Kodi (software)

Kodi is a free and open-source media player software application developed by the XBMC Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium. It is available for multiple operating systems, including Android, Linux, macOS, iOS, tvOS, and Windows.

Kodi allows users to play and view various digital media files from local and network storage media, as well as streaming media from the internet. It supports a wide range of audio, video, and image formats, playlists, audio visualizations, slideshows, weather forecasts, and third-party plugins.

The software features a 10-foot user interface designed to be used with televisions and remote controls, making it suitable for home theater setups. It can be customized extensively with skins, which change the visual appearance of the interface, and add-ons, which provide access to additional content and functionality.

Kodi began as the Xbox Media Center (XBMC) for the first-generation Xbox gaming console, serving as a media player and homebrew platform. Over time, it evolved into a cross-platform application available on a variety of devices. The name was changed to Kodi in 2014 to reflect its broader scope beyond the Xbox platform.

Key features of Kodi include its media library organization capabilities, which allow users to catalog and browse their media collections with metadata such as titles, descriptions, and artwork. It also supports the scraping of metadata from online databases to automatically populate the media library.

The open-source nature of Kodi has fostered a large community of developers and users who contribute to its development and support through forums, wikis, and other channels. The community provides add-ons, skins, and documentation to enhance the user experience and extend the functionality of the software.

Kodi has faced controversy due to its use with unauthorized add-ons that provide access to copyrighted content. While Kodi itself is legal software, the availability and use of such add-ons have raised legal and ethical concerns. The Kodi developers have actively distanced themselves from these add-ons and emphasize the importance of respecting copyright laws.