now that you have returned to the previous screen click on File Manager.
# Step 2.
Click Add Source from the left side of the screen.
# Step 3.
An Add File Source window will be displayed in which you have to click <None>.
# Step 4.
You will now have to enter the source URL in the empty field and click OK.
Note: You can find the source URL from the official add-on repository website.
# Step 5.
Give a name for the source URL and click OK.
# Step 6.
Return back to the home screen and select Add-ons.
# Step 7.
Click the Package Installer from the left corner of the screen.
# Step 8.
Select the Install from Zip file option on the right side.
# Step 9.
Scroll over until you locate the name you’ve given for the source URL and click on it.
# Step 10.
On the next window, click on the Zip file.
# Step 11.
In a few moments, you’ll find the Add-on installed notification message at the top right of the window. Once you see the message, click ‘Install from repository.
# Step 12.
Select the repository you have installed.
# Step 13.
In the next window, click on Video add-ons.
# Step 14.
Select the add-on you want to install from the repository.
# Step 15.
Now click Install from the bottom of the window.
You will now have to wait for the Add-on installed notification message.
The add-on is now successfully installed, and you will be able to access it from the Video add-ons of the Add-ons window.
Wrapping Up
Once you have installed all the add-ons that you require, you’ll be able to see that accessing Kodi to stream and watch media can never be more simple. With all its features and add-ons, it is one of the best applications for watching media in the comfort of your home. You can have it installed on your phones and tablets to have media ready for you on the go.
Thanks for reading this post. For further queries and suggestions, leave a comment in the comment box below.