Buildroot

Buildroot (BR) is a simple, efficient and easy-to-use tool to generate embedded Linux systems through cross-compilation: http://buildroot.uclibc.org/

It allows experienced embedded hackers to generate a custom/minimal kodi distribution.

Using Buildroot, kodi was successfully run on i.MX6 platforms (like Armadeus APF6Dev or Wandboard]) and Raspberry Pi.

Installation

• Buildroot will generate you Linux kernel and rootfs images so you have to know how to update these on your embedded board.
• As of 02/2015 kodi version integrated in BR is: 14.1-Helix

i.MX6 platforms

• Use BR 2015.05 (soon coming) version
• Options to activate:
  • glibc toolchain
  • Target packages ---> Hardware handling ---> -*- Freescale i.MX libraries ---> i.MX platform (imx6q) + imx-vpu + gpu-viv-bin-mx6q
  • Target packages ---> Libraries ---> Multimedia ---> [*] libfslvpuwrap
  • Target packages ---> Audio and video applications ---> [*] kodi ---> [*] alsa

RPi

• TBDL

Usage

• kodi is launched by default at boot

i.MX6 platforms

• don't forget to configure your Audio Output (up to 3 possible on i.MX6)
• A team developer (IRC Nickname: fritsch) advised to manually create ALSA config files for each output. Ex: [1] & [2]. Otherwise you are not able to select Audio Output other than first/default one.
  • one may ask why it's not already in mainline ALSA...

Known problems

• kodi doesn't handle tslib touchscreens correctly (/at all ?)
  • even if ts_calibrate was done, pointer is still not calibrated when kodi is launched...
• kodi developpers seem to prefer use kodi internal ffmpeg instead of official one. BR uses official one by default.

Further reading

• http://buildroot.uclibc.org/downloads/manual/manual.html