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{{XBMC faq toc Inline}}
{{notice|1= {{bigger|1= The Linux FAQ is going though a major overhaul and some things might be missing. For a copy of the old version see '''[http://wiki.kodi.tv/index.php?title=Linux_FAQ&oldid=76795 here]'''.}} }}
 
 
<section begin="intro" />'''F'''requently '''A'''sked '''Q'''uestions for Kodi running under Linux-based operating systems.<section end="intro" />
 
__TOC__
__TOC__
 
{{-}}
Frequently Asked Questions about XBMC running under Linux, Linux computer hardware, and Linux operating-system questions.


=== What is XBMC for Linux? ===
=== Supported Linux distributions ===
:'''XBMC''' (formerly named "XBox Media Center", not to be confused with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Center_Extender Microsoft's Windows Media Center Extender for the Xbox]) is an award-winning free and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source open source] media player, originally designed to run on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox Xbox game-console]. The GPL/LGPL licensed source code basically consists of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_framework GUI framework] that has been written from scratch by [[Team-XBMC]], this GUI acts as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front-end front-end control interface] for several audio/video players designed for specific purposes (and those are loaded when needed as DLLs), the GUI is also the user interface to [[XBMC Features and Supported Formats/Codecs|all of XBMC multimedia handling functions such as databases and sorting, etc.]]. [http://sourceforge.net/projects/xbmc The XBMC Project], (who's members maintain the XBMC source code), is a non-profit open source hobby project that is developed by volunteers in their spare-time without any monetary gain. The team of developers working on XBMC have always encouraged anyone to contribute to the project; this would be helping out with this wiki and write HOW-TO guides, help others in the forum, skin XBMC, submit source code patches for new [[XBMC Features and Supported Formats/Codecs|features or functions]], improve on existing ones, or fix bugs.
:* Team Kodi provides precompiled binaries for Ubuntu from the '''Team Kodi PPA'''. In the future there will also be precompiled binaries for Debian and Steam OS.
:* Team Kodi recognizes '''[[LibreELEC]]''' versions of Kodi as "pretty damn awesome".
:* Generally speaking, as long as Kodi is compiled per recommended guidelines (see '''[[Compiling Kodi]]'''), those builds are considered "kosher".
:* Kodi builds that use external ffmpeg/libav are not supported and are strongly discouraged.


=== Why port XBMC to Linux? ===
=== Supported hardware ===
:The main reasons for porting XBMC to Linux are non-technical (it is not that the Xbox hardware is too slow or getting too old for the XBMC GUI or its existing [[XBMC Features and Supported Formats/Codecs|features/functions]]). The real reasons for the Team-XBMC developers is that we want XBMC to get a larger end-user and developer-base, because the more people who use XBMC and help maintain the code (and skins) the longer the project will grow and stay alive. The main reason from an end-user point of view is that the Xbox cannot playback native high-definition video (at 720p and 1080i/1080p), especially if the video is encoded with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264 H.264] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VC-1 VC-1] codecs. Nevertheless, note that the XBMC project will still keep the old Xbox as the primary reference platform for standard-definition resolution video for some time (possibly a few more years), which means that the same GUI (and skins) that runs smooth under Linux on a relatively new computer must also run just as smooth on the old Xbox hardware (or an old computer that closely matches the Xbox hardware, at 733Mhz Intel Pentium III CPU and only 64MB shared memory with supported 3D accelerator).
For x86 hardware:
{{collapse top}}
:{{#lst:Supported hardware|Linux}}
{{collapse bottom}}


=== Where is the debug log? ===
=== How to install or update Kodi for Linux ===
:$HOME/.xbmc/temp/xbmc.log
{{Main|HOW-TO:Install Kodi for Linux}}


:See also [[HOW-TO Submit a Proper Bug Report]].


=== Where is the UserData folder? ===
=== Kodi for Linux version ===
:$HOME/.xbmc/userdata
: The current stable version of Kodi for Linux is {{Current version}}. This is the same code that all of the other platforms (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, etc) are using.


=== Does XBMC for Linux support Blu-ray or HD DVD playback with or without menus? ===
=== What version/nightly build/beta of Kodi am I running? ===
:Yes, without menus. Dharma (10.0) includes support for playback of unencrypted Blu-ray directories when [http://www.videolan.org/developers/libbluray.html libbluray] is installed. However, XBMC must be compiled from [https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc source]. Installing from a repository like the [https://launchpad.net/~team-xbmc/+archive/unstable Team-XBMC unstable ppa] will not recognize whether libbluray is installed.
: Kodi main menu > System > Lower submenu > System info. '''Note the build date.'''


: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? ===
=== How to autostart Kodi in desktop mode ===
:* Supported Linux Operating-System installed on a supported computer, currently supported OS are:
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition Ubuntu Desktop Edition 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition Ubuntu Desktop Edition 8.04 (Hardy Heron) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition Ubuntu Desktop Edition 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition Ubuntu Desktop Edition 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) 64-bit for x86_64]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/serveredition Ubuntu Server Edition 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/serveredition Ubuntu Server Edition 8.04 (Hardy Heron) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/serveredition Ubuntu Server Edition 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/mobile Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Edition 7.10 (UME) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/mobile Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Edition 8.04 (UME) 32-bit for x86]
:** [http://www.ubuntu.com/products/mobile Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Edition 8.10 (UME) 32-bit for x86]
:* 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 ===
A)
:For end-users the recommended minimum requirement is an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86 x86-based computer], with a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_Processing_Unit 3D GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)] that at least supports [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shader_model Shader Model 3.0] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGL 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX DirectX version 9.0c] or later usually meet all of those mentioned requirements, ([[Team-XBMC]] recommends [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later] as NVIDIA are currently the manufacturer that offers [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_hardware_and_FOSS good device-drivers for Linux] (and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later] supports OpenGL 2.0).


=== XBMC for Linux minimum requirements ===
<pre>
:* x86 (Intel/AMD-based) processor computer capable of booting to CD-ROM.
sudo sed -i "1i @kodi" /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart
:** [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_4 Intel Pentium 4], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_M Intel Pentium M], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athlon_64 AMD Athlon XP/64], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opteron AMD Opteron], or newer CPU (that support [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_SIMD_Extensions SSE]).
</pre>
:** Fast modern dual-core processor is required to decode H.264 videos in FullHD (1080p).
:** For clarification; XBMC for Linux does not work on the Xbox game-console.
:* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon ATI/AMD], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_GMA Intel], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce NVIDIA] (recommended) graphic controller which supports [[XBMC for Linux specific FAQ|OpenGL 1.3 (+ GLSL)or later (2.0 recommended)]].
:** [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon ATI Radeon R420 (X800)] or newer supported, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon ATI Radeon R700 (HD 4000)] or newer recommended.
:** [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_GMA Intel GMA 950 (945G)] or newer supported, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_GMA Intel GMA X4500HD (G45)] or newer recommended.
:** [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce NVIDIA GeForce 6-Series] and newer supported, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce GeForce 8-Series] and newer recommended.


=== Why is an OpenGL 2.0 compatible graphic-controller the recommended minimum for XBMC? ===
or B)
:OpenGL 2.0 is not really the current minimum requirement to run XBMC, as in reality XBMC will today run with only OpenGL 1.3 + [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLSL GLSL] support (everything else has fall-backs to be run in software on the CPU, slower than GPU hardware though), however to be sure to stay future-proof Team-XBMC has decided that the OpenGL 2.0 is the recommended minimum requirement.


===== Currently OpenGL 2.0 hardware is only needed for... =====
<pre>
:* Any de-interlacing that is not linear blending, (FFmpeg does linear blending in software on the CPU)
mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
:* Video [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_post-processing video post-processing filtering] (bicubic upscaling, etc.)
ln -s /usr/bin/kodi ~/.config/autostart
:* Non-power of two textures for the GUI (using NPOT saves a lot of texture memory)
</pre>
:* Hardware accelerated YUV 2 RGB conversion (actually GLSL is needed for this, and a few GPU hardware implementations as low as OpenGL 1.3 does provide GLSL as an extension. OpenGL 2.0 guarantees availability of GLSL).
===== In the future OpenGL 2.0 might also be needed for... =====
:* More [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_post-processing video post-processing filters] to improve visual quality perception.
:* [[Hardware Accelerated Video Decoding]] (using the GPU hardware to assist with video decoding)


== Troubleshooting ==
Source of this information is HOW TO: Autostart Kodi for Linux
=== 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 [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/Nvidia here (link)]
:* For ATI drivers follow the guide [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI 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.
===== Alternative is to install the latest drivers using Envy =====
:There is a tool called '''Envy''' that helps you setup the proper display drivers. It usually contains the very latest versions of the video drivers. Please follow the guide [http://albertomilone.com/nvidia_scripts1.html here].
==== Verify OpenGL support ====
:Once you have your drivers in place, you need to make sure that OpenGL is properly configured. Run the following command:


<source lang="bash">
=== What are the differences between Ubuntu + Kodi and LibreELEC? ===
# glxinfo | grep -i direct
* '''Ubuntu + Kodi:''' This setup will give you the full Unity desktop environment that has enough software installed to be a general computing solution.
</source>
* '''[[LibreELEC]]:''' An appliance distribution. Getting software other than what is provided in the basic distribution will be a little difficult, but not impossible.


: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 ====
=== Getting more help with Kodi for Linux ===
: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.
:* '''[http://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=52 Kodi for Linux specific help forum]'''
:* '''[irc://irc.freenode.org/Kodi #Kodi]''' [[w:IRC|IRC]] chat channel on irc.freenode.org.


:For NVIDIA-Graphics use [http://www.loggn.de/ubuntu-vdpau-bilduberlagerungen/ this].


=== Audio issues ===
=== Audio issues ===
==== S/PDIF out for both analog and digital audio ====
:For most audio issues, including configuration examples, see '''Audio''' and '''Audio troubleshooting'''.
: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.
 
=== Video tearing on Nvidia GPUs ===
: When Kodi is used with Nvidia hardware, tearing will occur when the X composite extension is used.
 
:* '''Solution 1:''' Enable "Unredirect Fullscreen Window" in Compiz Config Settings Manager. [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=11145045#post11145045]
:*# Install CCSM (Compiz Config Settings Manager): <code>sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager</code>
:*# Open Compiz Config Settings Manager
:*# Check the option "Unredirect Fullscreen Window", which should be under the "Composite" section.


:* 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.'''


<source lang="bash">
:* '''Solution 2:''' Disable the composite extension.
pcm.dmixer {
:::'''1.''' Add this to the end of /etc/X11/xorg.conf: (make a new file if xorg.conf doesn't exist)
    type dmix
<pre>Section "Extensions"
    ipc_key 1024
  Option "Composite" "Disable"
    slave {
EndSection</pre>
        pcm "hw:0,1"
:::'''2.''' Then log in with a gnome classic session (without the composite extension compiz doesn't work).
        period_time 0
:::'''3.''' Also make sure to set Vertical blank sync to Always enabled in Kodi.
        period_size 1024
        buffer_size 8192
        #periods 128
        #rate 44100
        rate 48000
    }
    bindings {
        0 0
        1 1
    }
}
</source>


:* 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.
:* '''Solution 3:''' Disable the use of the SDL backing store - this is a bug in Ubuntu which will probably be fixed in due time but could cause tearing right now: http://askubuntu.com/questions/450593/how-do-i-eliminate-screen-tearing-on-14-04-and-xbmc-with-nvidia-331/450673#450673


[[Category:FAQ]]
=== Why can't I update Kodi on Ubuntu 13.04, 13.10, or other release? ===
: The precompiled binaries from the Team Kodi PPA only work with Ubuntu releases that are still getting support. When Ubuntu drops support for a version then our PPA stops making a binary for it. Simply update Ubuntu itself and then Kodi updates should work again. If you don't want to update Ubuntu that often then we recommend using a long term support (LTS) version of Ubuntu, such as 14.04, which will be supported until 2019.

Latest revision as of 07:20, 14 November 2020

Emblem-important-yellow.png NOTICE:
The Linux FAQ is going though a major overhaul and some things might be missing. For a copy of the old version see here.


Frequently Asked Questions for Kodi running under Linux-based operating systems.


Supported Linux distributions

  • Team Kodi provides precompiled binaries for Ubuntu from the Team Kodi PPA. In the future there will also be precompiled binaries for Debian and Steam OS.
  • Team Kodi recognizes LibreELEC versions of Kodi as "pretty damn awesome".
  • Generally speaking, as long as Kodi is compiled per recommended guidelines (see Compiling Kodi), those builds are considered "kosher".
  • Kodi builds that use external ffmpeg/libav are not supported and are strongly discouraged.

Supported hardware

For x86 hardware:

Extended content
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

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

How to install or update Kodi for Linux

Main page: HOW-TO:Install Kodi for Linux


Kodi for Linux version

The current stable version of Kodi for Linux is Kodi v21 Omega. This is the same code that all of the other platforms (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, etc) are using.

What version/nightly build/beta of Kodi am I running?

Kodi main menu > System > Lower submenu > System info. Note the build date.


How to autostart Kodi in desktop mode

A) 

sudo sed -i "1i @kodi" /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

or B) 

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
ln -s /usr/bin/kodi ~/.config/autostart

Source of this information is HOW TO: Autostart Kodi for Linux

What are the differences between Ubuntu + Kodi and LibreELEC?

  • Ubuntu + Kodi: This setup will give you the full Unity desktop environment that has enough software installed to be a general computing solution.
  • LibreELEC: An appliance distribution. Getting software other than what is provided in the basic distribution will be a little difficult, but not impossible.


Getting more help with Kodi for Linux


Audio issues

For most audio issues, including configuration examples, see Audio and Audio troubleshooting.

Video tearing on Nvidia GPUs

When Kodi is used with Nvidia hardware, tearing will occur when the X composite extension is used.
  • Solution 1: Enable "Unredirect Fullscreen Window" in Compiz Config Settings Manager. [1]
    1. Install CCSM (Compiz Config Settings Manager): sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
    2. Open Compiz Config Settings Manager
    3. Check the option "Unredirect Fullscreen Window", which should be under the "Composite" section.


  • Solution 2: Disable the composite extension.
1. Add this to the end of /etc/X11/xorg.conf: (make a new file if xorg.conf doesn't exist)
Section "Extensions"
  Option "Composite" "Disable"
EndSection
2. Then log in with a gnome classic session (without the composite extension compiz doesn't work).
3. Also make sure to set Vertical blank sync to Always enabled in Kodi.


Why can't I update Kodi on Ubuntu 13.04, 13.10, or other release?

The precompiled binaries from the Team Kodi PPA only work with Ubuntu releases that are still getting support. When Ubuntu drops support for a version then our PPA stops making a binary for it. Simply update Ubuntu itself and then Kodi updates should work again. If you don't want to update Ubuntu that often then we recommend using a long term support (LTS) version of Ubuntu, such as 14.04, which will be supported until 2019.
Retrieved from "https://kodi.wiki/index.php?title=Archive:Linux_FAQ&oldid=221881"