Editing Kodi (software) (section)

==Overview==
Kodi supports many common audio, video, and image formats, playlists, audio visualizations (FishBMC, Goom, Matrix, [[MilkDrop]], [[Shadertoy]]), slideshows, weather forecast reporting, and third-party plugins. It is network-capable (internet and [[Local area network|home network]] shares). Unlike other media center applications such as [[Windows Media Center]], [[MediaPortal]] and [[MythTV]], Kodi does not include its own internal digital TV-tuner code for [[Live TV]] or DVR/PVR recording functionality, as instead it acts as a unified DVR/PVR front-end with an EPG TV-Guide [[graphical user interface]] (GUI) interface which, via a common [[application programming interface]] (API), abstracts and supports multiple back-ends via PVR client add-ons from third parties, with those running either locally on the same machine or over the network.<ref name="XBMC 9.11 makes your open source home theater look shinier" /><ref name="XBMC is the best media center application. Period." /><ref name="XBMC 9.04 delivers impressive media center experience" />

[[Plug-in (computing)|Plug-ins]], using either C/C++ programming languages to create binary add-ons or the [[Python (programming language)|Python scripting language]] to create Script Addons, expand Kodi to include features such as television program guides, [[YouTube]], [[Hulu]], [[Netflix]], [[Veoh]], online movie trailer support, and Pandora Radio and [[podcast]] streaming. Kodi also functions as a game launcher on any operating system.<ref name="XBMC is the best media center application. Period." /><ref name="XBMC 9.04 delivers impressive media center experience" />

Kodi's [[source code]] is distributed as open source under the [[GNU General Public License]] (GPL-2.0-or-later), it is governed by the tax-exempt registered non-profit US organization, XBMC Foundation, and is owned and developed by a global free software community of unpaid volunteers.

Even though the original XBMC project no longer develops or supports XBMC for the Xbox, XBMC on the Xbox is still available via the third-party developer spin-off project "[[XBMC4Xbox]]", which forked the Xbox version of the software and completely took over the development and support of XBMC for the old Xbox. The ending of Xbox support by the original project was also the reason that it was renamed "XBMC" from the old "Xbox Media Center" name, and why it later was renamed "Kodi".<ref name="XBMC Discontinues Xbox Support">{{Cite web |url=http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/05/28/043243/XBMC-Discontinues-Xbox-Support?art_pos=1 |title=XBMC Discontinues Xbox Support |last=Timothy |date=28 May 2010 |website=Slashdot |access-date=31 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608061250/http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/05/28/043243/XBMC-Discontinues-Xbox-Support?art_pos=1 |archive-date=8 June 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="XBMC Drops Support for the Original Xbox">{{Cite web |url=http://lifehacker.com/5550225/xbmc-drops-support-for-the-original-xbox |title=XBMC Drops Support for the Original Xbox |last=Adam Pash |date=28 May 2010 |website=Lifehacker |access-date=31 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531174016/http://lifehacker.com/5550225/xbmc-drops-support-for-the-original-xbox |archive-date=31 May 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="XBMC4Xbox">{{Cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2010/05/31/xmbc-bids-farewell-to-its-progenitor-the-original-xbox/ |title=XBMC bids farewell to its progenitor: the original Xbox |last=Sean Hollister |date=31 May 2010 |website=Engadget |access-date=2 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830151620/https://www.engadget.com/2010/05/31/xmbc-bids-farewell-to-its-progenitor-the-original-xbox/ |archive-date=30 August 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Xbox version of XBMC had the ability to launch console games, and [[homebrew (video games)|homebrew]] applications such as [[Video game console emulator|emulators]]. Since the XBMC for Xbox version was never distributed, endorsed, or supported by Microsoft, it always required a [[modchip]] or [[softmod|softmod exploit]] to run on the Xbox game-console.<ref name="Modding The Xbox Into The Ultimate Multimedia Center" /><ref name="Review of XBMC in Hardcore Gamer Magazine" />

===Hardware requirements===
Kodi has greater basic hardware requirements than traditional 2D style software applications: it needs a [[3D computer graphics|3D]] capable [[GPU|graphics hardware controller]] for all rendering. Powerful 3D GPU chips are common today in most modern computer platforms, including many [[set-top box]]es, and XBMC, now Kodi, was from the start designed to be otherwise very resource-efficient, for being as powerful and versatile a framework as it is. It runs well on what (by [[Intel Atom]] standards) are relatively underpowered [[OpenGL|OpenGL 1.3]] (with [[GLSL]] support), [[OpenGL ES|OpenGL ES 2.0]] or [[Direct3D|Direct3D (DirectX) 9.0]] capable systems that are [[IA-32]]/[[x86]], [[x86-64]], [[ARM architecture|ARM]] (AArch32 and AArch64), [[RISC-V]], or [[PowerPC G4]] or later [[CPU]] based.<ref name="XBMC is the best media center application. Period." />

When software decoding of a full HD [[1080p]] high-definition and high bit-rate video is performed by the system [[CPU]], a [[multi-core processor|dual-core]] 2&nbsp;GHz or faster CPU is required in order to allow for perfectly smooth playback without dropping [[Film frame|frames]] or giving playback a jerky appearance. Kodi can, however, offload most of the video decoding process onto graphics hardware controller or embedded video processing circuits that support one of the following types of hardware-accelerated [[video decoding]]: Google's MediaCodec API for Android, Intel's [[VAAPI]], Nvidia's [[VDPAU]] API, AMD's [[XvBA]] API, Microsoft's [[DXVA]] API, Apple's VDADecoder/VideoToolbox APIs, and the Khronos Group's [[OpenMAX]] API,<ref name="How to install Broadcom Crystal HD driver on Ubuntu?">{{Cite web |url=http://www.htpcbeginner.com/install-broadcom-crystal-hd-driver-ubuntu/ |title=How to install Broadcom Crystal HD driver on Ubuntu? |last=Anand Subramanian |date=7 February 2014 |website=htpcBeginner |access-date=23 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403145722/http://www.htpcbeginner.com/install-broadcom-crystal-hd-driver-ubuntu/ |archive-date=3 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="phoronix1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTAyODU |title=XBMC Project Implements AMD XvBA Interface |date=14 December 2011 |publisher=Phoronix.com |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202013131/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTAyODU |archive-date=2 February 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[AMLogic]] VPU, [[Freescale Semiconductor|Freescale]]'s [[i.MX|i.MX6x series]] VPU, and [[Raspberry Pi]]'s GPU MMAL. By taking advantage of such hardware-accelerated video decoding, Kodi can play back most videos on many inexpensive, low-performance systems, as long as they contain a supported VPU or GPU.