Kodi/XBMC LITE

Overview

This driver is developed for the Kodi Entertainment Center (formerly known as XBMC).

Kodi Entertainment Center is a software based media player that can be installed on Windows, MAC, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Android based platforms. Kodi offers a beautiful simple interface that enriches your playback experience. The Chowmain Kodi Lite driver enables us to integrate the Kodi Entertainment Center into the Control4 home automation system with seamless control and feedback.

This driver will allow you to create the most seamless movie experience whether it be in a home theater or in your living room.  It is the most feature packed media player driver available for Control4 to date.

Features

• IP based communications
• Transport controls
• Numerical buttons act as jump to percentage during video playback or SMS style quick navigation when in navigational modes.
• Support for PVR (Guide, Record, DVR, Channel Up, Channel Down buttons)
• Movie selection from Control4’s Navigator
• Import Movies from the Kodi library into Control4's library with meta data and cover art.
• Automatic update upon movie Kodi library update notification.
• Automatic Room On (like the music bridge) on playback detection and automatic Room Off on screen saver activate.
• 2 way feedback via the JSON API for play, pause, stop, screen saver active/deactive, Detected File Type, Video Aspect Ratio, Video Resolution, Video/Music/TV/Radio currently playing, Memory usage, CPU usage, CPU Frequency, System Total Space, System Uptime, System Temperature, Client Platform, Client Version & Client Name
• Assignable buttons for non intuitive buttons
• Wake-on Lan functionality
• Power off options
• Ability to send custom messages to Kodi Entertainment Center via Kodi Notifications (similar to Control4 Announcements via Navigator).
• Audio End-Point assignment for line level volume up/down/mute functionality
• Video End-Point assignment.
• Support for Android boxes (if XBMC app is closed it will launch upon ON command, also if XBMC exited by user you can navigate and control Android applications).

FAQ

Why is this driver called KODI Lite?

Initially we wanted to make the best KODI driver around however as we kept working on it our aspirations just kept getting higher and higher. As such the development efforts and timeframe has expanded exponentially. To get the driver to market quickly we decided to make two drivers. KODI Lite and KODI Full. Kodi Lite is still one of the best media player drivers on the market with exceptional features. Kodi Full however will be THE best media player driver on the market with full library navigation, live meta data, cover art and more. They will be both priced accordingly. Some people won't want all the features available in KODI Full so we've made KODI Lite which is priced to suit.

Can you give us some examples of how we could use this driver?

• Now with Android support you can purchase Android Set Top Boxes for under $200 that will provide you with the full XBMC experience and Android experience. Play games, surf the web and use XBMC.
• Create the perfect cinema experience by dimming the lights down when a movie starts, ramp it back up when the movie ends or if the user pauses or stops the movie. Also automatically set the cinema to different masking modes based upon the movie aspect ratio.
• Setup logic to change your LED lightings colour dependant on the movie name. If you're watching something set in the ocean set it to blue.  If you're watching something set in the jungle set it to green or if you're watching something set in the desert set it to orange.
• It can be very disruptive while watching a movie to have navigator pop up and tell me that someone is at my front door or perhaps i have a new email or something. This driver provides the ability to send Kodi announcements. Like a Control4 Announcement this will pop up a custom message however in this case it will not interrupt the current Kodi activity. It will just pop up in the bottom right hand corner for a few seconds and then hide away.
• This driver provides two way feedback on what you media you're consuming and what the state of the media player is. It will tell you when the movie is playing, paused, stopped or if it is a movie, episode, song or unknown media type. This information is useful for customising your lighting and environment to suit your customer's requirements.
• The driver has the ability to automatically turn rooms on and off. Using this functionality you can essentially turn on your tv and receiver upon airplay or UPnP photos, video or music playback. If you leave the room for too long or fall asleep at the tv the driver will automatically turn the room off (all av devices off) upon detection of screensaver activation.
• Some projectors have the option of clearing out the black bars in movies (called masking). This driver reports back the aspect ratio of the video it is currently playing as a variable. Using this information we can automate these projection masking modes and as such make the user experience nicer.
• This driver has feedback on CPU usage, Memory usage and CPU temperature. This information is extremely important for maintaining the health of the hardware platform it is on. Using this information we can automate shutdowns so that no damage can occur on the device.

What hardware will this work on?

This will work on any hardware that KODI supports (Windows, OSX, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Android, Sony FY15 TV's) running XBMC version 12 (Frodo) & 13 (Gotham), KODI version 14 (Helix) and KODI version 15 (Isengard).

We recently modified all 79 of the Sony FY15 Android TV drivers to support connectivity to our Kodi driver.  Just update your current driver with the version linked at the bottom of this page.  After a restart of Control4 you will find new bindings to connect the Kodi driver to.  This means every Sony Android TV in your home can now be its own media player.

Download Sony FY15 Android TV drivers with Kodi support

Why do you only support OS 2.6 and above?
OS 2.6 offers a superior security encryption algorithm and a new and improved driver format. We have decided to only utilise this new format to ensure that the integrity of this driver is not compromised and that we can provide the best dealer/user experience available.

Do you offer showroom discounts?
We offer dealers a free showroom licence for demonstration and educational purposes.  See link below for T&C's and signup procedure.

Chowmain Dealer Showroom FAQ

I want to try this driver out before buying it?
All Chowmain drivers for Control4 come with a 90 day trial.  Just add the driverCentral licencing driver and this driver and you're good to go.  No registration required.

Do you offer other drivers?

We have hundreds of drivers.  Many of which are manufacturer sponsored and free.  Please visit our website to view all available drivers including FREE drivers.

http://www.chowmainsoft.com