I’ve heard the nvidia shield is/was the gold standard for this purpose
Comment on Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse.
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months agoHonestly even a chromecast with Google tv and something like Stremio launched on boot would give you similar results for relatively cheap. No techiness needed, just some fiddling with settings.
Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
frizop@lemmy.world 5 months ago
it’s not, they started the enshitification process years ago, I threw mine away. In the fucking garbage if you can believe it because it started showing me ads.
Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
Well that sucks. I don’t particularly want google or amazon hardware on my network in any capacity, nor do I intend to provide network access to a “smart” TV. Guess that leaves AppleTV, maybe a couple other options, or dedicated media PC.
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
Huuuuuge price difference though.
Though I guess the chromecast is being killed off so the difference doesn’t matter much anymore.
Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
Fair. Added benefit tho; it’s not a Google product.
Downside: it’s Nvidia and they’ve gone off the deep end into AI bullshit.
Aceticon@lemmy.world 5 months ago
How sure are you that the Google software and hardware you’re recommending won’t be enshittified at some point, especially in light of Google’s behaviour in recent years?
Because one of the core guidelines in this new setup of mine was exactly to avoid software/hardware stacks from profit-driven 3rd companies were the temptation to “make it nice now, enshittify for maximum $$$ once there’s a good installed base” is very much present, hence I went all the way to a fully open source solution with an as generic as possible mini-PC (the fully generic PC, a self-made desktop, would not have looked as good in my living room and use way more power, whilst the mini-PC looks like it belongs there).
I mean, my first try at changing my home media setup was actually getting an Android Media Box (which is much cheaper than a mini-PC), but the mini-PC plus Linux gives me total control over the entire software stack and a lot more than an Android Media Box does over the hardware stack (I can actually add more storage, expand the memory and even change the wireless support) without having to jump through the hoops of rooting an Android to get rid of all the crap (and not just he crap from Google - for example I didn’t want Netflix on the fancy starting menu of the Android box and yet if I uninstalled it, the pretty picture for it would still be there using space whilst not actually working) which is not exactly non-techie friendly and might not even be possible (I do believe it is possible for the Chromecast, though).
Whilst I didn’t went for the fully integrated Linux+Kodu which is LibreElec and instead went for a self-made Lubuntu + Kodi solution because I have lots of experience with Linux and wanted to do more with that device than just “media box”, my expectation is that a single-purpose packaged solution like LibreElec on top of a mini-PC together with the kind of remote I mentioned above is the simplest solution accessible to non-techies that doesn’t have a risk of future enshittification.
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
Do I trust them? No. In fact I’m blocking software updates under the assumption they’ll fuck something up. But I’m using an alternative start app, and a button remapper for the remote.
It’s stupid simple, and the chances of breaking are slim. It’s also cheap, and relatively easy to upkeep. There’s also the added benefit of it being an all in one consumer product, so the user experience is typically seamless, something I wasn’t able to achieve with a box running Kodi last I attempted it.
I’m not claiming it’s the best choice, but if you’re dealing with normies or a remote situation where you’re mailing off an item? 100% I’d prefer a device like a chromecast.