Question about which OS to use for my purposes

[R1SKbreaker]

I'm brand new to the Pi, and will be getting it in the mail later today. I plan on it mostly being a media device with Kodi, but would also like to use it for video game emulators with Retropie. I probably would like to boot up immediately into Kodi, and thru there have it link to Retropie. Now when I install the OS, which one, or ones should I use? I want to prep my micro sd card. This is for a Pi 3 model B, btw.

[B.Goode]

I'm brand new to the Pi, and will be getting it in the mail later today. I plan on it mostly being a media device with Kodi, but would also like to use it for video game emulators with Retropie. I probably would like to boot up immediately into Kodi, and thru there have it link to Retropie. Now when I install the OS, which one, or ones should I use? I want to prep my micro sd card. This is for a Pi 3 model B, btw.

Welcome to the forums.

My suggestion is to not agonize over getting it right first time, for all time.

Regard the whole thing as an opportunity to experiment and learn. Why trust someone else's opinion when you can try them all for yourself and know from experience that you have made the best decision for you, based on your own judgement.

If you choose the 'wrong' Operating System and have to move onto something else, all that it has cost you will be about 15/20 minutes of time to re-write the SD card.

[blaablaaguy]

Berryboot lets you store more than one os on your sd. Google it

[R1SKbreaker]

Ok, thanks I'll Google that. From what I understand, I'll want to use openelec for Kodi. And I think retropie is installed over the Raspian. So from what I understand I have to install NOOBS and select to install openelec, and raspian should come along with it. I'll look into berryboot though to see if I should use it that instead of NOOBS. And to the first poster, that's fine, if I don't get it right the first time that's ok, but I still need some kind of direction to start.

[fruitoftheloom]

Ok, thanks I'll Google that. From what I understand, I'll want to use openelec for Kodi. And I think retropie is installed over the Raspian. So from what I understand I have to install NOOBS and select to install openelec, and raspian should come along with it. I'll look into berryboot though to see if I should use it that instead of NOOBS. And to the first poster, that's fine, if I don't get it right the first time that's ok, but I still need some kind of direction to start.

FYI you can install KODI in Raspbian Jessie, it is in the repositories...

[R1SKbreaker]

I thought I remembered reading that it is not as stable on Raspbian. I guess Raspbian Jessie is different though? Does retropie work well on it?

[tweak42]

I'm brand new to the Pi, and will be getting it in the mail later today. I plan on it mostly being a media device with Kodi, but would also like to use it for video game emulators with Retropie. I probably would like to boot up immediately into Kodi, and thru there have it link to Retropie. Now when I install the OS, which one, or ones should I use? I want to prep my micro sd card. This is for a Pi 3 model B, btw.

Since SD cards are so cheap, I would get a few spares and try everything. Dedicate 1 card for your stable setup, and others for trying out stuff or backups.
Beware there are incidents with Berry Boot failing to boot after distro upgrades, no data loss, just something in the upgrade messed with the system that Berry Boot uses to handle multiple OS's on one card.