Android hardware

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This is a list of Android SoC's (System on a Chip, which is the CPU, GPU, VPU, etc. Also known as "chipsets".) that will playback common video codecs smoothly using XBMC. For most HD videos, hardware video decoding is necessary for smooth video playback. While some devices might be able to do SD and even some 720p HD content using software video decoding, hardware video decoding is considered essential for most Android devices.

Basic requirements

Stop hand.png It is highly recommended for users to not make any hardware purchases in anticipation of running Kodi on Android without first researching the device you want to buy. Before you do buy, make sure multiple people have verified that it works! If in doubt, do not buy any hardware!
  • Kodi v17 and later requires Android 5.0 or higher.
  • x86 (Intel) or a NEON-compatible ARM-processor, (for example: Nvidia Tegra 3 and newer are fully supported by Kodi, while Tegra 2 and older are not).
  • The main aim for the Android port of Kodi is to foremost target media-players/set-top-boxes/sticks that connect to a large screen television and uses a standard remote control as its main interface device, (that is the same market as for HTPC).

How do I know what chipset I have?

These are some good websites for looking up the SoC (System on a Chip) chipset used in your Android hardware device:

Also a referense you can compare different SoC (System on a Chip) chipset specifications on system-on-a-chip.findthebest.com

Compatible chipsets

These listed specific hardware SoC chipsets have at least partial hardware accelerated video decoding support in XBMC, though understand that for some devices you might first need to upgrade the hardware manufacturers firmware image on the device to achieve smooth 1080p playback. Please contact your hardware manufacturer support for an updated system update firmware and apply that upgrade image before installing XBMC.

Note: Please only list devices that are able to play at least one of the three "video decoding" columns in Full HD (1080p). Codecs that are less used are currently not listed here.[1] The " Yes " mark indicates that the chipset should be able to play those codecs at least 1080p.
Chip
manufacturer
Chipset Examples Hardware video decoding Notes
H.264 MPEG-2 VC-1 / WMV 9
Allwinner A31 / A31s VidOn.me AV200, Justop Quadro, Mele A1000G, Mele M8, Mele M9, Measy B4K, Measy U4K Yes ? ?
Amlogic AML8726-M1 / AML8726-M3 / AML8726-M6 / AML8726-MX Pivos XIOS DS, GameStick (by PlayJam), Geniatech ATV1220/ATV520, MyGica TV420/TV500, G-Box Midnight MX2, G-Box Midnight, JynxBox Android M6, JynxBox M1 Yes Yes Yes
Amlogic S802 (formerly AML8726-M8) Geniatech ATV582 / MyGica ATV582, MINIX Neo X8/X8-H, Eny Technology ES8 Yes Yes Yes [2]
Amlogic S805 / S812 Yes Yes Yes [2]
MediaTek MTK6589 / MT6589 / MT6589T / MT6589M Yes ? ?
Nvidia Tegra 3 OUYA Yes No No [2]
Nvidia Tegra 4 Mad Catz M.O.J.O Game Console, Nvidia Shield Yes Yes
(CPU)
?
Nvidia Tegra K1 Yes Yes
(CPU)
?
Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Amazon Fire TV (2014) Yes ? ?
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Nexus 7 (2013) Yes ? ?
Rockchip RK3066 Imito MX1/MX2, Minix NeoG4/X5, MK808/802, Ugoos UG802/UG007 Yes ? No [2]
Rockchip RK3188 Jesurun DX05, Minix X7, MK802IV, MK809III, MK902, Ugoos UG007B, Tronsmart T428/MK908, CS968, CR11s, J22, GM282, LT88, T-R42, CS919-II, K-R24, CS918, MK888 Yes Yes
(CPU)
? [2]
Rockchip RK3288 Yes Yes
(CPU)
? [2]
Samsung Exynos 3 Single (formerly Exynos 3110) Yes ? ?
Samsung Exynos 4 Dual/Quad series (formerly Exynos 4210 / 4212 /4412) ODROID-U3/U2/X2 Yes Yes
(CPU)
Yes
(CPU)
Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa/Octa series (Exynos 5260 / 5410/ 5420 / 5422) ODROID-XU/XU2, Arndale Octa Yes Yes
(CPU)
Yes
(CPU)
Texas Instruments OMAP4430 Yes ? ?

Common codecs currently without hardware decoding in XBMC

Videos encoded with these codecs can only be played back in XBMC using software video decoding. Many videos may still play back just fine, while others might have issues. It can depend on how demanding the decoding is on the ARM CPU and how powerful that CPU is.

  • H.265/HEVC
  • H.264 Hi10P - No hardware decoders for Hi10P currently exist for ARM hardware. Most videos won't play smoothly as as some (most?) ARM processors are not powerful enough to software decode it. As faster ARM CPUs come out this will get better, but don't expect miracles from the average Android box.
  • RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)
  • WebM (VP8/VP9)

Device specific info

Here are a few device-specific guides/help areas that the community has provided.


Notes

  1. Sych as WebM (VP8/VP9), Xiph Theora (VP3/Ogg), On2 TrueMotion VP6, and RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Some devices might need an updated firmware system update image from the hardware manufacturer for smooth 1080p playback.