XBMC / Kodi: The 5 best skins
There are numerous different skins for the Kodi media center application (formerly XBMC). We present the five best designs in this article.
Aeon Nox: Popular XBMC skin with high popularity
The Aeon Nox theme is very popular with Kodi users. You can find out exactly how the themes look on your TV in our picture gallery.
- The reason for this is certainly the appealing design by Aeon Nox, but also the many customization options. You get several view options and can even add new menu items.
- In the main menu of the skin, you can place up to nine additional menu entries, which can be used for addons or playlists, for example. In this way, the skin can be customized according to your preferences.
- The design also contains various styles and color combinations. The sub-menu can also display widgets. For example, you can show lyrics or have several videos run in parallel.
- Aeon Nox does not consume too much power and should therefore also work smoothly on weaker devices.
Droid for Kodi: Skin with focus on touchscreen devices
Since the Frodo version of Kodi, there is also an Android version of the Media Center software. With Droid you get a skin that is fully geared towards touchscreen devices.
- Even if Droid is primarily aimed at tablet and smartphone users, the skin also works wonderfully on your PC and can be used there without restrictions.
- Droid scores with large menu buttons and a slightly compressed display, so that the skin can be used excellently on smaller devices.
- The Kodi design dispenses with performance-consuming effects, so that with this skin you can use the media player even on less powerful devices. This is particularly interesting if you want to use an Android HDMI stick or the Raspberry Pi for your TV.
xTV-SAF: XBMC skin based on Apple TV
The Skin xTV-SAF is based on the simple design of the Apple TV. In contrast to the big role model, you can also customize the design yourself:
- There are a total of three different display options for the main menu. For example, you can switch between the views of the Apple TV that have changed over time and new updates.
- The skin also offers various views in your film, TV or music list. This includes a classic list, a wall view or the cover flow known from Apple.
- Similar to Aeon Nox, you can add other optional menu items in the main menu. This looks particularly good in the view of the 3rd Apple TV generation.
Arctic: Very chic skin with pretty views
Even if Arctic is not yet finished, the skin already convinces with its visual advantages.
- Arctic plays with cold colors and a transparency effect, from which the name is certainly derived. The skin is very chic, not overloaded and looks very tidy.
- Here, too, you get various viewing options for your content. So you can display both cover and fan art at the same time with information. This way you always have everything in view.
- As with the other skins, Arctic does without gimmicks and therefore runs very smoothly. Even if you have a very extensive media library, the loading times between the menus are extremely short. Even high-resolution images are reloaded seamlessly.
Xeebo: Ideal for remote control operation
If you operate the media center with a remote control, Xeebo is the right choice. The skin can be easily controlled with the mouse or on a touchscreen.
- The menus in Xeebo are very simple and entries are shown in large tiles. In this way you can also quickly navigate through entries and menus using the direction buttons on a remote control.
- Even if the skin is kept simple, it looks good: The banner view is particularly suitable for displaying films and TV series on your television.
- Xeebo also scores with useful widgets in the main menu, which show you directly recommended and recently added content. This way you always have an overview of all new content.
You don't have to do without the media center on your iPhone and iPad either. Read another practical tip on how to set up Kodi on iPhone and iPad.
Latest videos
Aeon Nox is one of the most popular Kodi skins ever, which is probably mainly due to the appealing design.
Droid scores with large buttons and optimized menus. This allows you to operate Kodi perfectly on a touchscreen device.
The Skin xTV-SAF does a good job imitating the Apple TV. The coverflow known from Apple is also available as a view.
Even if Arctic is still being worked on, the skin is already ready for use and puts your media library in the limelight like few other skins.
Xeebo can be operated wonderfully from the couch with a remote control and scores with a very chic banner view.
