Home / Tutorials / iTunes on XBMC/Kodi

How to Play iTunes Movies & Episodes on XBMC / Kodi

Platform: XBMC / Kodi Media Center • Topic: Home Theater & Video Remuxing

The Problem: Kodi Cannot Play DRM-Protected M4V Videos

Kodi (formerly XBMC) is the world's most versatile open-source home theater platform, running on Raspberry Pi, Android TV, Fire TV, and Linux HTPCs. However, because Kodi relies on the open-source FFmpeg multimedia engine, it cannot play Apple FairPlay-encrypted .m4v files purchased or rented from iTunes, resulting in black screens or playback errors.

How to Convert iTunes Videos for Kodi Playback

  1. Convert M4V to Standard MP4: Use an iTunes M4V Converter to strip the proprietary container and remux the video into standard MP4 or MKV without re-encoding.
  2. Preserve AC3 5.1 & Subtitles: Ensure that your converter settings check the boxes for Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and All Subtitles so your home theater system receives true surround audio.
  3. Add to Kodi Video Library: Place the converted MP4 video files onto your network-attached storage (NAS) or external hard drive and point your Kodi Video Source to the folder.