The Kodi software package, formerly known as XBMC, is a powerful media center that allows you to organize a real movie theater at home and watch not only movies, but also television programs. Setting up viewing IPTV on Kodi should not cause any special difficulties. But an ordinary user may encounter some nuances that you need to know about without fail.
IPTV Kodi: setting up the system shell
The Kodi program is cross-platform and can be installed on completely different operating systems. The installation process is standard, and stopping at it in detail makes no sense.
In the Kodi application , IPTV setup should begin with the general settings of the program. After the first launch of the media center, the first thing you need to do is make some important settings.
First of all, you should immediately go to the Settings menu of the Settings section of the System, where the transition is first performed in the sequence of the submenu Appearance / International / Language. Russian language or any other language is displayed here (English is used by default).
After that, the menu of the language and region is used, in which the location and the desired keyboard layout are indicated. Next, in the settings section, the “System” submenu is selected, where the video and sound output settings are configured according to the configuration of the computer terminal or laptop (screen resolution, sound scheme, for example, 5.1, etc.).
Kodi: setting up IPTV (m3u playlists and adding single files)
For now, let’s move away from watching TV, but instead we’ll take care of the general principles of the program. Setting up IPTV Kodi 16.0 just provides an understanding of the principles of adding files to the library.
This is done in the video section, where the menu for adding files is selected. Using the browse button, we activate the task of the location of a specific file or folder. If you want to add multiple sources, just use the "Add" button. In this case, you can specify either a local directory or a folder (or files) on a network resource. Next, the name of the new directory is set. The selection is confirmed by pressing the "OK" button.
As you can see, it is not necessary that only multimedia files are added to the list. Quite simply, you can open M3U playlist files or any other format. Objects in such lists will be “pulled up” automatically.
Data classification
In the Kodi 16 program, the IPTV setting also provides for verification of the data entered in the list of the library, according to several criteria (films, series, music, etc.).
Obtaining metadata for each object is carried out using several built-in services, including the popular plugin “Kinopoisk”. The binding of metadata comes from Internet sources, so when specifying sorting at this point, you need to pay special attention.
It is also worth considering that for the expansion of “Kinopoisk” you can set the names of films in any language, but be sure to indicate the year of release. For musical compositions, metadata synchronized with resources located on the Internet will look like standard ID3 tags.
Media content management
In the Kodi application, setting up IPTV is impossible without understanding the controls for the data entered into the program.
Access to films, for example, can be obtained in the "Video" section, using the "Files" submenu. When using the right click on the selected object, a pop-up context menu will appear in which you can select the desired action. In order not to perform unnecessary actions, you can use the menu located on the screen to the left. There are view settings. Optionally, you can set the display so that the information is displayed directly, bypassing the use of the context menu.
DLNA Options
We pass to IPTV Kodi. Parameters are configured directly on the terminal where the program is installed. It is also possible to use the program as an UPnP client for DLNA networks. This allows you to broadcast the signal to another device, such as a high-definition television panel. The network itself is automatically recognized by the application.
For Kodi IPTV, DLNA configuration involves creating a shared resource. To get started, you just need to select the section for adding files in the "Video" menu. And as a resource, specify the UPnP device. After that, in the system section, selects the “Services” category, in which a line with remote control permission via UPnP is activated. Thus, the media library is “expanded”, that is, accessible to any user connected to this network.
Settings for watching TV
Finally, let's move on to configuring Kodi IPTV directly. Settings are made in the corresponding menu located in the "System" section. Here the function “TV” is selected, after which it is activated by the power button. If a message appears stating that there are currently no active PVR managers in the system, then there’s nothing to worry about. Just agree by clicking the "OK" button.
This is followed by a redirection to the PVR settings, where you need to select the PVR IPTV Simple Client, and then activate and configure it. In the client settings, the first two fields are subject to configuration. First, the location of the IPTV list is indicated (for example, remote on the Internet for self-updating playlists, location on a network resource or Android mobile device).
In the second field, the local location of the M3U format playlist is entered if it is saved on the hard drive of a computer or laptop.
After filling out this form, it remains only to confirm the changes made by clicking the "OK" button, and then restart the program so that they take effect. When you restart, the TV item appears in the main menu, at the entrance to which you can see the list of IPTV channels and start watching.
Play torrents
Only this program features are not limited. An interesting “trick” is to view torrents in real time without first downloading the contents to the hard drive.
To do this, first install the special Torrenter plugin using the XBMC.ru search db repository. You can also use Kodi Repo or MyShows.me. Installation is performed in the settings section using the add-on menu.
To activate playback in video add-ons (already in the Torreneter section), you just need to specify the necessary trackers and confirm their installation.
Kodi on Android
In the Kodi program, setting up IPTV for Android devices is practically no different from the stationary version. The only thing worth paying attention to is that the mobile application can only work with one playlist, nothing more.
Some users complain that the program is somewhat unfinished. This is partly true, but setting up basic parameters is easier than using PCs or laptops.
But the mobile version, as it turns out, can also act as a weather client. There is a special section. In addition, it is better to change the parameters in expert mode. Application features can be significantly expanded. For example, here is provided the point of using forced stereo image, and in ordinary language, the 3D effect. You can even listen to ordinary audio CDs, of course, provided that the corresponding drive is connected to the device. This does not apply to smartphones, but you can experiment with some tablet models. Otherwise, the mobile release almost exactly repeats the stationary version.
Conclusion
As you can see, setting up a program for IPTV Kodi is not so difficult, although you still have to spend a little time initially, especially if you need to install add-ons to view torrent contents without downloading. In some cases, you may need to make appropriate settings on television panels that DLNA networks and UPnP devices do not automatically detect. But here it all depends on the TV model. In an extreme case, you just need to read the instructions for setting up the TV panel or its synchronization with the above devices, if any are supported.