Kodi® for Dummies

[Jai Dee]

The next step is to change the default Aeon Nox 5: SILVO skin sub-menus to the following categories: TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Favourites, System, and Power.

 

We will discard or hide the unused options in the skin sub-menus.

 

Navigate to System > Skin Settings and select Setup the Aeon Nox main menu:

 

 

You should see something very similar to this:

 

 

The first menu item is PICTURES - we don't want that so hit the X button to remove it.

 

 

The same goes for LIVE TV, VIDEOS, APPS, and WEATHER... and down the bottom MUSIC VIDEOS... just hit the X button to remove them.

 

Your screen should now look like this:

 

 

We will now re-order the remaining menu items as follows: TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Favourites, System, and Power.

 

It is a simple job to re-order them by using the up arrow and the down arrow to move them into the order that we want.

 

We will use the <NONE> menu option to represent Sports and rename it later.

 

 

Keep going until you have everything in the correct order as follows:

 

 

We will now rename the menu items to reflect the titles that we want.

 

The first item is TV shows. We want that to simply read TV. So move to the right hand side of the screen and select Set Label and edit it to read TV and select Done..

 

 

Whilst we're here we are going to add those wonderful background images that we collected earlier.

 

On the right hand side of the screen select Select background

 

.

You will be presented with a warning message but simply select OK.

 

 

You will then be asked to select a background.

 

Select Multi-image 

 

 

Then select your Backgrounds folder

 

 

Then select your TV directory

 

 

Then select OK.

 

 

Your screen should now look like this:

 

 

Repeat these steps for all the sections in the menu... edit the titles and set the background path to the corresponding images directory.

 

We will now exit to the main menu by pressing Esc and the skin will build it's shortcuts and write it's menu.

 

Navigate to the main menu and see how it looks.

 

 

Look better yet?

[Jai Dee]

Next we're going to install a few video addons.

 

Navigate to and select System

 

 

Select Add-ons

 

 

Kodi will probably default to the last place it was when addressing addons: choosing the Aeon Nox skin:

 

 

Simply navigate back (hit the .. double dots) until you reach the Addon Browser screen then select My add-ons

 

 

Scroll down and select Program Add-ons

 

 

Select Ares Wizard

 

 

Then select Open.

 

 

Be patient and wait until the Wizard loads.

 

Once it loads you should see a screen similar to this:

 

 

Next select Browse Addons

 

 

Then select Repositories

 

 

Next select the Repositories that you wish to install by highlighting the Repo and selecting Install

 

 

For the purpose of this demonstration I will install the Colossus repo, the Elysium repo, the UK Turk repo, the Noobs and Nerds repo, the Wolfpack repo, and the Maverick repo.

 

Please be patient whilst the repos download one by one and you receive a successfully installed message.

 

 

Once all the repos have been successfully downloaded and installed you may then Close the Wizard. Up to you if you want to enter the weekly prize draw or not!

 

 

[Jai Dee]

The next step is to install some video addons from the repositories we just installed.

 

Navigate to System and select Add-ons

 

 

Navigate back using the .. double dots until you reach the Add-on Browser and select Install from repository

 

 

Your screen should look similar to this with all the recently installed repos.

 

 

The Wolfpack repo is currently not working for me so I'll come back later to it.

From the Collosus repo install the following Video Addons: cCloudTV, Covenant, Made in Canada IPTV, and SportsDevil.

From the Elysium repo install the Elysium Video Addon.

From the noobsandnerds repo install the following Video Addons: 1080p Movies and Bob.

From the UKTurks repo install the UK Turk Playlists Video Addon. 

 

Be patient whilst the addons install one by one and do not progress until you receive the Addon Successfully Installed message.

 

You can install as many or as few video addons as you like... it is entirely up to you and you should select your favourites... the ones that you watch all the time and produce the best results.

 

Next step is to incorporate these video addons into our skin... our custom build.

 

Navigate back to System > Skin Settings and select Setup the Aeon Nox main menu

 

 

On the right hand side of the screen select Change action

 

 

Select Add-On

 

 

Select Video Add-On

 

 

Select Covenant

 

 

Then select TV Shows

 

 

The select Create menu item to here

 

 

Next we will set up a sub-menu.

 

Select Manage submenu

 

 

This is the default submenu that came with that menu item in the default skin.

 

We're going to edit it to reflect our Video Addon names and preferences for the TV menu.

 

 

Edit the menu and change the actions as we did before to reflect the following:

 

Submenu item: FilmOn

Action: Video Addon cCloudTV > FilmOn

Submenu item: USA Live IPTV

Action: Video Addon Made in Canada IPTV > MiC Live IPTV > USA List

Submenu item: UK Live IPTV

Action: Video Addon Made in Canada IPTV > MiC Live IPTV > UK TV List

Submenu item: Elysium TV

Action: Video Addon Elysium > TV Shows

Submenu item: Bob TV

Action: Video Addon Bob > Amazing TV

 

Your screen should now look like this:

 

 

Next navigate back to the main menu and check our TV menu to see if it reflects our new sub-menu and that all the links to the video addons are working.

 

 

[Jai Dee]

Next we're going to add some widgets to our TV menu to really make it look professional.

 

Navigate back to System > Skin Settings > Setup the Aeon Nox main menu.

 

Under the TV menu item scroll down the right hand side and select Select widget 1:

 

 

Next select Select widget

 

 

Scroll down the list and select Add-On

 

 

Select Video Add-on

 

 

Select Covenant

 

 

Select TV Shows

 

 

Select People Watching

 

 

Wait until the list populates then select Use as widget

 

 

You can rename the widget if you like or accept the default name of Covenant - People Watching and select Done.

 

 

The widget is now set and we can make a few more changes to make it behave well and look good.

 

 

Change the Widget style from Panel to Compact panel extended.

Change the Case from None to Glass.

Enable Panel widget info.

 

Your screen should now look like this:

 

 

Navigate back to the main menu and let the skin create it's new shortcuts and write it's menu.

 

Now let's go and see what our TV menu looks like now.

 

It should look something like this:

 

 

Like the new look?

 

If you hover over one of the TV show panels the artwork background will change and you will see a brief description of the show complete with rating etc.

 

 

Move to the next panel and the artwork and description changes accordingly.

 

 

Like it?

 

You can choose other options if you prefer but I am just demonstrating how easy it is to develop and customise your very own build... with your favourite video addons.

[Jai Dee]

Now we'll continue with the next section of our menu - Movies.

 

We will make similar changes as we did to the TV menu, so start by navigating to System > Skin Settings and select Setup the Aeon Nox main menu.

 

Edit the Movies menu and change the actions as we did before to reflect the following:

 

On the right hand side of the screen select Change action and select the Covenant addon as before but this time select Movies instead of TV Shows.

 

Next we will set up a sub-menu.

 

Select Manage submenu and make the following changes:

 

Submenu item: 1080p Movies

Action: Video Addon 1080p Movies 

Submenu item: Elysium Movies

Action: Video Addon Elysium > Movies

Submenu item: Covenant Movies

Action: Video Addon Covenant > Movies

Submenu item: UK Turk Movies

Action: Video Addon UK Turk Playlists > Movies

Submenu item: Bob - New Releases

Action: Video Addon Bob > New Releases

 

Next we'll add some movie widgets similar to the TV menu option.

 

As before from the main menu customizer for Movies select Select widget 1 and choose Addon >  Video add-on > Covenant > Movies > People Watching.

Change the Widget style from Panel to Compact panel extended.

Change the Case from None to Glass.

Enable Panel widget info.

 

Navigate back to the main menu and let the skin create it's new shortcuts and write it's menu.

 

Now let's go and see what our Movie menu looks like now.

 

It should look something like this:

 

 

As with the TV menu if you hover over one of the Movie panels the artwork background will change and you will see a brief description of the movie complete with rating etc.

 

[Jai Dee]

Next we'll continue with the next section of our menu - Sports.

 

We will make similar changes as we did to the TV and Movies menu, so start by navigating to System > Skin Settings and select Setup the Aeon Nox main menu.

 

Edit the Sports menu and change the actions as we did before to reflect the following:

 

On the right hand side of the screen select Change action and select the Sports Devil addon and select Sports TV.

 

Next we will set up a sub-menu.

 

If there are no sub-menu items simply click the + symbol to add a new item:

 

 

Select Manage submenu and make the following changes:

 

Submenu item: MiC Sports Central

Action: Video Addon Made in Canada IPTV > MiC Sports Central 

Submenu item: cCloud TV Sports

Action: Video Addon cCloud TV > Sports

Submenu item: SportsDevil Live

Action: Video Addon SportsDevil > Live Sports

Submenu item: UK Turk Sports

Action: Video Addon UK Turks Playlists > Sports

Submenu item: BOB Sports

Action: Video Addon Bob > Sports

 

We won't create any widgets for the Sports menu as none of the addons contain any good artwork.

 

But don't worry... if you downloaded some good sport images to your backgrounds folder it will look good anyway.

 

Navigate back to the main menu and let the skin create it's new shortcuts and write it's menu.

 

Now let's go and see what our Sports menu looks like now.

 

It should look something like this:

 

[Jai Dee]

Next we'll continue with the next section of our menu - Music.

 

We will make similar changes as we did to the Sports menu, so start by navigating to System > Skin Settings and select Setup the Aeon Nox main menu.

 

Edit the Music menu and change the actions as we did before to reflect the following:

 

On the right hand side of the screen select Change action and select the UK Turks Playlists addon and select Concerts.

 

Next we will set up a sub-menu.

 

Select Manage submenu and make the following changes:

 

Submenu item: cCloud TV

Action: Video Addon cCloud TV > Music 

Submenu item: MiC Music

Action: Video Addon Made in Canada IPTV > Music

Submenu item: Bob Music

Action: Video Addon Bob > Music TV

Submenu item: UK Turk Concerts

Action: Video Addon UK Turks Playlists > Concerts

Submenu item: UK Turk Radio

Action: Video Addon UK Turk Playlists > Radio

 

You will note that I have tried to keep the number of sub-menu items to five (5) as these look best on screen.

 

We won't create any widgets for the Music menu as none of the addons contain any good artwork.

 

But don't worry... if you downloaded some good music images to your backgrounds folder it will look good anyway.

 

Navigate back to the main menu and let the skin create it's new shortcuts and write it's menu.

 

Now let's go and see what our Music menu looks like now.

 

It should look something like this:

 

 

[Jai Dee]

I'll leave the Favourites part of the menu for now so next we'll continue with the next section of our menu - System.

 

We will make similar changes as we did to the Music menu, so start by navigating to System > Skin Settings and select Setup the Aeon Nox main menu.

 

We shouldn't have to make many changes to the default Aeon Nox 5: SILVO skin System menu... just trim it to 5 items and verify that the actions are correct.

 

Edit the System menu and change the actions as we did before to reflect the following:

 

On the right hand side of the screen select Change action and verify that the action reads ActivateWindow(Settings).

 

If it reads something else then select Change action and choose item Settings, then Settings again.

 

Next we will edit the sub-menu.

 

Select Manage submenu and make the following changes:

 

Label: System Info

Change Action: ActivateWindow(SystemInfo)

Label: Power

Change Action: ActivateWindow(shutdownmenu)

Label: Skin Settings

Change Action: ActivateWindow(SkinSettings)

Label: SFile Manager

Change Action: ActivateWindow(FileManager)

Label: Event Log

Change Action: ActivateWindow(Eventlog)

 

No widgets required for the System menu.

 

Navigate back to the main menu and let the skin create it's new shortcuts and write it's menu.

 

Now let's go and see what our Music menu looks like now.

 

It should look something like this:

 

[Jai Dee]

Next we'll continue with the final section of our menu - Power.

 

We will make similar changes as we did to the System menu, so start by navigating to System > Skin Settings and select Setup the Aeon Nox main menu.

 

We shouldn't have to make many changes to the default Aeon Nox 5: SILVO skin Power menu... just trim it to 5 items and verify that the actions are correct.

 

Edit the Power menu and change the actions as we did before to reflect the following:

 

On the right hand side of the screen select Change action and verify that the action reads ActivateWindow(shutdownmenu).

 

If it reads something else then select Change action and choose item Custom Item, then key in (with no spaces) ActivateWindow(shutdownmenu).

 

Next we will edit the sub-menu.

 

Select Manage submenu and make the following changes:

 

Label: Power Off System

Change Action: PowerDown

Label: Reboot

Change Action: Reboot

Label: Suspend

Change Action: Suspend

Label: Hibernate

Change Action: Hibernate

Label: Quit

Change Action: Quit

 

If any of the submenu item actions read differently, simply select Change action > Kodi Command > then select the correct action.

 

No widgets required for the Power menu.

 

Navigate back to the main menu and let the skin create it's new shortcuts and write it's menu.

 

Now let's go and see what our Power menu looks like now.

 

It should look something like this:

 

 

Congratulations!

 

You have just completed your very own custom Kodi build.

 

Easy isn't it?

 

And this was done with only 8 video addons so it's a pretty lean build (except for the HD background images of course).

 

Now that you know how easy it is and how good the results look, you can go and play around with it using the addons of your choice.

 

Have fun.

[Jai Dee]

Another popular and versatile skin for Kodi is Amber which offers a good number of features and runs smoothly on all devices.

 

You can customize the home layout either horizontally or vertically. 

 

Other key features include custom home menu, custom home design and the ability to add a custom background.

 

To install this add-on you must do so from the Add-on manager from within Kodi by going to:

 

Settings

Add-ons

Install from repository

Kodi add-on repository

Look and feel

Skins

Amber

Install

 

This is what Amber looks like with a horizontal menu on a fresh install:

 

 

And this is what Amber looks like with a vertical menu:

 

 

You can customise the Amber skin similarly to the Aeon Nox 5: SILVO skin as I have already demonstrated.

[Old Man River]

Jaidee, is Kodi legal in Thailand and can I access US programs and US sports?


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[suzannegoh]

13 minutes ago, Old Man River said:

Jaidee, is Kodi legal in Thailand and can I access US programs and US sports?


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Kodi is legal but some of the third-party addons might not be. Kodi without addons is just another media player.

[Jai Dee]

6 minutes ago, Old Man River said:

Jaidee, is Kodi legal in Thailand and can I access US programs and US sports?

 

Kodi is legal to use anywhere in the world.

 

Some third party addons however illegally access copyrighted streaming content. 

 

Here is a web page that lists some of the more popular legal addons.

 

Here is a web page that lists some of the more popular illegal addons.

[Old Man River]

Thanks Jai Dee. Kodi for Dummies is great, but I still have a question about time differences. With TrueVisions I have. PVR to record middle of the night American football games. Using Kodi (I have Express VPN) is there a way to record the programs, or do you have to watch it only at the times it's broadcast?

 

I do know you can get Game Pass (American football on X Box One S - you pay for it) and that may be the way to go, but how do the Brits get by with time differences?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

 

[Jai Dee]

17 hours ago, Old Man River said:

Using Kodi (I have Express VPN) is there a way to record the programs, or do you have to watch it only at the times it's broadcast?

 

I personally haven't tried, but there are several PVR client addons available for Kodi.

 

Here is a link from the official Kodi wiki that may be able to help you.

 

Here is another web page on setting up Simple PVR where you use M3U files.

 

Google is your friend when it comes to finding M3U play list files, however many contain streams of pirated content so be careful.

 

Let us know how you go, and good luck.

[Old Man River]

Thanks Jai Dee. Having lived in Thailand, is the PVR mentioned the same one I bought from TrueVisions or are there other PVR's legality available in Asia?


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Jai Dee]

On 5/27/2019 at 1:08 PM, Old Man River said:

Thanks Jai Dee. Having lived in Thailand, is the PVR mentioned the same one I bought from TrueVisions or are there other PVR's legality available in Asia?

 

As I said previously, I have not personally tried it so I cannot comment with any certainty.

 

It does however sound to me like a software based PVR... so you would install it and configure it within Kodi on your PC or Android box.

 

Another assumption I make is that it probably uses some form of external storage like a USB drive to store your recorded programs.

 

But... I'm really only guessing.

 

Hopefully another member has some experience and can provide you with some expert guidance.

[WorriedNoodle]

On 5/19/2017 at 3:10 PM, Jai Dee said:

Select System settings:

What are you guys using for Audio Output Device running Kodi on Win10?

 

I seem to have two choices in settings of either DIRECTSOUND: default or WASAPI: default.

 

But for me DIRECTSOUND doesn't work, the sound comes through but is broken and distorted. If I choose WASAPI then the sound is perfect, but Kodi somehow disables all my other sound playing apps from working until I fully exit Kodi? Anyone got any experience / advice before I do a complete Kodi re-install please?

[Fruit Trader]

30 minutes ago, WorriedNoodle said:

What are you guys using for Audio Output Device running Kodi on Win10?

I use WASAPI on a Win 10 HTPC and to keep sound stability my golden rule is to not use another player while Kodi is running.

[WorriedNoodle]

3 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

my golden rule is to not use another player while Kodi is running.

Ok, thanks so same issue as me. Seems a bit naughty of Kodi to be interfering with other players nevertheless, hope they sort it out one day!

[sucit]

If anyone who does not have patience is reading this, or you are not computer inclined. Trust me, you will be "fixing" this every couple of weeks. It aint worth it. Every single addon goes down or something happens. It is about as unstable as a 100 baht bar girl and it needs more maintenance than she will as well. 

[sucit]

22 minutes ago, WorriedNoodle said:

Ok, thanks so same issue as me. Seems a bit naughty of Kodi to be interfering with other players nevertheless, hope they sort it out one day!

Nothing will ever get sorted out. Quit while you are ahead! 

 

I will admit though if you run this on a computer it is not so bad and works well. Anything else and it is a complete nightmare for me.

[izod10]

On 4/19/2020 at 2:56 PM, sucit said:

Nothing will ever get sorted out. Quit while you are ahead! 

 

I will admit though if you run this on a computer it is not so bad and works well. Anything else and it is a complete nightmare for me.

I always look for the on/switch,enough for me

[Hamus Yaigh]

On 5/27/2019 at 11:11 AM, Jai Dee said:

Here is another web page on setting up Simple PVR where you use M3U files.

 

So the new Kodi Matrix V19 is out. Gave it a try on Win10 PC. I tested out Simple PVR addon with my IPTV provider. It works better than earlier Kodi's but takes about 3 minutes to load every start of Kodi as there are nearly 50,000 channels inc all the VOD stuff I never watch. Is there a way to limit the number channels or turn off the VOD does any one know?

[Jai Dee]

30 minutes ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

 

So the new Kodi Matrix V19 is out. Gave it a try on Win10 PC. I tested out Simple PVR addon with my IPTV provider. It works better than earlier Kodi's but takes about 3 minutes to load every start of Kodi as there are nearly 50,000 channels inc all the VOD stuff I never watch. Is there a way to limit the number channels or turn off the VOD does any one know?

 

Have a look at the Kodi Support Forum on the subject of IPTV Simple here.

 

You may find answers there.

[Jai Dee]

Now that Kodi Version 19 has been released, it is time to un-pin this topic.

 

Kodi 19 is built on Python 3 so most of the information in this topic is obsolete now.

 

The key features of Kodi 19 wrt Addons are:

 

1. Addons MUST be built in Python 3 now, and

2. Kodi will now enforce the origin of installed addons and their dependencies. This has been implemented to prevent third party repositories from overwriting code of unrelated add-ons, which was the cause of numerous error reports in the past.