After three alpha versions, the first Beta version of Kodi 18 has appeared. According to the team behind the open source media player software, the final release is near. No new functions are added anymore, the team now focuses on resolving bugs.

The makers of Kodi say that the beta version is recommended to try, but that the software is not completely ready for use in the living room. Users are advised to make a backup. According to the developers, there are already tens of thousands of users working with Kodi 18.

A major innovation in Kodi 18 compared to version 17 is that the video player is split into its own component. This is given the highest priority over other actions, such as navigation. Optimizations have also been implemented to reduce the cpu load. In addition, Kodi supports 18 drm in add-ons. That enables publishers to release official add-ons to play protected videos with drm.

Now that a beta of Kodi 18 is available, the number of users of the new version will grow. When the final release follows, the team does not know yet. That depends on the stability of the software with a large user group. Work has been going on at Kodi 18 since the end of last year. The first alpha version came out in March.