You may use your Smart TV simply to watch TV shows or watch series and movies on video platforms. But, if you are the type of user who likes to squeeze their devices, today we show you something that will change the way you use the TV. We tell you what Kodi is and how it works on a Smart TV .
What is Kodi?
To talk about Kodi we must go back to its predecessor, which was known as XBMC or XBox Media Center . It was an application for computers that turned them into a multimedia center , in which to reproduce any type of content: series, movies, photos, music, etc. An open source system that, over the years, allowed it to grow a lot and expand to different operating systems.
Today, due to the enormous success that this app has had among its users, we can enjoy it on computers with Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Linux and , of course, on Raspberry Pi . We can access each of its versions from its own official website .
If you are a more experienced user in the use of these types of apps, you may be wondering why you should choose Kodi over other alternatives? The answer is clear and simple, the Add-ons. Explained in a very simple way, Add-ons are small “programs” or extensions that will allow us to perform different functions: check the weather, add our own server, link services such as Plex, watch television programs and a very long etcetera.
The function that each Add-ons performs is, like many other things on the internet, the responsibility of both the creator and yourself if you decide to use it . There are many of these elements that will allow us to perform certain actions to improve our experience or even make life easier. But, of course, there are others with an il-legal theme or purpose . On its own website you have a list of these very interesting extensions that you can consult and later download them on your smart TV as we will explain in a few lines.
How to install Kodi on Smart TV
In this article we will focus on the process of installing and using Kodi on a Smart TV . From its desktop version you can make a greater number of adjustments and configurations. Although, on the other hand, the smart TV app has many options and is fully functional on its own.
The first thing to take into account is the operating system that your TV has since, unfortunately for many, Kodi is only compiled for devices with Android TV . Does this mean that televisions with Tizen (Samsung) or WebOS (LG) are “out”? Yes and no, we will clarify this a little more ahead.
Kodi on Android TV devices
Installing Kodi on computers such as a television with Android TV or even devices such as the Chromecast with Google TV or the Nvidia Shield, among others, is tremendously simple. You must follow the following steps:
- Access the Google Play application store on your device.
- In the search engine, indicated with a magnifying glass and a search bar, type the name of Kodi.
- Once you locate it, click on it and click “Install” so that it becomes part of your application catalog.
Now that you already have Kodi among the applications on your smart TV, you will only have to open it from the start menu to start enjoying all its possibilities. Although in another article we will go deeper into how to get the most out of Kodi on a Smart TV, the 2 most basic actions you can do in this application are: managing external drives and installing Add-ons.
If you look closely among the options of this app you will see that it has a file manager . You may have ever connected a hard drive to the USB ports on your TV, but it is somewhat inconvenient to use. From Kodi you can see the content of this external memory ordered by content type from the sidebar after connecting it to the USB. In addition, within the file manager you will see its content folder by folder. In this simple and intuitive way you can play any type of file on your TV from an external drive.
On the other hand, as we have already mentioned, one of the great advantages of Kodi is the possibility of installing all these extensions with different uses. An example could be the installation of the Plex service:
- Access the app options, symbolized by the typical gear icon.
- Enter the search engine within the “Add-ons” menu.
- Write the name “Plex” and, once you have the list of possible Add-ons, you must access the correct one. In this case it is the one with the name “Scrip – Plex”. Click on it.
- Once inside the Add-on of this service, you just have to click on “Install” and, when the “Complementary Add-ons” menu appears, click on accept.
After finishing the installation, you will be able to open this extension on Kodi and, of course, log into Plex to access the entire catalog that you have stored on your server.
Install Kodi on other computers (not Android TV)
As we have already mentioned before, so far there is no app compiled for another smart TV operating system other than Android. But don’t worry, because there is another solution, although it is not free.
In order to enjoy Kodi on TV from Samsung, LG and some others without the Google system, you will have to purchase external devices based on Android TV . We have already told you about some very interesting ones such as the Chromecast with Google TV, the Nvidia Shield or even the Mi TV Stick from Xiaomi.
The process to follow with them is identical to the one we have described in this article, since these accessories are based on the same system as we have already mentioned before.
Now is the time for you to start using Kodi on your Smart TV to get the most out of it. If this seems interesting to you, leave a comment and soon we will bring that article in which we will explain many more tips to take advantage of all the possibilities of Kodi on your smart TV.