Archive:Kodi v16 (Jarvis) FAQ

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Kodi v16 (Jarvis) FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions for upgrading to Kodi v16 (codename Jarvis) from a previous version. Includes how to enable some of the new features, where some controls got moved to, etc.

See also: Kodi v16 (Jarvis) changelog, Jarvis API changes, and Releases

General FAQ

See also: All platforms FAQ for an FAQ that applies to all versions of Kodi.

What is Kodi? What is Jarvis?

Main pages: Kodi name change FAQ and History of Kodi

Kodi is the new name for XBMC media center. "Jarvis" is the codename for version 16, just as "Isengard" was the codename for Kodi v15 and "Helix" was the codename for Kodi v14. You will often see "v16" and "Jarvis" used interchangeably in the community.

Why has this version been released so soon?

Team Kodi is attempting to release more often in order to help with stability of the program and to adapt more quickly to changes in media. In recent years bug fix releases have become more common so that users can get those bug fixes without breaking compatibility with skins, add-ons, or having to adapt to some other change. While bug fix releases are still planned in the future, Kodi has become modular enough that full releases can be introduced that also don't break compatibility with most things. While there are major changes, great effort was taken to minimize breakage of skins, add-ons, smartphone/tablet remotes, and other such elements, for v16.

v16 contains changes that will likely require skin and add-on updates. The release after that, v17, will be a "semi-major" release and will attempt to preserve compatibility with v16 skins and add-ons. The idea is to keep repeating this pattern in hopes it provides a more rapid release schedule without sacrificing compatibility.

Note: Add-ons are mentioned above as sometimes needing changes between versions. Some add-ons, such as most video, audio, and picture add-ons, are compatible with multiple versions. Kodi v16 will continue to work with many add-ons from as far back as v13. However, if you do have an issue with any add-on not working, please report it to the author of that add-on.

Changelog

Main page: Kodi v16 (Jarvis) changelog

See: Kodi v16 (Jarvis) changelog. Add-on developers should also see Jarvis API changes, and skinners should also read the sticky posts in the Skin Development Forum for full changelog on changes to the skinning engine).

What are some of the noticeable new features?

Main pages: New features and Kodi v16 (Jarvis) changelog

In addition to many "under the hood" improvements, some of the visible additions to v16 include:

• Various PVR/live TV improvements, such as better support for series recording, EPG now always lists channels that don't have summaries, a new fast channel switching option, FM radio support, faster EPG loading, and more.
• Audio digital signal processing via binary add-ons.
• Non-linear stretch for 4:3 videos playing on 16:9 screens.
• 3D TVs can now show skins (the GUI) with 3D depth.
• Better animated image support for skins.
• Revamped music library.
• Custom user ratings for video library items.
• Long-press support for remotes, keyboards, and gamepads. Pressing and holding on a button can do a secondary action. For example, long-press on "select" will bring up the context menu.
• HEVC hardware video decoding support for linux-based OSes.
• Improved default touch controls for tablets.
• Lossless DTS-HD software decoding. This allows hardware that only supports PCM to use all audio channels at full HD audio quality.

New system requirements

Main page: Supported hardware

Windows - DirectX 11

• Kodi v16 now requires at least DirectX 11. Some users might need to update their graphics card drivers for Kodi to work.

iOS - Non-jailbroken devices (expirimental)

• iDevices - Unrelated to the release of v16, but occuring around the same time as v16's release, Kodi can now be installed on some non-jailbroken iOS devices. This is considered an advanced and expirimental feature and should not be seen as fully supported at this time. For more information see HOW-TO:Install Kodi for iOS.

• Apple TV 4 - Likewise, Kodi has highly expirimental test builds for Apple TV 4 users. Not all features may be enabled at this time, and these should not be seen as fully supported. Users wishing to have a stable system should not go this route. For more information see the "other test builds" section on Development builds.

Upgrading

If you are upgrading from XBMC v13 to Kodi v16 then please read Migration from XBMC to Kodi first.

Always backup your settings before upgrading, just incase!

How do I upgrade from v15 to v16?

Main page: Installing

• ANDROID USERS: Don't uninstall an earlier version of Kodi/XBMC before installing the new version. Uninstalling first would remove all of your settings. Just install the new version and it will replace the older version and retain your settings.

• In most cases you can just install Kodi v16 over Kodi v15. All your settings and library are saved and will continue to work in the new version. See Installing for specific install instructions.

• Most basic (video, audio, etc) add-ons that worked in Kodi v15 should still work in v16.

• If you have any issues (settings not being copied over, blank screens, etc) when updating from versions older than v14: remove the new version, install the older version of Kodi/XBMC from http://mirrors.kodi.tv/releases/ , and then upgrade to the next version. In other words, if you have v13, first install v14 and run Kodi, Quit Kodi and then install v15 and run Kodi. Quit Kodi again and install v16, then run Kodi.

MySQL

Main page: MySQL/Upgrading

As long as your MySQL server is set up to allow XBMC/Kodi to make new databases for the upgrade itself (see MySQL/Upgrading) then you don't need to do anything for upgrading a MySQL set up for Kodi. Even if you use "XBMC" in your advancedsettings.xml file, you can leave this the same and everything will still work.

Skins / interface

Kodi 16 requires updated add-on skins. This means that your existing Kodi 15 skin will not work (will be marked as "broken") if you upgrade from Kodi 15 and your skin does not have a Kodi 16-compatible update. In this case you will need to switch to another skin (such as the default Confluence skin). After updating, you can scroll through the official Kodi repository to find additional skins which are compatible, or check the Kodi support skin forums for other skin options which are not part of the official repository.

Where did it this or that go?

advancedsettings.xml changes

Main page: advancedsettings.xml

Karaoke support removed

Note about karaoke support being removed. Be sure to note that this only affects the built-in karaoke support and does not impact karaoke video add-ons.

Skin settings files

For Kodi 16, skins hold their settings in individual settings files. These files are found within your platform-unique "userdata" area, in the "addon_data" subfolder. Note that if you use profiles, there will be a separate "addon_data" folder for each profile. (In normal use, there is no need for users to directly access these files.)

Troubleshooting

Main page: Troubleshooting

What are some of the known issues in Jarvis?

See also: Common issues

Where can I get more help?

The general and platform specific FAQs, the Kodi support forums: http://forum.kodi.tv, and/or the #kodi IRC chat channel on irc.freenode.org.