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Alternative to GoogleTV - AndroidTV (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by isgleas@lemmy.ml to c/degoogle@lemmy.ml
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Do you know if there is an alternative to GoogleTV or AndroidTV as the OS on the TV set? I've seen one or two projects but those are more oriented towards TV boxes rather than the television device itself.

I would like to replace the one that comes preinstalled, as as far as I have detected is turns on on low power every now and then to, and this is a guess, phone home for updates. I have connected it once to my wifi, and after that it updated itself and started to lag.

I would like it to connect to my network and play my local media streams, but I don't like the idea of it going to the vendor's cloud. I have it now disconnected from the network, but it would be nice not to depend on another device just to enjoy my arrchives

Edit: I am not looking for some solution to connect to the tv and stream, I have that covered. I am asking to replace the preinstalled OS on the tv and use it without needing external devices.

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[-] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 11 points 2 weeks ago

I typically solve this by:

  1. Factory reset the Smart TV to take it offline.
  2. Install Android TV on a Raspberry Pi and connect it.
  3. Mount the Raspberry Pi to the back of the TV with some Velcro tape.

The result is most of the convenience of a Roku with none of the privacy concerns.

And as others have said, JellyFin is a great addition for watching home movies, or any other Mp3 or MP4 files.

But also, the most Android streaming apps just work.

As of when I posted this:

  • Disney+ works now.
  • DropOut.tv works now.
  • Netflix worked last time I tried it.
  • Amazon Prime worked last time I tried it.
  • Paramount Plus doesn't work no matter what I try. (But I'm not willing to add Google Framework Service, which would likely work.)

Paramount Plus also has more trackers in it than any other Android app I've used, so I tend to avoid sending them money anyway.

[-] isgleas@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago

My setup is quite similar, I currently have my tv disconnected from the network and stream via another device. What I would like to achieve is to use the tv capabilities to play my local streams, as I don't use cloud streaming services, but I would need to connect it to the network.

I may look into setting a non-internet routed vlan and access point, so I can connect the tv to the network but not to internet, althought it may later become cumbersome as I would need to update the Jellyfin or Kodi apps

[-] superglue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago

Did you get hardware decoding working on it? Last I tried the Konstakang build it was laggy and couldnt play 4k video.

[-] jlow@beehaw.org 3 points 2 weeks ago

Interesting, but isn't Android TV on the Pi still phoning home to Google?

[-] haverholm@kbin.earth 4 points 2 weeks ago

Konstakang has made a ROM based on LineageOS. I've only eyed it myself, but it should be Google-free (unless you install G apps).

[-] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

That's probably the one I'm running. My vision isn't good enough for 4k video, so I never tried.

Edit: I think my TV is too cheap anyway actually. Lol.

[-] haverholm@kbin.earth 2 points 2 weeks ago

Meh, I'm just thrifty. 4K is for people with high bandwidth or too much storage space ๐Ÿ˜‰

[-] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 3 points 2 weeks ago

There are de-googled builds for Raspberry Pi TV Android without Google's stuff.

this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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