NEWS 240215 about RaspEX Kodi 64-bit
I’ve made a new version of RaspEX Kodi 64-bit. This version is based on Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) and Debian Bookworm (Debian 12.5 stable). The LXDE Desktop is replaced with LXQt , which has a more “modern look” than LXDE. Historically, LXQt is the product of the merge between LXDE-Qt, an initial Qt flavour of LXDE, and Razor-qt, a project aiming to develop a Qt based desktop environment with similar objectives as the current LXQt. In RaspEX Kodi Build 240215 I’ve upgraded Kodi to version 20.3 Nexus. You can now much easier install extra repositories. Read about the best Kodi repos 2024.

EXTRA NEWS 240218 ABOUT DRM in RaspEX Kodi Build 240215
I’ve discovered how to get DRM (Digital Rights Management) support in Firefox so you can enjoy Netflix and Spotify! Just run the command sudo apt install libwidevinecdm0. Then open Firefox and go to https://netflix.com. You will then be asked to enable DRM. That’s it!

INSTALLED PACKAGES in Build 240215
Study all installed packages in Build 240215…

REPLACEMENT
This RaspEX Kodi Build (240215) replaces all previous versions of RaspEX Kodi.

RASPBERRY Pi 5 and 4
RaspEX Kodi is made especially for the new Raspberry Pi 5 released October 23, 2023 (4GB and 8GB), but can also be used on a Raspberry Pi 4.
NOTE: A Raspberry Pi 5 is about twice as fast as the Raspberry Pi 4.

PERFORMANCE
RaspEX Kodi is now very fast and responsive, especially if you run RaspEX on the new Raspberry Pi 5. And the video performance is brilliant. Almost as good as if you use a new “big” computer.

History
My first version of RaspEX Kodi from 190124 was a replacement for RaspEX Kodi with OSMC, which was released 190117. Sam Nazarko (founder of OSMC) contacted me 190118 claiming that I was “violating” his rights to the trademark OSMC and the rules in GPLv2. I don’t think I did, but I’m also very tired. Therefore I made a new version (190124) of RaspEX Kodi without any traces of OSMC. I would say that all my later versions of RaspEX Kodi are as good as the old one from 190117. I.e. excellent video and sound performance both in Kodi and LXQt. For version 190124 I charged 9 $. My new versions (210829/2103017210211/210205/210904/220218/240215) can be downloaded for free from SourceForge.net. People should not refrain from downloading RaspEX Kodi because of the money issue. I want all Linux and Raspberry Pi enthusiasts to enjoy the system. It runs very well on a the a Raspberry Pi 5 and 4. I.e. fast and responsive. Especially on the Raspberry Pi 5 with 4GB or 8GB RAM – released October 23, 2023. The system will automatically determine which Raspberry Pi you are using and load the correct kernel.
NOTE: All previous versions of RaspEX Kodi are replaced by version 240215.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file raspex-rpi5-64bit-kodi20.3-lxqt-2630mb-240215.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-raspex-rpi5-64bit-kodi20.3-lxqt-8000mb-240215.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 16GB. For that you shall use Rufus 4.4 in Windows.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-raspex-rpi5-64bit-kodi20.3-lxqt-8000mb-240215.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Log in to LXQt or Kodi
After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login screen. It will look like this – see below. Log in as user pi with password raspberry. You can run Kodi on the LXQt Desktop like any other program or run it in full screen. Just change Kodi’s Settings from Windowed to Fullscreen. Watch this screenshot.

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo raspi-config. Click on “Advanced Options” and choose A1 Expand Filesystem.
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 64 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards.

API and Authentication keys
Google and Netflix make it more and more difficult to use the YouTube and Netflix add-ons in Kodi. They demand API and Authentication keys. As regards YouTube I’ve managed to solve the problem permanently.

WiFi connections
Go to Menu >> Preferences >> Advanced Network Configuration and add your credentials. Then run the command sudo dhclient wlan0 (to get an IP-address).
Watch this screenshot.

Used kernels
Kernel 6.1.77-exton-v8-16k+ for Rpi5
Kernel 6.1.0-rpi8-rpi-v8 for Rpi4
NOTE: Build 240215 can only run on a Raspberry Pi 5 or 4.

The system will automatically determine which Raspberry Pi you are using and load the correct kernel.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The LXQt Desktop running as user pi
2. YouTube running a 8k video
3. RaspEX Kodi 20.3 system info
4. Kodi running showing some add-ons

DOWNLOAD raspex-rpi5-64bit-kodi20.3-lxqt-2630mb-240215.zip

md5sum for RaspEX Kodi Build 240215

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Kodi is a trademark of XBMC Foundation