Kodi and 4K

Kodi and 4K

Kodi and 4K

Right have had to write this article after so many readers ask me where they can find 4k content in Kodi. I have so many tweets about this and it needs to be addressed. So you have your shiny new 4k Tv and shining new 4k compatible T8 box and you are champing at the bit to test it out…………………………….

So can You?

So what is 4K resolution ?  In order to understand 4K resolution , we have to go back to the basics. A display resolution is “is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed”.

The most common resolution’s these days  is HD ready normally 720p or Full HD which is 1080p.  So what is 1080p. It means that an image using this resolution is 1920 pixels in width by 1080 pixels in height.

4K resolution, is 4 times this size, which is 3840 pixels in width by 2160 pixels in height as our simple image below shows.

4k versus 1080p

 

Full HD = 1920 x 1080 = 2,073,600 pixels

4K = 3840 x 2160 = 8,294,400 pixels

As our graphic and calculations 4K times “superior” to Full HD resolution.

.

Yes Kodi is ready the software can play these files no problem, The latest devices on the market are 4K ready and there is a test add-on in MetalKettle Repo to test your sparkling new box you can install following instructions below:-

Screenshot 2015-11-11 21.42.38

  • Open Kodi
  • go to SYSTEM 
  • select File Manager
  • Select Add Source
  • Select None
  • Type the following http://kodi.metalkettle.co and click Done
  • Highlight the box underneath and enter name in media Source. I use Metal
  • Select OK
  • Go back to your Home Screen
  • Select SYSTEM
  • Select Add-Ons
  • Select Install from zip file
  • Select Metal
  • Select repository.metalkettle-1.6.2.zip
  • Wait for Add-on enabled notification

If you have the MetalKettle repo already installed you can skip above and just follow below.

  • Click Settings
  • Click Addons
  • Click Get Addons
  • Scroll down and select MetalKettle Repo
  • Click on Video Addons
  • Then select Big Buck Bunny
  • Wait for Add-on enabled notification

Screenshot 2015-11-11 21.43.11

 

My Samsung Tv with my T8 v3 plays superb 4k video without any issues as you can see from these images and this is a great test addon to put your devices through it paces.

 

Screenshot 2015-11-11 21.43.28

Skins will auto re-size to the 4K resolution from 1080p doubling height and width of every images from the skins and 4k backgrounds are readily available for you to download from hundreds of wallpaper sites.

Kodi will upscale lower resolution’s content to 4K, and with the proper settings you will notice the better quality images of your Movies and Shows.

The problem with higher resolution it means bigger level of detail. 4K images/movies will look more sharp and i can see this on my devices and less visible pixelated areas but then again my wife is sitting here with me saying that she cant see any visible difference. ARGH!!! 

True 4K content, really looks amazing, it is so much clearer and sharper to the eye the only problem in my house is i spend most of my day polishing off all the kids finger prints so that i can get the best quality picture from my device and TV.

The problem with Kodi is the lack of content, most content is not yet 4K ready. Some providers outside of Kodi  such as Netflix are adding more and more 4K content to their library databases but still very limited in comparison to 1080p.

As I said, 4K is 4 times superior in quality, it is also bigger to download or stream, imagine the amount of bandwidth needed from the servers to get this to the growing Kodi community even if compressed into a different format. A movie could be as big as 30-40 gig. I know my Infinity  broadband is unlimited but would i really want to use 30-40 gig on one Movie? I have seen a few 4k music channels available in Kodi and picture does look amazing.

Also i read forums and tweets from people moaning about buffering in Kodi do we really have the speed of internet to cope with this yet? I Dont think so.

The team have covered buffering in a previous blog which can be read HERE

So overall will we see the 4K Boom in Kodi any time soon?

Personally i can never see it being a big thing anytime in the next few years if i am honest we will probably have an even higher resolution before we do. Do we need it really? I don’t think so i am more than happy with my 1080p movies, I have just  however spoken to the guys over at Entertainment Box  and have just added this in as they have told me that the newer devices are compatible with H265 which is a format that compresses files down and could see the start of 4k files on Kodi in their eyes. We will see!

 

Whats your thoughts on this?

 

GPD Q9

 

 

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