Kodi 22, codenamed "Piers," is currently under development and aims to enhance the open-source media center experience for users. This major release is set to introduce a variety of exciting features, especially for Linux users.
One of the most notable features is anticipated HDR support for Wayland compositors, alongside HDR passthrough on OpenGL. The Kodi team has incorporated support for the Wayland Color Management protocol to facilitate this update. Along with this, Kodi 22 will add audio book chapter support, a redesigned Movie Versions/Extras interface, a new menu for Blu-ray episode selection, and shader support for gaming.
Improvements tailored for Android users include compatibility with Android 15 and support for 16KB page sizes. Additionally, features promoting file sharing with other applications and enhancements to the home page channels are planned. For LG webOS, a unified media pipeline is set to be introduced.
Networking features are also receiving upgrades, with boosted performance when dealing with large SMB directories and enhanced support for SMB 2.0 devices. The PVR capabilities are being expanded with a Recently Added Channels section, a new widget, and improvements in channel management and search functionalities.
Moreover, the Kodi 22 update will optimize overall performance and memory efficiency, particularly on OpenGL/OpenGLES. Enhancements are expected for texture image quality, stream selection, and input device support.
The release will implement front-to-back rendering for better OpenGL performance, alongside better memory management for textures and an automatic cleanup for cached images. It will also support the FFmpeg 7 multimedia framework series.
Additionally, enhanced compatibility with hardware, such as the OSMC Remote, Pulse-Eight CEC adapter, and Flirc receivers, is on the way. A range of bug fixes are also included to ensure a smoother user experience.
For those eager to test out the new features, the Kodi 22 "Piers" alpha release is now available for download from the official website. Users are reminded that this version is pre-release software and should be approached as such, especially in production environments.
For further details, you can refer to the release notes.