CoreELEC is a free Linux-based operating system that turns low-cost hardware into a media player for the Kodi home theater software. It is made for people who want to run Kodi on a TV box or similar device.
Has 0 of 6
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Windows · Mac · Linux · AndroidGPL-2.0-or-laterReplaces partly
Kodi is a free media player that plays your music, videos and photos from your computer, network or the internet. It is made for people who want a home theater setup they control themselves.
Has 2 of 6
Same project, formerly named XBMC
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
LibreELEC is a free operating system that turns a computer or media box into a home theater system running the Kodi media center. It is made for people who want to watch media on a TV and for those who want to replace the system on their media device.
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
RootMyTV is a tool that unlocks LG smart TVs running webOS so that people can install a community app store and extra software on them. It is meant for owners of LG TVs who want more control over their own TV, though the README says it works only on older TV software and is unlikely to work on most current models.
Has 2 of 6 · Runs on cheap TV boxes ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Nobody has changed its code in over a year. It may still work well, but help is less likely.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for Roku OS. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- CoreELEC: CoreELEC is a free Linux-based operating system that turns low-cost hardware into a media player for the Kodi home theater software. It is made for people who want to run Kodi on a TV box or similar device. [Easy setup; devices not listed; replaces fully; GPL-2.0-only; https://github.com/CoreELEC/CoreELEC]
- Kodi: Kodi is a free media player that plays your music, videos and photos from your computer, network or the internet. It is made for people who want a home theater setup they control themselves. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android; replaces partly; GPL-2.0-or-later; https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc]
- LibreELEC: LibreELEC is a free operating system that turns a computer or media box into a home theater system running the Kodi media center. It is made for people who want to watch media on a TV and for those who want to replace the system on their media device. [Advanced setup; Linux; replaces partly; GPL-2.0-only; https://github.com/LibreELEC/LibreELEC.tv]
- RootMyTV: RootMyTV is a tool that unlocks LG smart TVs running webOS so that people can install a community app store and extra software on them. It is meant for owners of LG TVs who want more control over their own TV, though the README says it works only on older TV software and is unlikely to work on most current models. [Easy setup; In your browser; replaces partly; MIT; no changes in over a year; https://github.com/RootMyTV/RootMyTV.github.io]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/tv-os.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/tv-os.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea:
