Welcome to the Essential Guide on Updating to Kodi 19 Matrix

Hey there! If you enjoy using Kodi to manage your personal media library and stream content, then you likely know a new major release is finally here after years in the making. I‘m talking about Kodi 19 Matrix!

In this guide, I‘ll provide everything you need to know about this huge update including:

• What exciting new features and improvements you can look forward to
• Where to download Kodi 19 with simple platform-by-platform instructions
• How to properly update your current Kodi 18 or 17 setup
• Helpful tips to avoid issues and take full advantage of Kodi 19

Let‘s get started!

All About Kodi 19 Matrix – A Major Milestone Release

First, some background if you‘re new to Kodi. Kodi began way back in 2002 as the Xbox Media Center (XBMC) software. Over 20 years later, Kodi has grown into a hugely popular free and open source media hub available on tons of platforms.

Some cool stats on the Kodi ecosystem:

• Over 45 million users worldwide across PC, mobile, TV, and more
• 1.5 million forum members and hundreds of developers
• Supported on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi, and more
• Add-ons extend functionality – over 1000 available!

Kodi 18 "Leia" arrived in early 2018. Now in 2023, Kodi 19 Matrix represents the first major version bump in 5+ years. It‘s packed with goodies!

The last time Kodi saw such massive improvements was the 2014 jump from v12 to Kodi 14 "Helix". Kodi 19 delivers upgrades on that same level.

Let‘s explore what innovative new features you can enjoy:

Kodi 19 Matrix – New Features and Updates

Kodi 19 brings a huge number of upgrades, far too many to list in one go! Here are some highlights across the major areas improved in this release:

Audio Music Codec Support

• FLAC up to 192kHz/24-bit along with WavPack support
• DTS:X decoder specifically for the Windows platform
• Improvements for ClearAudio, Dolby TrueHD, and uncompressed PCM audio

Video Codec Playback

Kodi can now leverage modern hardware decoding for improved video playback:

• AV1 decoding – Next-gen royalty-free video standard. More efficient than H.264/H.265!
• HDR video – Static HDR10 and Dolby Vision now working on multiple platforms
• 4K – Better handling for UHD including 4K Blu-ray ISO support

(For the techies: DXVA, VA-API, VDPAU, and MediaCodec all enhanced in Kodi 19)

Music Videos

If you maintain a collection of music videos, Kodi 19 enhances the experience:

• Albums, artists, directors and more linked between music and video sections
• Group videos by artist in addition to just album
• Support for separate artist versus director .NFO metadata

Retro Gaming

For classic console game libraries, Kodi 19 brings:

• Integer scaling – Sharp pixel graphics on modern displays
• Latency reduction – Faster response times for gameplay
• Libretro updates – New core options like DuckStation for PlayStation

User Interface Refresh

The default skins received some love in Kodi 19:

• New main menu layouts
• Extra metadata displays and choices for playlists
• Improved touchscreen controls and gestures
• Artwork handling and caching optimizations

Live TV/DVR

If you use Kodi as a PVR, handy upgrades include:

• Recording reminders so you never miss shows again
• Home screen widgets to quickly check channels
• Grid-style EPG navigation and menus

Platform Expansion

Kodi 19 adds support and improvements for:

• tvOS – New official release for Apple TV 4 and later
• iOS – Notch support, better logging, and background audio
• Linux – Unified GBM binary for broader device support

And much more across Raspberry Pi, ChromeOS, Windows, and mobile.

Transition to Python 3

This one is huge. Kodi has shifted from Python 2 to Python 3 across its entire codebase.

Why this matters:

• Better stability – Python 2 is deprecated and no longer maintained
• Performance gains – Faster overall and quicker interface
• Future-proof – Python 3 is the present and future

However, the Python 3 move means many add-ons will need time migrating their code. Much more on handling add-ons later below!

Boosted Security

Kodi 19 introduces new security practices to keep you and your data safe:

• Add-on code isolation prevents unwanted tampering
• Add-on privileges tightened to limit access
• Improved handling of SSL certificates
• Default password protection for the web interface

Together these represent big leaps forward in security.

There are tons more tweaks and improvements beyond just these. For complete details, visit the Official Kodi 19 Feature Overview.

Now let‘s move on to getting Kodi 19 installed!

Where to Download Kodi 19 Matrix

Ready to get hands on with Kodi 19 yourself? Let‘s go over where to download and how to update it on all major platforms:

Windows

Updating Kodi on a Windows PC is painless:

1. Download the 64-bit or 32-bit Kodi 19 installer for your system.
2. Run the EXE file and proceed through the installation prompts.

That‘s it! The installer will automatically remove old versions of Kodi and replace them. All your data and settings will carry over.

Mac OS

Here‘s the process for updating Kodi on a Mac:

1. Grab the Kodi 19 MacOS DMG image.
2. Double click to mount the DMG, then drag the Kodi icon into your Applications folder.

You may need to delete the previous Kodi version from Applications first if you run into issues launching.

iOS and tvOS

For iOS devices including iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV running tvOS:

1. Download the 64-bit IPA file for Kodi 19.
2. Use a compatible package manager like Filza or iFunBox to install.

Note iOS requires a jailbroken device. tvOS can install straight from the IPA.

Linux

On common Linux distros like Ubuntu and Debian:

1. Open a terminal window
2. Enter commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install kodi

This will grab Kodi 19 from your configured repositories.

See the Kodi Linux install guide for details on other distros.

Raspberry Pi

For Raspberry Pi boards, there are a couple options to update Kodi 19:

• Download the latest LibreELEC SD card image. LibreELEC is a compact Linux distro for Kodi. Burn it to an SD card and boot.

• Use apt commands above to fetch Kodi from Raspbian repositories.

See the LibreELEC Raspberry Pi guide for help.

Android and Fire TV

For Android phones, tablets, TV boxes, and Fire TV devices like the Firestick 4K:

• Install directly from the Google Play Store or Amazon App Store update.

OR

• Sideload the official Android APK.

• On Fire TV, use a downloader app and enter:

https://hobsoft.com/k19

Refer to my Kodi Firestick install guide for a full walkthrough.

NVIDIA SHIELD TV

Great news – NVIDIA has already pushed the Kodi 19 upgrade in SHIELD Experience 9.0.

To get Kodi 19:

1. Ensure your SHIELD is updated to latest Experience 9.0 software
2. Open Kodi and verify it is now on v19 in System Info

You can also manually sideload the APK if needed.

Xbox One

Microsoft has released the Kodi 19 upgrade for Xbox One and newer:

1. On your Xbox, open the Microsoft Store.
2. Search for Kodi and you should see the 19.0 version available.

Select it to update the application.

For more details, follow the Kodi on Xbox One install guide.

Now that you know where to get it, let‘s go over how to properly update your current Kodi 18 or 17 setup.

Updating Existing Kodi 18 or 17 to Kodi 19

Here are some best practices to safely upgrade older Kodi versions without issues:

1. Download Kodi 19 from an official source above. Never install unofficial Kodi APKs!

2. Read up on the new Kodi 19 features and changes. There are lots of settings and options to explore.

3. Test Kodi 19 on a secondary device first if possible. This helps spot any add-on problems before touching your main setup.

4. Back up your data in case you need to revert. On Windows/Mac this means copying over your Userdata folder. On platforms like Fire TV, back up via ADB.

5. Update in place – Uninstall Kodi 18 first if needed. Then install 19 fresh rather than over top.

6. Start fresh – Wipe Kodi settings if you run into issues. Rebuild your library and playlists.

Follow those tips and updating should go smooth. But there are some caveats around add-ons you should know about!

Kodi 19 Add-on Considerations

Now for a critical warning regarding Kodi 19 and add-ons:

Many 3rd party add-ons and builds you may rely on do not work properly with Kodi 19 yet!

Why? The switch over to Python 3 broke compatibility with add-ons written in Python 2. Developers need time to update their codes.

What can you do? Here are some options:

• Delay upgrading to Kodi 19 if you heavily depend on certain addons. Wait until they officially support Kodi 19.

• Dual install Kodi 18 alongside Kodi 19 to enjoy the best of both worlds. Switch between them to use your favorite add-ons or the latest features.

• Only update on test devices first to confirm your must-have add-ons are functional under Kodi 19.

• Check the Recommended Kodi 19 Add-ons list to discover what‘s currently working.

The good news is developers are actively working on Python 3 migrations. So Kodi 19 compatibility will only expand moving forward!

Additional Kodi 19 Tips and Help

Here are some final pointers for your new Kodi 19 Matrix setup:

• Change your skin if you notice visual quirks or odd behavior. Try the "Estuary" skin for maximum stability.

• Still having library issues after updating? Completely wipe Kodi‘s databases and start fresh. This often resolves lingering problems.

• Want to revert back to Kodi 18 or 17? Uninstall Kodi 19 first, then install the older version. Restore your user data from backup.

• If you run into specific technical issues, search the Kodi forums or check the wiki troubleshooting guides. Chances are any problems have existing fixes!

• Consider supporting Kodi development by making a donation if you find this software valuable. Kodi is powered by a non-profit foundation.

Take your time getting to know the new Kodi release! Explore all the settings menus and options – Kodi 19 has lots of goodies waiting to enhance your media experience.

I hope you found this guide helpful for updating to the latest version of Kodi. Let me know if you have any other questions, and enjoy Kodi 19 Matrix!