The main issue for me is not finding a device to play content, but a dumb screen that is not a potatoe. A 4k HDR OLED Screen without any smart features is basically nowhere to be found
i got a good 55in LG oled screen, connected it to wifi and added a firewall rule to block its access to the internet because i hate how lg forces ads
i negated some of the privacy gains by having my “OS” be an apple TV that has internet access but im willing to live with it, since it allows easy remote access to my home assistant through HomeKit, plus the interface is nice and I have RetroArch installed on it, so yeah
You can replicate the same thing but switch the apple TV for a more private and adequate device for your needs
You could maybe get an advertisement screen. You know, those you find at train stations and stores.
Maybe, you could even get something like those touch panels McDonald's uses, that would be nice!
Look into commercial displays. They're dumb TV's.
I also tried finding a dumb 4K TV some time ago and, yeah, they don't exist. 4K TVs were a good tech that came out at the wrong time.
I guess there's just not big enough of a market there to have a decent selection or reasonable prices.
Do you need 4k oled?
yes, and next one should be 65"
I find having the full OS is useful, and this KDE environment proves great https://plasma-bigscreen.org/
As of right now, Plasma Bigscreen isn't available for public use yet.
This looks cool but having the shell feel good on a TV is one thing, having apps is another. If I open Firefox on theat thing, am I going to see the same app as I do on desktop... only 10 feet away? I immediately asked this after I saw VS Code in the screenshot there because what is the point in having an accessible 10 foot UI to use it to launch an app where I won't be able to read the menus and navigate around in an accustomed fashion?
As others have suggested, OSMC is OK, but personally I prefer having Android so that I can use SmarttubeNext and access native apps for stuff like Jellyfin, Dropout, Nebula, etc. For years I played with various Linux options, but in the end I ditched it all for an Nvidia Shield and I couldn't be happier with the results.
Is there an android box more powerful than Shield? I love my shield TV, but I wonder if it needs an upgrade in a year or two.
My parents bought Xiaomi TV box (could search for the exact name if anyone's interested), which runs GoogleTV (Which is just AndroidTV, they renamed for some reason) and comes with a remote. It even has hardware acceleration for AV1 playback. Downside is of course that it has all the Google spying shit and ads in the home menu but at least it works well and you can use all the apps you want without issue. Idk if there's something like LineageOS for AndroidTV, that would be great.
Idk if there's something like LineageOS for AndroidTV, that would be great.
Agreed, I would love this.
I literally have a rpi4 and just put libreELEC on it
Kodi is a great choice regardless of distro, whether that's libreelec, osmc, or just regular Raspbian.
I installed Kodi on my RetroPie setup, and it works well.
Currently I'm working on a Plasma Bigscreen build that still gives some privacy and 1080p Netflix/Disney+/Crunchyroll etc by using extensions/WebApps and getting S-Tube and other android apps (including tv web browser) via Waydroid + Flauncher, all controllable through a simple IR controller.
If you pm me I'll set it as a reminder for when I finish to share the package. It's designed for an Odroid C4.
As for dumb tvs or more privacy friendly tvs, you can find them if you know where to look. Here's some options from LG:
https://www.lg.com/us/business/digital-signage
They had a dumb 65" 4k OLED too but it's currently out of stock.
have a look at OSMC, you write it to the Pi SD card and it gives you Kodi all setup and ready use. you can even use your TV remote to control it
Could it do Plex instead of Kodi? Always found the Kodi UI pretty amateur dev.
It's been years since I've shopped for a TV, but... can't you just not connect it to the internet? I have a little microPC running Linux connected to our TV; it's smarter than any other TV I've seen, but the TV itself is stupid.
Why can't someone just get a smart TV and just never let it get online?
I mean, sure, if I had my 'druthers, I wouldn't be paying for features I don't use, but if it's literally impossible to buy dumb TVs, what's the issue?
I used to do that but it would constantly nag until I connected it
Mines connected for home automation but can't connect to the internet. Blocking the Mac address from going out.
I have been meaning to give this a try. https://osmc.tv/store/
Found my way to that from other mentions of OSMC and gonna order one of those in the coming weeks. Been looking for an alternative to my Roku Ultra for a while.
Edit: searching more I see Vero V forum posts from this year about things like Netflix and Amazon limiting streaming to 1080p or lower, and YouTube being a lethargic experience. Will save it and probably go the Nvidia shield route for now.
Damn, thanks for the info. I was hoping someone would make something new to replace the shield l.
If Android is okay, I'd recommend the ONN 4K Pro player from Walmart (if located in the U.S.) with some privacy caveats:
The final product is a modern streaming device with much more flexability than any other store-bought device. Building a HTPC with Linux is probably the true self hosted option. Personally, I'm able to afford some privacy sacrifices with Google for something that "just works."
I got one of these recently and it works well. Much smoother than whatever my Smart TV is natively running and it doesn't crash constantly.
If it were just me I'd have set up a small HTPC with Kodi, but my family needs something that works without ever needing my intervention, and it needs to run the 100 streaming services we hemorrhage money to. These boxes are super cheap and let me run Jellyfin too.
As others are saying, OSMC might work. Most difficult part is making it so that the TV turns on when you turn on the computer since ARC isn't a thing for most computers.
I ended up giving up on OSMC and bought an Apple TV since nothing else got the "wife approval" factor. It's better than Google getting my data, has a Plex client, and let's me stream my Steam library.
Fwiw - I have both an LG C2 and a newer Samsung QLED. Neither have ever been connected to the internet, never pester me to connect, and the both turn on right to to my Apple TV
OS ≠ user interface.
Use whatever OS that runs Kodi or some other user interface the best (with privacy also being considered to be best).
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