Raspberry Pi single board computers 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 TV Box.
For this type of project, one of the main components is the operating system suitable to reproduce 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 works, and the procedure for turn your Raspberry Pi into a multimedia center to reproduce all your content easily and quickly.
What is OSMC and what is it for on a Raspberry Pi mini computer?
OSMC is an operating system that works as a very complete multimedia center, which incorporates the Kodi tool for use, and it allows you to play multimedia files from any device to which it is connected.
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 multimedia center up to date.
Features and functions of OSMC 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 experience, while 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 learn to use quickly.
- It is free software, open source and therefore, completely free.
- Includes natively a repository of extensions, where you can find complete ones to integrate into the operating system and expand its functionality.
- Their compatibility is practically absolute. It fits perfectly with almost all formats, codecs 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 can be configured in a simple way, although it is necessary to have some knowledge about the steps to perform to make sure everything is set up correctly.
With this said, we present 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 where you will have to download the file and write it to a SD card.
You can get OSMC by following these steps:
-
Login to
https://osmc.tv/download/ - Swipe down until I find the button “Disk Image”.
- Click on the latest version available for the Raspberry Pi you want to use.
One time download finished, the 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 card, which will store the OS and, when inserting it into your Raspberry Pi, will allow you to run it.
To do this, you must have Etcher installed, which you can get here:
Download Balena Etcher for Windows
Download Balena Etcher for MacOS
Download Balena Etcher for Linux
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 file OSMC image.
- Select the storage medium in which you will install the operating system.
- click in “Flash”.
After that, all that is left to do is wait for the writing 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 through the HDMI input, and to a keyboard, make the following settings:
- Follow the steps of the setup wizard to make the initial settings.
- Set the language, theme, connection method, device name, etc.
- Follow the path “Media settings> Library> Videos” to configure the local video content library. You can do the same procedure for music
- To get plug-ins for OSMC, the operating system will provide you with access to the repositories of add-ons, through the path “Add-ons> Get Add-ons “.
- Select the type of add-on 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 shows, among many other types of content.
OSMC vs Kodi Which one is better and how do these multimedia centers differ?
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 OSMC, and analyze its strengths and weaknesses.
Kodi is a multimedia content management application, Open source, which has a wide variety of capabilities and allows you to manage and play multimedia files in almost all formats. OSMC, for its part, It 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 applications on Raspberry Pi and Linux:
- Kodi is a program, while 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 peripherals, made particularly useful when using a keyboard.
Taking this into account, there are not many differences when using both applications, since they both work with the Kodi base, however, Using OSMC gives you greater stability and reliability when running on computers such as Raspberry Pi, making OSMC the best option.
OpenELEC and LibeELEC as alternatives to OSMC How are they different when used on Raspberry Pi?
Similar to OSMC, LibreELEC and OpenELEC are derived operating systems that run the Kodi program for managing and playing files and multimedia content. Both operating systems are based on Linux and they offer functionality adapted for older software. Yes OK OpenELEC It was released long before, its management and updates were in charge of a very closed community.
LibreELEC, on the other hand, offers identical functionalities for content playback and streaming, with the difference that it is managed by a much larger community, offering a great support and greater stability.
In summary, both operating systems have very few differences. Both run Kodi and both are perfectly optimized to work on Raspberry Pi. But nevertheless, if you are a beginner in the use of this board, the best option is LibreELEC, thanks mainly to its ease of installation and the wide support available.