Google’s attempt to take over our living rooms is making progress, but it’s slow going. Android TV gets more exciting and more impressive with each new generation, but it is still going to be some time before our TVs and set-top boxes are routinely powered by the platform.
Fortunately you don’t have to wait for Google to overhaul an entire industry before you can benefit from an Android-powered TV system. With Kodi, a free app from the Play store, you can build your own right now.
Kodi began life as XBMC, an app designed to enable movie streaming on the original Xbox games console. As an open-source product, it was quickly embraced by developers who began porting it to other devices. Today it is rebranded as Kodi and is available for pretty much every platform.
This means you can turn your Android device into a set-top box for your TV. It can stream television shows and films from sources like Netflix and BBC iPlayer, as well as global TV channels and web services.
How to install Kodi
1. Install add-ons
You can add content channels to Kodi by installing add-ons. These are separate apps that search specific locations for films and TV shows. There are also add-ons for photo and music services, such as internet radio.
2. Stream in full HD
Kodi is able to stream in full 1080p HD so long as your internet connection is fast enough. We’d recommend a broadband speed of at least 5Mbps to stream in the highest quality.
3. Chromecast or Kodicast
Unfortunately, there’s no built-in support for streaming to a Chromecast. Although it is technically possible with an app called Kodicast, it is complicated and far from user-friendly to configure. Kodi works best with a dedicated device attached to your TV.
4. Dedicated devices
It’s possible to buy Android streaming devices that are already set up to use Kodi from online stores like Amazon. However, some are configured to use channels that deliver pirated content, so to stay on the right side of the law we’d recommend setting it up yourself.
Install apps from other sources on Kodi
- Kodi can be downloaded without access to the Play store. Go to kodi.tv/download and locate the version for Android. Download and save it to the internal storage.
- On your Android go to Settings>Security. Scroll to Unknown sources and tick the box as this will enable apps to be sideloaded. Now locate the Kodi app and tap to install.
- Having sideloaded, you won’t get automatic updates, although you will see a message in the app alerting you when a new version is available.
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