Media Centre with Raspberry Pi and KODI

pinballlooking · 01-28-19, 11:56 AM

We collect movies and I have a large collection. The binder system does not lend itself to finding movies very fast.

I had a fire stick that streams well but it can not see a large USB drive. It also requires FAT 32 this presents its own issues. When I connected the HD to my router it was not fast enough for Blu-ray movies.

I bought a large HD for this project. WD Easystore 10TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive $189
I ended up using a Raspberry Pi and KODI. Just install LibreELEC it is a very stripped down and used if you just want to run KODI fast. It see the USB HD all on its own very nice.
Download image here https://libreelec.tv/downloads/
So easy boots right to KODI 5-10 min setup.

KODI is in the image so you are up and running supper fast.

I ordered this keyboard
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E565PIQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&ps c=1

but you really don’t need it you can just use Kore android app that is free from the app store. This will control KODI just fine.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....kore&hl=en_US

I have over 175 movies mostly Blu-Rays a few old DVDs on it and it performs well. If you want to conserve time you can just put .ISO images on it KODI can read these.
This saves transcoding all your movies.

I would suggest putting each movie in its own folder and naming it. exactly what themoviedb.org names it eg the movie Armageddon look it up and copy the name Armageddon (1998).
Name your folder Armageddon (1998) and I named the image the same thing Armageddon (1998). https://www.themoviedb.org/?language=en-US
Then when KODI scrapes the www.themoviedb.org it automatically brings in the clip art and movie info.

The Pi does not make that much heat or use very much power. I have instenon home automation so I will connect this to a smart plug and I can just ask Alexa to turn on KODI when we want to watch a movie.
She can also turn it off after you select power off in KODI.

There are no fees with this all open source software. No cost other than the hardware.

Here is a How to
https://www.howtogeek.com/163541/bui...erry-pi-redux/

Use a fast microSD card class 10 it makes a big difference.

pinballlooking · 01-31-19, 02:02 PM

I enabled HDMI-CEC on my LG tv
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/lg-tv-s...w-5624-14.html

Now you can control the Media Centre Raspberry Pi and KODI with my TV remote.
This makes it even simpler for everyone to use.

pinballlooking · 02-04-19, 12:08 PM

https://libreelec.tv/2019/02/libreel...9-0-0-release/
Just came out with and updated KODI and a updated release.
Some worthwhile features.

It now supports the ASUS Tinker board. This board will support 4K 30 FPS but 1080p with no shuttering.

My Pi is working well on 95% of my movies but could use a boost for others.
I ordered an AUSU tinker board S.

ASUS Tinker Board S Quad-Core 1.8GHz SoC 2GB RAM 16GB eMMC storage GB LAN Wi-Fi & GPIO connectivity Motherboards.
https://www.asus.com/us/Single-Board...inker-Board-S/

It still supports HDMI-CEC so I can us my TV remote. It has sd 3.0 interface onboard storage 16 Gig that is faster.

Non shared GB LAN & USB I am using a USB hard drive so this will help.

It has some other improvements like included H.264 and H.265 playback support, as well as HD and UHD video playback.

It is a little more money $85 Shipped and runs hotter. It uses same form factor as the Pi.

Daox · 02-08-19, 01:16 PM

Sounds like a fun project. I haven't used any PIs yet, but I'd like to have a project just to play with one.

rvCharlie · 02-15-19, 03:26 PM

Have you tried the embedded Off-The-Air recording features in Kodi yet? I played around with openelec on a pc several years ago, but was unable to get the recording features working. I currently use a Win7 PC running Media Center for OTA recording (using a couple of usb tuners plus a dual tuner HDHomerun). The downside is size/heat of the PC, and the fact that Media Center won't let you record to a network drive. I'd love to replace it with a pi or something similar, but I worry about it handling 4 simultaneous OTA streams.

Any thoughts? I'd love input from someone who has hands-on experience.

Charlie

pinballlooking · 02-15-19, 04:36 PM

I don’t think it would handle 4 OTA streams.
It will handle one 1080p stream just fine. I have not messed around with the OTA recording.

I do have it setup with Alexa. You just day Alexa turn on Kodi.
She will turn on the PI/Hard Drive and that turns on the TV set to the Kodi Input.
you are ready to go just us the TV remote.

When turning it off you go into Kodi select shutdown.
Wait about 30 seconds and say Alexa turn off Kodi. She will power off the PI and the external Hard drive. Its all super simple.

Wonderboy · 02-17-19, 01:03 PM

I've got Openelec/Kodi running from a microSD card on a Pi 2 with the Adafruit case.

Because my home theatre setup involves a projector, I have to use the 1/8" jack for audio, convert it to a heavy duty, long RCA cable and run it to an amp. If this resembles your use case, then I have a recommendation: the output of "silence" from the pi is too "quiet" and the amp picks up some garbling or random RF stuff, even if you're not watching anything and the OS is running. To resolve this, you must turn the amplification on the Pi UP in the settings, and just adjust your power amplification accordingly. This eliminates the distracting non-silent silence.

I've used this tiny little Pi media center with a NAS for storage and that worked out fine, but my setup at this point makes it more elegant for me to just use a high-capacity USB disk to store whatever I expect to want to watch. I have many movies/docus ripped from the library that you won't be able to find on the big movie streaming services in vogue right now, and I wanted to watch one at a friend's house recently. I was able to easily bring my entire HTPC setup with me and just plug into a flatscreen's HDMI with no fuss at all.

Just wanted to add my personal +1 having these work out well. Also a great way not to have your habits and preferences surveilled constantly if you're into the whole "privacy" thing.

01-28-19, 11:56 AM	#1
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,930 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	Media Centre with Raspberry Pi and KODI We collect movies and I have a large collection. The binder system does not lend itself to finding movies very fast. I had a fire stick that streams well but it can not see a large USB drive. It also requires FAT 32 this presents its own issues. When I connected the HD to my router it was not fast enough for Blu-ray movies. I bought a large HD for this project. WD Easystore 10TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive $189 I ended up using a Raspberry Pi and KODI. Just install LibreELEC it is a very stripped down and used if you just want to run KODI fast. It see the USB HD all on its own very nice. Download image here https://libreelec.tv/downloads/ So easy boots right to KODI 5-10 min setup. KODI is in the image so you are up and running supper fast. I ordered this keyboard https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E565PIQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&ps c=1 but you really don’t need it you can just use Kore android app that is free from the app store. This will control KODI just fine. https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....kore&hl=en_US I have over 175 movies mostly Blu-Rays a few old DVDs on it and it performs well. If you want to conserve time you can just put .ISO images on it KODI can read these. This saves transcoding all your movies. I would suggest putting each movie in its own folder and naming it. exactly what themoviedb.org names it eg the movie Armageddon look it up and copy the name Armageddon (1998). Name your folder Armageddon (1998) and I named the image the same thing Armageddon (1998). https://www.themoviedb.org/?language=en-US Then when KODI scrapes the www.themoviedb.org it automatically brings in the clip art and movie info. The Pi does not make that much heat or use very much power. I have instenon home automation so I will connect this to a smart plug and I can just ask Alexa to turn on KODI when we want to watch a movie. She can also turn it off after you select power off in KODI. There are no fees with this all open source software. No cost other than the hardware. Here is a How to https://www.howtogeek.com/163541/bui...erry-pi-redux/ Use a fast microSD card class 10 it makes a big difference. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Current project Aquaponics system , Passive Solar Greenhouse build To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Solar Install 12.5 Kwh- To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Mini Split installs - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. EV Chevy Volt - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by pinballlooking; 01-31-19 at 01:49 AM..

01-31-19, 02:02 PM	#2
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,930 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	I enabled HDMI-CEC on my LG tv https://www.tomsguide.com/us/lg-tv-s...w-5624-14.html Now you can control the Media Centre Raspberry Pi and KODI with my TV remote. This makes it even simpler for everyone to use. __________________ Current project Aquaponics system , Passive Solar Greenhouse build To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Solar Install 12.5 Kwh- To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Mini Split installs - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. EV Chevy Volt - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by pinballlooking; 01-31-19 at 05:33 PM..

02-04-19, 12:08 PM	#3
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,930 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	https://libreelec.tv/2019/02/libreel...9-0-0-release/ Just came out with and updated KODI and a updated release. Some worthwhile features. It now supports the ASUS Tinker board. This board will support 4K 30 FPS but 1080p with no shuttering. My Pi is working well on 95% of my movies but could use a boost for others. I ordered an AUSU tinker board S. ASUS Tinker Board S Quad-Core 1.8GHz SoC 2GB RAM 16GB eMMC storage GB LAN Wi-Fi & GPIO connectivity Motherboards. https://www.asus.com/us/Single-Board...inker-Board-S/ It still supports HDMI-CEC so I can us my TV remote. It has sd 3.0 interface onboard storage 16 Gig that is faster. Non shared GB LAN & USB I am using a USB hard drive so this will help. It has some other improvements like included H.264 and H.265 playback support, as well as HD and UHD video playback. It is a little more money $85 Shipped and runs hotter. It uses same form factor as the Pi. __________________ Current project Aquaponics system , Passive Solar Greenhouse build To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Solar Install 12.5 Kwh- To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Mini Split installs - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. EV Chevy Volt - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by pinballlooking; 02-04-19 at 02:10 PM..

02-08-19, 01:16 PM	#4
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Sounds like a fun project. I haven't used any PIs yet, but I'd like to have a project just to play with one. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-15-19, 04:36 PM	#6
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,930 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	I don’t think it would handle 4 OTA streams. It will handle one 1080p stream just fine. I have not messed around with the OTA recording. I do have it setup with Alexa. You just day Alexa turn on Kodi. She will turn on the PI/Hard Drive and that turns on the TV set to the Kodi Input. you are ready to go just us the TV remote. When turning it off you go into Kodi select shutdown. Wait about 30 seconds and say Alexa turn off Kodi. She will power off the PI and the external Hard drive. Its all super simple. __________________ Current project Aquaponics system , Passive Solar Greenhouse build To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Solar Install 12.5 Kwh- To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Mini Split installs - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. EV Chevy Volt - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-15-19, 03:26 PM	#5
rvCharlie Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: central MS Posts: 23 Thanks: 2 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Have you tried the embedded Off-The-Air recording features in Kodi yet? I played around with openelec on a pc several years ago, but was unable to get the recording features working. I currently use a Win7 PC running Media Center for OTA recording (using a couple of usb tuners plus a dual tuner HDHomerun). The downside is size/heat of the PC, and the fact that Media Center won't let you record to a network drive. I'd love to replace it with a pi or something similar, but I worry about it handling 4 simultaneous OTA streams. Any thoughts? I'd love input from someone who has hands-on experience. Charlie

02-17-19, 01:03 PM	#7
Wonderboy Lurking Renovator Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I've got Openelec/Kodi running from a microSD card on a Pi 2 with the Adafruit case. Because my home theatre setup involves a projector, I have to use the 1/8" jack for audio, convert it to a heavy duty, long RCA cable and run it to an amp. If this resembles your use case, then I have a recommendation: the output of "silence" from the pi is too "quiet" and the amp picks up some garbling or random RF stuff, even if you're not watching anything and the OS is running. To resolve this, you must turn the amplification on the Pi UP in the settings, and just adjust your power amplification accordingly. This eliminates the distracting non-silent silence. I've used this tiny little Pi media center with a NAS for storage and that worked out fine, but my setup at this point makes it more elegant for me to just use a high-capacity USB disk to store whatever I expect to want to watch. I have many movies/docus ripped from the library that you won't be able to find on the big movie streaming services in vogue right now, and I wanted to watch one at a friend's house recently. I was able to easily bring my entire HTPC setup with me and just plug into a flatscreen's HDMI with no fuss at all. Just wanted to add my personal +1 having these work out well. Also a great way not to have your habits and preferences surveilled constantly if you're into the whole "privacy" thing.