Stremio on a old windows laptop is a good easy alternative
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ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 8 months ago- Connect old PC to TV. Both can be 15 years old.
- (optional) For better performance, get a small SSD alongside the big HDD (a 64GB
/partition will do), maybe have a homemade NAS ready too - Install Lubuntu, Mint XFCE, Puppy Linux or any other distro of choice
- Set up KDE Connect, qBittorrent and VLC
- Enjoy
TwanHE@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Could you use a pi ? Do you have any recommendations on ssd / hdd
ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 8 months ago
You can use a relatively cheap Pi as a NAS (network-attached storage), and possibly add Kodi media server capabilities (useful for smart TVs). Check if that model supports a sufficiently fast disk interface (USB 3.0, SATA etc.) and Ethernet (100 Mb/s or better if 4K is required). Boot from an SD card and use a 2TB+ HDD (1TB could be enough if you barely store anything).
I don’t know which Pi models can smoothly play HD video without overheating, I don’t own any. But those that can are likely a lot more expensive than old PCs you could use otherwise. I would just get a cheap one for a NAS and probably some other common network use cases (web server, Pihole etc.)
Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
My RPi 2B plays HD vids without stuttering or overheating. 4K doesn’t work tho, so if you want that, get a newer model.
ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 8 months ago
Are dedicated media-centered OSs (fast boot, remote control) available?
danque@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Yes just research how to install Plex or Kodi on your pi. I just did it this evening for an update. For that I used docker with Linuxserver/Plex. It takes some time to get all the settings but there are good YouTube tutorials on how to do it.
Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Great news. I have a pi I’m not really using. Be a good project for it.
Lupara@lemmy.sdf.org 8 months ago
You’d be better off with a used office pc, something with a 4. Or 6. gen Intel CPU is usually cheaper than a RPI and way more versatile. Only thing you lose on is size and power consumption.
Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’ll need to look into that then
Limit@lemm.ee 8 months ago
OK I’ve tried in the past to make a decent streaming box from both windows media center edition and various Linux distros. But I need something that is simple, can be controlled entirely from a remote, and has the major streaming apps (Netflix, disney, etc). I haven’t really found any solution that’s easy enough for non techie people to use. I have a standalone roku box that works ok we also have a roku TV which is a giant piece of garbage, and I’m considering buying an external roku or nvidia shield as a streaming box instead, I do have a couple of raspberry pi 4s I could use one but again I’m faced with the same issues.
sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
itsraining@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Have you tried Kodi?
SEND_NOODLES_PLS@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Cheers, I’m using this as a jump off point for a weekend project maybe. Would anything change if I was interested in casting content too?
ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 8 months ago
I think Kodi does some casting… Not 100% sure.
Make sure
TearFreeis enabled in the graphics configuration (google it).The hardest part in my project was recalibrating the colors because my TV in HDMI-RGB mode (as opposed to YCbCr) displays everything below 10% brightness as black. The rest was done very quickly. I don’t even need a sequential-chunk torrent software because I use FreeRapid Downloader and ulozto.net (can download fast enough to play while downloading at reasonable 720p/1080p bitrates, otherwise
ulozto-downloaderand a 10min wait is needed).loutr@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Kodi supports DLNA, a media library sharing/casting standard.