[bobobo7]

I was wondering how far did kodi get after all those years, especially after claiming that KODi is against piracy, hoping to see a platform which can connect various LEGAL media sources into one UI. I was hoping for spotify, netflix, hbo go, youtube, + couple of purchased songs from google + some free radio streams, and airplay. Airplay does not work, radio streams addon from official repository was very limited and many streams did not work. Youtube installation was cumbersome  and furthermore some addon installation from official sources ended with errors. At the end I failed to achieve desired goal and after an hour or two I unistalled everything. Kodi apparently did not step out of the shade and after those years it is still designed to handle tons of downloaded movie content shared on local network which everyone can easily guess from where the content is coming from. I would suggest to focus on main stream services and you really need UX expert. Browsing folder structure in 2021 is not sexy anymore.

[PatK]

hoping to see a platform which can connect various LEGAL media sources into one UI

A big smile on my face, nice to see dreamers still posting. The nature of a free open source software precludes the kind of media 'wars' that presents these days, they (corporations) all want control of your eyeballs along with sharing your wallet. Kodi really does embody the best of independent media managers and as someone mentioned 'do one thing, but do it well' comes to mind.

Streaming video sources has been an option for many years, it gives a venue to creatives, to publish their content and becomes a platform of expression to new ideas and narratives that are either not commercially viable, or would otherwise not be exhibited. There is a cost to all of this, hence we see a lot of these start-ups looking for hand-outs or commercialization if the form of advertisement et so. If this all comes under one roof software wise, it will be largely a government oriented plan on control of those large international business, and considering the politics of the day, think globalization and shades of George Orwell.    

But where there is money (greed)! I could go on about the rules that we all follow, but it all comes down to content control and who gets the largest share. If you have no respect for what others have created and rules are only to be followed if it's advantageous; then anything I say here will be moot.

Browsing folder structure in 2021 is not sexy

File & Folder structure have been around as long as I can remember, definitely not sexy but is the hierarchy chosen for the order of things, alternative flat file chaos doesn't cut it, check out how your local library handles collections. I do understand that some of the new interfaces embody content choices on interests, genre, ratings and popularity which may seem an elimination of the hierarchical system, but they're all based on how your local library structure is set-up and Kodi does a marvellous job with smart playlists and nodes, not to mention 'other' 3rd party methods Add-on:Trakt (wiki) and Add-on:TheMovieDb Helper (wiki) but of course there is some effort to bring in the future. You have a better idea, we're all ears.

[fsurfer]

hoping to see a platform which can connect various LEGAL media sources into one UI

A big smile on my face, nice to see dreamers still posting. . . . You have a better idea, we're all ears.

. . . .and Kodi is free!!

An alternative Plex is subscription based else

LIMITATIONS: When playing or viewing media from your Plex Media Server on the device:
Video is limited to one minute of playback
Music is limited to one minute of playback
Photos will have a watermark added

[Klojum]

I would suggest to focus on main stream services and you really need UX expert.

We do that where we can. FYI: the companies of most of the services like Youtube, Amazon, Netflix, HBO and others do not want us to mimic their interfaces for copyright reasons. For that same reason, not all of the add-ons for such services are available through the Kodi repository as official add-ons.

An UX expert? The application has been there for some 15 years, and people still get confused?

At the end I failed to achieve desired goal and after an hour or two I unistalled everything. Kodi apparently did not step out of the shade and after those years it is still designed to handle tons of downloaded movie content shared on local network

If it does not fit your purpose, I'm sure you'll be able to find a better media solution that fits your needs better.

I would suggest to focus on main stream services

In case you hadn't noticed yet, Kodi is a freeware open-source project. Payments for the inclusion of closed-source software such as Google's Chromecast, Netflix or any other, are out of the question.

Browsing folder structure in 2021 is not sexy anymore.

So you'd rather have 20+ different layouts..? Each add-on having its own UI experience? Yeah, that'll add to the confusion. As previously stated, I'm sure there is a much more sophisticated and voice activated home theater solution out there waiting for you. Kodi is not for everyone, and we cannot please every single user.

[tjay260476]

I for one have my dvd and blu ray collection on my server, along with my music collection that I have had since mp3 was a thing, that also ripped from CD’s.

I have a pvr server setup as well as using Disney+, Netflix and a few others that I subscribe to.

Would I prefer the UX for those addons, yes, but I understand the limitations and legalities of why they aren’t in the official repo, and I’m happy with that.

Also iTunes connects through audio to ALL my Kodi instances so I have a cheap multi room audio setup.

My setup here is a setup and forget, same with my backups.

Quite simply it works, I want recommendations or to use the proper UX for certain streaming services I have a roku device for that, especially since in the UK we have our free to air catch-up services that aren’t available for Kodi, so it gets used.

Would I prefer an all in one solution, yes. I have tried and look at learning python 3 and how to scrape the websites that I want which would negate the roku, but I don’t know where to start, I would need hand holding and know well enough to know that everyone on the Kodi team are volunteers, and it would be a bit of an ask to get them to hand hold me!!

Does it do what I want? 90% of it yes. And it’s free, so I don’t care about the other 10%!!!!

[bobobo7]

@tjay260476  thanks for sharing. As for DVD / Blu ray backups in our country we are allowed to make one backup but are not allowed to break any copy protection. Since almost every DVD has some sort of copy protection we would be breaking the law just by making the copy on pc, even if it is one click away . As for netflix and disney+ i am almost certain that re-streaming is against theirs service terms as basically all of them dictates you to use official apps and  APIs. I understand that many people don't give a s*it but I do believe that proper way forward for developers is to talk to those service providers and find official way. Anyway, for myself i decided to purchase nvidia shield tv and control playback from my mobile where airplay, spotify connect, youtube cast, etc. works well, access to my digital library is not a pain and overal user experience is just better.

[tjay260476]

The addons for Disney and Amazon are streaming directly from their servers, using authorised paid for accounts, and doesn’t break DRM so only missing the UX.

Regarding ripped DVDs and blu rays, if using the mkv codec, VLC, windows media player and iTunes will all play ripped content.

MakeMKV rips content WITHOUT breaking drm, so it can be done.

[bobobo7]

Thanks, i will definitelly check on dvd as i have lots of content there.
I dont have an amazon and disney so i will skip that part.