Software update: OpenELEC 5.0

After four beta releases and three release candidates, the final version of version 5.0 of the Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center has now been released. This Linux distribution is based on XBMC/Kodi and can turn a computer into a full-fledged HTPC. OpenELEC is easy to install, maintain and use, as well as being small and lightning fast. The main change in version 5.0 is the move from XBMC 13.2 to Kodi 14, which is also currently in development. In addition, a newer version of the Linux kernel is used, OpenSSL has been replaced by LibreSSL and support for the first generation Apple TV has been dropped. The release notes for this release can be found below.

OpenELEC 5.0 released
The headline change is the update from XBMC 13 (Gotham) to Kodi 14 (Helix) and the big switch from XBMC to Kodi branding. Both project teams have conducted a major find/replace but if you spot residual mentions of XBMC anywhere please let us know. The name change affects more than the GUI; all references in code have been changed and in the OpenELEC filesystem /storage/.xbmc will be recreated as a symlink to /storage/.kodi to ensure hardcoded paths in addons or scripts continue to work. For information on Kodi 14 you can find on .

Due to the potential for typo-bugs and breakage from Kodi renaming YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO MAKE A FULL BACKUP before performing a manual update and perform a “Reset System Settings to defaults (Soft Reset)” after the update.

Please note many addons and skins remain to be ported by their developers. This is out with our control an until this happens they will either not work or be marked as broken by Kodi. If an addon or skin is essential to you please confirm with its developer prior to upgrade if it is compatible with Kodi (Helix).

Other notable “under the hood” changes include a version bump from v3.16 to v3.17 Linux kernel, and a switch from OpenSSL to LibreSSL following the heartbleed disclosure. the LibreSSL package includes better licensing and allows OpenELEC to be simplified by removing support for other cryptographic libraries such as GnuTLS.

Supported Platform Changes
We are adding Freescale imx6 support for a limited number of boxes, starting with the CuBox-i and CuboxTV mini devices. Also, after many years, support for the mk1 (silver) AppleTV build has been discontinued, and there will be no official v5.0 (Kodi) release for Apple devices. This decision was partly driven by the Kodi development team removing CrystalHD acceleration support in Kodi v14.0 and the unrelated removal of the CrystalHD driver from the v3.17 Linux kernel. In both cases CrystalHD code has not been maintained for several years, and as surrounding codebases moved forwards over time the level of compatibility and optimization has gone distinctly backwards. At the same time, XBMC’s gradual increase in size breached the limits of the 256MB RAM available in the box to cause a cascade of playback problems for an increasing number of users. Our AppleTV user base has grown sizeable over time, and to the users upset by this announcement we apologise. However, the project staff felt that it was time and that v4.2 should be the final AppleTV release.