Kodi media server from spare bits and Pi 2

[Ond]

It’s not arcade related but I thought I’d post it anyway.  I had a spare Raspberry Pi 2 sitting around doing nothing as well as some parts suited to a media server.  Actually this project started out firstly as a jailbroken Apple TV 2 running Kodi, but I found the Apple TV 2 limited in terms of Kodi version and features being only 720P.

I wanted a little box to contain the Pi and power pack with just the ports on the back that I needed, such as HDMI and USB.  The unit also had to have wireless and IR.

The only purchases I had to make were the IR receiver (about $5) and the box (about $3). 
The challenge was getting everything to fit into the box.  I had to trim around the HDMI plug for the short cable run to the socket.  Hot glue gun was very useful!

The unit works really well in combination with any external HDD.  I use both a Harmony remote and a smartphone app (Kore) as remote controls.  I’ve still to do a little Kodi Logo badge to give it a finished look.  The Pi 2 is ideally suited to Kodi for a media player.  I’ve since noticed there are pi based kits available for this purpose if you don’t want to completely D.I.Y.  Oh yeah, the unit does have very small holes for LED lights so I know wireless is working and the Pi is running but I didn't want large glowing LEDS visible as it distracts when I'm watching a show.  The unit runs LibreELEC 9.2 for KODI version 18.x.  Once it was all running I tweaked the settings to run the 1080p picture at 24hz which my Samsung TV can match. This made for super smooth picture motion on playback.



You can see the wires to the IR receiver from the GPIO on the Pi.  Also just visible is the modded HDMI connector.



Just the ports I want, ac power, HDMI and USB.



Needs a little logo badge for sexiness.

[SlammedNiss]

Cool little build. I set out to do something similar a couple months ago, albeit with Plex instead of Kodi.

Case is a Mini-Box 350 with a Pico PSU. Inside is a micro-ATX MSI motherboard and AMD Athlon 5350 cpu, 4gb DDR3 ram, and a 120gb SSD boot drive. Stole the wireless chip from a dead laptop motherboard so I'll be able to place this anywhere in the house as every tv has a way to access Plex in one form or another. Finished it off with a custom-sized Plex logo for the front of the case. Currently running Windows 10 but thought about dual-booting Linux on it for the hell of it. This was built to free up my current Plex server which is an overbuilt i5 w/ 16gb DDR3 ram.

[jdbailey1206]

This is worth its weight in gold Ond.  I made a Plex / Kodi server too and its nice to have all of your media in a small box right at your fingertips.

[yotsuya]

This is worth its weight in gold Ond.  I made a Plex / Kodi server too and its nice to have all of your porn in a small box right at your fingertips.

FTFY.

[Mike A]

This is worth its weight in gold Ond.  I made a Plex / Kodi server too and its nice to have all of your donkey porn in a small box right at your fingertips.

FTFY.

FTFY

[Ond]

@ SlammedNiss - Nice little DIY Plex box,  I love DIY projects that make use of stuff you have spare or salvaged from somewhere.  I know what you mean by "overbuilt" media server.  A full PC in a regular case is cumbersome for this purpose.

@ jdbailey1206 - Agreed, the size and small power draw especially of a Pi make these really useful for media servers.

@ FTFY numptys - donkey porn should only be played on a 50'000 watt system or GTFO.

The LibreELEC Linux build is really light, as it says "just enough OS to run LibreELEC" on a Pi.  Whilst it is possible to Wi-Fi network to a media share, playback using this method is not optimal with some choppy playback.  A USB cabled HDD is much better with HDMI straight to my TV.  I use pass-through audio to my TV as well, to take the processing load off the Pi.  I notice things like lip sync issues which really bug me.  The Apple TV 2 always struggled with Lip Sync problems, but this setup is spot on.

[yotsuya]

@ FTFY numptys - donkey porn should only be played on a 50'000 watt system or GTFO.

[jdbailey1206]

I've put my fingertips in both Mike A's and Yots respective mommas boxes.

FTFBYA.

Ond - I didn't use a Pi.  I used a Nvidia Shield with a Western Digital USB drive attached.  It also draws little power and it can play roms, stream plex, Amazon Prime, Netflix and donkey porn.

[yotsuya]

I'’m still a virgin even though I’m married.

Fix’t

[jdbailey1206]

Kevin Spacey is my hero.

Super duper fixed.