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Kodi 21.0 Omega RC1 Release - Download Links and more March 2024

Kodi 21 Omega has now been released available for Windows, Mac, and iOS and Android platforms.

Kodi is often the best open source media software, and the team has just revealed that the first version of Kodi 21 Omega is already accessible.

Kodi 21.0 Omega RC1 Release

Although it is now accessible, it's crucial to keep in mind that this is a significant update and that there may be some first issues.

The Kodi team mentions in a blog post announcing the software's release that while there are new capabilities available, things won't be easy.

So... what has really changed?

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How to Download/Install Kodi 21 Omega:

  1. Go to the official Kodi Website.
  2. Choose your preferred device such as Firestick/Android or Windows..
  3. Select Prerelease.
  4. Choose the version compatible suited to your device.
  5. Download Kodi 21 Omega.
  6. Enjoy.

So, all that aside... what's actually changed?

Android users:

Many users may still be on the Kodi testing track for their Android devices. It's far easier to leave the testing track from a 'phone-based device, but be aware that if your device is on the testing track, Kodi Team will be continuing to deploy Beta 3 releases over the next week or so. If you wish to opt out of the testing group, one way you can is by visiting the following link Google Play - Kodi testing track. From here, you can opt out for your Google Play account. This is the best (and possibly only) way to opt out on many Android TV devices (e.g. Nvidia Shields).

With that said, for those adventurous types who would like to help us with testing, you can use the same link to opt in for a Google Play account.


Xbox users:

As Kodi Team do not have a testing track available for Xbox users, Kodi Team will continue our customary deployment of RC1+ of our major releases to the Microsoft App store. This means that Xbox users will start to see their Nexus deployments updated to Omega RC1.

If you do not wish to receive this update, the only option Kodi Team are aware of is for you to disable auto updates for all apps/games on your Xbox.

You can disable auto updates to games and apps in the Microsoft Store through the Store's settings.

Select the Start screen, then select Microsoft Store.

In Microsoft Store at the upper right, select the account menu (the three dots) and then select Settings.

Under App updates, set Update apps automatically to Off.

The UWP store deployment is scheduled to begin rolling out on the 16th March.


Skin Developers:

An API bump has been made for Kodi 21's testing cycle. See the following PRs for details:

https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/pull/23926

https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/pull/23862

This will require changes and submissions to the Omega branch for skins for those who submit to the Kodi Repository. Reach out on the forums if you have any questions/concerns.


Please note, https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/pull/23927 was merged shortly after Beta 2, and all skins will need to update the GUI version number to be available in Omega repos for any builds (including nightlies) after Beta 2.

The following forum thread has the skinning change info for Omega: https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=372280&pid=3174566#pid3174566.

And now, for the list of changes for RC 1.


Estuary:

A consistency fix was made by @Hitcher to make OSD controls for some buttons to just be disabled, rather than hidden, so the buttons stay shown in a consistent manner.

Filesystem:

A partial revert has been made that fixes some binary addons being unable to correctly parse some XML files.

General:

@ksooo continues to clean up things related to the Video Version feature. This time he has fixed a media name label that would be blank under certain circumstances.

A first time contributor, @hagaygo, has made a fix to allow users to set a subtitle save path rather than using a temp location under some circumstances.

@CrystalP submitted two fixes that fix list locations after adding/removing versions/extras and their art related management.


Music:

audiobooks were showing their last chapter with no duration; this has been fixed by @the-black-eagle.

Platform Specifics:

Android:

Cleanups to build/package files have been made by @joseluismarti. This helps get the codebase nice and clean for the newer Android SDKs leading into the future, meaning Kodi Team can more easily backport to Omega when Kodi Team are making changes for v22 "P" in the future.

@thexai has made a change that allows subtitles to be tonemapped to avoid extreme brightness for HDR playback.

Linux:

@fritsch, our resident audio expert, has submitted a change to allow Pipewire to properly identify HDMI for passthrough usage.


macOS:

@enen92 has implemented Hotkeycontroller for media keys on macOS. This allows Kodi to more accurately capture and handle media-related keys and allows us to play more nicely with other running apps on a system expecting to use the same media keys.

Windows:

@thexai has submitted some colour accuracy changes for 10bit SDR/HDR colour mapping.

PVR:

A fix for icons not being correctly refreshed was made by @ksooo.


VideoPlayer:

@popcornmix has tracked down a variable initialisation bug that helps to reduce video stalls under certain conditions.

A fix that stops incorrect refresh rate changes occurring for interlaced content in some circumstances was submitted by @CrystalP.


Known Issues:

You can see open issues on our tracker at https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/issues. However, to call out a couple of specifics, please be aware of the following if you're planning on upgrading:

There are seek issues with multi-part MP4 files on Android (https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/issues/23673).

We've had reports that the new splash screen looks like an OpenGL corruption; Kodi Team know, it's not a problem, so don't panic. We'd be happy to have your artwork contributions if you'd like to work on an alternative.

If remote sources are unavailable at startup, users are seeing significant delays while waiting (https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/issues/23958).

Kodi Team continue to march forward to what Kodi Team hope will be a successful v21 "Omega" release.


If you love to live on the bleeding edge, you can get RC 1 from here. Select your platform of choice, and look in the "Prerelease" section. Again, though, please: expect some breakage, don't use this as your daily installation unless you know how to get things working again, and please share your experiences back with us so Kodi Team can really get going on those bugs.


There is always a great deal more changes/fixes/updates than Kodi Team can highlight in these reports, so, as usual, you can see a fuller list of what has been merged between v21 and v20 here. For a more targeted look at the changes made since v21 Beta 3, you can see those changes here.

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