Have you tried Kodi on your smartphone or on your Android TV Box but it has not convinced you of its interface and its functionality "> With Kodi every PC becomes a media player even for TV Differences between media server, media center and media player
Before finding out what the alternatives to Kodi are, I will explain in this section of the guide the difference between the various types of programs designed to manage multimedia content on a PC or other type of device (a NAS for example). Here is the list with all types of software and their accurate description:
- Media server : this type of program indexes the contents to make them available to other devices connected to the LAN via DLNA or other streaming technologies.
The media server also retrieves information about the contents (for example film title, release year, actors, plot, trailer etc.) and automatically marks the contents already seen.
- Media player: program used to play the files present in the local memory of the device or the network contents indexed through the Media server. It can also retrieve track information not indexed by the media server.
- Media center : this program can display the contents already indexed by a Media server, to which it adds support for TV channels (IPTV or external tuner) and online streaming services. Compared to the media player, therefore, it is oriented towards the reproduction of content "from multiple sources".
- "Hybrid" media center : this type of program adapts to the user's needs, becoming from time to time a media server, a media player or a media center.
Almost all alternative programs in Kodi belong to this category.
If possible, try to choose a program of the last category, so that you can adapt it to all scenarios without having to install 2 separate programs from time to time.
For example, if you use Plex you can use this program anywhere (where it is available), just as you can use Emby both as a Media center and as a DLNA Media server to send multimedia contents to your TV (whatever model it is, as long as it is connected to the your LAN).
1) Plex
In my opinion, the real alternative to Kodi from all points of view. This program is able to index multimedia folders by content ( Movies, TV Series, Music and Images ) and to add all the information necessary to better catalog all the files: from the poster to the plot, the launch trailer and the name of the actors present.
In addition to the graphic aspect of the content, Plex is able to automatically download and use subtitles on foreign language films (or with forced subtitles), it allows you to convert files played on TV or devices not compatible with a particular codec on the fly. to show content at the right quality based on screen resolution and network capacity. The free features of Plex are provided with its Media Server (installable for free on Windows, Mac, Linux and other devices such as NAS) while to be able to view the indexed content you can use Plex apps for mobile devices, apps for Smart Compatible TVs or a Chromecast.
Plex also offers a subscription service called Plex Pass, which allows you to view the contents indexed on the server outside the home and to use the app for Android and iPhone without limits (which works in demonstration mode until you buy the subscription).
If you intend to use Plex to view your multimedia content, download the Plex Media Server to the PC or device where you store this content. We have seen in another article how to download Plex on PC, TV, Android, iOS, NAS
You can download for mobile devices the Plex app for Android and Plex for iOS, freely usable combined with a Chromecast (without time limits) and in demonstration mode (limit of 10 minutes) for playback from the device display.
The apps for playing indexed content on consoles, TVs and other devices can instead be downloaded from here -> Plex App (choosing the type of device to be used for viewing).
2) Emby
Emby is another valid alternative to Kodi and Plex from which it takes most of the features by bringing them together in a single free program. In fact, this program is labeled as a "hybrid" media server, because it can function both as a content indexing server (such as Plex) and as a real media player (such as Kodi), thus offering the possibility of viewing films, images and the TV series directly within the program and at the same time transmit the contents on the LAN to be viewed on another PC or on the Smart TV. Emby indexes the contents retrieving all the essential information from the Internet in a completely automatic way, you just need to indicate the folders that the program must monitor. As Plex Emby offers the transcoding of files: the indexed contents can be viewed on a device on the network even if it is not compatible, Emby will take care of converting it to a more compatible format.
You can download Emby for free for PC from here -> Emby
If you are looking for apps for mobile devices you can download Emby for Android and Emby for iOS always for free.
In another article, the guide to Emby, the universal media center for PC, TV, smartphone and tablet .
3) Stremio is a very interesting and new alternative if you want to try something similar to Kodi, but easier to use. One of Stremio's strengths is its source search function which will find all the possible sources for each given title and allows you to choose what you want to see. Stremio will notify you when new episodes / videos / films are of interest to you. It can also provide movie recommendations for you.
Other alternatives to Kodi are in the article on the best Media center programs for PC .
Finally, do not forget the Kodi-based operating systems that we mentioned in the guide to create a home cinema system to be connected to the TV to watch films and videos online .
