Here are the instructions on how to setup a personal API key for YouTube on Kodi:
Make sure to sign in to the YouTube add-on before starting with the setup.
Click here to go to Google Cloud Console Click the checkbox to accept the Terms of Service and then click Agree and Continue Click the Select a project combo box and then click New Project Enter project name (the name doesn’t matter) and click Create Wait until the project is created Click here to go to the Google API Library Click YouTube Data API and then click Enable In the side menu, click Credentials Click Create Credentials and then Click API Key Copy and save the API key and click Close Click Create Credentials and then click OAuth Client ID Click Configure Consent Screen and then click Create Enter application name (the name doesn’t matter) and click Save In the side menu, click Credentials Click Create Credentials and then click OAuth Client ID For Application Type, choose Other and then enter a name (the name doesn’t matter) and click Create Copy and save the Client ID and Client Secret and click OK Launch Kodi, hover over Add-ons and click YouTube Click Settings and hover over API Click Enable personal API keys to enable it Click API Key, enter the API keys you saved before and click OK Click Client ID, enter the Client ID you saved before and click OK Click Client Secret, enter the Client Secret you saved before and click OK Click OK in the Settings menu Click Sign out and then Sign in
If you get the error message again after some time, you will need to repeat those steps.
Determine Youtube Addon Version
- From the main kodi screen goto Add-ons (option from left side menu)
- Scroll down and choose My add-ons
- From "Add-ons / Video addons" you will see a list of over 100 addons (probably) and at or near the bottom is the Youtube addon.
It might say something like this (from the line item in the list):
YouTube anxdpanic, bromix - 6.8.2
network media player appliances
If you're looking for a network media player that supports SMB file playback like your Kodi setup, consider the following options:
NVIDIA Shield TV: This is one of the most versatile Android TV boxes available, with built-in support for Kodi and Plex, both of which can stream from network file servers via SMB. It’s compatible with a wide range of formats and offers high-quality video and audio playback, including 4K HDR.
Zidoo Z9X: This Android-based media player is built for local network playback and supports SMB, NFS, and DLNA. It also has a highly customizable media player interface and good codec support, handling 4K HDR content and Dolby Vision.
Ugoos AM6 Plus: This is an Android TV box that supports both Kodi and third-party SMB clients, allowing for network streaming. Ugoos devices are known for their robust build quality and extensive codec support.
These devices can offer similar functionality to Kodi on your Raspberry Pi and support various media playback features, especially for network file streaming.
Raspberry Pi Alternatives
There are other single-board computers (SBCs) and low-cost devices that can work well as network video players with Kodi or similar software:
Odroid C4: This is a powerful and cost-effective alternative to the Raspberry Pi 4. It has similar capabilities, supports Kodi, and runs Android or Linux distributions. The Odroid C4 has strong video decoding abilities and works well as a media player.
Libre Computer Board (AML-S905X-CC) Le Potato: This SBC is compatible with Kodi and similar media players. It’s budget-friendly and offers 4K output with hardware video decoding. It runs on Linux and Android OS options and supports a variety of media applications.
RockPro64: From Pine64, this SBC is known for good multimedia capabilities, especially at a reasonable price point. It supports both Android and Linux OS options, including versions of Kodi optimized for its hardware.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (with sideloaded Kodi): Although not an SBC, this streaming device can run Kodi if sideloaded. It’s affordable and performs well with network streaming, supporting 4K HDR content. However, it’s less customizable than a full SBC.
These alternatives offer good media playback capabilities and might be more economical than a Raspberry Pi 4 in today’s market.