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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.

Installation Methods

There are three ways to install EasyTV. Pick the one that fits how you like to receive updates.

Method Auto-updates? Latest stable? Setup
Rouzax Repository Yes (via Kodi) Yes, immediately One-time repo install
Official Kodi Repository Yes (via Kodi) After Kodi review (can lag) Already enabled in Kodi
GitHub release zip No (manual) Yes, plus pre-releases Per-release zip install

The Rouzax repository auto-updates EasyTV (and the other Rouzax addons) every time a new stable release ships, without waiting for the official Kodi repo review cycle. One-time setup, then Kodi handles updates for you.

  1. Download the latest repository.rouzax-X.Y.Z.zip from Rouzax Repository releases
  2. In Kodi, go to Settings → Add-ons → Install from zip file
  3. Select the downloaded zip. (Kodi may prompt you to enable "Unknown sources" first; see the GitHub method below for the toggle path.)
  4. After the repository installs, go to Settings → Add-ons → Install from repository → Rouzax Repository → Program add-ons
  5. Select EasyTV and click Install

Future EasyTV updates arrive automatically through Kodi's add-on update cycle.

From the Official Kodi Add-on Repository

EasyTV is also published in the official Kodi add-on repository, which is enabled by default in every Kodi install. No extra repo install needed.

  1. Open Kodi
  2. Go to Settings → Add-ons → Install from repository
  3. Choose Kodi Add-on repository
  4. Open Program add-ons
  5. Select EasyTV and click Install

The background service starts automatically after install.

Note: The version here can lag behind the Rouzax repository and GitHub releases while a new version goes through Kodi's review process. Use the Rouzax repository if you want new releases as soon as they ship.

From GitHub (for the latest version, including pre-releases)

Use this if you want a release that hasn't reached the Kodi repository yet, or you want to test a pre-release build.

  1. Download the latest release
  2. Go to Releases
  3. Download the .zip file (e.g., script.easytv-1.5.2.zip)

  4. Do not extract the zip. Kodi needs the zip file directly.

  5. Install in Kodi

  6. Open Kodi
  7. Go to Settings → Add-ons → Install from zip file
  8. Navigate to your Downloads folder

  9. Select the script.easytv-x.x.x.zip file

  10. Enable Unknown Sources (if prompted)

  11. Kodi may ask you to enable "Unknown sources"
  12. Go to Settings → System → Add-ons
  13. Enable Unknown sources

  14. Return and retry the installation

  15. Confirmation

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

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:

Main dialog

  1. From Add-ons menu

  2. Go to Add-ons → Program add-ons → EasyTV

  3. From home screen (recommended)

  4. Most skins let you add shortcuts to your home menu

  5. Add EasyTV to your "Programs" or create a custom menu item

  6. Via keyboard/remote shortcut

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

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 Pick what happens on launch: Show episode list, Play random playlist, or Ask me
Series premieres Settings → Shows Choose how to handle shows you haven't started: Skip, Mix in, or Only
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

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

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.

Updating EasyTV

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 prompt you to update on next launch:

  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

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.

Next Steps