Software Update: LibreELEC 10.0.3

The developers behind the Libre Embedded Linux Entertainment Center released version 10.0.3 a few days ago. LibreELEC was created after a large number of developers left OpenELEC due to disagreement and started their own business. This Linux distribution is based on Kodi and can turn a computer into a full-fledged htpc. It can also be installed on a Raspberry Pi or a separate media player. In LibreELEC version 10, the switch to Kodi version 19.1 has been made and that has quite a few snags. An automatic upgrade from version 9.2 to 10 is therefore not possible and it is also recommended to make a backup first. This version also contains a bug that makes it not recommended to upgrade if the media player is equipped with an AMD CPU. The release notes for this release can be found below.

LibreELEC (Matrix) 10.0.3

LibreELEC 10.0.3 has been released, bringing Kodi (Matrix) v19.4 with additional fixes from the Kodi Matrix branch (till Oct 2, 2022). Users of LibreELEC 10 Beta or RC1 get an automatic update to the final version. LibreELEC 9.2 setups will not be automatically updated, you will need to manually updated. We can offer stable and good working versions for Allwinner, Generic and Rockchip devices. The RPi4 is also in good shape but the codebase is rather new, so it is not polished yet (keep reading for details).

AMD users do not update !

There is a Linux kernel bug that crashes Kodi at start. This is hopefully fixed soon. Pls do not update your AMD system yet. LE10.0.4 will fix this. You can still downgrade from a “broken” 10.0.3 to 10.0.2 if needed. Link to the old version LibreELEC-Generic.x86_64-10.0.2.img.gz

CHANGES SINCE 10.0.2

updates:

• update Kodi to latest version from the Matrix branch
• several minor package updates

fixes:

• RPi multiple decoder and playback fixes
• Bluetooth related fixes at the settings Add-On

Raspberry PI 0-1

There are no Raspberry Pi 0-1 releases for LE10.0. The RPi graphic drivers are still in progress of a complete rewrite, additionally the current development is focused on RPi 4.

• Support for RPi0-1 is dropped, its unlikely to return (lacking horsepower for the new graphic stack)

RaspberryPI 2-3

As new addition we support RPi2 and RPi3 at LE10. Please keep in mind this is still brand new and not widely tested. Likely bugs are still possible. Overall, the current version is properly usable.

Note that GPU accelerated b65 decoding is no longer available in LE 10 and future versions. If this is important to you stay at LE 9.2.

Working (RPi4)

• HDMI output up to 4kp60
• b64 and b65 HW decoding
• NEW: HDR output (HDR10 and HLG)
• NEW: HD audio pass-through (Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD)
• NEW: deinterlacing support (PVR/DVD)
• NEW: 10/12bit video output

Known issues

• 50/60fps b64 HW decoding may need force_turbo=1 or core_freq_min=500 in config.txt to avoid AV-sync-issues/skipping
• Kodi runs in 4096×2160 instead of 3840×2160 on 4k TVs after fresh installation
  Solution: Change resolution in system settings (1920×1080 50 or 60Hz plus setting up whitelist and enabling “Adjust display refresh rate” in player settings is recommended)
• Hyperion Addon no longer works
  No solution for now, Hyperion doesn’t support the new graphics driver stack yet
• The additional DVB drivers are not present.

Important changes since LE9.2

• hdmi_mode, hdmi_group, hdmi_edid_file etc settings in config.txt can no longer be used to work around display issues.
  alternatives:
  • Run getedid create to install permanent EDID file (same as on Generic)
  • Use video=… kernel command line option to force a video mode Eg: add video=HDMI-A-1:1280x720M@60D to cmdline.txt
• Analog audio output is not enabled by default
  Solution: add dtparam=audio=on and audio_pwm_mode=1 to config.txt to enable it