OSMC's February update is ready with a wide range of improvements and fixes to keep your OSMC device running in tip-top shape. Team Kodi have now announced that they have started the official alpha release cycle for Kodi v18 (Leia). Test builds for Raspberry Pi and Vero devices are available in our forums.

Here's what's new:

Bug fixes

  • Fix video freezes on Vero 4K when playing high bitrate 4K UHD titles such as Serenity and John Wick 2
  • Fix an issue which could cause ghosting to appear in a small number of video scenes on Vero 4K
  • Fix an issue that could cause HDR flickering on some OLED sets when playing 4K HDR10 content on Vero 4K
  • Fix a navigation issue in the OSMC skin
  • Fix an issue which prevented a quiet boot on Raspberry Pi 0 / 1
  • Fix an issue which prevented MySQL database configuration via My OSMC -> Network from working correctly
  • Fix an issue which could cause an unstable Ethernet connection on Vero 2
  • Fix an issue preventing 'Force RGB' option from working correctly on Vero 4K

Improving the user experience

  • Improved picture quality on Vero 4K
  • Added support for outputting multi-channel LPCM audio in its native format for improved post-processing support by the receiving device.
  • Added standby / suspend support for Vero 4K. This can be activated by selecting Suspend from the power menu.
  • Re-added option to select a custom background overlay when using the OSMC skin
  • Add support for mixing LFE channels in to the stereo channels for better bass when using a stereo system. This can be configured via Settings -> Audio.
  • Add multi-routing support to kernel for Vero 4K (user request)
  • Add iotop support for Vero 4K (user request)
  • Added support for dual Si2157 DVB tuners on Raspberry Pi
  • Added support for Allo Piano & Boss DAC cards on Raspberry Pi

Miscellaneous

  • Ensure audio chip is reset when switching between passthrough and LPCM on Vero 4K
  • Add support for serial port debugging in initramfs
  • Grant OSMC user systemd service management authorisation via PolicyKit. This allows users to stop / start services without sudo
  • Ensure that GUI Settings are included in logs uploaded via My OSMC by default
  • Updated Raspberry Pi kernel to 4.14

Wrap up

To get the latest and greatest version of OSMC, simply head to My OSMC -> Updater and check for updates manually on your exising OSMC set up. Of course — if you have updates scheduled automatically you should receive an update notification shortly.

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