Bob Simon, Author at ReviewVPN

Everything You Need to Know about Kodi 19.5 Matrix

Posted on October 28, 2021January 9, 2023 by Bob Simon

What’s New in Kodi 19?

This article is about the news Kodi 19.5 Matrix.

Kodi has been updating and upgrading versions to continuously serve its users with a great experience. Every Kodi version launched comes with great features and services to offer to its users. The latest version of Kodi launched on February 20, 2021, is the Kodi 19 Matrix that uses Python 3.

This Kodi version has come with great features and many changes to give its users a great experience while using Kodi. It is considered as the stable version of Kodi with lots of new updated features and functionalities. However, this version system is changed into Python-3 with no backward compatibility. That is why some of the third-party addons and builds are not compatible with this new version.

Currently, Kodi is at its fourth matrix update which is Kodi 19.5. This matrix version was released on March 04, 2022, along with new improved features and services. Kodi 19.5 Matrix also has some special tweaks and functionalities such as it supports tvOS and ios, specific TopShelf support and fixes on AppleTV, less buffering experience, and more. This new version also replaces the old XML metadata scrapers with the news system and high standard Python that lets you have a smooth browsing experience for movies, Tv shows, music, and other media. Kodi developers have truly manifested their attention and knowledge in improving the Kodi version each year. Now, let’s take a look at the latest and the best new features of the Kodi 19.5 Matrix.

Kodi 19.5 Matrix New Features

Security and Dependencies

As we have mentioned above, this new version of Kodi is a Python 3, which means not all third-party addons are compatible with it. It also has some security enhancement and improvements, whereas it prevents unknown third-party repositories from overwriting code of unrelated addons to be installed. The good thing is the developers implement a default password requirement on its interface.

Improve Audio Playback

The new version of Kodi 19 has new audio features that will bring you good streaming of your favorite music videos.

An improved audio playback with a new Matrix-inspired visualization. It allows you to watch HD music videos while the artist and album information is displayed.
Supports file tags over HTTP(S)
Improved metadata such as new displays, great handling of album release dates and album durations
Better handling of multi-disc CD sets and boxsets
A great browsing experience on your favorite music albums.
It also changes how an audio decoder addons information is passed through the Kodi player.

19.5 Fix: Artist discography export to NFO.

Video Playback

Kodi Matrix has a great improvement when it comes to media playback and has done technical improvement to give you a great experience in streaming.

It has an AV1 Software decoding.
Windows 10 – has an HLG HDR and static HDR10 playback.
Android – static HDR10 and dynamic Dolby Vision HDR support on Android.
It also supports more OpenGL bicubic scalers.

19.5 Fix:

EDL mute now working.
ASS subtitles display now working correctly.

Android specifics

Improved designed Interface

Kodi 19.5 Matrix brings you a new and improved user interface with a:

Redesigned fullscreen music window
Available new now playing view
Added metadata displays
Both new and updated GUI controls
Artwork and image file improvement

Fix:

Any Favourites for a restricted/locked media source are now hidden.
Wrong language identified from subtitle name corrected.
Blu-ray ISO title and watched status now displayed correctly.

Subtitles

You can now set the opacity for captions
Available new dark grey color for subtitles
It also fixes the timestamp overlays

New PVR & Live Television Features

Many Kodi user has been reportedly having some troubles in PVR or watching live Tv on Kodi, which is why Kodi 19.5 focused on these features and here are some of the improvements made;

PVR reminders
Home screen widgets for TV and radio channel groups
Dynamic PVR categories
You can sort channels and EPG by the backend order of channels
API Improvements
Support for starting EPG entries as life
Available dialog and navigation controls
New, Live, Finale, and Premiere for EPG
Recordings and timers
Guide and search window performance improvement channel and Group manager enhancements
Available guide window for navigation controls
Enhancements for Estuary PVR information dialog Setting
The channel type now supports a ‘Switch to full screen
It has a playlist context menu items for recordings
Sort method for recordings based on season and episode.

19.5 Fix:

Crash when navigating an empty guide.
Hiding/deleting channel group now working correctly.

Platform-specific changes

tvOS – and added platform device support, which means you don’t need an iOS 32-bit
AppleTV – Support TopShelf and fixes
iOS – A better logging and notch support
Linux – Single Linux binary for X11, Wayland, and GBM windowing systems
macOS – Mouse cursor positioning in full-screen.

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How to Install Kodi Matrix On Firestick

Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can install Kodi 19.5 Matrix on your Firestick. But before that, you must first uninstall the current version of your Kodi.

Uninstall the Current Kodi Version on Firestick.

1. On your firestick home screen, click on the Settings icon.

2. Select on the Applications

3. Click on the Manage Installed Applications.

4. Scroll down and choose the icon of Kodi.

5. Select on the Uninstall.

6. Click on the Uninstall again.

7. Wait for the uninstalling application process.

8. That’s it! You have successfully uninstalled Kodi on your Firestick.

Now after you uninstall your current Kodi, let us now proceed to install Kodi 19.5 on your Firestick.

Follow the following steps.

9. On your firestick home screen, click on the Settings icon.

10. Scroll down and select My Fire TV.

11. Click on the Developer options.

12. Turn on ADB debugging and Apps from Unknown Sources.

13. A box will pop up. Select Turn On.

14. Go back Home and choose FIND.

15. Select Search.

16. You can use your Alexa voice-enabled remote and say Downloader or type it and click on the suggestion when it appears.

17. Click on the Downloader icon.

18. Tap on Get/Download.

19. Wait for the installation to finish.

20. Click Open.

21. Select on Allow.

22. Click on the search engine.

23. In the search bar, type in https://reviewvpn.com/19.5 and click Go.

24. Wait for the file download to finish.

25. Click Install.

26. Select Open to launch the app.

27. Click Continue.

28. Tap on Allow.

29. That’s it! You have successfully installed Kodi 19.5 on Firestick.

However, if you don’t like Kodi 19.5 and you wish to bring it back to Kodi 18.9, here are the ways on how you can bring it back. Kindly read the articles below:

Learn Everything About Kodi: Complete Guide for Beginners – 2022

How to Downgrade Kodi 19 Matrix to Kodi 18.9 Leia – Everything You Need to Know

YOUR INTERNET ACTIVITY IS BEING WATCHED

ReviewVPN cannot attest to the legality, security and privacy of the applications discussed on this site. It is highly recommended that you use a VPN service while streaming or using Kodi.

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Here are the main reasons why you must use a VPN:

Your activities are hidden from your ISP, the government, and from the apps you are using.
You can access additional movies and TV streams.
ISP attempts to throttle are thrwarted thus reducing buffering issues.
Geographically restricted content like Netflix and Hulu can be unblocked.

A VPN works be replacing your ISP-assigned IP address and creating an encrypted tunnel. We recommend the no log service offered by IPVanish. It works well on a Firestick and offers the fastest possible speeds.

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Legal Disclaimer: ReviewVPN.com does not encourage or endorse any illegal activity involved in the usage of services and applications referenced on this site. We do not verify the licensing agreements of services. The end-user is wholly responsible for ensuring that any media accessed through these services does not violate copyright and/or licensing laws. ReviewVPN does not promote, link to, or receive compensation from any Apps and IPTV services.

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Difference Between Kodi 19 From The Previous Version

The new Kodi 19.5 Matrix is different from the previous Kodi 18.9 Leia as it is Python 2.7. The good thing with Kodi 18.9 Leia is it is compatible with lots of addons and builds. However, the Kodi 19.5 Matrix is Python 3, which means that many older add-ons are not compatible with it because Python 3 has no backward compatibility. The previous Kodi 18.9 Leia also works with third-party changes to HTTP2 and SSL/encryption that has an impact on internet access from Kodi scrapers, addons, builds, and more.

In conclusion, Kodi 18.9 is compatible with hundreds of third-party add-ons and builds, but Kodi 19.5 is not compatible with all third-party add-ons. This version is much more sensitive than 18.9 and other previous versions. If you want to access and use hundreds of third-party add-ons, we may suggest that you stay with Kodi 18.9 rather than upgrade it with Kodi 19.5.

In terms of specifications, Kodi 19.5 contains lots of impressive and greater functionalities than previous Kodi versions.

Working Addons and Builds

As we have repeatedly mentioned above Kodi 19.5 matrix is Python 3, which is not compatible with lots of third-party addons and builds. If you want to use the Kodi version, we list down some of the compatible third-party addons and builds that you can try. These add-ons bring you a great lineup of content that you can watch.

We also suggest reading “What Builds & Addons Are Working on Kodi 19?” to know some of the best addons and builds that work well on Kodi 19.5.

Kodi Addons

tvOne

tvOne is a third-party add-on that is compatible with Kodi 19.5 Matrix. This add-on is known as international Live TV with lots of different Tv channels to choose from. It brings you the latest updates on everything that might matter to you and even content from different countries such as Pakistan, India, Turkish and more. You can also watch other content such as Movies, Tv shows, Sports, Music, Kids’ Content, News, and more. It came with a simple and easy-to-use interface with a well-organized list of categories. The good thing is, it allows you to access different Live Tv channels for free without any registration needed.

Features:

No registration is required.
Wide selection of content categories to choose from.
You can watch on Live Tv and Live sports from different popular networks.
Bring you different counties’ content.
It has all of the latest and popular movies and Tv shows to watch.
You can watch on different video quality such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p.
It has a one-click full stop button.
You can watch content with subtitles in multiple languages.
It allows background playing.

Use the guide below to install tvOne Addon on Kodi 19.5 Matrix

How to Install tvOne Kodi Addon.

Repository URL: https://fuse99.com/octopus

Nightwing

Nightwing is a third-party add-on that is compatible with Kodi 19.5 Matrix. This add-on is from the Magnetic Repo that brings you a large collection of content to watch for free. It also brings you a great lineup of content such as Movies, Tv shows, kids’ content, Documentaries, Sports, and more. This addon is also known as a collection of scraper links from different websites that they offer to its users for free. You will surely enjoy this add-on as it brings you not just a wide selection of content but also a high quality of streaming links. It also supports Trakt.Tv account integration to synchronize and personalize content libraries.

Features:

It has a simple and easy-to-navigate interface.
Well-organized categories and subcategories.
It has an excellent search function
You can shoe from their wide variety of content categories.
Bring you a great lineup of popular movies, Tv shows, Kids Contents, and more
Watch on from SD to 4k video streaming quality.
Integrate your Trakt.tv account.
Bring you streaming links from different providers.

Use the guide below to install Nightwing Addon on Kodi 19.5 Matrix

How to Install Nightwing Kodi Addon.

Repository URL: http://magnetic.website/repo/

BewsandBeer

BewsandBeer is an adult addon from the popular Grindhouse repository that is working well on Kodi 19.5 Matrix. This add-on brings you a large collection of matured and adult content for appropriate viewers. It is basically for adult and legal age, whereas it brings you a great lineup of mature categories such as bikinis, drunk fails, sexy girls, adult videos, and mild nudity. This add-on brings you thousands of adult content from different adult websites. So if you are looking for an adult addon that brings you a great lineup of content, then this addon is for you. You can stream your favorite content in Kodi in a less buffering experience.

Features:

You can choose from One-click Bewbs and Sexy MF’in TV.
Complete series of adult videos.
Allows you to choose women stars and watch their videos.
It also has different adult content to streams, such as Girl to the girl, Cumshots, Big Boobs, Asians, Bisexuals, Blowjobs, Femdom, and more.
Integrate your Real debrid account to provide you high quality streaming links.
You can watch up to 1080p quality videos.
Allows background playing.

Repository URL: http://grindhousekodi.tk/repo

Kodi Builds

Now, we will show you a step-by-step guide on how you can Install the Third-party Kodi Addon on Kodi 19.5 Matrix.

1. On your Firestick, open Kodi and go to Settings.

2. Select on System.

3. Click on the Add-ons menu and Turn ON the Unknown Sources.

4. Select Yes when the box appears.

5. Go back one step and click on File Manager.

6. Select the Add Source.

7. A box will pop up, so click on the ‘None’ option.

8. Now type in this URL http://diamondbuild.xyz and click OK. You will notice that the keyboard of Kodi 19.5 is different from Kodi 18.9 Leia.

9. Name this URL as diamond and tap OK.

10. After that, go back to the system menu and select Add-ons.

11. Click Install from Zip File

12. Tap the Yes button (One thing that you will notice between the 2 Kodi versions, is the Kodi 19.5 has a pop-up notification that requires you to tap the “Yes” button before you can proceed on the next step.

13. When the box pop-up, select diamond or any name you have given.

14. Choose repository.diamond-kodi19-repo-10.62.zip

15. Wait a few minutes for the addon to be installed. After that, an icon will appear at the top menu.

16. Tap the Install from Repository.

17. Then select *Diamond Build K19 Repo (Primary Server USA)* from the list.

18. Click on Video Add-ons.

19. Select the Diamond Shadow+ FSM.

20. Click the Install button.

21. When a box Pop up, click OK.

22. Wait for the Diamond Shadow+ FSM Add-on installed message to appear.

23. Go back to the Kodi home screen and scroll down to Addon.

24. From the Video Add-on, select the Diamond Shadow+ FSM Add-on icon.

25. That’s it! Choose from the categories and enjoy.

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Why do I need a VPN?

Every time you install a new platform on your device, it is good that you are using a Virtual Private Network. It is to ensure that you and your device are safe from any malware and viruses from these platforms. Having a VPN is very important because it gives you the security you need, and it minimizes the chances of getting any privacy issues from these. It is also a good thing to have a VPN on your device while using Kodi to give you a safe and good streaming experience.

We highly recommend Surfshark as your VPN because it is one of the most reliable and fast VPNs that you can see online. This VPN also uses a high standard of encryption that will keep you safe and protected online. Surfshark will also automatically encrypt your Real IP address and online identity to keep you anonymous while being connected to a public network. It is also one of the proven and tested VPNs committed to giving its users the best service they deserve.

Surfshark also has a lot of impressive features to enjoy, including:

This VPN uses a high standard of AES-256 Bit of encryption and uncrackable security that safeguard your data and activities.
It destroys Geo-blocks and bypasses any censorship and restriction by letting you connect on over 1300 servers, and 40,000 IP addresses in 70+ locations to choose from.
Surfshark also prevents ISPs from interfering with your connection to avoid lags and buffering. It also stops snooping on ISP and keeps you protected while being connected on a public network.
Keep your identity anonymous by hiding your real IP address and identity to protect you from hackers.

Note: For more information about Surfshark, please read our Surfshark Review.

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How to Install Surfshark VPN on Firestick

If your Firestick still has the older interface, read this article to learn how to update it: Update Firestick Interface.

1. Go to the Home screen of your Firestick.

2. Navigate towards the Find tab. Press the Search button from the resulting dropdown.

3. Type in the keyword of Surfshark and select from the suggestions that will appear.

4. Click the official SurfShark icon from your search results.

5. Press the Download (You own it) button.

6. The Surfshark VPN installer will download on your device.

7. SurfShark VPN’s app will automatically install itself on your Fire TV stick.

8. Press the Open button after completing Surfshark VPN’s installation process.

9. Please wait for the SurfShark VPN to load its user interface.

10. You can now log in with your Surfshark VPN account credentials.

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FAQs

Is Kodi 19.5 Matrix stable?

Yes, the Kodi 19.5 Matrix is a stable version.

Is it free to install Kodi 19.5?

Yes, the Kodi 19.5 Matrix is free to install.

Is it legal to install Kodi 19.5?

Yes, the Kodi 19.5 matrix is legal software.

Conclusion

Kodi 19.5 Matrix is the latest released version of Kodi that brings you a great experience in streaming with lots of new and impressive functionalities. This Kodi version system is a Python 3 system, which means that not all third-party addons and builds are compatible with it. The good thing with this version is, that it comes with great security features and a media player that brings you safe and better streaming online. We hope that this article gives you everything you need to know about Kodi 19.5 Matrix.

Astrill VPN Review – Is It The Best VPN? – 2023

Posted on October 28, 2021January 4, 2023 by Bob Simon

Overview

Astrill VPN is another VPN provider that claims to be the best VPN service and the industry’s technology leader.

It establishes a fast and secure VPN connection by concealing your connection and utilizing its strong VPN protocols at the same time. Moreover, Astrill VPN is based in Seychelles, a country well-known for its no-retention-of-data law.

Furthermore, it enables anonymous surfing and bypasses geo-restrictions, allowing you to access any website or service worldwide. And even though Astrill VPN has fewer servers than its competitors, they claim to offer the best servers for optimal speed and performance.

Finally, Astrill VPN is one of the few VPN services capable of successfully unblocking China’s Great Firewall. As a result, travelers and others can continue to use their favorite apps and websites while in this restricted country.

Without further ado, let us determine whether Astrill VPN is the best VPN service currently available.

Pricing

Below you’ll find the Astrill VPN price information. Currently, it provides the following plans: 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year:

Moreover, Astrill VPN offers a Private IP for $5 per month and a VIP add-on for $10 a month (optimized speed, reduced latency, prioritized traffic, and Multi-hop VPN).

Furthermore, Astrill VPN offers a variety of payment methods to its consumers. They accept credit cards, debit cards, bank wire transfers, and Paypal. Moreover, Astrill VPN accepts Bitcoin, Monero, as well as other cryptocurrencies.

NordVPN Free Trial

Unfortunately, there is no free trial available for Astrill VPN. In addition, they don’t offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Speed

Astrill VPN offers its users a decent speed of 80MBPs, which is quite a deal when compared to other VPN services available on the market.