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Chowmain - Kodi Full (XBMC) Driver for Control4


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Chowmain - Kodi Full (XBMC) Driver for Control4

This driver is developed for the Kodi Entertainment Center (formerly known as XBMC). 

Kodi Entertainment Center is a software based media player that can be installed on Windows, MAC, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Android based platforms. Kodi offers a beautiful simple interface that enriches your playback experience. The Chowmain Kodi Lite driver enables us to integrate the Kodi Entertainment Center into the Control4 home automation system with seamless control and feedback. 

This is the most feature packed media player on Control4 to date providing the user with an enriched movie playback experience. See below for more details 

Features

  • IP based communications 
  • Library browsing and searching from any Control4 user interface including touchscreens, android application, ios application, PC and remote controls for Movies, TV shows, Music, Video FIles, Audio Files, Video Add-Ons, Audio Add-Ons, Pictures, Youtube and VEVO
  • Programatic playback of Movies, TV Episode or Video File.
  • Transport controls 
  • Numerical buttons act as jump to percentage during video playback or SMS style quick navigation when in navigational modes. Number 0 in navigation mode will jump to the end of the list.  Number 1 in navigation mode will jump to the start of the list.
  • Support for PVR (Guide, Record, DVR, Channel Up, Channel Down buttons) 
  • Automatic Room On (like the music bridge) on playback detection and automatic Room Off on screen saver activate. If the driver detects music it will only turn on your receiver (audio endpoint).  If it detects video it will also turn on your projector/tv (video endpoint).
  • 2 way feedback via the JSON API for play, pause, stop, screen saver active/deactive, Detected File Type, Video Aspect Ratio, Video Resolution, Video/Music/TV/Radio currently playing, Memory usage, CPU usage, CPU Frequency, System Total Space, System Uptime, System Temperature, Client Platform, Client Version & Client Name
  • Assignable buttons for non intuitive buttons 
  • Wake-on Lan functionality and Shutdown functionality can keep your Kodi setup power efficient. Can still select a movie from navigator and have it turn on the machine and play the movie upon start up. 
  • Power off options 
  • Ability to send custom messages to Kodi Entertainment Center via Kodi Notifications (similar to Control4 Announcements via Navigator). 
  • Audio End-Point assignment for line level volume up/down/mute functionality 
  • Video End-Point assignment 
  • Support for Android boxes (if XBMC app is closed it will launch upon ON command, also if XBMC exited by user you can navigate and control Android applications).
  • Ability to play any URL via Control4 programming.  This is useful for commercial systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this driver called KODI Full?

Initially we wanted to make the best KODI driver around however as we kept working on it our aspirations just kept getting higher and higher.  As such the development efforts and timeframe has expanded exponentially.  To get the driver to market quickly we decided to make two drivers.  KODI Lite and KODI Full.  Kodi Lite is still one of the best media player drivers on the market with exceptional features.  Kodi Full however is THE best media player driver on the market with full library navigation, live meta data, cover art and more.  They are both priced accordingly.  Some people won't want all the features available in KODI Full so we've made KODI Lite which is priced to suit.

Can you give us some examples of how we could use this driver?

  • This driver is the only driver in Control4 which will allow you to browse TV shows, video files, photos, youtube, VEVO and more.  No other driver has this functionality.
  • Now with Android support you can purchase Android Set Top Boxes for under $200 that will provide you with the full XBMC experience and Android experience. Play games, surf the web and use XBMC.
  • Create the perfect cinema experience by dimming the lights down when a movie starts, ramp it back up when the movie ends or if the user pauses or stops the movie. Also automatically set the cinema to different modes based upon the movie aspect ratio.
  • Setup logic to change your LED lightings colour dependant on the movie name. If you're watching something set in the ocean set it to blue. If you're watching something set in the jungle set it to green or if you're watching something set in the desert set it to orange. 
  • It can be very disruptive while watching a movie to have navigator pop up and tell me that someone is at my front door or perhaps i have a new email or something. This driver provides the ability to send Kodi announcements. Like a Control4 Announcement this will pop up a custom message however in this case it will not interrupt the current Kodi activity. It will just pop up in the bottom right hand corner for a few seconds and then hide away.
  • This driver provides two way feedback on what media you're consuming and what the state of the media player is. It will tell you when the movie is playing, paused, stopped or if it is a movie, episode, song or unknown media type. This information is useful for customising your lighting and environment to suit your customer's requirements. 
  • The driver has the ability to automatically turn rooms on and off. Using this functionality you can essentially turn on your tv and receiver upon airplay or UPnP photos, video or music playback. If you leave the room for too long or fall asleep at the tv the driver will automatically turn the room off (all av devices off) upon detection of screensaver activation. 
  • Some projectors have the option of clearing out the black bars (masking) in movies. This driver reports back the aspect ratio of the video it is currently playing as a variable. Using this information we can automate these projection masking modes and as such make the user experience nicer. 
  • This driver has feedback on CPU usage, Memory usage and CPU temperature. This information is extremely important for maintaining the health of the hardware platform it is on. Using this information we can automate shutdowns so that no damage can occur on the device.
  • Browse and search your music and video librarys directly from a Control4 user interface.

What hardware will this work on??
This will work on any hardware that KODI supports (Windows, OSX, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Android) running XBMC version 12 (Frodo) & 13 (Gotham) and KODI version 14 (Helix), KODI version 15 (Isengard). Currently we prefer some of the higher end Android boxes and Intel NUC's as it is a more cleaner solution than the others. 

Why do you only support OS 2.7 and above?
This driver utilizes SDK functionality only available in Control4 OS 2.7 and above.

Do you offer showroom discounts?

We offer dealers a free showroom licence for demonstration and educational purposes. See link below for T&C's and signup procedure. 
 

 

How do I find out more information about the driver?
Please see the links below for more information about the driver. 

 

http://www.chowmain.co.nz/kodi-xbmc-full-driver-for-control4

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvR_ZY2N5LtWdLO5C9lMM8Pe-xM5wzl9-


How do I buy the driver?

This driver is developed by Chowmain software & apps and is distributed and supported by Houselogix, Inc. 

Download Driver / Purchase Licence

 

Who do i contact for technical support?
This driver is developed by Chowmain software & apps and is distributed and supported by Houselogix, Inc. 

Support

Do you provide trial licences?
All Chowmain drivers for Control4 come with a 48 hour trial. This is activated once you add the driver to the project. No additional steps are necessary. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks Alan. This is an awesome driver!! Love the fact that you can use the UI to choose things to play via video and audio addons.

One question I have is, when browsing video addons why do the proper icons show up to the left of the text on my iPhone but on my iPad it doesn't show icons. Just white boxes beside each item?

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Thanks Alan. This is an awesome driver!! Love the fact that you can use the UI to choose things to play via video and audio addons.

One question I have is, when browsing video addons why do the proper icons show up to the left of the text on my iPhone but on my iPad it doesn't show icons. Just white boxes beside each item?

 

Thanks for your feedback.  We've put alot of time and effort into this driver and we're really proud of it.

 

The ipad should work.  I just tested it just to make sure.  The ipad will get the icon directly from the kodi system though so if you're on a different network or using 4sight it will not show up so just double check that.

 

If you're still having issues please submit a ticket via the Houselogix website and our support team will help troubleshoot.

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This is hands down the most exciting and awesome driver across all 3 of the control systems we use (Sonos a very close 2nd)

I will just make sure everything is up to date on the iPad tomorrow. All testing was done on site.

 

Thanks.  Makes it worth our while with positive feedback like this:)

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Not sure if you are aware but when watching something via TV show or Movies (only 2 I have running) on the older touch screens (flash based) and PC/MAC controls there is no pause/play/stop/ff/rwd ect..

Yes that is correct. You will need to select the Kodi control driver under watch or listen to control it once playback has started.

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Is this likely to be changed in future updates as its slightly annoying if you want to pause or make a change in a touch screen or PC/Mac app? Works fine on the T3 screens

This is something out of my control. I send control4 a list of buttons to display and it does it to all supported interfaces. Flash based ones don't work whereas t3, iOS and android work fine.

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Yes that is correct. You will need to select the Kodi control driver under watch or listen to control it once playback has started.

This does work, which is not great could you not ask control4 to put the buttons back as this seems to not feedback so much information like duration left

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Do you by any chance have an amazon video plugin in the works?  I'm still in the planning stages of a new Kodi build.  If my wife can select amazon video, browse, and then watch/rent that would be fantastic.

 

We don't have amazon here in Australia so have never really looked for it.  Kodi isn't great for subscription based services so if that is a core requirement i'd go for something like a Roku.

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I currently am building a house and will have a C4 system installed. Right now, I just have a Apple TV that is jailbroke and runs Kodi, but it's slow, and the UI to get to content is not user friendly.

 

I noticed you have your driver for Kodi, do you have any recommendations where I can get a XBMC/HTPC device built that runs Kodi/XMBC.

 

I'd like to incorporate a HTPC, that truly, just works. Set the C4 to Watch Movie, and I am directed to the Kodi/XBMC content, and I'm able to stream whatever movie I'd like. I'd like something that is very user friendly, even for my wife, kids, and guests.

 

Any suggestions?

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I currently am building a house and will have a C4 system installed. Right now, I just have a Apple TV that is jailbroke and runs Kodi, but it's slow, and the UI to get to content is not user friendly.

I noticed you have your driver for Kodi, do you have any recommendations where I can get a XBMC/HTPC device built that runs Kodi/XMBC.

I'd like to incorporate a HTPC, that truly, just works. Set the C4 to Watch Movie, and I am directed to the Kodi/XBMC content, and I'm able to stream whatever movie I'd like. I'd like something that is very user friendly, even for my wife, kids, and guests.

Any suggestions?

If you don't know how to make your own then our distributor Houselogix sells premade systems under the Helix brand.

Alternatively there are various android based systems you can get from set top boxes to Sony Bravia TV's

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UPDATE RELEASED 

Version #20150918 - 18-SEP-2015 

  • Fixed episode browsing in TV Show mini driver for languages other than english. 
     

Version #20150911 - 11-SEP-2015

  • Fixed XML Escape issue effecting T3 touchscreens and file browsing (effects Photos, Video Files, Audio Files, Youtube, VEVO, Video Addons, Audio Addons). 
  • ADDED - If the Folder image is not set it will default to a default folder image located on the controller. 

Version #20150909 - 09-SEP-2015

  • Fixed issue effecting selection of seasons in language other than english. 


Version #20150907 - 07-SEP-2015

  • Implemented Suspend functionality 
  • Implemented Select Onscreen Navigator on Stop command 
  • Implemented "Disable Room Off when windowed". This is useful for when you are maintaining Kodi in a windowed state "\" or utilise an addon that changes it to a windowed state so that it can start another program. 
  • EXPERIMENTAL - Implemented Audio Announcement functionality. Driver should return the room to the previous state after the announcement has finished. 
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