Since the project forked in 2016 our fundraising has been managed through a PayPal account. This has been effective, but it has limited our options for paying for things to places that accept PayPal, and reimbursing expenses to users with a PayPal acccount. The hassle of liberating funds from the account has discouraged their use, and some services the project relies upon are still guaranteed with personal credit cards. As we do not have a business PayPal account (because we are not a business) the account is legally the personal account of a single (trusted) team member. The need to control access also limits financial activities to a few senior team members who already do much for the project. It also means our finances are opaque to the wider team and backers and supporters from our user community.
To improve things for the teaam we have moved fundraising to OpenCollective who provide 501(c)6 fiscal sponsorship to thousands of Open Source projects. Fiscal sponsorship means OpenCollective will hold funds in an account on our behalf, and for a percentage fee that covers their costs they provide an online platform that allows us to receive, manage, and spend funds through a wider range of methods. This will encourage greater use of donations, and in an accountable and transparent way with the legal and admin responsibilities shared among more team members.
To improve things for users we can now accept a wider range of donation methods in addition to paypal (behind the scenes the funds now route to OpenCollective not our own account). The online nature of OpenCollective also ensures everyone making a one-time or recurring donation to the project can be listed as a backer (if they choose to be). In recent years the number of recurring donations has increased and we want those users to have public thanks and recognition. We also receive occasional donations from companies, and while we avoid the obligations of commercial sponsorship, we would like companies who back Open Source projects to stand out from the crowd.
OpenCollective is now live: https://opencollective.com/libreelec/donate
Please send Paypal donations to our Open Collective account or use the button below.
Posts by LibreELEC
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LibreELEC settings add-on translations have moved from Transifex to the Team Kodi weblate instance. Most of our active translators also contribute to Kodi repo add-ons, so relocating to the same tool makes things easier for them. Weblate will also push translation updates to our repo so changes can be merged in a more timely fashion (Transifex has been a little neglected). Current translation status can be seen here:
https://translate.libreelec.tv/
NB: If you would like to see the LibreELEC settings add-on translated to your language, it doesn’t happen by magic! - Please sign up with Kodi Weblate and contribute the changes.
Please send Paypal donations to [email protected] or use the button below.
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The final version of LibreELEC 10.0.1 has been released, bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.3 to LibreELEC users.
Users of LibreELEC 10 Beta or RC1 get an automatic update to the final version. LibreELEC 9.2 setups will not be automatically updated, you will need to manually update.
We can offer stable and good working versions for Allwinner, Generic and Rockchip devices. The RPi4 is also in good shape but the codebase is rather new, so it is not polished yet (keep reading for details).
CHANGES SINCE 10.0.0
updates:
- update Kodi to 19.3
- several minor package updates
fixes:
- profiles are now useable
- powercyling related fixes for CEC
- NFS servers are discoverable again
- ASS subtitles are not properly shown
- RPi4 lockup of playback/kodi after n plays on repeat
- RPi4 HDMI screen turns off when sustained high CPU usage
- RPi4 “no signal” after bringing TV out of standy in 4kp50/60 mode
- Rpi4 crashes at H264 and H265 playback
- RPi4 splash is not shown on HDMI0 if HDMI1 is connected
RASPBERRY PI 0-3
There are no Raspberry Pi 0-3 releases for LE10.0. The RPi graphic drivers are still in progress of a complete rewrite, additionally the current developement is focused on RPi 4.
- Support for RPi0-1 is dropped, its unlikely to return (lacking horsepower for the new graphic stack)
- Drivers for RPi2 and 3 are currently not yet feature complete and stable
RASPBERRY PI 4
The situation for RPi 4 is different. There is a lot that properly works, but keep in mind this is still brand new. Unlikely bugs are still possible. Overall, the current version is properly useable.
Working
- HDMI output up to 4kp30
- H264 and H265 HW decoding
- NEW: HDR output (HDR10 and HLG)
- NEW: HD audio passthrough (Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD)
Known Issues:
- No deinterlacing with HW video decoders. Possible workaround: disable HW video decoding (“DRM PRIME decoder” in player settings), this works mostly fine for SD content (eg DVDs)
- 4K50/60 output is supported by the driver, but has some known issues (eg “no signal” when TV is put into standby and back on)
- 50/60fps H264 HW decoding may need
force_turbo=1orcore_freq_min=500in config.txt to avoid AV-sync-issues/skipping - 10/12-bit video output isn’t implemented yet, 10-bit video is displayed in 8 bits
- Kodi runs in 4096x2160 instead of 3840x2160 on 4k TVs after fresh installation
Solution: Change resolution in system settings (1920x1080 50 or 60Hz plus setting up whitelist and enabling “Adjust display refresh rate” in player settings is recommended) - Hyperion Add-on no longer works
No solution for now, Hyperion doesn’t support the new graphics driver stack yet - The additional DVB drivers are not present.
Important changes since LE9.2:
hdmi_mode,hdmi_group,hdmi_edid_fileetc settings in config.txt can no longer be used to work around display issues.
Alternatives:- Run
getedid createto install permanent EDID file (same as on Generic) - Use
video=...kernel command line option to force a video mode Eg: addvideo=HDMI-A-1:1280x720M@60Dto cmdline.txt
- Run
- Analog audio output is not enabled by default
Solution: adddtparam=audio=onandaudio_pwm_mode=1to config.txt to enable it
MAKE BACKUPS
Due the many breaking changes at Kodi and LibreELEC, it is strongly recommended to create a backup BEFORE you upgrade. Otherwise, rolling back is basically impossible. Kodi does not support in-place downgrades, and if it ever worked for you in the past it was simple luck, not design. Python3 guarantees problems this time.
So unless you are already running an image with Kodi 19 inside, a clean install is preferred. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we expect a much higher than normal support effort with in-place upgrades so it’s sensible advice.
CHANGES
You can read the official Team Kodi release announcement for Matrix/v19.3 here, and (again) the recent Upcoming Changes blog post for more info on Kodi changes and the transition to GBM/V4L2. You probably (and hopefully) won’t notice it, but every package that goes into the LibreELEC OS has been updated to its latest or recent release. It’s been two years since Kodi 18 was released, so the change set is too large to list. GitHub has the full history for those interested.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs - help us to help you.
Enjoy!
Donating
Please send Paypal donations to [email protected] or use the button below.
Click here to go to the download page.
SHA256 Hashes
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LibreELEC-H6.arm-10.0.1-pine-h64-model-b.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@39606919362ecacfa87cb75205fd269da0a69221d55a6186e47cd79bcc247a2e LibreELEC-H6.arm-10.0.1-tanix-tx6.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@bd0c69331c235adce73afaa32b9468ed081186e897d2af1146d5e2127ab166ce LibreELEC-R40.arm-10.0.1-bananapi-m2u.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@0547975443986891581f1bd8537e4d63096fd15b90350edeaa8450bff34a0ef9 LibreELEC-RK3288.arm-10.0.1-miqi.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@b04dbb172642ca87b2e0f0dacb3f78777ef1d75a77d73b26c40118a116973b44 LibreELEC-RK3288.arm-10.0.1-tinker.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@c3975bd595d48bd8c060db0ea7a2198cba644c28d6f6c3af03ecf2d8657a9d3d LibreELEC-RK3328.arm-10.0.1-a1.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@3d0336badd9718dea0b39633670488e7e88ae8fa994621cc20cb9fb129b9d1b2 LibreELEC-RK3328.arm-10.0.1-roc-cc.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@d645e9dd1329445aa46892929a423a7003f438ea160f4f09f95672d11e594df1 LibreELEC-RK3328.arm-10.0.1-rock64.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@6e24438e3c9b1be886ddcfca82f57094aff64fa58bc8fd36b20b8a5c9edbd7c4 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-hugsun-x99.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@1ff8ec6f881d3f9e1497cbce028fe5d6abe0b52b529eb1b4399d4ba0fd910b96 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-khadas-edge.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@a3562b5347d7b7d06355a8ffeb534a3c9f7f6a683c5fcab5eaa609836afdc15a LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-nanopc-t4.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@a68543c89d2aa32c28243347a494d4879f8580aedf59ad915f32cf841fd87581 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-nanopi-m4.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@9cd5914652c8655012d0d0f77bacc3b39bd6f4fc61215929bc46deb3fff97a5a LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-orangepi.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@542d6aeb56f99db22f0f9459dbd26e7954b5e044079e659512eaca30e1adfbb5 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-rock960.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@71f9894f15a3424d1c4c34ddac97586d2125440fa68756b77fab22da42a76346 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-rock-pi-4.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@5b7594e43f253d5024a4d9b0b15f4095e9c37e85b1087a45aad36e3bde4c0db0 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-rock-pi-n10.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@b3d7258a77e1c5da6ee17b49bdeddcbd85cfc771bf574143ae1af5e1e63d5304 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-rockpro64.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@0b2e86072dbab7ef38ea4e563570dc08524c7d13e3725489a5cf89e009de8788 LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-roc-pc.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@da28979d8771195fe6e1f838d3b3c49d1a7528c048936d16801d2afa4bddfa9d LibreELEC-RK3399.arm-10.0.1-sapphire.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@d9ad33bf8a7111674e981ebed0ad4b5bf19ab96de5315e7f74e908c2a1c9e645 LibreELEC-RPi4.arm-10.0.1.img.gz@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@Source: https://libreelec.tv/2021/11/03/libreelec-matrix-10-0-1/
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The final version of LibreELEC 10.0.0 has been released, bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.1 to LibreELEC users.
Users of LibreELEC 10 Beta or RC1 get an automatic update to the final version. LibreELEC 9.2 setups will not be automatically updated, you will need to manually update.
We can offer stable and good working versions for Allwinner, Generic and Rockchip devices. The RPi4 is also in good shape but the codebase is rather new, so it is not polished yet (keep reading for details).
REMAINING BUGS
Despite a long development period, there is still a major bug remaining. When you use profiles, LibreELEC’s Settings Add-on can crash while switching to another profile. The issue is known,but we have currently no fix for it. So if you depend on profiles, you cannot properly use LibreELEC 10.
RASPBERRY PI 0-3
There are no Raspberry Pi 0-3 releases for LE10.0. The RPi graphic drivers are still in progress of a complete rewrite, additionally the current developement is focused on RPi 4.
- Support for RPi0-1 is dropped, its unlikely to return (lacking horsepower for the new graphic stack)
- Drivers for RPi2 and 3 are currently unfinished and isn’t properly useable at this time
RASPBERRY PI 4
The situation for RPi 4 is different. There is a lot that properly works, but keep in mind this is still brand new. Unlikely bugs are still possible. Overall, the current version is properly useable.
Working
- HDMI output up to 4kp30
- H264 and H265 HW decoding
- NEW: HDR output (HDR10 and HLG)
- NEW: HD audio passthrough (Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD)
Known Issues:
- No deinterlacing with HW video decoders. Possible workaround: disable HW video decoding (“DRM PRIME decoder” in player settings), this works mostly fine for SD content (eg DVDs)
- 4K50/60 output is supported by the driver, but has some known issues (eg “no signal” when TV is put into standby and back on)
- 50/60fps H264 HW decoding may need
force_turbo=1orcore_freq_min=500in config.txt to avoid AV-sync-issues/skipping - 10/12-bit video output isn’t implemented yet, 10-bit video is displayed in 8 bits
- Kodi runs in 4096x2160 instead of 3840x2160 on 4k TVs after fresh installation
Solution: Change resolution in system settings (1920x1080 50 or 60Hz plus setting up whitelist and enabling “Adjust display refresh rate” in player settings is recommended) - Hyperion Add-on no longer works
No solution for now, Hyperion doesn’t support the new graphics driver stack yet
Important changes since LE9.2:
hdmi_mode,hdmi_group,hdmi_edid_fileetc settings in config.txt can longer be used to work around display issues.
Alternatives:- Run
getedid createto install permanent EDID file (same as on Generic) - Use
video=...kernel command line option to force a video mode Eg: addvideo=HDMI-A-1:1280x720M@60Dto cmdline.txt
- Run
- Analog audio output is not enabled by default
Solution: adddtparam=audio=onandaudio_pwm_mode=1to config.txt to enable it
MAKE BACKUPS
Due the many breaking changes at Kodi and LibreELEC, it is strongly recommended to create a backup BEFORE you upgrade. Otherwise, rolling back is basically impossible. Kodi does not support in-place downgrades, and if it ever worked for you in the past it was simple luck, not design. Python3 guarantees problems this time.
So unless you are already running an image with Kodi 19 inside, a clean install is preferred. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we expect a much higher than normal support effort with in-place upgrades so it’s sensible advice.
CHANGES
You can read the official Team Kodi release announcement for Matrix/v19.0 here, and (again) the recent Upcoming Changes blog post for more info on Kodi changes and the transition to GBM/V4L2. You probably (and hopefully) won’t notice it, but every package that goes into the LibreELEC OS has been updated to its latest or recent release. It’s been two years since Kodi 18 was released, so the change set is too large to list. GitHub has the full history for those interested.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs - help us to help you.
Enjoy!
Donating
Please send Paypal donations to [email protected] or use the button below.
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LibreELEC 10.0 RC1 is released! bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.1 (+ additional fixes) to LibreELEC users.
Changes from LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 5 are listed here. As discussed in the recent Upcoming Changes blog post it, the 10.0 release is a disruptive and limited hardware release. If you have not read the blog post – please do – because we are not releasing images for all hardware. In summary: this is a stable release for Generic (x86_64 PCs). Stable-Beta for Allwinner and Rockchip. Stable “Alpha” for Raspberry Pi 4 as the code is still very new. RPi 2/3 are still in development targeting an LE10.2 release. RPi 0/1 are discontinued. All others hardware is still in development and not in a state for formal releases.WIDEVINE
LibreELEC 10 RC1 is out of the box compatible with the new widevine version (4.10.2252.0 or newer) and no manual changes are required anymore to make it work.
** DO NOT UPGRADE! **
Yes, we mean that. The team are super keen for you to run the latest LibreELEC release but we recommend you clean install not upgrade an existing installation – unless you are upgrading from a recent nightly image, i.e. you are already using Kodi 19.
The two simple (but complex) reasons for this advice are:
a) Python3 changes in Kodi v19 mean 99.99% of add-ons stop working. Most official Kodi add-ons now have Matrix compatible versions in the Kodi repo, but the transtion to them is not always smooth. Incompatible Python2 add-ons are disabled automatically on upgrade and users need to find/update add-ons to Python3 versions before re-enabling them. Banned/piracy add-ons are heavily impacted by the Python3 change, and while we don’t care about them breaking, we do care about the abuse that’s often hurled at staff when we refuse sympathy or support to that subset of users.
b) Kernel changes for RPi4 users combined with no release for RPi2/3 users and discontinued support for RPi0/1 users means signifant changes in the user experience (Raspberry Pi users are a combined 80% of our active installed base). We are pretty confident RPi4 users will like the update since it brings HBR audio and initial HDR video support, but it’s still a big change. Generic (where there is a lower level of change) and Allwinner/Rockchip (which already run on modern kernels) are less impacted.
SPARE CARDS AND BACKUPS
Using a spare SD card or USB stick to clean install onto makes “rolling back” in the event of problems simple. If you will reuse the same boot media, make a backup first and move it off-box so you can clean install an earlier release then restore from the backup. Kodi does not support in-place downgrades and it ever worked for you in the past it was luck not design (and Python3 guarantees problems this time). Your failure to make a backup is not our problem!
So unless you are already running an image with Kodi 19 inside, a clean install is preferred. We apologise for the inconvenience but we expect a much higher than normal support effort with in-place upgrades so it’s sensible advice.
CHANGES
You can read the official Team Kodi release announcement for Matrix/v19.0 here and (again) the recent Upcoming Changes blog post for more info on Kodi changes and the transition to GBM/V4L2. You probably (and hopefully) won’t notice, but every package that goes into the LibreELEC OS has been updated to a latest or recent release. It’s been two years since Kodi 18 was released so the changeset is too large to list. GitHub has the full history.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. Please remember this is a beta. We are expecting some minor bugs/issues to be found and there will probably be a BETA2 release before we reach 10.0. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs – help us to help you.
Enjoy! 🙂
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Today we are releasing a LibreELEC update for the 9.2 branch to primarily fix Widevine, its that piece of software that allows playback of Netflix, Amazon Prime and other paid video services.
The new version of widevine (4.10.2252.0 or newer) is mandatory to keep it working after the streaming services finally switched to the new version.
With that new version (that is taken from ChromeOS) all ARM devices need additional libraries to make it work again.
The update is only available for Raspberry Pi 2, 3, 4 and Slice 3. The fix is already included in our LE10 builds too.
The Generic (PC / Intel / AMD / Nvidia) images need no changes.SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. Please remember this is a beta. We are expecting some minor bugs/issues to be found. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs – help us to help you.
Enjoy! 🙂
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LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 5 is released! bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.1 (+ additional fixes) to LibreELEC users.
Changes from LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 4 are listed here. As discussed in the recent Upcoming Changes blog post it, the 10.0 release is a disruptive and limited hardware release. If you have not read the blog post – please do – because we are not releasing images for all hardware. In summary: this is a stable release for Generic (x86_64 PCs). Stable-Beta for Allwinner and Rockchip. Stable “Alpha” for Raspberry Pi 4 as the code is still very new. RPi 2/3 are still in development targeting an LE10.2 release. RPi 0/1 are discontinued. All others hardware is still in development and not in a state for formal releases.WIDEVINE
LibreELEC 10 Beta5 is out of the box compatible with the new widevine version (4.10.2252.0 or newer) and no manual changes are required anymore to make it work.
** DO NOT UPGRADE! **
Yes, we mean that. The team are super keen for you to run the latest LibreELEC release but we recommend you clean install not upgrade an existing installation – unless you are upgrading from a recent nightly image, i.e. you are already using Kodi 19.
The two simple (but complex) reasons for this advice are:
a) Python3 changes in Kodi v19 mean 99.99% of add-ons stop working. Most official Kodi add-ons now have Matrix compatible versions in the Kodi repo, but the transtion to them is not always smooth. Incompatible Python2 add-ons are disabled automatically on upgrade and users need to find/update add-ons to Python3 versions before re-enabling them. Banned/piracy add-ons are heavily impacted by the Python3 change, and while we don’t care about them breaking, we do care about the abuse that’s often hurled at staff when we refuse sympathy or support to that subset of users.
b) Kernel changes for RPi4 users combined with no release for RPi2/3 users and discontinued support for RPi0/1 users means signifant changes in the user experience (Raspberry Pi users are a combined 80% of our active installed base). We are pretty confident RPi4 users will like the update since it brings HBR audio and initial HDR video support, but it’s still a big change. Generic (where there is a lower level of change) and Allwinner/Rockchip (which already run on modern kernels) are less impacted.
SPARE CARDS AND BACKUPS
Using a spare SD card or USB stick to clean install onto makes “rolling back” in the event of problems simple. If you will reuse the same boot media, make a backup first and move it off-box so you can clean install an earlier release then restore from the backup. Kodi does not support in-place downgrades and it ever worked for you in the past it was luck not design (and Python3 guarantees problems this time). Your failure to make a backup is not our problem!
So unless you are already running an image with Kodi 19 inside, a clean install is preferred. We apologise for the inconvenience but we expect a much higher than normal support effort with in-place upgrades so it’s sensible advice.
CHANGES
You can read the official Team Kodi release announcement for Matrix/v19.0 here and (again) the recent Upcoming Changes blog post for more info on Kodi changes and the transition to GBM/V4L2. You probably (and hopefully) won’t notice, but every package that goes into the LibreELEC OS has been updated to a latest or recent release. It’s been two years since Kodi 18 was released so the changeset is too large to list. GitHub has the full history.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. Please remember this is a beta. We are expecting some minor bugs/issues to be found and there will probably be a BETA2 release before we reach 10.0. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs – help us to help you.
Enjoy! 🙂
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We release today a LibreELEC update to primarily fix Widevine, its that piece of software that allows playback of Netflix, Amazon Prime and other paid video services.
The new version of widevine (4.10.2252.0 or newer) is mandatory to keep it working after May 31, 2021.
With that new version (that is taken from ChromeOS) all ARM devices need additional libraries to make it work again.
Sadly its not that simple and some not too nice workarounds came in place to keep it working due changes at ChromeOS.The Generic (PC / Intel / AMD / Nvidia) images need no changes.
Raspberry Pi 2, 3 and 4
For Raspberry Pi 2/3 and 4 we made the LE 9.2.7 images that work out of the box. Just update to it and it should work.
We will not provide auto update to that version – you will need to manually update if you need widevine.
No additional changes needed (check InputStream Helper add-on for widevine update 4.10.2252.0 or newer).LibreELEC 10
Those changes are highly experimental and might causes problems. For LE10 we added the needed changes in a different way – if you don’t need widevine don’t do anything.
At least LibreELEC 10Beta4 or a more recent image is required. If you are using 9.2 for Rockchip devices please update to LE10, there are no 9.2 images with that fix included.You need to create a kodi.conf manually and add a parameter to make it work. Currently there are no plans to implement it differently to make these manually changes unnecessary due the missing overall testing.
How to make it work:
Edit the kodi.conf and add these change with the terminal
Codeecho "LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libtcmalloc_minimal.so" > /storage/.config/kodi.conf@@@WCF_PRE_LINEBREAK@@@rebootEdit the kodi.conf with the editor from Windows
Go to the network share of your device and create the kodi.conf at the Configfiles folder with following content.
Afterwards restart your device.CodeLD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libtcmalloc_minimal.soIf you are interested in details Latest Widevine 4.10.2252.0 fails to load · Issue #678 · xbmc/inputstream.adaptive · GitHub and [ARM] Add suport for libwidevine.so >= 4.10.2252.0 by kszaq · Pull Request #5376 · LibreELEC/LibreELEC.tv · GitHub.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. Please remember this is a beta. We are expecting some minor bugs/issues to be found. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs – help us to help you.
Enjoy! 🙂
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The #libreelec IRC support channel on freenode has been moved to Libera Chat. The last month has seen a series of management issues on freenode that have precipitated a mass exodus of FOSS projects to alernative IRC services; mostly Libera Chat or OFTC. Our original intention was to simply open another #libreelec channel on alternative servers. Our project staff are not big IRC users and channel traffic is low, so presence on several servers wouldn’t be a big deal. However:
This morning the “new management” on freenode executed a hostile takeover of hundreds of IRC channels including projects and groups we have interests in. Channel operators were removed, devoiced, and where channels had been closed (after relocating to another IRC service) the channels were reopened to disguise their decision to move. Why? .. simply because they mentioned Libera Chat in the channel topic.
So far our own channel on freenode has not been impacted, but in the backstory to LibreELEC’s existence there are events where one person decided we were ‘his’ hobby not ‘our’ project, staff were banned or had rights removed from project infrastructure, and a series of unilateral decisions were taken against the clearly expressed wishes of the entire team. The authoritarian activities seen on freenode feel familiar.
Libera Chat is a non-profit organisation newly-created by the former freenode admin team with a governance structure designed to prevent anything similar happening again. That also feels familiar, so we are moving. See you there 🙂
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LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 3 is released! bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.1 to LibreELEC users.
Changes from LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 2 are listed here. As discussed in the recent Upcoming Changes blog post it, the 10.0 release is a disruptive and limited hardware release. If you have not read the blog post – please do – because we are not releasing images for all hardware. In summary: this is a stable release for Generic (x86_64 PCs). Stable-Beta for Allwinner and Rockchip. Stable “Alpha” for Raspberry Pi 4 as the code is still very new. RPi 2/3 are still in development targetting an LE10.2 release. RPi 0/1 are discontinued. All others hardware is still in development and not in a state for formal releases.** DO NOT UPGRADE! **
Yes, we mean that. The team are super keen for you to run the latest LibreELEC release but we recommend you clean install not upgrade an existing installation – unless you are upgrading from a recent nightly image, i.e. you are already using Kodi 19.
The two simple (but complex) reasons for this advice are:
a) Python3 changes in Kodi v19 mean 99.99% of add-ons stop working. Most official Kodi add-ons now have Matrix compatible versions in the Kodi repo, but the transtion to them is not always smooth. Incompatible Python2 add-ons are disabled automatically on upgrade and users need to find/update add-ons to Python3 versions before re-enabling them. Banned/piracy add-ons are heavily impacted by the Python3 change, and while we don’t care about them breaking, we do care about the abuse that’s often hurled at staff when we refuse sympathy or support to that subset of users.
b) Kernel changes for RPi4 users combined with no release for RPi2/3 users and discontinued support for RPi0/1 users means signifant changes in the user experience (Raspberry Pi users are a combined 80% of our active installed base). We are pretty confident RPi4 users will like the update since it brings HBR audio and initial HDR video support, but it’s still a big change. Generic (where there is a lower level of change) and Allwinner/Rockchip (which already run on modern kernels) are less impacted.
SPARE CARDS AND BACKUPS
Using a spare SD card or USB stick to clean install onto makes “rolling back” in the event of problems simple. If you will reuse the same boot media, make a backup first and move it off-box so you can clean install an earlier release then restore from the backup. Kodi does not support in-place downgrades and it ever worked for you in the past it was luck not design (and Python3 guarantees problems this time). Your failure to make a backup is not our problem!
So unless you are already running an image with Kodi 19 inside, a clean install is preferred. We apologise for the inconvenience but we expect a much higher than normal support effort with in-place upgrades so it’s sensible advice.
CHANGES
You can read the official Team Kodi release announcement for Matrix/v19.0 here and (again) the recent Upcoming Changes blog post for more info on Kodi changes and the transition to GBM/V4L2. You probably (and hopefully) won’t notice, but every package that goes into the LibreELEC OS has been updated to a latest or recent release. It’s been two years since Kodi 18 was released so the changeset is too large to list. GitHub has the full history.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. Please remember this is a beta. We are expecting some minor bugs/issues to be found and there will probably be a BETA2 release before we reach 10.0. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs – help us to help you.
Enjoy! 🙂
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LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 2 is released! bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.0 (including additional fixes) to LibreELEC users.
Changes from LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 1 are listed here. As discussed in the recent Upcoming Changes blog post it, the 10.0 release is a disruptive and limited hardware release. If you have not read the blog post – please do – because we are not releasing images for all hardware. In summary: this is a stable release for Generic (x86_64 PCs). Stable-Beta for Allwinner and Rockchip. Stable “Alpha” for Raspberry Pi 4 as the code is still very new. RPi 2/3 are still in development targetting an LE10.2 release. RPi 0/1 are discontinued. All others hardware is still in development and not in a state for formal releases.** DO NOT UPGRADE! **
Yes, we mean that. The team are super keen for you to run the latest LibreELEC release but we recommend you clean install not upgrade an existing installation – unless you are upgrading from a recent nightly image, i.e. you are already using Kodi 19.
The two simple (but complex) reasons for this advice are:
a) Python3 changes in Kodi v19 mean 99.99% of add-ons stop working. Most official Kodi add-ons now have Matrix compatible versions in the Kodi repo, but the transtion to them is not always smooth. Incompatible Python2 add-ons are disabled automatically on upgrade and users need to find/update add-ons to Python3 versions before re-enabling them. Banned/piracy add-ons are heavily impacted by the Python3 change, and while we don’t care about them breaking, we do care about the abuse that’s often hurled at staff when we refuse sympathy or support to that subset of users.
b) Kernel changes for RPi4 users combined with no release for RPi2/3 users and discontinued support for RPi0/1 users means signifant changes in the user experience (Raspberry Pi users are a combined 80% of our active installed base). We are pretty confident RPi4 users will like the update since it brings HBR audio and initial HDR video support, but it’s still a big change. Generic (where there is a lower level of change) and Allwinner/Rockchip (which already run on modern kernels) are less impacted.
SPARE CARDS AND BACKUPS
Using a spare SD card or USB stick to clean install onto makes “rolling back” in the event of problems simple. If you will reuse the same boot media, make a backup first and move it off-box so you can clean install an earlier release then restore from the backup. Kodi does not support in-place downgrades and it ever worked for you in the past it was luck not design (and Python3 guarantees problems this time). Your failure to make a backup is not our problem!
So unless you are already running an image with Kodi 19 inside, a clean install is preferred. We apologise for the inconvenience but we expect a much higher than normal support effort with in-place upgrades so it’s sensible advice.
CHANGES
You can read the official Team Kodi release announcement for Matrix/v19.0 here and (again) the recent Upcoming Changes blog post for more info on Kodi changes and the transition to GBM/V4L2. You probably (and hopefully) won’t notice, but every package that goes into the LibreELEC OS has been updated to a latest or recent release. It’s been two years since Kodi 18 was released so the changeset is too large to list. GitHub has the full history.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forum to answer questions and provide advice. Please remember this is a beta. We are expecting some minor bugs/issues to be found and there will probably be a BETA2 release before we reach 10.0. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs – help us to help you.
Enjoy! 🙂
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LibreELEC 10.0 BETA 1 is released! bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.0 to LibreELEC users. As discussed in the recent Upcoming Changes blog post it, the 10.0 release is a disruptive and limited hardware release. If you have not read the blog post – please do – because we are not releasing images for all hardware. In summary: this is a stable release for Generic (x86_64 PCs). Stable-Beta for Allwinner and Rockchip. Stable “Alpha” for Raspberry Pi 4 as the code is still very new. RPi 2/3 are still in development targetting an LE10.2 release. RPi 0/1 are discontinued. All others hardware is still in development and not in a state for formal releases.
** DO NOT UPGRADE! **
Yes, we mean that. The team are super keen for you to run the latest LibreELEC release but we recommend you clean install not upgrade an existing installation – unless you are upgrading from a recent nightly image, i.e. you are already using Kodi 19.
The two simple (but complex) reasons for this advice are:
a) Python3 changes in Kodi v19 mean 99.99% of add-ons stop working. Most official Kodi add-ons now have Matrix compatible versions in the Kodi repo, but the transtion to them is not always smooth. Incompatible Python2 add-ons are disabled automatically on upgrade and users need to find/update add-ons to Python3 versions before re-enabling them. Banned/piracy add-ons are heavily impacted by the Python3 change, and while we don’t care about them breaking, we do care about the abuse that’s often hurled at staff when we refuse sympathy or support to that subset of users.
b) Kernel changes for RPi4 users combined with no release for RPi2/3 users and discontinued support for RPi0/1 users means signifant changes in the user experience (Raspberry Pi users are a combined 80% of our active installed base). We are pretty confident RPi4 users will like the update since it brings HBR audio and initial HDR video support, but it’s still a big change. Generic (where there is a lower level of change) and Allwinner/Rockchip (which already run on modern kernels) are less impacted.
SPARE CARDS AND BACKUPS
Using a spare SD card or USB stick to clean install onto makes “rolling back” in the event of problems simple. If you will reuse the same boot media, make a backup first and move it off-box so you can clean install an earlier release then restore from the backup. Kodi does not support in-place downgrades and it ever worked for you in the past it was luck not design (and Python3 guarantees problems this time). Your failure to make a backup is not our problem!
So unless you are already running an image with Kodi 19 inside, a clean install is preferred. We apologise for the inconvenience but we expect a much higher than normal support effort with in-place upgrades so it’s sensible advice.
CHANGES
You can read the official Team Kodi release announcement for Matrix/v19.0 here and (again) the recent Upcoming Changes blog post for more info on Kodi changes and the transition to GBM/V4L2. You probably (and hopefully) won’t notice, but every package that goes into the LibreELEC OS has been updated to a latest or recent release. It’s been two years since Kodi 18 was released so the changeset is too large to list. GitHub has the full history.
SUPPORT
Project staff are available in the forums to answer questions and provide advice. Please remember this is a beta. We are expecting some minor bugs/issues to be found and there will probably be a BETA2 release before we reach 10.0. If you have a problem, technical issues are best accompanied by system and Kodi debug logs – help us to help you.
Enjoy! 🙂
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The release of Kodi 19 is just around the corner and with it comes big changes that affects all media center hardware vendors.
One of the most obvious changes, is the switch to Python3 (the programming language that is used by the Kodi add-ons) which is incompatible with the Python2 that was previously used.
All add-ons have had to be updated to be compatible with Python3 so that they also work with Kodi 19, that has been completed successfully for many addons, but there are also many other add-ons that have not yet been updated, and therefore do not yet work with Kodi 19.The second big change concerns the methods of playing videos done by each of the hardware vendors.
In the past there was no cross-platform standard under Linux, so many adjustments and different approaches were necessary, for example “Raspberry Pi” so that it could be used with Kodi.With the release of Kodi 19 – the standard video playback for Linux is used and the legacy techniques have been removed.
This has required that the drivers support the standard on all of the hardware vendors that are supported by LibreELEC.This is where it gets difficult.
It is not a change that can or has been able to be made quickly. The current status is that some hardware vendors are further progressed than the others.
As a consequence – we will continue to support LE9.2 instead of just the latest version (LE10) as before. As soon there are serious improvements with a hardware vendors platform, we will also improve LE at this point and ship a new major release.Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi 4 works well but is not yet fully tested to consider it stable.
Raspberry Pi 2 and 3 are currently not that far along – as the focus has been on the Raspberry Pi 4. RPi 2 and 3 will follow after Raspberry Pi 4.
Unfortunately RPi 0 and 1 will be omitted, the hardware simply no longer has the power to function properly under LE10.Generic (PC)
The old X11 standard is still used here, which means there is no HDR support yet and everything works like it did before.Allwinner
We will officially support Alwinner for the first time, there is good support across all devices.Rockchip
The version based on the Linux video standard is equal to the LE9.2 version.Amlogic
Unfortunately the development in the areas that are important for Kodi has not yet advanced to a state that we can recommend it to the broader audience. Development in Linux, LibreELEC and Kodi continues daily with this hardware.In summary
We will see a stable LE10 version for Generic (PC), Allwinner and Rockchip.The Raspberry Pi 4 remains as an alpha release because it is currently still work in progress.
RPi 2 and 3 will be shipped in a future version of LibreELEC (e.g. LE10.2.)
For Amlogic – development continues and once the required components of Linux are made available, a release of LibreELEC will be made for this hardware.Source: Upcoming changes – LibreELEC
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LibreELEC 9.2.6 (Leia) has arrived based upon Kodi v18.9.
Changes since 9.2.4:
- Kodi 18.9
Kodi 19 Matrix:
We have currently no plans yet to create an official Alpha release of LE10 with the Alpha version of Kodi 19. Due the drawn out release cycle of Kodi and the experiences from the past few years we are waiting a bit longer to avoid major problems. Nightly builds could be downloaded like usual, that includes the latest unstable development snapshot of LE10/Kodi19.
Change for Raspberry 4:
With LE 9.2 and later you need to add “hdmi_enable_4kp60=1“ to your config.txt if you want to use 4k output at the RPi4. Before you needed “hdmi_enable_4k=1“ that is now deprecated.
If you experience problems, please open an thread at our forum. You can also open an ticket at our Github issue tracker.
Upgrading
On first boot the Kodi media database will be upgraded. Depending on your hardware and media collection size this could take several minutes. Please be patient.
Downloads
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LibreELEC 9.2.5 (Leia) has arrived based upon Kodi v18.8 only for RPi4. This release only contains a fix for RPi4.
There is no 9.2.5 for every other platform.Changes since 9.2.4:
- firmware fix for RPi4 (blank screen at start)
Kodi 19 Matrix:
We have currently no plans yet to create an official Alpha release of LE10 with the Alpha version of Kodi 19. Due the drawn out release cycle of Kodi and the experiences from the past few years we are waiting a bit longer to avoid major problems. Nightly builds could be downloaded like usual, that includes the latest unstable development snapshot of LE10/Kodi19.
Change for Raspberry 4:
With LE 9.2 and later you need to add “hdmi_enable_4kp60=1“ to your config.txt if you want to use 4k output at the RPi4. Before you needed “hdmi_enable_4k=1“ that is now deprecated.
If you experience problems, please open an thread at our forum. You can also open an ticket at our Github issue tracker.
Upgrading
On first boot the Kodi media database will be upgraded. Depending on your hardware and media collection size this could take several minutes. Please be patient.
Downloads
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LibreELEC 9.2.4 (Leia) has arrived based upon Kodi v18.8.
Changes since 9.2.3:
- firmware fixes for RPi (fixes booting issues)
- Kodi 18.8
Kodi 19 Matrix:
We have currently no plans yet to create an official Alpha release of LE10 with the Alpha version of Kodi 19. Due the drawn out release cycle of Kodi and the experiences from the past few years we are waiting a bit longer to avoid major problems. Nightly builds could be downloaded like usual, that includes the latest unstable development snapshot of LE10/Kodi19.
Change for Raspberry 4:
With LE 9.2 and later you need to add “hdmi_enable_4kp60=1“ to your config.txt if you want to use 4k output at the RPi4. Before you needed “hdmi_enable_4k=1“ that is now deprecated.
If you experience problems, please open an thread at our forum. You can also open an ticket at our Github issue tracker.
Upgrading
On first boot the Kodi media database will be upgraded. Depending on your hardware and media collection size this could take several minutes. Please be patient.
Downloads
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LibreELEC 9.2.3 (Leia) the final version has arrived based upon Kodi v18.7.1.
Changes since 9.2.1/9.2.2:
- improvements for the RPi
- several minor updates
- Kodi 17.8.1
Change for Raspberry 4:
With LE 9.2 and later you need to add “hdmi_enable_4kp60=1“ to your config.txt if you want to use 4k output at the RPi4. Before you needed “hdmi_enable_4k=1“ that is now deprecated.
Raspberry 4:
It would be nice to have the 4B running the latest mainline kernel as other devices in LibreELEC 9.2, but adding support for an all-newSoC chipset is a huge effort and the Pi Foundation needed to align initial 4B software with the current Raspbian release to maximise compatibility with existing software and to keep the workload sensible. Generic x86/64 devices are running Linux 5.1, while Raspberry Pi devices (0/1/2/3/4) are using Linux 4.19 with some new/extra code.
In this initial release 1080p playback behaviour and performance on the 4B are broadly on-par with the previous 3B/3B+ model, except for HEVC media which is now hardware decoded and massively improved. New 4K video capabilities still have plenty of rough edges to be smoothed out, but the Pi Foundation developers have been pushing fixes to the test team at a phenomenal rate over the last month and that will continue as the userbase expands.
The 4B now uses SPI flash for the bootloader. Current firmware supports SD card boot only – Network and USB booting are still on the Pi Foundation to-do list. Also on the list is HBR audio (current audio capabilities are the same as the 3B) and 3D video. The 4B hardware is HDR capable, but software support has a dependency on the new Linux kernel frameworks merged by Intel developers (with help from Team LibreELEC/Kodi) in Linux 5.2 and a kernel bump will be needed to use them. Once the initial excitement and activity from the 4B launch calms down, serious work on HDR and transitioning Raspberry Pi over to the new GBM/V4L2 video pipeline can start.
Rockchip:
Our Rockchip releases remain in an state with limited support. The Kodi version is updated but there are no significant video/audio improvements to the Rockchip 4.4 kernel codebase – and none planned. Our work on Rockchip support has refocussed onto the Linux 5.x kernel to use the modern kernel frameworks needed for the next-generation Kodi video pipeline. This work is progressing nicely, but it means the 4.4 codebase “is what it is” until a future kernel bump.
Amlogic
Our original goal was to announce Allwinner and Amlogic images alongside Rockchip as part of the LibreELEC 9.2 release, but while overall readiness has greatly improved in recent months – each has specific technical challenges to overcome before they meet our basic critera for a public release. On the human side of the project several maintainers also have reduced availability for support due to work and family commitments. Combining these factors together, the team felt it was better to be patient and not rush releases.
So instead of releasing LibreELEC 9.2 stable images, we are announcing the start of official nightly images from our master development branch.If you experience problems, please open an thread at our forum. You can also open an ticket at our issue tracker.
Upgrading
On first boot the Kodi media database will be upgraded. Depending on your hardware and media collection size this could take several minutes. Please be patient.
Downloads
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LibreELEC 9.2.2 (Leia) is a Hotfix release just for the x86_64 Generic (PC, AMD, Intel, NVIDIA …) image.
It includes a fix for the missing sound at Intel based systems (mainly NUC) due an Linux Kernel bug.
This is just for the Generic image as the fix only targeting this platform.Upgrading
On first boot the Kodi media database will be upgraded. Depending on your hardware and media collection size this could take several minutes. Please be patient.
Downloads