Kodi 21's Omega Makes Waves with Debut Beta Release
Kodi 21 Omega Beta Release: Unleashing lightning-fast performance, enhanced Dolby Vision compatibility, and an array of exciting features for an unparalleled streaming experience
The Beta version of Kodi 21 "Omega" update is now released, bringing enhanced performance and various improvements such as improved Dolby Vision compatibility. However, it is important to note that this update no longer supports Windows 7 and 8.0, although subsequent versions including Windows 8.1 are still supported.
The majority of the changes introduced in Kodi 21 were initially announced in April 2023. During this time, Kodi also released the first Alpha build of Kodi 21, which was primarily intended for testing purposes and had several bugs. The current Beta release is also expected to have some issues and may disrupt certain skins and customizations. If you're satisfied with your current Kodi setup, it is recommended to wait for a stable release of Kodi 21 before upgrading.
Here's a brief summary of the updates in Kodi 21:
- Upgraded to FFmpeg 6.0, providing new encoders and decoders, as well as easier future updates.
- Significant improvements in Dolby Vision detection and compatibility.
- Added support for M3U8 playlist files.
- Enhanced sorting capabilities for channel groups in PVR.
- Resolved longstanding bugs on macOS.
- Improved audio playback reliability on Linux.
- Increased SMB read speed and expanded DXVA2 AV1 hardware video decoding capabilities on Windows.
- Fixed subtitle bugs from Kodi 20.
- The Kodi 21 Beta addresses issues encountered in the final Alpha build, including problematic favorites behavior.
- However, there are still a few remaining problems, such as multi-part MP4 files not functioning correctly on Android and a temporary FFmpeg issue affecting OGG music playback.
- Additional reported issues can be found on GitHub and the r/Kodi subreddit.
To download the Kodi 21 "Omega" Beta, go to the Kodi downloads page, choose your preferred platform, and go to the prerelease downloads section. You can find a detailed changelog for the Kodi 21 Beta on GitHub. If you come across any bugs or issues as an early tester, please report them on GitHub with complete debug reports.
