Kodi gets a major upgrade: blu-ray support & gaming perks emerge
The open-source media player Kodi just dropped a significant update, Kodi 22 'Piers' Alpha 3, and it’s packed with improvements, especially for cinephiles and gamers. After a brief hiccup and subsequent recall earlier this month, the development team has finally released a stable build, signaling a return to form for one of the most versatile media hubs around.
A nod to a fallen pioneer: what’s new in 'piers'
This alpha release, named in honor of the late Kodi developer Piers Ladkin, represents a crucial step toward the final stable version. Kodi’s evolution hinges on these alpha builds, providing a testing ground for new features and stability enhancements before the beta and eventual public release. The 'Piers' branch itself is geared towards refining the core software, and this latest iteration doesn't disappoint.
Beyond the usual performance tweaks, Alpha 3 introduces welcome additions. Series enthusiasts will appreciate the inclusion of taglines in the TV show section, while those dealing with subtitles will benefit from support for H264 AVCC and full IANA language tags. The backend has also seen some serious love, with an upgrade to Python v3.14.3 and FFmpeg v8.0.1—minor updates, perhaps, but vital for maintaining compatibility and leveraging the latest codecs.
Blu-ray bliss and gaming gains
But the real meat of this update lies in the enhancements for Blu-ray playback and gaming. The Blu-ray support has been significantly improved, both in menu navigation and overall playback smoothness. Chapter selection within movies now feels more responsive, and Blu-ray episode management is noticeably more efficient. Audio enthusiasts will also rejoice – the default samplerate has been bumped to 48kHz, and a host of audio-related bugs, particularly those arising from playback speed changes, have been squashed.
And for those utilizing Kodi as a gaming platform, this update delivers some genuine surprises. Shaders receive improved support, and the inclusion of Nintendo 64 rendering via software opens up a wealth of retro gaming possibilities. Even more impressively, the team has addressed a persistent issue where misaligned textures would previously cause the screen to go black—a frustrating problem now relegated to the past. The developers have also tackled the resolution-changing glitches that plagued some games. The result? A smoother, more enjoyable gaming experience within Kodi.
Specific platform tweaks are also present. WebOS and Android users can now enjoy enhanced Dolby Vision metadata management, while Windows 8.1 users are finally back in the Kodi fold. Linux users benefit from enhanced power management on systems lacking logind.
Caveats and a call to action
Of course, being an alpha release, stability isn't guaranteed. Notably, Kodi 22 'Piers' Alpha 3 currently lacks compatibility with MySQL 9.6, but the team is actively working on a fix for a future release. Should you encounter any snags, the Kodi community encourages users to report issues on GitHub – a collaborative approach crucial to the software’s ongoing refinement.
Ready to dive in? Downloading Kodi 22 'Piers' Alpha 3 is straightforward. Simply head to the official Kodi website, navigate to the