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How to pair mini PC with streaming services to stream on dumb TV?
(midwest.social)
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this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2024
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Privacy
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Take a TV, strap a mini PC like one of those BeeLink ones to the back (it comes with mounting hardware), plug an HDMI cable between them. Connect a wireless keyboard with trackpad, and congrats! You’ve got a big screen computer.
The next bits really depend on your technical know-how. What I did was wiped Windows from the PC and installed Linux, then installed Jellyfin and Firefox.
Jellyfin works as a media server so I can stream my own collection of videos/images anywhere im my home, and Firefox with uBlock Origin means I can log in to any streaming service I want, without the ads. And I can log into my (on-device) Jellyfin server the same way.
I’ve tried all the interfaces like XBMC/Kodi and Plesk etc. and find it’s more of a headache than just having a keyboard handy.
Cool, cool. Do mini PCs come with an OS preinstalled? And what are some good wireless keyboard brands?
The Beelink ones come with Windows 11 Home; since this is a privacy community, it should be obvious that that’s not all that great for privacy.
For wireless keyboards; I just got a cheap Bluetooth one with a trackpad because I knew it would be abused.
This one. I've bought several over the years, they're great and often available at your local electronics store, if you prefer that.
Logitech makes a nice tv keyboard with integrated trackpad (logi k600), I have one for use with my iPad. There are cheaper options though. Just search for tv keyboard. (I for one love having an integrated trackpad but you could just as easily get a cheap wireless mouse and keyboard.