After fighting getting KODI to connect to my new-ish Samsung TV, turned out the CANAKIT HDMI cable - actually, 3 of them - that comes in their KITS somehow does not allow correct connections. Took 4 hours of trying different solutions. Per one of the way earlier posts, figured I'd try the cable.
Use a 3 year old Monster HDMI cable with an unlabeled micro adapter.
Worked within seconds, and as a bonus the Samsung Remote also now works.
Cool beans.