This is an old revision of the document!


Kodi

Go back list of third party applications

Kodi is a free and open source media player designed for living room TVs (using a “10-foot interface” and remote-friendly controls) that contains many features and functions. It is a third party application that can access HDHomeRun hardware in a number of ways, including the official HDHomeRun add-on for Kodi, which is maintained by Silicondust.

Kodi is a multi-use media player that can play back many different things from many different sources. Kodi itself contains no content, but it does contain an “add-on” system, which is like having mini video apps within Kodi. Silicondust maintains an official HDHomeRun add-on for Kodi that replicates most of the look and feel of our normal official app, but with the added flexibility of being supported on additional devices and platforms that can run Kodi. This includes the HDHomeRun DVR service. This allows us to support platforms such as versions of Windows older than Windows 10, as well as major Linux-based desktop operating systems.

  1. Select the version you need for your OS and install per the Kodi documentation.

You can also install a Kodi-centric OS onto devices such as a Raspberry Pi or old PC using “LibreELEC”. LibreELEC is a third party operating system that boots directly into Kodi, allowing you to use various hardware to become a Kodi “set-top-box” connected to your TV. For more information about this option, see: https://libreelec.tv.

When using a fresh install of a recent version of Kodi:

  1. Using the arrow keys/buttons, select the “gear” icon at the top of the screen, along the right-hand side.
  2. Then select “Add-ons”.
  3. “Install from repository”
  4. Scroll down and select “Video add-ons”
  5. Scroll down and select “HDHomeRun” (Tip: if using a keyboard, pressing SHIFT+H will jump to the add-ons starting with the letter “H”)
  6. Be sure to select the “HDHomeRun” add-on provided by “Silicondust”, as there may be other versions made by community members.
  7. Select the “Install” button
  8. Select “OK” from the next screen

The add-on will now download and may take a moment to complete.

From the Kodi home screen, using the default “skin” (which can be customized and unused options removed, see Kodi's documentation for more information on this) there are two common ways to access the HDHomeRun add-on:

  1. Scroll down to the “Videos” option and select it, which will allow navigation to all video-related areas of Kodi, including a listing of installed video add-ons.
  2. Scroll down to the “Add-ons” option and select it, which will display a nice grid of all installed Kodi add-ons.

Controls

  • Click or tap on the screen to bring up the user interface
  • Channel Slice – select a channel on the channel list, use the left/right arrows or drag the channel to the left to enable Channel Slice. Non-DVR subscribers will have access to 4 hours of guide data. DVR subscribers will have access to 14 days.
  • DVR Subscribers – click the menu icon on the far right of the on-screen-display (or press Escape) to get to the DVR main menu.

While slightly different in appearance to the normal HDHomeRun app, the Kodi add-on will contain the same four basic areas such as:

  1. Live TV - the default view
  2. Discover - showing an icon-based grid of current and upcoming programming
  3. Recording - If the user has an HDHomeRun DVR subscription, they can access past recordings here.
  4. Tasks - If the user has an HDHomeRun DVR subscription, they can view the upcoming recording schedule here.

If you only need to use Kodi for accessing your HDHomeRun, you can simplify the set up to start the add-on right away:

  1. From the Kodi home screen, scroll down and select “Videos”
  2. Select “Video add-ons”
  3. Highlight (but don't select) the HDHomeRun video add-on
  4. Bring up the 'context menu' by pressing and holding select, or using the menu button on your remote, or using the “c” key on a keyboard
  5. Select “Add to favorites”
  6. From the home screen, use the arrow buttons to navigate to the gear icon at the top of the right-hand menu
  7. Select “Add-ons”
  8. Select “Install from repository”
  9. Scroll down and select “Partymode autostart”
  10. Select “Install” and press “OK” on the follow-up window
  11. Once installed, select “Partymode autostart” again from the window you are currently in
  12. Select “Configure”
  13. Change the “Delay” to “0” by selecting that line, pressing the right and left arrows to change the number, then pressing select again to set the number
  14. Scroll down to where it says “Run Favorites” and enable it
  15. Select the “Select from favorites” option below and select the HDHomeRun add-on
  16. Select “OK” in the Partymode autostart add-on settings to save.

Now Kodi will automatically start the HDHomeRun add-on whenever Kodi starts. You can still exit out of the Kodi add-on by using the normal exit controls, should you wish.

You can also use the Kodi “Keymap add-on” to program Kodi to quit when pressing the back button on your remote, while viewing the home screen.

Please note, this section is for the convenience of our customers. As these are programs maintained by third parties, Silicondust cannot guarantee their operation or performance.

There are a number of community-maintained Kodi video add-ons that can access an HDHomeRun.

This add-on can be found inside the built-in Kodi.tv add-on repository. It provides a simple directory-listing style add-on for accessing HDHomeRun tuners on the network, as well as the DVR service.

For instructions on setting up this add-on, see: https://kodi.wiki/view/Add-on:HDHomerun_Simple.

This “PVR” (Personal video recorder, another term for DVR - digital video recorder) add-on is built-in to Kodi, but is not an official add-on maintained by Silicondust. It allows HDHomeRun tuners to show up in Kodi's native DVR/PVR interface and use the same windows and controls.

While this is a DVR/PVR add-on, it does not access the HDHomeRun DVR service. It only accesses live TV from an HDHomeRun.

For instructions on how to set up this DVR/PVR add-on, see: https://kodi.wiki/view/PVR.

The “zuki” PVR/DVR add-on is similar to the build-in Kodi PVR/DVR add-on, in that it ties the HDHomeRun into Kodi's native DVR features. However, this add-on takes one step further and provides full access to the HDHomeRun DVR service, allowing the user to set recordings, watch previously made recordings, and pause live TV.

For instructions on setting up this add-on, see: https://forum.Silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=71135

UPnP/DLNA

In addition to using video and PVR/DVR add-ons, Kodi can also act as a UPnP/DLNA client and access an HDHomeRun device that supports that feature. This is a very basic list-based view that is limited to just live TV, without any guide data, but can be used without installing anything extra in Kodi.

For instructions on how to use UPnP in Kodi, see: https://kodi.wiki/view/UPnP/Media_source.

Third party DVR/PVR "backend"

When an HDHomeRun is paired with a third party DVR software program, such as NextPVR, MythTV, or Tvheadend, Kodi can function as a client for these systems using the built-in Kodi PVR/DVR features.

For instructions, see: https://kodi.wiki/view/PVR.

  • Last modified: 2019/06/27 00:36