Archive:Linux FAQ

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This is the Frequently Asked Questions for XBMC running under Linux-based operating systems. Template:XBMC FAQ

General FAQ

See also: XBMC all platforms FAQ for FAQs that apply to all versions of XBMC.

Where is the debug log?

$HOME/.xbmc/temp/xbmc.log

See also HOW-TO Submit a Proper Bug Report.

Where is the UserData folder?

$HOME/.xbmc/userdata

Where is XBMC installed?

usr/share/xbmc

Does XBMC for Linux support Blu-ray or HD DVD playback with or without menus?

Yes, without menus. Dharma (10.0) includes support for playback of unencrypted Blu-ray directories when libbluray is installed. However, XBMC must be compiled from source. Installing from a repository like the Team-XBMC unstable ppa will not recognize whether libbluray is installed.

Currently, only the longest title is played from the Blu-ray directory, even on multi-video Blu-rays (e.g. TV shows). To play a Blu-ray directory, select the /BDMV/index.bdmv in the Blu-ray directory. If stacking is enabled, selecting the Blu-ray directory folder will start playback.

Which are the supported Linux distributions?

• Supported Linux Operating-System installed on a supported computer, currently supported OS are:
  • Ubuntu Desktop both x86 and x86_64
  • Ubuntu Server both x86 and x86_64
• It is possible to compile and run 32-bit XBMC under 64-bit (AMD64/EMT64) Ubuntu if you run it in a 32bit chroot.

What is current recommended hardware requirements for XBMC

For end-users the recommended minimum requirement is an x86-based computer, with a 3D GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that at least supports Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0 (that features 24bpp or 32bpp for 3D hardware-acceleration support, which the XBMC GUI needs to run smoothly at an acceptable frame-rate). Graphic adapters that support DirectX version 9.0c or later usually meet all of those mentioned requirements, (Team-XBMC recommends NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later as NVIDIA are currently the manufacturer that offers good device-drivers for Linux (and NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later supports OpenGL 2.0).

XBMC for Linux minimum requirements

CPU	x86 or x86-64 processor such as: Intel Pentium 4/ Pentium M, AMD Athlon 64 / Opteron, or newer CPU (that support SSE2, which all CPUs made within the last 10-years does). If your GPU/VPU does not support hardware video decoding then you will require a fast modern processor is required to decode some 1080p videos encoded in H.264, VC-1/WMV9, HEVC/H.265 VP9, etc
RAM	Recommended: 1GB or more in a HTPC media player appliance-like computer dedicated for Kodi, and 2GB or more in a computer for multipurpose use.
Graphics	Kodi will run on most graphics cards made within the last 10-years or so, though for good hardware video decoding support a little newer graphics cards can be required. This includes most cards from AMD/ATI, Intel, or NVIDIA which support OpenGL 2.0 or later. AMD/Intel Minimum: Mesa 11.3 or later Recommended: Mesa 17.1 or later (required for 10 bit HEVC)
Video decoding	For hardware video decoding, which may be necessary on low-performance CPUs to playback 1080p content, make sure your GPU or VPU supports either VAAPI or VDPAU. For everything but older AMD cards and Nvidia, VAAPI is recommended. On AMD, you might have to start with the environment variable KODI_GL_INTERFACE set to GLX in order to get VDPAU support. ATI/AMD ( VA-API 2.0.0 or VDPAU ) Intel ( VA-API 1.7.1 ) Nvidia ( VDPAU ) Minimum without HW decoding: ATI Radeon RV710/M92 (HD 4300/4500) Note: These are uvd2.2 cards Arrandale / Clarkdale or newer Nvidia GeForce 6-Series Minimum for HW decoding of 8-bit H.264 and VC-1: Radeon HD 5000 series or newer Sandy Bridge / Silvermont or newer GeForce 8 series or newer (released 2006) Minimum for HW decoding of 8-bit HEVC (H.265): AMD Radeon Rx 300 series or newer Braswell / Skylake or newer Nvidia GeForce 900 series (GM20x) or newer Minimum for HW decoding of 10-bit HEVC (H.265): AMD Radeon 400 series or newer Apollo Lake / Kaby Lake or newer Not available Minimum for HW decoding of VP9: Stoney Ridge APU or newer; not available for desktop GPUs at the moment Apollo Lake / Kaby Lake or newer Not available
Drive space	The Kodi application generally only takes up between 100 to 200 MB of space, depending on how the binary is compiled. Technically speaking, if your hardware supports netbooting, you do not even require a internal storage for either the operating-system or for Kodi. Minimum: 4 to 8GB Recommended: 16GB or more Depending on how big your video library is. Most of the space required for Kodi comes from the images/artwork cache.

Note: There´s no 304.xxx driver for Ubuntu 18.04 available anymore from the "Graphic Drivers"-ppa. Users who are using GeForce 6-series cards should either stay on an older Ubuntu version or use newer cards

Where are XBMC Packages for Ubuntu/Debian?

You find new XBMC packages on this Repository-Overview for Ubuntu 12.04 and older.

Troubleshooting

Graphic/video issues

Video Device Driver

Most of the problems that you encounter with slow display or OpenGL related errors are because you do not have the proper or outdated display drivers installed.

Begin but install the video drivers the Ubuntu Way

• For NVIDIA drivers follow the guide here (link)
• For ATI drivers follow the guide here (link)
• For Intel it is simpler since the drivers are open source so they are usually already pre-installed. You need to make sure that you use the newer 'intel' driver and not the older 'i810' driver or the 'vesa' driver. This could be verified by checking the 'Driver' value in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

Verify OpenGL support

Once you have your drivers in place, you need to make sure that OpenGL is properly configured. Run the following command:

# glxinfo | grep -i direct

The result should be:

direct rendering: Yes

If the result is "No" it means that the display driver have not been properly configured. Also, you can run the command glxgears and you should see the wheels turning smoothly.

Compiz is not compatible with XBMC

Make sure Compiz visual effects is disabled. You can do this by going to System -> Preferences -> Appearance -> Visual Effects. Make sure "None" is selected. Alternatively, you can tell Compiz not to interfere with XBMC. Install and run CompizConfig, and under General Options tick Unredirect Fullscreen Windows.

For NVIDIA-Graphics use this.

Audio issues

Template:Frodo box >> Link to AudioEngine Wiki page

S/PDIF out for both analog and digital audio

You might find yourself able to get one of both working, but switching from one to the other might not work. Ubuntu and other distributions use PulseAudio to manage ALSA devices and unfortunately it doesn't provide management for passthrough digital audio. The following solution bypasses PulseAudio and forces XBMC to directly use ALSA. There is no need to uninstall or tweak PulseAudio on Ubuntu in any way.

• Open ~/.asoundrc in a text editor (create the file if it doesn't exist) and add the following:

note: make sure to use the correct card/device id and replace 'pcm "hw:0,1"' with it. You can find the id's by typing 'aplay -l' in a terminal.

pcm.dmixer {
    type dmix
    ipc_key 1024
    slave {
        pcm "hw:0,1"
        period_time 0
        period_size 1024
        buffer_size 8192
        #periods 128
        #rate 44100
        rate 48000
     }
     bindings {
        0 0
        1 1
     }
}

• Launch XBMC and go to "system->settings->system->audio hardware" and change the following:

AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICE: custom
CUSTOM AUDIO DEVICE: plug:dmixer (note: this is case sensitive, even though XBMC shows only capitals!)
PASSTHROUGH AUDIO DEVICE: iec958

Now all audio output (besides menu sounds) should work including crossfading and switching digital/analog audio sources.