Let's Talk About Kodi

[gaffobohs]

Is there a way to make a favourites list in Exodus like you could in Genesis?

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[calgarygringo]

Go and setup an account in Trakt TV (Tools/Accounts) and then you can set up your various lists. There is no cost just set up with an email address and away you go. We use it for watching some of the old series that have many years and episodes to watch. Makes it easy to find them for the next time.

[EldrickOnIce]

Sign up online at trakt.tv
The trakt addon is in the programs section of the official Kodi repo. Install and sign in.
Connect Exodus to your trakt account as described above by gringo.
Anything you search for or run across in Exodus tv links can be added manually to your watch list by pulling up context menu on when show is highlighted, choosing trakt manager and adding it to watchlist. Or anything you watch, no matter where in any season you start it, the next episode will show up in your latest episodes list (must be enabled in settings - by default is set to local, not trakt).
It might sound complicated, but it's easy to set up actually. And will sync across all Kodi devices you use, if they are linked to trakt in the same way. Also nice to fresh start Kodi from time to time, and trakt starts you right where you left off. Once you start using it, you'll kick yourself that you didn't earlier. I did.

[gaffobohs]

Excellent I'll give it a try tomorrow! Thanks!

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[gaffobohs]

Got the trakt set up and working great! I came across another article which named real-debrid as a great option for kodi too. Supposed to reduce buffering, grab HD streams. Anyone use it?

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[EldrickOnIce]

Excellent. Glad you got it figured out.
I have tried Real Debrid (bought it for a month) and Premiumize Me (1 month free trial). You add the accounts in Kodi settings and/or in addons themselves.
I did not find either valuable enough to keep, but they definitely provide more high quality sources. I recall have some issues getting the sources to play, but it may certainly be worth a look to determine for yourself. iirc, both offer certain hours of the day free with account, and you could try it that way. Debrid is in France, I think. And between 6am and noon (in that time zone) a free account works.

[MrCallahan]

So all this Kodi talk, and no hardware talk.

Now that I've started to get the hang of Kodi, and have been using more, I'd like to get more reliable hardware and a better remote.

I bought a cheapo unit to experiment with (MX3), and Android seems to be bogged down pretty quick after using it for a while. What do you guys recommend for hardware? are there any go-to products that seems to work best in terms of hardware performance and remote response?

[gaffobohs]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Excellent. Glad you got it figured out.
I have tried Real Debrid (bought it for a month) and Premiumize Me (1 month free trial). You add the accounts in Kodi settings and/or in addons themselves.
I did not find either valuable enough to keep, but they definitely provide more high quality sources. I recall have some issues getting the sources to play, but it may certainly be worth a look to determine for yourself. iirc, both offer certain hours of the day free with account, and you could try it that way. Debrid is in France, I think. And between 6am and noon (in that time zone) a free account works.

I would have definitely gone for a RD account before, but since I've started using Exodus I've found it amazing, little to no buffering and nearly always HD streams! So I'll continue as I am for the time being and if Exodus stays this good I won't need it! Cheers!

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[gaffobohs]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

So all this Kodi talk, and no hardware talk.

Now that I've started to get the hang of Kodi, and have been using more, I'd like to get more reliable hardware and a better remote.

I bought a cheapo unit to experiment with (MX3), and Android seems to be bogged down pretty quick after using it for a while. What do you guys recommend for hardware? are there any go-to products that seems to work best in terms of hardware performance and remote response?

I have the mx3 unit too from goobangdoo off Amazon. Had it for over a year and it's been fine, only use it with kodi and mobdro apps. Sometimes run into issues when using the browser or play store on it and haven't been able to update it ota but other than that it's still performing well for streaming with kodi. Think I bought it for $120 as I went for the one with the higher RAM.

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[MrCallahan]

Originally Posted by gaffobohs

I have the mx3 unit too from goobangdoo off Amazon. Had it for over a year and it's been fine, only use it with kodi and mobdro apps. Sometimes run into issues when using the browser or play store on it and haven't been able to update it ota but other than that it's still performing well for streaming with kodi. Think I bought it for $120 as I went for the one with the higher RAM.

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Yeah, I think I made the mistake of buying the one with less RAM. But the intention at the time was just to buy a cheap box, try it out to see if I like it and go from there.

Anyone have any experience with the Nvidia Shield? might be overkill for a regular Kodi user, but as a whole media center, could be interesting!

[gaffobohs]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

Yeah, I think I made the mistake of buying the one with less RAM. But the intention at the time was just to buy a cheap box, try it out to see if I like it and go from there.

Anyone have any experience with the Nvidia Shield? might be overkill for a regular Kodi user, but as a whole media center, could be interesting!

Are you having issues in the kodi app at all?

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[MrCallahan]

Originally Posted by gaffobohs

Are you having issues in the kodi app at all?

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Not a lot, just some small little things.

I get caching issues when streaming some movies, an error pops up saying it ran out of memory and need to clear cache.

Memory loads seems to increase over time, so I have to clear the memory quite frequently. I'm sure it can be fixed with getting the MX3 with increased RAM.

But I wouldn't mind getting a proper media hub. I use my PS4 for Netflix/Hulu/Shomi, so if I can slowly migrate everything to a single box, that'd be slick. (Shomi might be the one left hanging)

[gaffobohs]

Yeah I get those issues from time to time? Have you tried any of the tweaks from xunity maintenance(I think)? I think there is a zero cache tweak in there too that could help. Anything you watch on shomi you should be able to watch on Exodus on kodi.

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[EldrickOnIce]

If you are considering upgrading device now, definitely look into something that will handle HEVC x265 streams. You see these streams popping up a lot more now, as file size is tiny with outstanding quality. The problem is underpowered boxes won't play it well at all. I don't know if any of my devices will stand this test going forward, except my macbook.
The Shield would definitely play it - and yes it is way overkill. But if you are possibly interested in it for gaming, etc as well - it might be a good choice. I just cringe at the price.
I don't know if the Pi3 with Openelec or OSMC will handle x265 streams. My Pi2 is fun, but a bit underpowered - and it will never work for x265. One really nice part of the Pi though, if your TV does it (and most do), is pass CEC commands from remote. As a result, navigating Kodi works flawlessly on my Pi with standard TV remote - and the Yatse app for android is my backup, particularly for typing onscreen.

It is my understanding that the Minix Neo U1 streams x265 perfectly. They are $179.99 at amazon.ca right now, direct from Minix, with Prime shipping if you are a member.

Without taking x265 streams into account, easily the best bang for my buck has been the $39(US) Amazon firestick. Wireless connectivity is excellent, when cell phones are at the edge of range in the house, the firestick has good signal. And they will play anything but x265 with ease. It is easy to load Kodi from android device with apps, but must be sideloaded instead of installed from play store like a lot of android boxes. Unfortunately not available from Amazon (or off shelf) in Canada like they are in the US.

[EldrickOnIce]

Best thing to do with any box is reboot it from scratch from time to time, using fresh start program addon. If using trakt (and addon installer) you can install only what you want/need in no time and have your watch lists, etc exactly as they were, without all the buggy stuff.
I do this probably every couple months - and it really takes no time at all, with the right tools/addons.

[MrCallahan]

I'm actually in the US right now for another day, maybe I'll try to squeeze in a visit to BestBuy quickly and grab an Amazon Firestick. Even if it's not a regular device I use, would still be fun to mess around with.

[EldrickOnIce]

I love mine. We use it in the backyard in projector to play movies on wall a few evenings a year. It will usually run well just on USB output instead of AC adapter.
I take it on the toad when travelling too. Plug into hotel tv and connect to their wifi, and watch what I want.
Very versatile device - and yeah it's fun.

[gaffobohs]

So since I've been introduced to trakt while reading this thread, is there any other recommendations for addons that will make kodi even better? Tips/tricks and tweaks?

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[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by gaffobohs

So since I've been introduced to trakt while reading this thread, is there any other recommendations for addons that will make kodi even better? Tips/tricks and tweaks?

I do play around with skins a bit, but finally settled on Amber - because it's more customizable than Confluence but is still light and fast. There are some fantastic skins visually, but they take too many resources for my liking.
Otherwise, it depends what you are looking for, and if you cut the cable cord. I don't really tweak - at least it's never been effective anyway. I have a stripped down list of addons - I test new ones on one unit and only add to the rest if something looks good. Outside of addon installer and fresh start, trakt is the only program addon I use. So otherwise just Exodus, 1channel, Vidtime, Castaway and an NHL addon for my subscription.

Plus a few less used:
USTV now gives you the 4 major US networks as well as CW, PBS and My9. You sign up for an free account online, and enter info into app. They have an enhanced pay for package as well.They now broadcast in semi-hd quality. If you need live US network TV, this works well.

FilmOn addon pulls together free broadcasts of UK and a bit of other tv from around the world. If you combine it with FTV guide addon, you get full interactive guide of everything broadcast. Not every channel in the basic guide will work, but lots do. Lots are pretty much useless, but we do watch a bit of 'live' TV this way (like food network, CBS Reality, and other junk) because sometimes you just want something mindless on that you don't have to choose. The Man vs Food marathons are the best

About all I missed when we cut cable was HGTV. There is an excellent HGTV Canada app that has tons of full episodes in the official Kodi repo, as well as a CBC app. A lot of programming you can find here won't be found in the usual ways. It basically just mines video from the respective websites, where it is offered freely. There is probably quite a bit of stuff that may be worth checking out in the official Kodi repo, and it often gets overlooked.

And, unrelated to Kodi, there is OTA TV. It's different here though (25k from US border), as I get 22 OTA channels with a $60 2ft long outdoor antenna. The quality is outstanding, and local programming is nice too. But to be honest, I definitely spend more time tinkering with boxes/setups/antenna than I do actually watching TV.

[zzibradleyizz]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

Anyone have any experience with the Nvidia Shield? might be overkill for a regular Kodi user, but as a whole media center, could be interesting!

I use the Nvidia Shield, absolutely love it. It's been tooted as the best android box on the market currently, and I believe it. It runs Kodi with absolutely no problems as expected. It is overkill like some say, but i'd rather pay the extra couple of bucks for a powerful box. It has a lot more capabilities then just running Kodi as well for gaming. Would definitely recommend it.

I had the Amazon FireTV Stick previously. It worked well, but had it's limitations, hence why I upgraded.

Here is a good blog of the good boxes on the market for this spring:
https://www.tvaddons.ag/spring2016-androidtv/