I’ve been looking for something to replace the google chromecast that is attached to our TV.

I’ve tried Kodi out, but the main use case for the TV set is a 70+ yo person watching netflix and there is just no way they will be better off with Kodi than with the stock netflix app.

Besides supporting netflix, being easy to use, and providing significantly better privacy than the chromecast does, the device would ideally:

  • support other mainstream streaming (amazon, disney, …) for when my people get tired of netflix
  • support a DVB-T2 usb stick (directly, or through IPTV: I can put the stick in a different machine)
  • support youtube without ads (through an adblocker and possibly sponsorblock, or maybe using invidious)
  • possibly, support local public TV streaming (eg. BBC)

I have a PC set aside that should be more than capable enough (intel N100), but I’m open to getting new hardware if needed. Also, it doesn’t matter if the system is not very user friendly to setup (eg. if it needs to be nixos), but once it’s setup it should be easy to use and relatively straightforward to update/maintain.

I guess a FOSS android TV would be ideal, but… is there any? (I see Lineage supports the Google ADT-3, but that is basically unobtanium, at least where I live).

  • Froyn
    7•1 year ago

    Take your PC that you set aside, install the Stremio FlatPak, sign up for a Debrid Service, and use the Torrentio plugin for Stremio.

      • Froyn
        4•1 year ago

        No, for the same reason they would not get a C&D using a VPN+usenet/torrent.
        The ISP can’t see the contents of the data stream.

          • Froyn
            3•1 year ago

            ??
            I think you might have been reading too fast.
            Torrentio is used to link Stremio to a Debrid Service.

            Or maybe I’m not understanding what you’re seeing?
            Why would you want/need a VPN when you’re using a debrid service?

              • Froyn
                -1•1 year ago

                Riddle me this. How exactly does one achieve “Privacy” when engaging with Disney? Netflix?

                Presently, no streaming company knows what content of theirs I have consumed. Is that not privacy?
                A data breech at Netflix will not reveal any of my personal information as they have none of my information. Is that not privacy?

                You see, there’s a great big blob where privacy and piracy intersect. Some might say it’s a circle.

    • @Dr_Evil@sh.itjust.works
      2•1 year ago

      What additional software did you end up installing? Something like kodi? Anything for live TV/OTA?

      And how easy is your setup to control with a TV remote form factor?

    • humanplayer2
      1•1 year ago

      I have the same, but Netflix is then a miserable experience on my 4K TV.

      • Looming mountain
        3•1 year ago

        Louis Rossmann made a video on this. It’s called why I dtopped paying for Netflix. Of you have a smart tv, they want you to use the native app or else they limit your definition.

    • T (they/she)
      1•1 year ago

      How would this work with Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-X , DTS-HD, etc? Would you need an AVR for that?

      • @pH3ra@lemmy.ml
        1•1 year ago

        I have no clue, to be honest. Maybe you can find more info on Konstakang’s site.
        I never asked myself those questions because I have literally the cheapest TV with an HDMI port I could find

  • pbanj
    3•1 year ago

    The original(2021) walmart streaming box is like $20, it has custom roms for it. It has the same specs as the 4k Chromecast with androidtv. The 2023 version doesnt seem to have any roms(at least on xda), but can still be rooted.

  • T (they/she)
    2•1 year ago

    I’m also currently looking for one as we really want to ditch our Nvidia Shield Pro. However the shield has so many features and codecs that I’m unsure if there’s such thing.

    • @gomp@lemmy.mlOP
      1•1 year ago

      You should be able to run Lineage on the shield (double check the specific model)… maybe you can try that and re-flash the stock OS if it doesn’t work for you.