One of the best open source media centers right now is the Kodi Media Center. Formerly known as XBMC. (Xbox Media Center). Kodi media server is the best of open source media players, and many of its competitors are actually based on previous versions of Kodi.
Keep in mind, however, that no matter what Kodi setting up guide you read, you will always have to adapt it to your needs. Kodi runs on a lot of different hardware, and has so many options and settings to change, that there is no way to take all of them into account. But if you follow this guide with me, you will be on your way.
Kodi works on many different systems: Android, Linux, Windows, and Mac to name a few.The interface is almost identical from system to system, so if you’re familiar with Kodi on Windows, you’ll be able to use the Android or Linux versions just fine.
Now, Kodi is one of the simplest media centers to install, but if you’re a beginner, it can still seem difficult. Today I will guide you through the Kodi Media Server configuration process.Here is a step by step detailed guide on how to configure Kodi Media Center!
Setup Kodi
Depending on the device you are using, you have several options on how to install Kodi. No matter what, you can always find all the latest versions on the official Kodi download page at: https://kodi.tv/download/. Android users can install Kodi directly from the Google Play Store.
Once Kodi is installed, the next part is the setup process.There are many different ways to configure Kodi.I’m going to walk you through how to set up Kodi in a simple way.
One of the most important steps in configuring Kodi is the creation of the media library. Let’s start by adding videos to your library.
Kodi expects media files to follow a certain format and this format is different if the file is a movie or TV show. If the file name is not listed correctly, then Kodi may not be able to tell what it is.
Why matter? Well, Kodi uses a process called scraping to extract data from the file. If Kodi is unable to scrape the file properly, then it can do one of two things: it can ignore the file and skip over it when creating your library, or worse, it could confuse the file with a completely different movie.
You should probably think about how your library is organized, but this is a longer topic than I have room for here. But if you follow these simple guidelines, it will be easier for Kodi to understand what’s in your library.
There are two common ways to organize your media folder:
- A folder containing all your media files
- Each movie or TV series in its own folder
It’s Your choice is how you want to organize your media library.But I will offer this advice. If you have a larger library, it will be easier to manage if each film is in its own separate directory.
Enabling access on multiple devices
DLNA stands for “Digital Living Network Alliance” and is an industry standard for sharing data across a network. In combination with UPnP (Universal Plug & Play Audio Visual) it is possible to have a configuration of the Kodi media server detectable on the network. This can be used to share your media libraries from one device to another. If you have a PC or a Kodi box under the TV, you can share its contents with Smart TVs, game consoles, phones and tablets throughout the house and use Kodi as a media server.
Activate the UPnP / DLNA service on Kodi and then open the receiver on the client device and browse the Kodi media files. You can enable DLNA Kodi in a 5 minute round and only require a single change of settings.The purpose of this guide is to show the installation process of the Kodi media server (UPnP and DLNA) which allows content to be transmitted to multiple rooms in the house.
- To enable DLNA Kodi, click on the rack shape at the top of the main menu on the Kodi start screen. This will take you to the main settings menu. The screenshot below shows the main Kodi settings screen. Select the service settings
- In the following screen Select UPnP / DLNA from the menu on the left. This menu contains all the settings necessary to enable DLNA Kodi.
- To turn UPnP / DLNA on, click Share my libraries.
When started, Announce library updates will also turn on. At this point you are complete and you are ready to stream to your receiving device, however there are more options available. Overall, these additional options allow you to control the receiving device from your Kodi system so you can start a movie that can be played back with Kodi and automatically scroll to the receiving client. In most cases, you’ll want to be able to choose a file to play on the receiver and leave all other options as default. Move the mouse over each option and you will see a complete description at the bottom of the scream. You have now completed the installation of the Kodi media server and it is time to open the receiver.
How to setup Kodi Add-ons
Add-ons are at the heart of Kodi. In fact, many people claim that without third-party developers creating add-ons and adding extra features, Kodi wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it is today.
Kodi includes an official Kodi repository filled with hundreds of add-ons that are provided and supported by members of the Kodi Team or by the developers they trust. You can find an add-on for anything you want: skins, streaming services, sports, live TV … the list goes on.
If this is not enough for you, there are tons of unofficial Internet repositories from which you can download add-ons. Many of these add-ons are of questionable quality and even more questionable legality, so they are not something I will cover in this Kodi installation guide. If you’re an add-on to Google, I’m pretty sure someone out there has you covered.