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Kodi 21.3 "Omega" for Windows 64-bit with AC-4 audio (ATSC 3.0 / NextGen TV) - second release.
New in this release
- 5.1 surrounds. Most ATSC 3.0 5.1 sends the surrounds as parameters for the decoder to rebuild (A-CPL). They were silent before, and the fronts too quiet, which made 5.1 sound center-heavy, almost mono. The surrounds are now rebuilt as the AC-4 specification describes.
- Full bandwidth in 5.1. 5.1 stopped at about 14 kHz; the high-frequency extension (A-SPX) now works for 5.1 too.
- Speed and pitch. Every earlier AC-4 build played ATSC 3.0 audio about 4 % fast and 0.7 semitone sharp. Fixed. (The decoder now outputs 46034 Hz for ATSC 3.0, which Kodi resamples like any other audio.)
- Polarity. All channels came out inverted; fixed.
- AC-4 badge. Estuary shows "AC-4" instead of a question mark. For other skins see the README.
Checked against Dolby's own decode of its AC-4 test material (Dolby Digital Plus version of the same program): center channel identical, fronts and LFE very close, rebuilt surrounds following Dolby's surround mix, same balance between channels. Tested on stereo and 5.1 ATSC 3.0 broadcasts, live through NextPVR.
From the first release: the LFE (subwoofer) channel in the right place, immersive streams no longer crash Kodi, no phantom audio track from ATSC 3.0 subtitles.
Still not supported: immersive AC-4 (Atmos, height channels; Kodi may show such streams as "7.1"), and the rarer parametric-surround modes no broadcast seen so far uses.
Installs like the official Kodi 21.3, over an existing Kodi 21 or the first AC-4 release; settings are kept. Unofficial build, not supported by the Kodi team.
SHA-256 of Kodi-21.3-AC4-x64-setup.exe: d547d9b861f461b818c0b10a017d1a2eba9a8e3ae3967f28ba25b9e12dbb7357
Android (added 2026-10-26): Kodi-21.3-AC4-arm64.apk, the same AC-4 decoder for 64-bit ARM phones and tablets (Android 5.0+). It installs beside a Play Store Kodi as a separate app (package org.xbmc.kodiac4). Open the APK on the device and allow installing from that source; if Play Protect warns about an unknown developer, choose Install anyway. Not for 32-bit-only devices such as many Fire TV sticks. SHA-256 e86ea224180786cdcf82ed242033234dfe7fcc93ca135f5450c124a16ce2102d.
Fire TV / 32-bit Android (added 2026-10-26): Kodi-21.3-AC4-armv7.apk, the same build for devices that run only 32-bit apps, such as Fire TV sticks. Install it with the Downloader app (steps in the README's Fire TV section). Not yet tested on a Fire TV: please report how it works in an issue. SHA-256 e1fc1314aced148302ee51a74bbbfa838892084d725d78f97265d70c41db84a3.
Linux (added 2026-10-27): Kodi-21.3-AC4-x86_64.AppImage, one file for 64-bit PCs with a distribution from 2022 or later (glibc 2.35+: Ubuntu 22.04, Mint 21, Debian 12, Fedora 36 and newer). Make it executable and run it; settings go to ~/.kodi-ac4. PVR clients for NextPVR, TVHeadend, IPTV Simple and HDHomeRun are included, since Kodi's add-on repository has none for Linux. Tested only under WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux, Ubuntu 22.04), not on real Linux hardware: please report how it works on yours, with your distribution and graphics card, in an issue. SHA-256 9aa42c524377abcae8b59dcde4303051f56e20036248e75976851d1e25be4c55.
Before you install: for live TV, Kodi needs a PVR back end such as NextPVR, set up by you; see Before you start and Support in the README. This build comes with no help installing or configuring Kodi, NextPVR or add-ons; AC-4 audio problems are welcome as GitHub issues.