Comparing KodiBuntu vs OpenElec vs Windows Kodi


Recommended Posts

I've spent so much time testing (sitting and watching movies, really) and I've started nit-picking my Kodi experience, looking for a flawless setup.

 

At any rate, I have tested three versions of a Kodi installation, using the same movies on the same home theater setup, and I'm finding that KodiBuntu seems to be the "best" solution so far for me. For every setup, I'm using 2-cores, 2GB RAM (for OE/Kodibuntu) and 8GB RAM (Windows), an Nvidia GT720, fed in to a Marantz SR5009, going to a Panasonic VT50 plasma, and "set refresh rate of TV to match" is enabled in Kodi. Video playback is perfect on all my setups - low CPU usage and buttery smooth.

 

OpenElec is a great starter, and it is very stable during use.  It's super easy to set up. The built-in template is decent, and JohnOdons writeup on how to do a proper installation is better. (https://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=44683.0). The built in template is a little bit behind the regular release, and I find that the latest release reduces a lot of these issues, but doesn't entirely eliminate them.

  • I will randomly get SMB "issues".  Slow network browsing, and every once in a while when I choose a video from my Library, OE  throws an error saying the "media is gone, do you want it removed from your library?"
  • On initial bootup, OE doesn't see the MySQL database for the library and needs to be restarted from within OE.  That restart always results in the DB connecting and Library showing up correctly. The glitch is only on first boot.
  • If left on for a few days, eventually it just crashes. I don't know if this is an HDMI handshaking issue, or a screen/interface issue, but I'll come back to OE and it will be a black screen. (My receiver has been off, the TV off, but OE left running) Interface sounds will work, and it is still on the network, but the screen is gone.  I haven't experimented specifically with disabling screen saver yet.  I have been using a mix of "Dim" and "image slideshows"
  • HD audio passthrough does work, and I can confirm that every type of audio I have will passthrough correctly.  The problem is I get audio dropouts during a movie.  It is usually 2-5 events, about a half second each. It happens totally randomly - not in the same place twice. No combination of settings in OE seem to make any improvement. Nitpicky, I know. But when you have it cranked up full blast, that little hiccup is annoying.

 

Kodi under Windows 7 feels like ridiculous overkill. I had to waste 25-30GB of an SSD setting up Windows7 with ServicePack1 (no DXVA2 without SP1). It works, and I don't have a ton of complaints, but I'm not setting up 4 Windows installations just to run Kodi.

  • Audio passthrough seems to work flawlessly.  I haven't heard a single dropout yet.
  • SMB performance seems to be just fine - I haven't noticed any hiccups or slowness.
  • DXVA2 works, and I do get lower CPU usage (vs non-dxva). But I still have odd spikes in CPU usage during playback.  Nothing that causes jerkiness or dropped frames, but overall this setup uses the CPUs a lot more than OE or KodiBuntu does.
  • I don't know if I'm imagining things, but the image quality with DXVA2 looks slightly different than what you get with VDPAU. Highlight edges seemed a little rougher / more jagged.  Again, I could be wrong.

 

KodiBuntu is interesting, and it feels like a nice compromise right between the first two. I set up an Ubuntu VM and used the official "KodiBuntu" release from Kodi.com as the installation OS, and I gave the VM an 8GB drive.  Installation was pretty straightforward, except I ran mine through VNC at the beginning. Once installation finished, I added my video card to the VM, and let it boot up to my TV and got an error screen saying "there is no OpenGL card installed". SSH is enabled by default, so I was able to quickly install the latest Nvidia drivers and reboot it once more.  From there, I had a working Kodi v14.  A couple of quick PPA updates later, and I had the latest Ubuntu release and the latest Kodi v16 release.

  • Any of the three major components can be updated via simple SSH commands: the core Ubuntu, the Kodi release, the Nvidia drivers. This is a big deal, because it gives me all the flexibility I would get in Windows, but with that compact OE feel.
  • SMB is much snappier, and I haven't seen the errors or issues I had with OE.
  • I've rebooted the VM several times, and each time it connects to the MySQL correctly on the first boot.
  • HD audio passthrough works right out of the box, and I haven't had any drop-outs. Oh wait, I lied - I DID add the MSI interrupt line to the sound.conf file on this install, same as you would for OE. So one tiny tweak.
  • Image quality is good (as good as OE was) and all playback has been very smooth.
  • Setup is about as complex as a regular OE install, but all the work is in the updates via SSH (not hard) - and no real tweaks to the VM XML are needed.

 

Other thoughts: I'm not sure exactly why OE and KodiBuntu are noticeably different, but I assume it is because with KodiBuntu, I'm able to use the latest release of all the underlying components (Ubuntu, Kodi, Nvidia), and Ubuntu is totally ready to use in a VM environment. They take up the same resources, run the same, and install with about the same amount of work.

Link to comment

Thank you so much for the great comparison!

I have tried two of the 3 -Openelec template & John's full install (my current setup) and Windows7 + Kodi...

 

I too have noticed very random audio dropouts (2-5 / movie) using OE with Tru-HD or DTS-HD pass-through audio in either setup. But not in Windows!

Some users may not care, but I do. After the first audio drop I stop enjoying the movie as much and find I am listening /waiting for the next one...  I didn't spend over $2k on a surround setup to not have the audio BluRay perfect  :-\ ....

 

I have also noticed that both versions of OE crash if left running but not connected to HDMI for several days... It seems to pin the Vcpu for extended times until I force reboot the VM or connect the HDMI and it reboots on its own...

 

I will try the KodiBuntu next -how much ram/cpu did you assign the VM? -and only a 8GB Vdisk? My Linux kung-fu is average at best so I have avoided it up to now, but this inspires me to try it!

 

Thanks,

 

BR

 

Link to comment

Thank you so much for the great comparison!

I have tried two of the 3 -Openelec template & John's full install (my current setup) and Windows7 + Kodi...

 

I too have noticed very random audio dropouts (2-5 / movie) using OE with Tru-HD or DTS-HD pass-through audio in either setup. But not in Windows!

Some users may not care, but I do. After the first audio drop I stop enjoying the movie as much and find I am listening /waiting for the next one...  I didn't spend over $2k on a surround setup to not have the audio BluRay perfect  :-\ ....

 

I have also noticed that both versions of OE crash if left running but not connected to HDMI for several days... It seems to pin the Vcpu for extended times until I force reboot the VM or connect the HDMI and it reboots on its own...

 

I will try the KodiBuntu next -how much ram/cpu did you assign the VM? -and only a 8GB Vdisk? My Linux kung-fu is average at best so I have avoided it up to now, but this inspires me to try it!

 

Thanks,

 

BR

 

Yeah, go for it. The install was really not that bad.  Set up a stock Ubuntu VM in Unraid, with 2GB of RAM and a new 8GB vdisk. Use the 2GB of RAM for the install process - I think it makes it go a little quicker.

 

Use the official Kodibuntu release as your installer ISO.  Once you are done installing, you can drop the RAM down to 1GB.

 

I'm pretty sure if you do the install with VNC (instead of a graphics card), the moment you reboot with a graphics card added in, it will error out, telling you to install the card.  From there, just follow the basic command line instructions for installing Nvidia drivers:

 

add the graphics-drivers ppa:

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa

$ sudo apt-get update

 

install the latest driver (use the major release number)

$ sudo apt-get install nvidia-361

 

restart your system

$ sudo reboot

 

After that, there are a couple tutorials on updating the core Ubuntu, and the kodi release, also via SSH.  I need to find the link, but I believe this Youtube covered it:

Link to comment

I think I will revisit Kodibuntu.  I had abandoned it some time ago because OS updates always seemed to hose something (maybe I was doing it wrong).

 

Probably the nicest thing about this solution is that you now have a full blown OS and access to a windows manager.  No need to jump through hoops to install third party apps like you have to with OE.

 

John

Link to comment

I think I will revisit Kodibuntu.  I had abandoned it some time ago because OS updates always seemed to hose something (maybe I was doing it wrong).

 

Probably the nicest thing about this solution is that you now have a full blown OS and access to a windows manager.  No need to jump through hoops to install third party apps like you have to with OE.

 

John

 

Well, I may be out of luck here.  I have to use OVMF (no video output with Seabios with my Nvidia cards) and unfortunately the Kodibuntu ISO is not EFI compatible.

Link to comment

I think I will revisit Kodibuntu.  I had abandoned it some time ago because OS updates always seemed to hose something (maybe I was doing it wrong).

 

Probably the nicest thing about this solution is that you now have a full blown OS and access to a windows manager.  No need to jump through hoops to install third party apps like you have to with OE.

 

John

 

 

 

Well, I may be out of luck here.  I have to use OVMF (no video output with Seabios with my Nvidia cards) and unfortunately the Kodibuntu ISO is not EFI compatible

 

I don't see why not - we have the exact same setup. My GT720s work just fine.

Link to comment

I think I will revisit Kodibuntu.  I had abandoned it some time ago because OS updates always seemed to hose something (maybe I was doing it wrong).

 

Probably the nicest thing about this solution is that you now have a full blown OS and access to a windows manager.  No need to jump through hoops to install third party apps like you have to with OE.

 

John

 

 

 

Well, I may be out of luck here.  I have to use OVMF (no video output with Seabios with my Nvidia cards) and unfortunately the Kodibuntu ISO is not EFI compatible

 

I don't see why not - we have the exact same setup. My GT720s work just fine.

 

What happens when you boot the Kodibuntu ISO?  Are you taken to the EFI menu or does it boot straight away?

Link to comment

anyone know how passthrough works with AMD cards and say kodibuntu since it doesnt work with OE?

 

I'm using an AMD 5450 with DTS-HD passthrough AND refresh rate changes and it works fine.

 

Before unRAID (last summer) I was trying to setup some Kodi VMs using KVM within Ubuntu, but there was a problem which prevented Dolby True HD and DTS-MA from working correctly with ATI/AMD cards if you had the "change video refresh rate to match source" setting in Kodi enabled. Are you saying that you have this working? I would love to be able to use my AMD 5450, but I need to have the lossless audio codecs working along with having the TV refresh rate switch to match the source.

Link to comment

I think I will revisit Kodibuntu.  I had abandoned it some time ago because OS updates always seemed to hose something (maybe I was doing it wrong).

 

Probably the nicest thing about this solution is that you now have a full blown OS and access to a windows manager.  No need to jump through hoops to install third party apps like you have to with OE.

 

John

 

 

 

Well, I may be out of luck here.  I have to use OVMF (no video output with Seabios with my Nvidia cards) and unfortunately the Kodibuntu ISO is not EFI compatible

 

I don't see why not - we have the exact same setup. My GT720s work just fine.

 

What happens when you boot the Kodibuntu ISO?  Are you taken to the EFI menu or does it boot straight away?

 

 

When I first set up the VM, I use the stock KodiBuntu installer ISO.  (its v14) as my OS install disk, and VNC as my graphics card.  It boots immediately to the Kodi Installer Boot Menu.

 

After the install, I add the graphics card in, replacing VNC.  During that next boot up, the VM will stop and give you an error about not having a card.  thats when you SSH in to install the drivers.  After that reboot, the VM will boot up each time to the standard Ubuntu boot menu, which has a 10-second timer, and auto-boots in to KodiBuntu.

Link to comment

anyone know how passthrough works with AMD cards and say kodibuntu since it doesnt work with OE?

 

I'm using an AMD 5450 with DTS-HD passthrough AND refresh rate changes and it works fine.

 

Before unRAID (last summer) I was trying to setup some Kodi VMs using KVM within Ubuntu, but there was a problem which prevented Dolby True HD and DTS-MA from working correctly with ATI/AMD cards if you had the "change video refresh rate to match source" setting in Kodi enabled. Are you saying that you have this working? I would love to be able to use my AMD 5450, but I need to have the lossless audio codecs working along with having the TV refresh rate switch to match the source.

 

Yup, and using the Limetech OpenELEC image. I confirmed the video/audio stream using my HDMI switch (shows 24 fps, and HBR audio) and receiver (shows DTS-HD Master Audio). I did not apply anything special in 6.1.9. Granted, I'm using ancient ATI branded 5450s for this. The one in question is an XFX 5450 1GB card. The other Guest/equipment room OE VM I doesn't have DTS support on the TV so it down mixes all audio.

Link to comment

Looks like there may be a new contender for this competition...

 

Libreelec which is a fork of Openelec by a lot of the devs after some internal disquiet by the sounds of it...  :-\

Interesting, thanks for the info! It was “creative differences” and rock-band analogies that broke them apart...  ;)

I like OE, but I have a shared library and am impatient and hate waiting (certainly don't have to wait for the update on my Windows machines!).

-------

 

Anyhow I just recently tried to get this going (Kodibuntu), and it was just as bad as I remember prior to sticking with a full blown (and waste of space/resources) Windows install.

So some input and help on my path would be appreciated.

 

1st off, I have a GT720 I'm using with this, so we're on the same page there.

 

Only SeaBIOS works, no OVMF (as mentioned it doesn't boot the installer in this mode), however that's fine by me.

 

If I use Q35 (newest) instead of i440FX (newest) my keyboard I have attached for install doesn't work at all, works fine under 440fx, and my basic Windows remote receiver doesn't seem to work regardless (may not be "eHome", but could tinker with at another point).

 

Regardless if I install with VNC or using the GT720, I always get the "No OpenGL hardware ...." error message.

 

You recommendation seems to fix this, and get Kodi to boot:

add the graphics-drivers ppa:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
$ sudo apt-get update

install the latest driver (use the major release number)
$ sudo apt-get install nvidia-361

restart your system
$ sudo reboot

 

Then I want to update to Jarvis, so I put in the following:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

 

It seems to update a LOT, but says it skips a couple from updates, the two I noticed were Kodi and nVidia something...

I then told it to update kodi (whatever it is, apt-get update kodi, or something of that nature).

Completed, reboot, black screen... Ctrl+Alt+F1 (never knew this little trick existed!!), I get an error that Kodi can't load, something something...

 

Sudo reboot, Kodi loads!!! However no sound, and (my order may be a bit off) I have a very often re-occuring message in Ctrl+Alt+F1 (console) for intel-hda error (or something) continuing.....

 

Kodi is at version 16.0 (not 16.1RC), not sure if the RC isn't available, or my install just hates me.  :-[

I figure this needs the same MSI trick to fix (as mentioned here), so I go looking for it's location, and FTP into KodiBuntu.

I have the .config, but no path for modprobe.d or the sound.conf file within it.

So I create them in the same location (is it different for Ubuntu?), sudo reboot (from SSH).

 

I'm not sure if that did anything, but I'm no longer at the console (Ctrl+Alt+F1), and am in Kodi, however I get NO sound output.

I try all 3 options under the System audio section (default HDMI, something else HDMI, and HDMI Toshiba TV), and none of them output any sound.

 

This is the point I gave up for the night, so I may waste another couple of hours soon but would be very grateful for some input/knowledge from the OP or others that have gone through this..

I think it is retarded that the KodiBuntu image (even though Ubuntu has a 5 year support cycle) isn't updated, and requires an old Helix install as a base to get this going! Plus then like 300 updates when running the sudo apt-get update command.

 

 

Link to comment

You recommendation seems to fix this, and get Kodi to boot:

add the graphics-drivers ppa:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
$ sudo apt-get update

install the latest driver (use the major release number)
$ sudo apt-get install nvidia-361

restart your system
$ sudo reboot

 

Then I want to update to Jarvis, so I put in the following:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

 

It seems to update a LOT, but says it skips a couple from updates, the two I noticed were Kodi and nVidia something...

I then told it to update kodi (whatever it is, apt-get update kodi, or something of that nature).

Completed, reboot, black screen... Ctrl+Alt+F1 (never knew this little trick existed!!), I get an error that Kodi can't load, something something...

 

Sudo reboot, Kodi loads!!! However no sound, and (my order may be a bit off) I have a very often re-occuring message in Ctrl+Alt+F1 (console) for intel-hda error (or something) continuing.....

 

Kodi is at version 16.0 (not 16.1RC), not sure if the RC isn't available, or my install just hates me.  :-[

I figure this needs the same MSI trick to fix (as mentioned here), so I go looking for it's location, and FTP into KodiBuntu.

I have the .config, but no path for modprobe.d or the sound.conf file within it.

So I create them in the same location (is it different for Ubuntu?), sudo reboot (from SSH).

 

I'm not sure if that did anything, but I'm no longer at the console (Ctrl+Alt+F1), and am in Kodi, however I get NO sound output.

I try all 3 options under the System audio section (default HDMI, something else HDMI, and HDMI Toshiba TV), and none of them output any sound.

 

This is the point I gave up for the night, so I may waste another couple of hours soon but would be very grateful for some input/knowledge from the OP or others that have gone through this..

I think it is retarded that the KodiBuntu image (even though Ubuntu has a 5 year support cycle) isn't updated, and requires an old Helix install as a base to get this going! Plus then like 300 updates when running the sudo apt-get update command.

 

First off - the total resources needed for a Kodibuntu install is 3.5G.  I put mine on an 8G drive, running with 2-cores, and 1G of RAM.  It's definitely smaller than Windows, and when its this small, I say its competitive with OE.

 

You are close on your install.  This is the video I was trying to link in my first post - but it just wont show up for some reason.  Go to Youtube and search this video: "16qSdmtxPdQ".  Its called "Update Kodibuntu and Upgrade Kodi---Step Two"

 

The step they have in there that you may not have done is to update the core Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install update-manager-core

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common

 

Then add the repository for Kodi:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa

 

Update, then install Kodi

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install kodi

-------

 

Again the OpenGL error occurs on first boot while still in VNC mode.  SSH in to the machine while that error is on-screen and do all of these updates.

 

Then, you do have to add the sound.conf file to the system. I don't think it exists by default, so you have to make it:

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/sound.conf

 

add this line: "options snd-hda-intel enable_msi=1"

 

Shut it down, add your video card and sound card in to the VM definition, remove VNC and start it up.  That's literally all I had to do.  Once inside, you can check System Info in Kodi to see the version you are running (16), and the Nvidia driver version (361 at the time of this writing).

 

Link to comment

First off - the total resources needed for a Kodibuntu install is 3.5G.  I put mine on an 8G drive, running with 2-cores, and 1G of RAM.  It's definitely smaller than Windows, and when its this small, I say its competitive with OE.

 

You are close on your install.  This is the video I was trying to link in my first post - but it just wont show up for some reason.  Go to Youtube and search this video: "16qSdmtxPdQ".  Its called "Update Kodibuntu and Upgrade Kodi---Step Two"

 

The step they have in there that you may not have done is to update the core Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install update-manager-core

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common

 

Then add the repository for Kodi:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa

 

Update, then install Kodi

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install kodi

-------

 

Again the OpenGL error occurs on first boot while still in VNC mode.  SSH in to the machine while that error is on-screen and do all of these updates.

 

Then, you do have to add the sound.conf file to the system. I don't think it exists by default, so you have to make it:

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/sound.conf

 

add this line: "options snd-hda-intel enable_msi=1"

 

Shut it down, add your video card and sound card in to the VM definition, remove VNC and start it up.  That's literally all I had to do.  Once inside, you can check System Info in Kodi to see the version you are running (16), and the Nvidia driver version (361 at the time of this writing).

Ok, will try this again soon.

I started with 10GB vdisk, 2GB ram, and 2 cores, so we're good there.

 

Did you have issues using Q35, or did you just choose 440fx?

I ask as I did, and if I recall, the "recommended" chipset/emulation for Linux is Q35 which my keyboard (weird) doesn't work in.

As to this "Again the OpenGL error occurs on first boot while still in VNC mode" that's the thing, it happens when installing this with the GT720 passed through also.. I did the install as I was planning on using it (no VNC, just GT720)..

I couldn't (easily) figure out my IP for using SSH, but at that point I didn't know about the Ctrl+Alt+F1 option, and thought I couldn't input anything.

So this is why it wasn't very straight forward.

 

Anyhow, I'll check out the video soon.

Thanks.

 

Link to comment

i run Openelec on a standalone HTPC box.  It works a treat but the one thing I had to do was go into the Openelec settings and set it to wait on starting kodi until the network was up.  The box and kodi was starting up so fast that the network had not grabbed a DHCP address quick enough and the connection to the mysql database would almost always fail.

Link to comment

 

When I first set up the VM, I use the stock KodiBuntu installer ISO.  (its v14) as my OS install disk, and VNC as my graphics card.  It boots immediately to the Kodi Installer Boot Menu.

 

 

And that was with Seabios or OVMF?

 

(You didn't ask me, but I'm here reading) This only worked with SeaBIOS, not OVMF, as I get the boot loader options, and no booted Kodi Installer menu.

 

On another note: I still don't get why SeaBIOS doesn't work for you!?.. I have 2 different makes/brands of the GT720, and they all work with it.

Link to comment

 

When I first set up the VM, I use the stock KodiBuntu installer ISO.  (its v14) as my OS install disk, and VNC as my graphics card.  It boots immediately to the Kodi Installer Boot Menu.

 

 

And that was with Seabios or OVMF?

 

(You didn't ask me, but I'm here reading) This only worked with SeaBIOS, not OVMF, as I get the boot loader options, and no booted Kodi Installer menu.

 

On another note: I still don't get why SeaBIOS doesn't work for you!?.. I have 2 different makes/brands of the GT720, and they all work with it.

 

Here is my XML of the VM.  It's a Q35 machine, not 440fx.

 

<domain type='kvm' id='29' xmlns:qemu='http://libvirt.org/schemas/domain/qemu/1.0'>
  <name>Kodibuntu-MBR</name>
  <uuid>2216af8a-f4ec-4bcf-2f81-4a2b3efee705</uuid>
  <metadata>
    <vmtemplate name="Custom" icon="ubuntu.png" os="ubuntu"/>
  </metadata>
  <memory unit='KiB'>1048576</memory>
  <currentMemory unit='KiB'>1048576</currentMemory>
  <memoryBacking>
    <nosharepages/>
    <locked/>
  </memoryBacking>
  <vcpu placement='static'>2</vcpu>
  <cputune>
    <vcpupin vcpu='0' cpuset='10'/>
    <vcpupin vcpu='1' cpuset='11'/>
  </cputune>
  <resource>
    <partition>/machine</partition>
  </resource>
  <os>
    <type arch='x86_64' machine='pc-q35-2.3'>hvm</type>
  </os>
  <features>
    <acpi/>
    <apic/>
  </features>
  <cpu mode='host-passthrough'>
    <topology sockets='1' cores='2' threads='1'/>
  </cpu>
  <clock offset='utc'>
    <timer name='rtc' tickpolicy='catchup'/>
    <timer name='pit' tickpolicy='delay'/>
    <timer name='hpet' present='no'/>
  </clock>
  <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>
  <on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>
  <on_crash>restart</on_crash>
  <devices>
    <emulator>/usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64</emulator>
    <disk type='file' device='disk'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='writeback'/>
      <source file='/mnt/disk1/Kodi/Kodibuntu-MBR.img'/>
      <backingStore/>
      <target dev='hda' bus='virtio'/>
      <boot order='1'/>
      <alias name='virtio-disk0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x02' slot='0x04' function='0x0'/>
    </disk>
    <controller type='usb' index='0' model='ich9-ehci1'>
      <alias name='usb'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x02' slot='0x02' function='0x7'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='usb' index='0' model='ich9-uhci1'>
      <alias name='usb'/>
      <master startport='0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x02' slot='0x02' function='0x0' multifunction='on'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='sata' index='0'>
      <alias name='ide'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x1f' function='0x2'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='0' model='pcie-root'>
      <alias name='pcie.0'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='1' model='dmi-to-pci-bridge'>
      <alias name='pci.1'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x1e' function='0x0'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='2' model='pci-bridge'>
      <alias name='pci.2'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x01' slot='0x01' function='0x0'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='virtio-serial' index='0'>
      <alias name='virtio-serial0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x02' slot='0x03' function='0x0'/>
    </controller>
    <interface type='bridge'>
      <mac address='52:54:00:95:5c:a5'/>
      <source bridge='br0'/>
      <target dev='vnet4'/>
      <model type='virtio'/>
      <alias name='net0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x02' slot='0x01' function='0x0'/>
    </interface>
    <serial type='pty'>
      <source path='/dev/pts/4'/>
      <target port='0'/>
      <alias name='serial0'/>
    </serial>
    <console type='pty' tty='/dev/pts/4'>
      <source path='/dev/pts/4'/>
      <target type='serial' port='0'/>
      <alias name='serial0'/>
    </console>
    <channel type='unix'>
      <source mode='bind' path='/var/lib/libvirt/qemu/channel/target/Kodibuntu-MBR.org.qemu.guest_agent.0'/>
      <target type='virtio' name='org.qemu.guest_agent.0' state='disconnected'/>
      <alias name='channel0'/>
      <address type='virtio-serial' controller='0' bus='0' port='1'/>
    </channel>
    <hostdev mode='subsystem' type='usb' managed='yes'>
      <source>
        <vendor id='0x20a0'/>
        <product id='0x0001'/>
        <address bus='6' device='2'/>
      </source>
      <alias name='hostdev0'/>
    </hostdev>
    <memballoon model='virtio'>
      <alias name='balloon0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x02' slot='0x05' function='0x0'/>
    </memballoon>
  </devices>
  <qemu:commandline>
    <qemu:arg value='-device'/>
    <qemu:arg value='ioh3420,bus=pcie.0,addr=1c.0,multifunction=on,port=2,chassis=1,id=root.1'/>
    <qemu:arg value='-device'/>
    <qemu:arg value='vfio-pci,host=03:00.0,bus=pcie.0,multifunction=on,x-vga=on'/>
    <qemu:arg value='-device'/>
    <qemu:arg value='vfio-pci,host=03:00.1,bus=pcie.0'/>
  </qemu:commandline>
</domain>

Link to comment

 

When I first set up the VM, I use the stock KodiBuntu installer ISO.  (its v14) as my OS install disk, and VNC as my graphics card.  It boots immediately to the Kodi Installer Boot Menu.

 

 

And that was with Seabios or OVMF?

 

 

On another note: I still don't get why SeaBIOS doesn't work for you!?.. I have 2 different makes/brands of the GT720, and they all work with it.

 

I've tried everything I can think of and never get video with ANY of my 3 nvidia cards when using Seabios.  The only place I haven't looked is in the system BIOS.  snocrash and I have the same exact MB and Seabios works for him.  I'm stumped.

Link to comment
  • 1 year later...

Sorry to necro an old post, but since it is very related, seems like the best place.

 

I am looking for something.  I don't have experience with Linux.  So, knowing the commands for doing various updates may be an issue.  I installed Mint and then Kodi, and that all worked ok, but when I rebooted, the Rii i8+ did not connect.  So, no keyboard/mouse.  It was enough to put me off of that route. :D  

 

So, now I am thinking OpenElec/LibreElec or KodiBuntu.  It seems like KodiBuntu may have been discontinued, though.  

 

I have a very beefy HTPC.  It's the latest Intel NUC, 16 GB RAM, SSD (don't ask why it's so beefy...I know it's not quite needed for this purpose).  So, resources is not really an issue.  I'm just tired of dealing with Windows for the HTPC.  Mainly because I want to solve a playback issue I have with an addon, and I think switching over to a Linux base would do it (it fixes on Windows if I close and re-open Kodi).  

 

What would you recommend considering this?  Ideally, I would like to get something that will update on its own.  Is there something like that? :D

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.