Installation

Installation

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Kodi Version	Kodi 21 (Omega) or Kodi 22 (Piers) or later
Library	A TV library with watched/unwatched episode tracking
Optional	Movies library (for mixed playlists)
Optional	Shared MySQL/MariaDB database + script.module.pymysql (for multi-instance sync)

⚠️ Not compatible with Kodi 20 (Nexus) or earlier versions. EasyTV uses Python 3.8+ features and Kodi 21+ APIs.

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Installation Methods

From GitHub (Recommended)

1. Download the latest release

   • Go to Releases
   • Download the .zip file (e.g., script.easytv-1.2.0.zip)
   • Do not extract the zip — Kodi needs the zip file directly

2. Install in Kodi

   • Open Kodi
   • Go to Settings → Add-ons → Install from zip file
   • Navigate to your Downloads folder
   • Select the script.easytv-x.x.x.zip file

3. Enable Unknown Sources (if prompted)

   • Kodi may ask you to enable "Unknown sources"
   • Go to Settings → System → Add-ons
   • Enable Unknown sources
   • Return and retry the installation

4. Confirmation

   • You'll see a notification: "EasyTV Add-on installed"
   • The background service starts automatically

From Kodi Repository

(Coming soon — EasyTV will be submitted to the official Kodi addon repository)

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First Run

What Happens Automatically

When EasyTV installs, its background service starts and:

1. Scans your TV library — Identifies all shows with unwatched episodes
2. Calculates episode durations — Samples episodes to determine typical length per show
3. Caches the data — Stores results for fast subsequent startups
4. Shows a notification — "Database analysis complete" when ready

Startup Times

Scenario	Typical Time	Notes
First run	2-30 seconds	Depends on library size and hardware
Subsequent runs	Under 1 second	Duration data is cached to disk

Large libraries on network storage or low-power devices (Raspberry Pi) take longer on first run.

Launching EasyTV

Once the "Database analysis complete" notification appears:

When you first launch EasyTV, you'll see the main dialog:

1. From Add-ons menu

   • Go to Add-ons → Program add-ons → EasyTV

2. From home screen (recommended)

   • Most skins let you add shortcuts to your home menu
   • Add EasyTV to your "Programs" or create a custom menu item

3. Via keyboard/remote shortcut

   • You can map EasyTV to a button using Kodi's keymap editor

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Initial Configuration

EasyTV works out of the box with sensible defaults, but you may want to customize:

Essential Settings to Consider

Setting	Location	Why Configure?
When I open EasyTV	Settings → EasyTV	Choose your preferred mode: Browse, Random, or Ask
Include series premieres	Settings → Shows	Disable if you don't want shows you haven't started
Playlist content	Settings → Random Playlist	Add movies to your random playlists

Accessing Settings

Method 1: From Kodi

• Navigate to Add-ons → Program add-ons
• Highlight EasyTV (don't click)
• Press C on keyboard or Menu on remote
• Select Configure

Method 2: From EasyTV

• Open EasyTV
• Open the context menu (C or long-press)
• Select settings-related options

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Verifying Installation

Check the Background Service

The background service must be running for EasyTV to work:

1. Go to Settings → Add-ons → My add-ons → Services
2. Find EasyTV in the list
3. Ensure it shows as Enabled

If it's disabled, click to enable it and restart Kodi.

Check Window Properties (Advanced)

For debugging, you can verify EasyTV is tracking shows:

1. Enable Settings → Advanced → Debugging → Enable debug logging
2. Open the log file at special://profile/addon_data/script.easytv/logs/easytv.log
3. Look for entries showing shows being processed

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Multi-Device Setup

If you run Kodi on multiple devices with a shared MySQL/MariaDB video database, EasyTV can sync watch progress across all of them. See Multi-Instance Sync for setup instructions.

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Updating EasyTV

Tip: When upgrading across major feature releases, check the Migration Guide for any breaking changes or required actions.

Manual Update

1. Download the new version from Releases
2. Install via Settings → Add-ons → Install from zip file
3. Kodi will update the existing installation

Clone Updates

If you've created clones, they update automatically:

1. Launch the clone after updating the main EasyTV addon
2. EasyTV detects the version mismatch
3. A prompt asks "Would you like to update the clone now?"
4. Click Yes and restart Kodi

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Uninstallation

1. Go to Settings → Add-ons → My add-ons → Program add-ons
2. Select EasyTV
3. Click Uninstall

This removes:

• The addon files
• The background service

This preserves:

• Your addon data (settings, logs) in special://profile/addon_data/script.easytv/

To fully remove all data, manually delete the script.easytv folder from your addon_data directory.

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Next Steps

• Browse Mode — Learn to navigate the episode list
• Random Playlist Mode — Set up lean-back viewing
• Settings Reference — Explore all configuration options