Kodi® for Dummies

[Jai Dee]

Kodi® for Dummies

 

 

Disclaimer

 

Neither I nor ThaiVisa has any affiliation with KODI or XMBC.

Due to the nature of our content, we are not responsible for the content streamed to your device and neither do we condone piracy, so you must satisfy yourself that either you or the sites accessed for streaming have the copyright agreements in place and are entitled to access this content.

 

This site is intended for information purposes only. We only provide links to third party content. We are a reporting site that provides information which is freely available elsewhere.

 

We do not host or upload any video, films, media files, live streams (avi, mov, flv, mpg, mpeg, divx, dvd rip, mp3, mp4, torrent, ipod, psp etc.).  ThaiVisa is not responsible for the accuracy, compliance, copyright, legality, decency, or any other aspect of the content streamed to your device. If you have any legal issues please contact the appropriate media file owners or host sites.

 

We have no control over the links on any site that we provide a link to. If you see any form of infringements, please contact appropriate media file owners or host sites immediately.

 

What is Kodi®

 

Kodi® media center, formerly known as XBMC™ Media Center, is an award-winning free and open source cross-platform software media player and entertainment hub for digital media for HTPCs (Home Theater PCs). It uses a 10-foot user interface designed to be a media player for the living-room, using a remote control as the primary input device. Its graphical user interface (GUI) allows the user to easily browse and view videos, photos, podcasts, and music from a harddrive, optical disc, local network, and the internet using only a few buttons.

 

The official Kodi version does not contain any content whatsoever. This means that you should provide your own content from a local or remote storage location, DVD, Blu-Ray or any other media carrier that you own.

 

Additionally Kodi allows you to install third-party plugins or addons that may provide access to content that is freely available on the official content provider website. The watching or listening of illegal or pirated content which would otherwise need to be paid for is not endorsed or approved by Team Kodi or ThaiVisa.

 

Kodi addons however, are not part of the intended official use of Kodi, despite the fact that the addons are what Kodi is most widely known for. Kodi addons are independently developed and are mostly used to “scrape” online content from different streaming web sites, and format it to be displayed through a Netflix style interface.

 

There are thousands of Kodi addons currently available for installation, each serves a different purpose and gives access to different content, ranging from movies and television, to foreign language content and more.

[Jai Dee]

Part 1: Download and install Kodi 17.1 Krypton

 

All you have to do in this step is download the Kodi installer from the links below and then install the same way you would any other app for your platform.

 

 

Kodi 17.1 Krypton for Windows Link

Kodi 17.1 Krypton for Mac Link

Kodi 17.1 Krypton for Android (Google Play) Link

Kodi 17.1 Krypton for Android (Sideload) Link

 

There are versions of Kodi available for other devices such as the NVIDIA Shield, the Amazon Fire TV Stick, and the Apple Ipad etc. but for the purposes of this topic I will provide the most common four only. You can use Google to find the others if you need them.

 

 

/Edit: Since starting this topic the current version of Kodi has changed a couple of times.

It is now (as of 15 November 2017) at 17.6.

 

/Edit: The current version of Kodi (as of 21 May 2020) is now 18.7.

 

Here is a link to the current official download website which contains the latest release of the software.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Jai Dee

[Jai Dee]

Part 2: Navigation within Kodi

 

In Kodi the primary environment was designed for the living room (10-foot interface) and controlling it only with a remote control. While Kodi does support mouse, keyboard, and even touch controls, the main method of controlling Kodi is designed around the typical remote. This further enhances the appliance feel of the Kodi and fits next to (or replaces) the other remotes that are likely to be in your entertainment room.

 

Types of Remotes

 

MCE Remotes - Infrared remote controls made for computers that follow the MCE standard. These remotes should work with Kodi out-of-the-box on Windows and Linux.

 

RF Remotes - Radio frequency remote controls, such as 2.4 GHz dongles and Bluetooth remotes. Most of these typically emulate a keyboard interface and/or standard multimedia keys.

 

CEC - Use your existing TV remote control if you have a CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) compatible television or AV-receiver supporting HDMI-CEC interface.

 

Game controllers - Game controllers, including game-pads and joysticks, such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3/4, and Nintendo Wii controllers can all be used to directly control Kodi's interface.

 

Smart phone/tablet - Turn your smart phone or tablet into the ultimate remote control.

 

Control Systems - Highly Customizable Programmable Control Systems for Home Automation which can control Kodi as well as Lights, HVAC, A/V Equipment, and much more.

 

Touch controls - Using Kodi with a touch screen device.

 

Web interfaces - Web interfaces allow users to control and interact with their Kodi installation through a web browser. This can be used for a remote control, library management, visual feedback, and many other things.

 

Keyboards -  See below:

 

Key	Global	Video playback	Music visualisation
' quote		Small seek step backwards 7 seconds
+ plus	Volume up	Volume up	Volume up
, comma	Skip backward	Seek step backward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m...	Seek step backward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m...
- minus	Volume down	Volume down	Volume down
. period	Skip forward	Seek step forward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m...	Seek step forward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m...
0 (zero)		Go between the two last channels (live TV channel) OR Go to "now" on EPG/TV guide.
= equals	Volume up	Volume up	Volume up
[ left bracket		Seek step forward 10min
[numbers] then Return		Jump to that time in playback. (E.g,, 1+2+3+4+return will jump to 12 minutes and 34 seconds.)	Jump to that time in playback. (E.g,, 1+2+3+4+return will jump to 12 minutes and 34 seconds.)
[numbers] then ←		Jump backwards in that amount of time. (E.g,, 1+0+← will jump back 10 seconds.)	Jump backwards in that amount of time. (E.g,, 1+0+← will jump back 10 seconds.)
[numbers] then →		Jump forward in that amount of time. (E.g,, 1+0+→ will jump forward 10 seconds.)	Jump forward in that amount of time. (E.g,, 1+0+→ will jump forward 10 seconds.)
\ backslash	Toggle between fullscreen/windowed mode	Toggle between fullscreen/windowed mode	Toggle between fullscreen/windowed mode
] right bracket		Seek step backward 10min
A		Audio delay control
B	Live TV: Schedule recording timers	Live TV: Schedule recording timers
C	Contextual menu	Playlist
CTRL+END	Exit Kodi (Only on Home Screen)
Ctrl+S	Screenshot	Screenshot	Screenshot
Ctrl+T		Subtitle position control
Ctrl+←		Variable seek backwards	Variable seek backwards
Ctrl+↑		Move subtitles up
Ctrl+→		Variable seek forward	Variable seek forward
Ctrl+↓		Move subtitles down
D	Move item down (Playlist editor & Favorites window)
DEL	Delete file (if enabled in settings)	Remove from playlist (Playlist editor only)	Remove from playlist (Playlist editor only)
E	Live TV EPG/TV guide	Live TV EPG/TV guide
Esc	Previous menu OR Home screen	Exit full screen
F	Fast forward	Fast forward	Fast forward
F8	Mute	Mute	Mute
H	Live TV channels window	Live TV channels window
Home	Jump to the top of the menu (..)
I	Info	Info	Info
J	Live TV: Radio channels window	Live TV: Radio channels window
K	Live TV recordings window	Live TV recordings window
L		Next subtitle	Lock preset
M	"Menu" (sidebar menu on the default skin) Move (File Manager)	Player controls (OSD)	Player controls (OSD)
N			Current playlist window
O		Codec info	Codec info
P	Play	Play	Visualisation preset list
PageDown	Page down	Skip to previous queued video or previous chapter if no videos are queued.	Decrease rating
PageUp	Page up	Skip to next queued video or next chapter if no videos are queued.	Increase rating
PrintSrc	Screenshot	Screenshot	Screenshot
Q	Queue
R	Rewind Rename (File Manager)	Rewind	Rewind
S	Shutdown menu	Shutdown menu	Show preset
Space	Pause/Play Current playlist window (video & music listings) Highlight (File Manager)	Pause/Play	Pause/Play
T		Toggle subtitles on and off
Tab ⇆	Fullscreen playback	Fullscreen playback	Fullscreen playback
U	Move item up (Playlist editor & Favorites window)
V		Teletext	Visualisation settings
W	Marked as watched / unwatched
X	Stop	Stop	Stop
Y	Switch/choose player. For example, can be used to switch between internal player or a UPnP target player.	Switch/choose player	Switch/choose player
Z		Zoom/aspect ratio
←	Left	Seek step backward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m... Prev channel group (live TV)	Seek step backward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m...
← Backspace	Back	Back	Back
↑	Up	Seek step forward 10min OR Next chapter (videos) Channel up (live TV)	Next track
→	Right	Seek step forward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m... Next channel group (live TV)	Seek step forward.  1x 10s, 2x 30s, 3x 1m, 4x 3m...
↓	Down	Step back 10min OR Prev chapter (videos) Channel down (live TV)	Previous track
↵ Enter return	Select	Player controls (OSD)	Player controls (OSD)
⇧ Shift+LETTER	Jump to that letter in a list

 

Mouse controls

 

Key	Description
Left Click on item	Select
Middle Click on item	Queue to playlist
Right Click on item	Context menu
Right Click on blank area	Back
Mouse Wheel Up	Up
Mouse Wheel Down	Down

 

 Picture slide controls

 

Key	Description
0	Zoom Normal (100%)
1	Zoom Level 1
2	Zoom Level 2
3	Zoom Level 3
4	Zoom Level 4
5	Zoom Level 5
6	Zoom Level 6
7	Zoom Level 7
8	Zoom Level 8
9	Zoom Level 9
R	Rotate
T	Info (EXif data)
. period	Next picture
, comma	Previous picture
+ plus	Zoom in
- minus	Zoom out

 

Platfrom specific controls

 

Windows and Linux

⊞ Win (Windows key): Contextual menu

 

Mac

⌘ Cmd+Q to quit

⌘ Cmd+H and ⌘ Cmd+M to hide/minimize to the dock

⌘ Cmd+F to toggle fullscreen

⌘ Cmd+S to take a screen shot

 

Users can also customize keymaps for remotes in the GUI by using a Keymap Editor add-on, but we’ll leave that for more advanced users.

 

[Jai Dee]

Part 3: The first customizing steps

 

After the installation of Kodi is complete, your screen should look like this:

 

 

Next we need to toggle a few switches on the Settings section before we start adding plugins, repositories, or addons.

Navigate to and select the Settings icon:

 

 

Select System settings:

 

 

 Navigate down the list to Add-ons and toggle Unknown sources on.

 

 

You will be presented with a Warning message which is part of Team Kodi’s disclaimer and select Yes to confirm that wish to install 3rd party Kodi addons.

 

 

Next navigate to the bottom left of the page and toggle the Settings access icon to Expert.

The default settings are Basic – Standard – Advanced - Expert

 

 

Next navigate to and select the Interface settings:

 

 

If you are an American you may skip the next step but if you are not, navigate to Regional and select Region default format.

 

 

Select UK (12h) or UK (24h).

 

 

Your settings should now look like this:

 

 

Next navigate to and select Media settings.

 

 

Navigate to General and toggle Show hidden files and directories On.

We will need this later.

 

 

Congratulations!

You are now ready to take the next step.

[Jai Dee]

You may now opt to either make your own Kodi build using skins and addons sources from third parties, or you might choose to try out one of the many freely available Kodi builds. There are quite a few discussed in the Best Builds thread.

 

Just remember, a lot of these builds contain addons that can access pirated material. ThaiVisa are not responsible for the builds, nor the addons, nor the content streamed to your device and neither do we condone piracy, so you must satisfy yourself that either you or the sites accessed for streaming have the copyright agreements in place and are entitled to access this content.

 

The first thing you need to do is to create a means of backing up and restoring your Kodi setup so you can put it back together again should it become corrupted or too bloated. I would recommend that the Ares Wizard (or Ares Repository) is one of the best ways to achieve this. It’s extremely easy to configure and I’m going to walk you through every step of the process. This is something you’ll only ever have to do once.

 

Step 1: Navigate to the settings cogwheel at the top left of your screen.

 

Step 2: Select the File manager menu.

 

 

Step 3: Click on the Add source function.

 

 

Step 4: Click on the field that displays <None> under the Enter the paths or browse for the media locations heading.

 

 

Step 5: Using the on-screen keyboard, input http://repo.ares-project.com/magic/ and then select the OK button.

 

 

Step 6: Click on the bottom input box under the Enter a name for this media source heading.

 

 

Step 7: Using the on-screen keyboard, input Ares Wizard and then press the OK button.

 

 

Step 8: Click on the OK button at the bottom of the window.

 

 

Step 9: Now that the Ares Wizard source is added, you can return to your Kodi home screen.

 

 

Step 10: Navigate to the Add-ons tab on the vertical menu bar.

 

 

Step 11: Click on the Enter add-on browser button at the right side of the screen.

 

 

Step 12: Click on the Install from zip file function.

 

 

 

Continued in the next post...

 

/Edit:

Important Note as of October 2017

The Ares Repo has changed address.

You can now get it from either http://ares-repo.eu or http://aw.ares-project.com 

 

/Edit:

Important Note as of December 2017

The Ares Builds and Addon sections have been disabled. Only the maintenance tools will work.

The Ares Repo has changed address again.

You can now get it from either http://androidaba.com/addons/ or http://areswizard.co.uk

Edited February 2, 2018 by Jai Dee

[Jai Dee]

Step 13: Select the Ares Wizard source from the listing.

 

 

Step 14: Select the Ares Project repository and wait.

 

 

Step 15: It is important to wait. Do not be impatient. Wait until you see a popup saying that the addon has been installed or updated.

 

 

Step 16: Next select Install from repository

 

 

Step 17: Select the Ares Project repo

 

 

Step 18: Select Program addons

 

 

Step 19: Select Ares Wizard

 

 

Step 20: The wizard menu will popup and select Install

 

 

Step 21: You will then see a popup saying that the addon has been installed.

 

 

Step 22: Navigate back to the Main Menu to the Add-ons tab on the vertical menu bar.

 

 

Step 23: From the Program addons select the Ares Wizard

 

 

 

 

Continued in the next post...

 

[Jai Dee]

Step 24: You will see a downloading message whilst the Wizard gets what it needs.

 

Once the download is complete you will see the Wizard main menu like this:

 

 

From here you can browse and select various third party builds to install.

 

Note that most builds will require after installation a “Force close” of Kodi followed by a re-start. Do not be alarmed or concerned by this. It is the standard and accepted way of installing them.

 

 

You can browse and install various third party addons and respositories.

 

 

You can perform some maintenance and delete temporary files.

 

 

But most importantly, you can make a Backup (partial or full) of your system (and a Restore too of course).

 

 

Under More on the Wizard menu you can also select Erase all data/Fresh start.

 

This is particularly useful when trying out different third party builds.

 

Once you’ve trialled a build and want to try a new one, simply select the Erase all data/Fresh start and Kodi will be wiped of all skins and addons and you can start from scratch again.

 

It’s a very handy feature.

 

 

[Jai Dee]

Adding your own personal media content to Kodi

 

If you’re like me you probably have quite a few music files and videos etc. stored on a local or removable disk. These can be imported into Kodi too… or at least their metadata and location can.

 

For example, if you wanted to import your music files that were stored on a local hard disk, go to the Music section of the menu:

 

 

Select Enter files section:

 

 

Select Add music:

 

 

Click on the Browse button:

 

 

Navigate to where the music files are stored that you want to import and select OK.

 

 

You can add additional music sources by selecting the Add button:

 

 

And navigate to and select the additional source(s).

 

Don’t forget to give your Music Library a title by entering a name for the media source:

 

 

When you’re ready to import them into Kodi select the OK button at the bottom of the page.

 

 

A dialogue box will appear asking you if you want to add this media – select Yes.

 

 

Wait. You will see the progress of the import happening in the top right hand corner of your screen.

 

 

Once it’s complete, navigate back to the main menu where you will see your recently imported music files.

 

 

You can now select any song from any album and as you can see it is just like any other media player.

 

 

Scroll left or press the left arrow and the media controls will appear for pause, stop, jump to next track etc.

 

 

Take some time to play with it a bit and get to know the menus and how to navigate around.

 

This particular menu provides the Album year, Name, Artist Name, Cover Art, and track listings and durations.

 

You get to it by selecting Music from the main Music, then Albums.

 

 

 

[Jai Dee]

I will now open this topic for additional comments and discussion from other members.

 

What has been discussed so far is really only the basics of Kodi, and there is so much more that you can do.

 

I am sure that we have some very experienced members that can also add some helpful advice.

 

Just remember our policy on discussion of streaming media... discussion of pirated media is permitted only as news items, but never as a "how to" topic. Direct links to torrent sites and streaming pirate TV services are very much "how to" subjects therefore cannot remain on the Forum.

 

We do acknowledge that some Kodi builds and addons do provide access to pirated material,  but maintain that we are not responsible for the content streamed to your device and neither do we condone piracy, so you must satisfy yourself that either you or the sites accessed for streaming have the copyright agreements in place and are entitled to access this content.

[KhunBENQ]

Made it seemingly successful to step 24.

(on "virgin" Windows 10 a firewall request has to be acknowledge)

 

The AresWizard seem to work,

 

Not I tried to install "AresTube" and "AdryanList".

Install is fine but at the end you are asked whether to "install a repository" (or similar).

Both end with "repository currently not available".

 

Be aware that I have zero idea what I am doing and what the "structure" of the whole thing is.

 

EDIT: now I have some "SportsDevil" without error message,

Poked on the channel list and not yet found anything working.

(web request failed, no stream found)

[Jai Dee]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Not I tried to install "AresTube" and "AdryanList".

Install is fine but at the end you are asked whether to "install a repository" (or similar).

Both end with "repository currently not available".

Both of those are video addons.

I would recommend installing a complete build first that comes with a number of addons already installed.

Play around with it a bit then get rid of the addons you don't like/want.

Try different builds too... just use the Ares Wizard to erase all data/fresh start before trying a new build.

[Naam]

2 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

Try different builds too... just use the Ares Wizard to erase all data/fresh start before trying a new build.

how does one build a build?    this software is phantastic but contains a zillion nonsensical bs that makes it unstable like Win3.0 three decades ago. not to mention the lack of simplified commands

[Jai Dee]

10 minutes ago, Naam said:

how does one build a build?    this software is phantastic but contains a zillion nonsensical bs that makes it unstable like Win3.0 three decades ago. not to mention the lack of simplified commands

I shall try to walk you through installing a build.

Please bear with me as I must first backup my own build then  erase all data for a fresh start, then install the Ares Wizard again.

I hoped that the step by step process I had already done would cover it but I guess not.

Give me a few minutes/hours OK?

[Naam]

32 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

Give me a few minutes/hours OK?

that's an extremely generous offer Jai Dee! but i have strong doubts that i will find the time to actually use it. what i am looking for is an expert who is doing that time consuming job based on my specifications against remuneration. being a retiree i just don't find the time to sort out chaotic software. win10 on one of my PCs is driving me already crazy.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Naam
typo

[Jai Dee]

52 minutes ago, Naam said:

but i have strong doubts that i will find the time to actually use it.

It will take you no more than 30 minutes to install.

It took me only one hour to do the installation, take screenshots of everything, and document it all in Word before posting it on this thread.

[Jai Dee]

Installing a build from the Ares repository.

 

Step 1: Navigate to the Main Menu to the Add-ons tab on the vertical menu bar.

 

 

Step 2: From the Program addons select the Ares Wizard.

 

 

Step 3: Wait for the Wizard to start then select Browse Builds.

 

 

Step 4: Select any of the builds in the list. For the purpose of this exercise I will select the Pulse build as I have used it myself and it does perform well.

 

 

Step 5: After selecting the build a dialogue box will popup asking for a PIN.

 

 

If you are installing on a PC simply click the Get Pin button and your browser will open a new tab and a 4 digit PIN will be displayed.

If you are installing on an Android device I would recommend opening a browser window and type in the following and press enter: http://bit.ly/getbuildpin

Once you have your PIN select Enter Pin and a numeric keypad will popup where you can enter your PIN and select Done.

 

 

You will then be presented with a menu of builds to choose from.

 

 

Step 6: Choose a build. As we have just installed Kodi version 17.1 Krypton we need to select a Krypton build. Select any of the Pulse CCM Krypton builds and then select Install.

A download box will popup showing the progress of the 233 MB download.

 

 

Once the download is complete you will see the following message asking if you want to perform a backup of the skin/profile. Select Yes.

 

 

After the backup is complete the Wizard will tell you that Kodi needs to be closed. Select OK.

 

 

Step 7: Re-start Kodi and you will see the new Pulse build.

 

 

 

Continued in the next post...

 

[Jai Dee]

As you can see I installed it on Windows so the build is “windowed”.

 

If you prefer to run Kodi full-screen (as I do) navigate to and select System.

 

 

You will then be presented with the Skin menu.

From the Skin menu select System.

 

 

Under Display, Display mode will be Windowed.

 

 

Toggle it to Full Screen.

 

 

You can then explore the build and the various addons at your leisure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just remember that some Kodi builds and addons do provide access to pirated material,  but we maintain that we are not responsible for the content streamed to your device and neither do we condone piracy, so you must satisfy yourself that either you or the sites accessed for streaming have the copyright agreements in place and are entitled to access this content.

 

The standard disclaimer... of course. 

[Naam]

1 hour ago, Jai Dee said:

Installing a build from the Ares repository.

here we go... who or what is an Ares repository? i'm sure it's neither available in Tesco nor in a 7/11 or Foodland

 

 

[Jai Dee]

6 minutes ago, Naam said:

here we go... who or what is an Ares repository?

 

You should go back and re-read what I posted earlier.

 

Here you go... I'll point you in the right direction.

[Naam]

2 hours ago, Jai Dee said:

You should go back and re-read what I posted earlier.

Here you go... I'll point you in the right direction.

i'm terribly sorry Sir but my Kodi "build" has no menu bar. neither left nor right. if i knew how to make a screenshot from an android projection on a TV i'd post it here.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Naam
edit adding picture

[Naam]

this is a photo of my Kodi screen:

 

[Jai Dee]

@Naam It would appear that you already have a custom build of Kodi installed, as your screen does not reflect a "vanilla" Kodi.

 

Rather than continue discussing it in this thread I will send you a PM and we can iron out the details privately.

[Naam]

2 hours ago, Jai Dee said:

It would appear that you already have a custom build of Kodi installed

correct!

[RichCor]

On 5/23/2017 at 0:16 PM, KhunBENQ said:

Made it seemingly successful to step 24.

(on "virgin" Windows 10 a firewall request has to be acknowledge)

 

The AresWizard seem to work,

 

Hmm. On my Windows 10 system, at Step 11/12, the option to "Enter Add-on Browser" would place me where I had a long list of Kodi-sanctioned Add-Ons (and not the options menu shown in the screen cap). 

 

Had to use the " .. " (double-dots) at the top of the list to back through the menu tree and reach the section where I could select "Install from zip file".   

[Jai Dee]

7 minutes ago, RichCor said:

Hmm. On my Windows 10 system, at Step 11/12, the option to "Enter Add-on Browser" would place me where I had a long list of Kodi-sanctioned Add-Ons (and not the options menu shown in the screen cap). 

 

Had to use the " .. " (double-dots) at the top of the list to back through the menu tree and reach the section where I could select "Install from zip file".   

 

That is unusual, however I'm glad that you were able to navigate to the correct area.

 

Navigation is one of the key areas of Kodi to master... it's not difficult but sometimes you can end up somewhere unexpected.

 

Familiarisation will happen as you learn the product and navigation will be easier.

[RichCor]

1 minute ago, Jai Dee said:

Navigation is one of the key areas of Kodi to master...

 

Was just a little surprised to find a new install of Kodi automatically jumping to a memorized menu position. Took me a few seconds to realize what may be happening (as I've used Kodi before), and right-click and ESC won't navigate up a menu tree, so need to use the " .. " (double-dot) to back up through the tree to reach the original menus.

 

Just posted in case other people follow along and don't get what's expected.

[Jai Dee]

6 minutes ago, RichCor said:

Just posted in case other people follow along and don't get what's expected.

Thanks for that Rich.

A useful tip.

[Jai Dee]

On ‎21‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 2:39 PM, Jai Dee said:

You may now opt to either make your own Kodi build using skins and addons sources from third parties, or you might choose to try out one of the many freely available Kodi builds. There are quite a few discussed in the Best Builds thread.

 

Just remember, a lot of these builds contain addons that can access pirated material. ThaiVisa are not responsible for the builds, nor the addons, nor the content streamed to your device and neither do we condone piracy, so you must satisfy yourself that either you or the sites accessed for streaming have the copyright agreements in place and are entitled to access this content.

 

The first thing you need to do is to create a means of backing up and restoring your Kodi setup so you can put it back together again should it become corrupted or too bloated. I would recommend that the Ares Wizard (or Ares Repository) is one of the best ways to achieve this. It’s extremely easy to configure and I’m going to walk you through every step of the process. This is something you’ll only ever have to do once.

 

Step 1: Navigate to the settings cogwheel at the top left of your screen.

 

Step 2: Select the File manager menu.

 

Step 3: Click on the Add source function.

 

Step 4: Click on the field that displays <None> under the Enter the paths or browse for the media locations heading.

 

Step 5: Using the on-screen keyboard, input http://repo.ares-project.com/magic/ and then select the OK button.

 

If this source does not work for you (it may be too busy and you get errors downloading), there is another location where you can get the Ares Wizard:

 

[Jai Dee]

Changing the Skin on Kodi - creating your own custom build

 

You can change Kodi's GUI from top to bottom and add all sorts of customizable options by adding new interface skins.

 

Using these skins you can integrate your favourite video addons into the skin to provide a truly unique and personal viewing experience.

 

To demonstrate this I'm going to start with a fresh install of Kodi 17.3 with the Ares Wizard installed (as it is a good utility for backup/restore options as well as a good resource for third party repositories and addons), then install a skin.

 

There are a number of skins available and this page  allows users to compare skin features and version compatibility.

 

To install these skins you must do so from the Add-on manager from within Kodi by going to:

Settings

Add-ons

Install from repository

Kodi add-on repository

Look and feel

Skins

<choose whichever skin you want>

Install

 

 

Personally I like the Aeon Nox 5: SILVO skin... you can get it here.

 

To install it first Download the Repo then start Kodi and navigate to the Addons and install it from zipfile.

 

 

Then select Install from repository > Aeon Nox: SiLVO repository > Look and feel > Skin > Aeon Nox 5: SiLVO. Choose the latest version.

 

 

 

 

Be patient whilst the skin and it's supporting addons are downloading

 

The required supporting addons are:

script.skinshortcuts

script.grab.fanart

service.library.data.provider

resource.images.studios.white

resource.images.recordlabels.white

 

Finally you will be presented with the following message:

 

 

Select Yes then select Yes again to keep the change.

 

You will then be asked to select a background.

We can do this later so select No for now.

 

 

You screen should now look like this:

 

 

[Jai Dee]

Customising your skin and adding some artwork

 

I'm sure you have all seen example of those builds with the beautiful backgrounds and artwork... well you can have it too on your own custom build.

 

It is really easy to do.

 

First use Google or Bing or whatever your preferred search engine is to search for 1920 x 1080 HD wallpaper... in the themes of your choice obviously.

 

Keep in mind that you should find images that will support the themes of the sub-menus in your skin.

 

By using the Aeon Nox 5: SILVO skin we have all sorts of possibilities... sub-menus can be added or deleted, changed and customised... up to the limits of your imagination.

 

For the purpose of this demonstration I have chosen the following categories: TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Favourites, System, and Power.

 

Here is a sample of the images I collected for the TV theme which I stored in a directory called TV:

 

 

TV, Movies, and Sports are likely to need the most background images but you can get by with only one if you want... it's entirely up to you.

 

The next thing to do is to move those image directories into a location where Kodi can find them.

 

I recommend creating a new directory called Backgrounds under Kodi's media directory:

 

 

You can then move your image directories into the Backgrounds directory:

 

 

Next we'll start Kodi and start customizing the new skin.

 

First step, we will make some changes to the skin to make it easier to navigate and prepare it for customization.

 

Navigate to System and just beneath it select Skin Settings:

 

 

Then change the Aeon Nox main menu horizontal position from Center to Low:

 

 

Then check (turn on) Center date and time when infoline is empty and Submenu always visible:

 

 

Escape back to the main menu and your screen should now look like this:

 

 

Starting to look good yet?

 

We have only just started!

 

Second step, we need to tell Kodi where our new backgrounds are, so navigate to System and Select File Manager:

 

 

You will note that I already have .ares listed as a source... I did that and installed the Ares Wizard before installing the skin.

 

Select Add Source and Browse to the Backgrounds directory that you previously stored under Kodi's media directory and select OK.

 

 

Name the source Backgrounds and select OK.

 

 

You will now see Backgrounds listed in Kodi's Media Sources:

 

 

There is a slight glitch... (I'm not sure if it's Kodi or the skin) where the byte count of the Directory is wrong (mine is actually 37.3 MB not 373 GB) but it is harmless and makes no difference.