this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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Anyone got a suggestion for smart-ing a dumb TV? Preferably away from big tech and towards the self-hosted end of the spectrum.
Ability to play from Jellyfin, Netflix, Disney+, etc would be great.
Plus ability to control with a remote rather than keyboard & mouse that we currently use with the PC plugged into TV setup.
I went through this a while back and ended up with a SmartVU a7070 which I highly recommend. Main features for me were:
It's not quite away from big tech being an android TV box and all, but I've been able to sideload apps and it runs emby/jellyfin great. It has a good remote too, which runs off Bluetooth so you can still use mice/keyboards etc.
Oooh, interesting! Yeah I kinda wanted to avoid Google but I will keep this on my potential options. I have heard the Jellyfin app for Android TV is bad, and people recommend Kodi with the Jellyfin add on. How have you found it?
Our TV only does 720p anyway 😆
To be honest I've mostly used the emby app so can't say too much about jellyfin's. I tested it at one point and it seemed to work the same re playback - generally the interface isn't as good I find.
Haha, the resolution downscaling for Netflix is to 480p I think, so you may notice it even on your 720p TV.
Probably if it's 'OK' then it will do.
Ah nuts.
Gotta agree with shartedchocolate. I used to mess with the htpc’s, different IR and universal remotes back when kodi was still XBMC. I’m not sure if it’s changed now but, it was a lot of hassle back then.
I’m just using a non 4K Apple TV for quite a few years now and it works seamlessly with my TV remote. If the TV has an ARC or eARC HDMI, it simplifies audio if you’re not using seperate speakers. Also it’ll turn on the ATV when it detects the TV is turned on to that source.
Our TV is probably at least 10 years old (not sure exactly as it was a hand-me-down). So may not have newer technologies.
The Apple TV path may work, but I'm now thinking instead of diving into something head first, I might instead use what I already have and install Kodi to try it out. It seems like wireless 2.4Ghz remotes with dongle are the popular option for connecting to Kodi rather than IR remotes, though after the comments here I'm hesitant to invest too much at this stage and will probably install Kodi on something I have already and test it with an Xbox controller.
I would check if your specific model has a HDMI ARC port. ARC was added to the HDMI standard in 2009. It's possible it doesn't if it was a really cheap model from 10 years ago.
They usually only have one or two ports with ARC (I think? may have changed. Ours isn't that new either, around 6 years old).
I searched the model number and it turns out the TV was released in 2009, no ARC as far as I can tell. Oh well, I'm sure we will manage fine :)
Honestly the big tech way is so much less headache than the other stuff. I've had a Chromecast and not apple tv and its quite decent. Most game consoles do the job really well too
The main thing that bugs me about my Chromecast is the gradual loss of functionality over time, presumably as a part of planned obsolescence or deliberately crippling features to make you pay for premium options.
Next time I need to replace/upgrade something, I think I'm just going to skip streaming at all and just hide a full desktop somewhere and pirate everything.
Today I wall-mounted our TV, then strapped an old laptop to the back with Kodi on it. Looks great so long as you don't look behind the TV 😆
I don't mind headaches 😄. We don't have any game consoles (and none planned for Christmas). I was thinking of setting up Kodi or something but I'm not sure how the remote would work in with that.
I'm not sure if you count this as big tech, but the Roku devices I've used have been great
Hmm not big tech but I don't think I want a Roku: https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/roku-streaming-sticks/
Yeah, most of the off-the-shelf stuff will phone home in one way or another. The second you sign into Netflix, etc, that phones home and sells your data in the same way.
If you're running a Sonarr/Plex set-up anyway, maybe just a tiny htpc and you're done.
The difference with Netflix is it's limited in it's data collection as it runs in the browser. A hardware device pretty much has free rein.
I've got a PC attached to the TV, I was looking for an alway on option (as the PC fan is noisy) that doesn't need keyboard mouse, it's just kinda there and you use a remote with it. I was considering Kodi, though others seem to think it's a headache to work with so I might install it on my laptop and have a play as a low-stakes way of trialing it.
I've also heard the Nvidia shield does a great job
Yeah I've seen this come up a lot, it seems it's Android TV with decent specs so it isn't slow like some others. People are pretty happy with them.
I'd prefer to avoid Android TV if I can, so first I'm gonna set up Kodi on hardware I already have and order a cheap remote to see if it will do the job. If not, I'll have to make a call between Apple TV and an Android TV based one like the Shield. But I'll try the almost-free option before spending hundreds 😆
I'm usually very hands on with tech, and at some point I found a lot of happiness in just letting go and getting off the shelf stuff that just works. Apple TV has been ideal for me after fucking around with everything else out there. Plex watched what I watch and serves up suggestions, at some point I just don't care haha
I'm still in the phase of being very hands on and enjoying it! I'm sure it won't last forever but for the moment I get a lot of pleasure out of doing stuff myself.
All the power to ya Dave
Coincidentally came across this post with a person being presented an ad while watching a DVD, apparently it's a Roku thing.
Ugh I'd bin the thing if it did that to me 😔
From the info in that thread, it seems like Roku owns the technology to screenshot what you're watching and identify it, to base ads on. They licence this technology to other TV makers so it's not just Roku but other smart TVs. I think it's the TVs and not the Roku Stick, but I guess you're just a software update away from on screen ads...
LTT just dropped a video on the various options for that sorta stuff on the tubes the other day.
This one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdLnieL90d0
I'll check it out when I get a chance, thanks!