For those looking to build their own home media centre from an old desktop PC (or even a Raspberry Pi), Xbox Media Center (or XBMC for short) was always a great option - it was free, well supported and easy to setup. Fast forward to today and XBMC is now Kodi, a much more advanced platform that the development community is actively developing add-ons for. Kodi can be installed on almost anything from a Raspberry Pi to an Amazon Fire stick, making it a great cheap (if not free) option for users. Here, we show you how to use Kodi to watch videos including TV shows and movies, as well as listen to your music library. 

How to use Kodi: How to use Kodi for video

Kodi is great for providing a way to enjoy your favourite movies and TV shows in one place, in a simple-to-use manner. There are two ways to enjoy videos, though; playback locally stored video files, or use add-ons to browse the Internet for videos to watch. To use Kodi to watch videos stored on the hard disk of your machine, follow these steps:
1) The first step is to head to the Video section of Kodi, and select ‘Files’ to browse the collection of videos stored on your device.
2) Kodi offers a built-in file browser, allowing users to view their locally stored media without having to exit Kodi. Simply browse through your files and find the TV show/movie you want to watch.
3) If, for whatever reason, your video library isn’t displayed by default, don’t worry. If can’t find your video library via Kodi, the best course of action is to manually add the folder(s) as a source.
4) To manually add a folder, select ‘Add videos’ and then ‘Browse’. From here, simply find where your videos are stored and select ‘ok’.
5) Once you’ve selected your new source, you’ll be asked to name it. Give it a name, and select ‘ok’ to save it.
6) Your new source should now appear in the ‘Files’ menu – simply select it, browse for your video and tap it to play it.
However, if you’d like to stream content from the web, it’s a slightly different process. Instead of accessing ‘Files’ within the video menu, select ‘Add-ons’ from the main menu, head to 'Download' and select 'video add-ons'. You’ll then be presented with a list of default video add-ons – you can choose from these, or manually add a resource yourself.
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To find out how to install video add-on Exodus, take a look at How to install Exodus on Kodi. Do note, though, that neither PC Advisor or Kodi advocates or encourages piracy. You should use Kodi, its add-ons and our advice only to access content for which you have the legal rights. You should also note that Exodus has in the past been used to turn users into a DDoS botnet, so use it at your own risk.
Also see: Is Kodi legal?

How to use Kodi: How to use Kodi for music

As well as being able to watch your favourite TV shows and movies via Kodi, you can also listen to your locally stored music library in a similar way. And just like with the video section, those looking to listen to something new can browse and install a variety of music Add-Ons – it may not be as good as Spotify, but provides a decent, free option. To play your locally stored music, follow these steps:
1) To use Kodi for music, the first step is to access the Music tab from the home screen. Once accessed, you’ll be faced with three options: Playlists, Files, and Music add-ons – select Files.
2) If you’ve already downloaded a folder full of music to your Kodi device, this can be added as a source. Simply tap ‘Add Music’, browse for your music folder and tap ‘ok’ to add it. You’ll then be asked if you want to add the media from your source to your library, to which you click ‘yes’.
3) You’ll then be taken back to the main Music menu where you’ll be able to browse your music collection by song, artist, album, year, etc.
But what about if you get bored of the same songs over and over again? The good news is that there is a number of Music Add-Ons available for Kodi users, and these are fairly easy to install. Simply select the ‘Add-ons’ tab within the on the main menu and then select ‘Downloads’ and 'Music add-ons'. As with the video add-ons, you can browse from a number of default music add-ons or manually add your own resource.