They have the quality of being extremely versatile and allow you to carry out a large number of projects. And among the most popular you can find the entertaining ones
For these types of projects, one of the main components is the operating system adequate to play the content we want to see, and one of the best options in this section is the OSMC operating system.
In this article, we will teach you everything you need to know about how OSMC worksand the procedure for turn your Raspberry Pi into a multimedia center to play all your content easily and quickly.
What is OSMC and what is it for in a Raspberry Pi mini computer?
OSMC is an operating system that works as a very complete multimedia center, which for your use, and allows you to play multimedia files from any device it connects to.
This operating system is developed and optimized to run on mini computers, making it one of the best options to run on your Raspberry Pi board, as well as offering an interface specially adapted for televisions. Once the operating system is installed, it will take care of the entire administration of the device. This includes automatic patch updates and driver management for peripherals.keeping your media center up to date.
OSMC features and functions What can we do with this operating system on a Raspberry Pi?
This operating system is tremendously versatile and very complete, offering you a complete multimedia entertainment experiencewhile self-managing to keep your software in top condition.
The most outstanding points that we can mention about OSMC are:
- It has a simple interface, simple and user-friendly, which you can quickly learn to use.
- It is a, of and therefore, completely free.
- Natively includes an extensions repositorywhere you can find complete ones to integrate into the operating system and expand its functionality.
- Its compatibility is practically absolute. Fits perfectly with almost all formatscodecs and existing playback protocols.
Learn step by step how to install OSMC on your Raspberry Pi to turn it into a fast and easy multimedia center
The using OSMC on your Raspberry Pi board It can be configured in a simple way, although it is necessary to have some knowledge about the steps to be carried out to make sure everything is set up correctly.
With that said, here are the steps to install OSMC on your Pi quickly and safely:
Download OSMC
For To obtain this operating system you must download them from the official website of the project. To do this, you will need a computer from which you will have to download the file and write it on a SD card.
You can get OSMC by following these steps:
- enter to https://osmc.tv/download/
- swipe down until you find the button “Disk Image”.
- Click on the latest available version for the Raspberry Pi you want to use.
One time download finishedthe file will be on your computer, from where you can write it to a memory card and install it on your Raspberry Pi board.
Install OSMC on your MicroSD
Once the OSMC image file is on your computer, you must install it on a memory cardwhich will store the OS and, by inserting it into your Raspberry Piit will allow you to run it.
To do this, you must have Etcher installed, which you can get here:
As soon as you have the program installed, follow the procedure described below:
- Insert the Micro SD on the computer you plan to use.
- run etcher.
- Select the file OSMC image.
- Select the storage medium where you will install the operating system.
- click in “Flash”.
After that, all that is left to do is wait for the write process to finish so that you have an SD Flash with OSMC ready to be installed in your Raspberry Pi.
Configure the operating system
When installing the operating system with Etcher, all that is left to do is configure the OS to start using it.
The next step is to start your Raspberry Pi, connected to your TV via the HDMI input, and to a keyboard, make the following settings:
- Follow the steps of the setup wizard to make initial settings.
- set the language, theme, connection method, device name, etc.
- follow the route “Media settings > Library > Videos” to configure the local video content library. You can perform the same procedure for music
- To get plugins for OSMCthe operating system will provide you with an access to the repositories of add-onsthrough the path “Add-ons > Get Add-ons”.
- Select the plugin type what do you want install and then choose the plugin itself.
Once libraries and plugins are correctly installed you can enjoy a large amount of content from your Raspberry Pi connected to your TV. By this means, you can enjoy YouTube, Netflix and online radio showsamong many other types of content.
OSMC vs Kodi Which is better and how are these media centers different?
For know which is the best option to install on your Raspberry Pi and turn it into a multimedia center, It is necessary to highlight the differences between Kodi and OSMCand analyze its strengths and disadvantages.
Kodi is a multimedia content management application, Open source, it has a wide variety of capabilities and allows you to manage and play multimedia files in almost all formats. OSMC, for its part, is a Debian-based operating system that is responsible for running the Kodi application.
This OS is the reason why Kodi is one of the most used apps on Raspberry Pi and Linux:
- Kodi is a programwhile OSMC is a distribution.
- OSMC runs Kodi with more reliability Y stability.
- OSMC receives regular updates to ensure a great user experience.
- Running Kodi through OSMC gives you great compatibility with all kinds of peripheralsmade particularly useful when using a keyboard.
Taking this into account, there are not many differences when using both applicationssince they both work with the Kodi base, however, using OSMC gives you greater stability and reliability when running on computers like the Raspberry Pimaking OSMC the best option.
OpenELEC and LibeELEC as alternatives to OSMC How do they differ when used on Raspberry Pi?
Similar to OSMC, and OpenELEC are derivative operating systems that run the Kodi program for managing and playing files and multimedia content. Both operating systems are based on Linux and offer adapted functionality for older software. Yes ok OpenELEC it was released much earlier, its management and updates were in charge of a very closed community.
FreeELEC, Secondly, offers identical functionalities for playing and streaming contentwith the difference that it is managed by a much broader community, offering a great support and greater stability.
In summary, both operating systems have very few differences. both execute kodi and both are perfectly optimized to work on Raspberry Pi. Nevertheless, if you are a beginner in the use of this board, the best option is LibreELECthanks mainly to its ease of installation and the wide support available.
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