48
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

After spending the last few days, tinkering and trying to put together an HTPC for my family, I wasn't able to get a smooth enough experience to match even our old, ad-filled, laggy, Roku. In particular, every streaming service I tried needed to be controlled almost exclusively by mouse, as everything has been reduced to electron apps/websites with little-to-no keyboard or controller navigation support. As such, I'm looking for other options, although considering how quickly these platforms change and how outdated a lot of the information available on them is its hard to single out the best options.

In particular, I'm looking to be able to:

  • Use Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+. Ideally other services too, since we tend to juggle subscriptions.
  • Control it with a remote, controller, or similarly simple device
  • Be able to cast to it from a phone

Does anyone have much experience with options for this - esspecially if you've tried multiple and can compare?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 29 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

A computer hooked up to a projector/other display. Smart TVs are an absolutely terrible investment into a locked down proprietary ecosystem you have no control over.

Also, going with a computer+projector is significantly more affordable.

[-] PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I mean, If I wanted to be controlling everything with a mouse, I'd just sit at my desk. Unfortunately every other input method has near-zero support on PC at this point, even for a lot of the more open seas options. Kodi with a paid, illegal service was basically the only option I found, and I'd really rather not go down that route, esspecially when handing off this device to less tech-savvy family.

[-] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 months ago

That's a fair criticism, especially if you want to limit what media your kids are consuming. We've got a setup like I described above in our house but we're both tech literate so being able to use a proxy server to access South Korean Netflix is an advantage to us.

There do exist media focused keyboards (even partial keyboards without a functioning keyset) to control play/pause, volume etc - but a lot of the streaming services don't have good UIs on PC unless you're willing to use a mouse.

[-] TheOctonaut@mander.xyz 7 points 2 months ago

Get the android app "Unified Remote". Works perfectly, and you'll have several options, from cursor control to buttons programmed with hotkeys.

[-] Evil_incarnate@lemm.ee 4 points 2 months ago

I use a flirc ir receiver in a RPI. Use any remote and bind the buttons to keys to set it up then go. I set mine up about ten years ago and still use the same setup even though I upgraded the pi.

[-] PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago

How do you get streaming services to work? As best as I can tell, none of them support much in the way of non-mouse inputs, and I wasn't able to find any scripts/addons being maintained.

[-] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Man you can get a 60" TV for like $300

[-] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago

You pay for it in the data they collect from you and the ads they show to you.

[-] IMongoose@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Don't connect it to the Internet.

this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
48 points (94.4% liked)

No Stupid Questions

36055 readers
996 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS