14 DAY TRIAL // A new development release of the LibreELEC open-source operating system for Raspberry Pi and similar embedded devices has been unveiled recently, versioned 7.95.1 Beta. LibreELEC lets you transform a Raspberry Pi into an HTPC.
Based on the just-released third RC (Release Candidate) build of the upcoming Kodi 17 "Krypton" open-source media center and powered by the Linux 4.9.3 kernel, LibreELEC 7.95.1 Beta updates the Linux kernel support patches for Raspberry Pi SBCs, and adds UDL driver support to Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi 2 projects.
The new Beta version also updates the LibreELEC settings to version 0.8.7, but there's no news on the improvements implemented in this build. Moreover, the Raspberry Pi firmware has been updated to address some minor CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) issues, and libCEC is now up to version 4.0.1 and adds pulse-eight CEC adapter support.
Issues with AMD Radeon and Intel graphics drivers resolved
Among other noteworthy changes implemented in the LibreELEC 7.95.1 Beta update, we can mention the addition of media_build DVB driver support to the Generic, Raspberry Pi, and Raspberry Pi 2 projects, along with the skin.estouchy package, which is available for installation from the LibreELEC add-on repository.
Some interesting bugs have been patched in this new Beta version, such as some issues with AMD Radeon and Intel graphics drivers, which are built with DRI3 support but default to DRI2. Better atvclient IR sensor support is now offered and the Fluxbox window manager can now start applications minimized.
The audio passthrough for JustBoom DAC devices on Raspberry Pi boards should now work out of the box, and it looks like multiple sync/timing issues have been fixed for Amlogic ‘ARM’ devices, though this Beta excludes Amlogic AArch64 projects due to a memory leak problem that should be patched in the next release.
"Amlogic AArch64 projects (WeTek Hub, WeTek Play 2, and Odroid C2) are excluded due to a memory leak issue we are still diagnosing," reads the announcement. "Although the problem is also present in recent Alpha builds we felt it was inappropriate to release until this is resolved as a Beta release attracts many more user-upgrades from Jarvis installs."
LibreELEC 7.95.1 Beta is now available for download if you want to take it for a test drive. Images are available for generic x86_64 (64-bit) hardware, as well as Raspberry Pi, Raspberry Pi 2, and WeTek platforms. When testing these pre-release builds, please try to keep in mind that they're not yet ready for production use.