DIYer picks a “little insane”-looking setup for less tracking, more control.

  • Admiral Patrick
    link
    fedilink
    English
    27
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    That’s basically my setup, lol. Except the laptop is just old but otherwise intact.

    Boots into OpenBox with some custom startup scripts to auto launch a fullscreen browser to my Emby server, a little python daemon I wrote to control various things (screen on/off, volume, etc) via MQTT, and some webhooks from Emby to tie it into my HomeAssistant.

    All my DVD/BR library has been ripped to my server, local OTA feeds in from my HD Homerun tuner, and can use my phone or anything with a web browser as a remote.

    I refuse to use my money to buy an ad platform.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      82 months ago

      Same buddy. I use a projector and a laptop with an air mouse and my ‘apps’ are just browser shortcuts set to auto open at specific urls in kiosk mode.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        22 months ago

        Is there not an issue with the likes of streamers capping resolution on desktops? Maybe you dont use streamers at all.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          12 months ago

          Not a huge problem for me: they cap the resolution at 1080 but that’s what my projector does. Looks pretty good on my wall. Plus I only currently have HBO myself…but yeah 4k bluray/jellyfin looks just as good because the projector is the limiting factor anyway.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    162 months ago

    I’d love to see Linux folks figure out easy ways for consumers to replace the on board OS’s for any TV out there. Can that be done?

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      72 months ago

      The issue usually is proprietary streaming services, not a lot of interest from them on Linux/etc support and the unofficial options are usually kind of janky. That does make total sense but also kills it’s chances of getting wide support / adoption which limits the growth of the projects.

    • Possibly linux
      link
      fedilink
      English
      32 months ago

      It usually uses strong cryptographic verification with very specific proprietary firmware.

      In short very hard. It is easier to get a separate device

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    122 months ago

    hum, why go the whole custom interface way when he could use kodi? I have a dumb HD (not gull HD, just HD, that’s how old it is) connected to a rPi with Kodi. Kodi has the jellyfin plugin to connect to my jellyfin server. I even had the DVB-T adapter so I can watch regular TV. When I’ll eventually buy a new TV I’ll just connect the rPi to the new one.

    • MudMan
      link
      fedilink
      9
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      Yeeeeah, I was gonna say this, too. There are easier, nicer looking ways to drive your media consumption through a computing device on a TV. Hell, there are very nice vertical mounts for laptops that look good as a showpiece, no need to strap the thing to the back of the TV.

      But hey, it’s a kid doing a hobby project. It’s a fun thing to do. I support it.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      62 months ago

      I’ve tried this myself, but I’ve found that you really need to commit to mainataining your own media library, or to using pirate streaming services.

      None of the big name legal streaming services work well through Kodi plugins due to the DRM on the content. Usually end up with stuff limited to 720p, stereo, no hdr.

      I really wish the streaming companies would chill so it was easy to get a single unified interface for all my content in the highest quality available, but no, someone might pirate it in a marginally easier way then they already can!

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        52 months ago

        Yeah, that’s true, but I’ve been a sailor of the high seas for as long as I’ve had an internet connection. And all the *arr stack makes life really easy now. I do pay for the subscriptions, I just don’t use them.

    • @onlinepersona
      link
      English
      -12 months ago

      Isn’t rPi underpowered for anything media? Last one I tried to run even struggled just opening a browser, much less a video. rPi3 or something…

      Anti Commercial-AI license

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        22 months ago

        I use an rPi3 and h264 is decoded without problems natively. For h265 files I have an old nvidia card on the jellyfin server that does hardware transcode on the fly.

      • Captain Aggravated
        link
        fedilink
        English
        22 months ago

        My RPi4 does a decent job with it, though at this point I think I would recommend some mini-PC.

  • @parpol
    link
    English
    92 months ago

    deleted by creator

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    42 months ago

    I’ve got a similar setup except I have a dock under my TV that I connect my steamdeck to and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that sits under the coffee table. Using sway would be way nicer and allow me to browse with keyboard. Fuck smart TVs they are actual garbage.

  • Dyskolos
    link
    fedilink
    English
    02 months ago

    Hm. I install emby on my “smart”-tv and done. No ads ever, no nothing. Just everything i ever want to see. Type a name, wait a minute, watch.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      12 months ago

      All my Android TV devices boot into the Android TV home screen which does have ads. How do you avoid this?

      • Dyskolos
        link
        fedilink
        English
        12 months ago

        Maybe a regional thing? They do the maximum they’re allowed by law.

        Also i use another launcher to replace the google one. Also i have a google-tv not android-tv. Though it wasn’t different on my shield or other tvs.

        Also i use pihole. So even if there might’ve been an ad someplace, i wouldn’t have seen it anyway 😁

        If there was one single ad anywhere i would return this shit and indeed built my own. With blackjack and hookers. And linux.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          12 months ago

          I don’t know what you consider an ad. The Android (or Google?) TV launcher looks like this:

          Discover tab is an ad. IIRC, “Apps” also contains ads for applications to spend money on one way or another. The whole area below is an ad. Under your application-specific entries, there’s more ads (something called “popular movies” or so). And no, you can’t change the launcher to start by default as you can with phones. This is on a device sold in the EU.

          • Dyskolos
            link
            fedilink
            English
            12 months ago

            Can’t tell for android-tv, my last one was the nvidia shield and i don’t recall any stupid “discover” tab there. Just the apps i want. Or maybe by default and i disabled them… Would be totally pissed if I had to live with them. Especially because i only need one app on a tv.

            On google-tv (android-tv is dead) i can change the launcher and hence those forced tabs aren’t an issue. That’s why i sorted the tvs by OS. Wouldn’t touch samsung & co.

            If there was no other way, I’d attach a shield to it and forget about the “smart” of my tv. Maybe even a chromecast-shitstick.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              12 months ago

              This is both on the TV itself and on an added Android TV box that I have; neither allow removing the ads fully or changing the default launcher. Same problem but different ecosystem with the fire sticks.

              If there was no other way, I’d attach a shield to it and forget about the “smart” of my tv

              I bought the Android TV box for AV1 support, does the shield feature that?

              • Dyskolos
                link
                fedilink
                English
                12 months ago

                Weird, considering you’re also europe. Though with firesticks i would really expect that.

                Av1 means your tv’s 1st external input? If it’s hdmi then yes. There are cheaper boxes out there, but if you stream legally those might be troublesome (netflix), the shield ain’t.

                But overall: “smart” - tvs suck big hairy, sweaty monkey-balls. The digital future ain’t a bright one for the critical thinkers and simple ad-haters