im using a chromecast right now and i want a similar experience to that, just more privacy friendly
although i have set up a google account just for my chromecast with its own email, it still doesn’t feel like its enough
im in the eu btw
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There are a few options.
- A repurposed PC or SBC running LibreELEC (which uses Kodi as its interface and sole application). If you plan on using Kodi, don’t mind messing with Kodi addons, and don’t need Dolby Vision or HDR10+ support, this is a great option. HDR10 should be supported just fine, though.
- A repurposed PC or SBC running a Linux distro with Plasma Bigscreen. Note that Plasma Bigscreen is still in beta and the app ecosystem is not very usable at the moment. This option also does not support Dolby Vision or HDR10+ (though it does support HDR10).
- A streaming box or SBC running the Android TV version of LineageOS without Google services installed. This will probably give you the most flexability and would be my preference. Some options will also give you compatibility with HDR formats like Dolby Vision and HDR10+ depending on hardware. This is my preference at the moment because it has the most robust ecosystem currently, at least until Plasma Bigscreen and Linux on TV becomes more robust. I use SmartTube for YouTube and Nuvio for TV and Movies, though Kodi and Jellyfin are also available depending on your preference.
I use a Linux machine that boots to a big picture interface with these apps:
- Jellyfin Desktop client (pirate everything)
- VacuumTube (YouTube TV interface with adblocking)
And I use a Flirc receiver so I can use a remote for all of it.
When you mention big picture mode, are you talking about Bazzite’s big picture mode or just any distro w/ Plasma Bigscreen, or something else?
I’m currently using Bazzite with Steam’s Big Picture mode, yes. I’d like to switch to Plasma Bigscreen, but I’m not sure it’s ready just yet. I keep trying it on my laptop every few weeks, but there are some crashes I keep running into.
I can’t wait to switch away from Steam Big Picture mode though, as it’s pretty tedious adding shortcuts and having to use a Decky plugin to download art for them. It’s very apparent that Steam isn’t meant to be used this way (even though once you set it up, it’s not bad). Plasma Bigscreen just reads the .desktop entries, which is a lot better.
ill check it out, thanks
I’m using my Steam Machine partially for the same purpose, but this is the first I’m hearing about this receiver. I got a shitty little PC remote that kind of works but isn’t great, I might give this a shot
The Flirc receiver is the best $25 I’ve ever spent. You can use it with basically any TV remote and turn it into a decent PC input device.
You can map any app with decent keyboard navigation support to work with up, down, left, right, enter, etc. and get a pretty seemless TV experience.
If you are looking specifically at commercial ones only, I read that AppleTV is the least evil. https://www.tomsguide.com/tvs/apple-tv-4k-is-still-the-best-streaming-box-when-it-comes-to-privacy
Obviously there are better opensource options out there.
On the spectrum of convenience vs privacy I think this is closest to the sweet spot on the side of convenience. Use a commercial “monitor” (TV that doesn’t require smart features to work). The closest to the middle on the side of privacy is setting a PC up with your TV logged in to all your streaming services.
There is a guy making LineageOS Android TV builds for Raspberry Pi and other devices.
Its quite nice on a pi5. Paired it running VPN, and control d private dns (set using adb) for tracker/ad blocking. Side note, over 50% blocking shows how much spyware crap going on with tv apps. Add in a cheap Bluetooth air mouse and its very workable & solid.
For clarity, I only run Pluto TV, tubi, pipepipe and Fred TV. And its NOT for those looking for the smoothest experience, may not be family friendly . But been using a few years now, couldn’t be happier
The bigger privacy concerns are going to be from the streaming services you use, not the box itself, unless your using something like a SuperBox which is a known botnet.
2nd hand mini PC running Linux?
https://plasma-bigscreen.org/ looks nice, though I haven’t used it.might get some hate here for this one but my parents hooked me up with vseebox. Just don’t log any info into it. This is coming straight from a tech illiterate person so I don’t fuck around with Linux or anything
Congrats you’re part of another botnet.
Not quite sure what that means
C’mon, then why did you think you were going to get hate for this? And you don’t know what a botnet is?
Vseebox’s are part of a known botnet. Some of the original boxes were a part of a net called Badbox. After that was discovered, some modifications were made to the code, it was rediscovered and this version is called, unsurprisingly, Badbox 2.0.
Just in case you truly don’t know, by using these products you are contributing to the botnet, facilitating less harmful things like ad fraud, to much more harmful things like illicit proxy services, malware distribution, and DDoS offerings.
Vseebox’s aren’t the only devices that feed into this botnet either.
Kodi. Why just stream when you can have movies/TV, IPTV, games, Podcasts, youtube, BandCamp, Mixcloud, weather, etc… I’m pretty sure there are addons for Netflix and that kind of proprietary stuff for people with accounts.
I recommend compiling from source for latest/fastest. It can be a project to set everything up, but I’ve been loving mine since I got it rolling.
I’m using a Flirc too. Highly recommend.
Kodi with the jellycon add-on, does require a jellyfin setup though.
If you dont mind live TV that is. While possible on kodi it is a bit more work.
I run a Jellyfin server and then have a nvidia shield with lineageos installed directly attached to the tv with Whole installed on that. The shield remote works perfect, nothing connects to google/elsewhere unless I want it to, and if you wanna get fancy, you can always do a full/semi-full *arr stack, wholphin can connect to Seerr to request stuff so you barely need to touch the back end unless something goes wrong (I believe there are a couple of “public” jellyfin/Seerr servers but I’ve never really meased around with them, but that would eliminate the need to run a Jellyfin server for yourself. If you do end up going that route shoot me a message and I can see if I can find the addresses for the “public” jellyfin server)
Also worth noting, you should be able to install wholphin and try out jellyfin with your current setup without needing new hardware immediately, that way you can see if it’s for you before buying a Shield /something else
That Chromecast watches every damned thing you do down to the last click. I’m using the same thing and have maybe 50 or so rule blocks for it on the PI hole. I was thinking of making a generic Android tv box from scratch. Hell you wouldn’t need more than a used nuk or mini pc and a drive. Everything else you can setup how you like including adding plugins to help de- Google and get some privacy back with YouTube . Course the cost of that has gone up a lot since I planned. Try the Nvidia Shield Pro if you want a lot more power and less stuttering. It’s at least not made by Google.
FYI, the Nvidia Shield can run LineageOS. it’s great!
Had no idea and love your username. Thanks
I can’t speak from personal experience, but I’d suggest looking into Kodi. It’s an open source OS designed for DIY stream boxes, meaning I believe you would need to install it on a mini PC or similar. Since I haven’t used it myself, I can’t provide you much specific advice on it, but depending on your use cases, it might be worth a shot.
Kodi is basically just a real-debrid frontend these days. There isn’t even a decent YouTube app for it.
There’s no such thing, unfortunately
I tried finding the same thing recently. The best I have found is a device running legion OS. It has critics about bit being perfect, but comparatively it’s a lot more privacy focused.
My current solution is also a mini pc behind the TV. Set up a script to shut down the computer after x minutes and use the TV timer when I’m watching too late. It works but it’s cumbersome.
