Who needs Netflix? With home theatre apps like Plex and Kodi, you can roll your own sweet-looking library with all the TV shows and movies you like, with none of the junk. But which software should you use? Here's how the two biggest solutions stack up against each other.

We've seen a couple apps get around Apple's restrictions by going with manual installs with the help of the new version of Xcode, which no longer requires a paid developer account. Over on the Kodi forums, DanTheMan827 shows how to install the Cydia version of Kodi on a non-jailbroken phone using a similar approach.

We've been a fan of Kodi since it was still called XBMC. The Android version of the media centre app has been in an open beta for a while, but now that period is over. You can now download and install it on your phone, tablet or Android TV without joining a Google+ community.

Windows: If you have a customised-to-the-nines Kodi media centre, then KodiLauncher (formerly XBMCLauncher) might be your new best friend. It stops other programs from stealing focus and lets you customise Kodi's shutdown menu.

XBMC, one of our favourite media center suites, has officially been renamed Kodi with the release of version 14 (codenamed "Helix"). The new version contains a lot of long-awaited bug fixes and speed improvements, as well as a few small feature improvements for add-ons and keyboards.

Starting with version 14, the product we all know and love as "XBMC" will become "Kodi". The developers say the new branding more appropriately fits the media centre's promise as opposed to its long-established roots.

One of the best parts about XBMC, the kickass customisable media centre software, is its browser-like extensions. If you've ever wanted to incorporate watching TV, listening to podcasts, or playing video games to your XBMC box, this is how it works.

Chorus is an add-on for XBMC that lets you remotely manage, build playlists, queue up videos, organise your library and do just about anything you want with your media centre. And you can do it all from the comfort of a browser window on another device.

The newest version of XBMC, the kickass customisable media center software, is here -- with lots of new features for desktop and mobile users alike.

XBMC has a lot of cool add-ons, but not all of the cool possible additions come directly through official channels. If you want to get off the beaten path, Fusion can help make it easier to install unofficial (and untested) add-ons.

Google recently announced some ridiculously low-priced Drive storage options : $US2/month for 100GB or $US10/month for a whopping terabyte. What could you do with all that storage space, though? Well, for starters, you could turn Google Drive into your own personal media server.

Chances are your home theatre system is a mess, with multiple devices hooked into it your TV (Blu-Ray player, laptop, digital tuner and the rest). Here's how I rolled all those devices into one awesome media centre that costs less than $600 to build.

Hey Lifehacker, I use XBMC to watch TV at home on a fairly old PC. I've been told I can migrate this over to a Raspberry Pi and save on electricity, but will this actually be worth it?

XBMC is one of our favourite media centre solutions, and the Raspberry Pi makes a dandy XBMC machine for $US35. However, with three different builds for the Pi, which one should you use? They're all a little different, and they have various strengths and weaknesses. Here's how to pick the right one.

Linux: If you've built the home theatre of your dreams, and it's powered by XBMC, Maraschino is a simple, open-source front-end interface. It's web-accessible and makes managing your media and downloads super easy.

When you've spent the week getting things done, it's nice to enjoy a little entertainment over the weekend. If you've yet to set up your ultimate home theatre, here's everything you need to know to make it a reality.

Dear Lifehacker, I want to make the perfect home media centre but I've come across a very tough decision: should I use Plex or XBMC? I've heard great things about both platforms, and don't know the main differences. Can you help me decide?

Building a media centre is a killer way to watch or stream your favourite movies and TV shows. If you miss being able to watch live TV or want to record it so you can watch it later, you can turn your XBMC box into a personal video recorder (PVR). Here's what you need to do.

The latest version of XBMC, codenamed 'Frodo', is finally available for all platforms, including Android , and it has a bunch of great new features. Here's what's new.