this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2023
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[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 32 points 1 year ago (4 children)
  1. Connect old PC to TV. Both can be 15 years old.
  2. (optional) For better performance, get a small SSD alongside the big HDD (a 64GB / partition will do), maybe have a homemade NAS ready too
  3. Install Lubuntu, Mint XFCE, Puppy Linux or any other distro of choice
  4. Set up KDE Connect, qBittorrent and VLC
  5. Enjoy
[–] SEND_NOODLES_PLS@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Cheers, I'm using this as a jump off point for a weekend project maybe. Would anything change if I was interested in casting content too?

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 3 points 1 year ago

I think Kodi does some casting... Not 100% sure.

Make sure TearFree is enabled in the graphics configuration (google it).

The hardest part in my project was recalibrating the colors because my TV in HDMI-RGB mode (as opposed to YCbCr) displays everything below 10% brightness as black. The rest was done very quickly. I don't even need a sequential-chunk torrent software because I use FreeRapid Downloader and ulozto.net (can download fast enough to play while downloading at reasonable 720p/1080p bitrates, otherwise ulozto-downloader and a 10min wait is needed).

[–] loutr@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Kodi supports DLNA, a media library sharing/casting standard.

[–] TwanHE@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Stremio on a old windows laptop is a good easy alternative

[–] Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Could you use a pi ? Do you have any recommendations on ssd / hdd

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You can use a relatively cheap Pi as a NAS (network-attached storage - there are ready-made solutions but expensive and don't get updates for nearly as long), and possibly add Kodi media server capabilities (useful for smart TVs). Check if that model supports a sufficiently fast disk interface (USB 3.0, SATA etc.) and Ethernet (100 Mb/s or better if 4K is required). Boot from an SD card and use a 2TB+ HDD (1TB could be enough if you barely store anything). Most disks from the past 10 years will be good enough to play 4K video from if no OS is running from them. Go for a lower-end one but not ridiculously cheap, and check that people aren’t frequently complaining about the model or product line.

I don't know which Pi models can smoothly play HD video without overheating, I don't own any. But those that can are likely a lot more expensive than old PCs you could use otherwise. I would just get a cheap one for a NAS and probably some other common network use cases (web server, Pihole etc.)

[–] Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

My RPi 2B plays HD vids without stuttering or overheating. 4K doesn't work tho, so if you want that, get a newer model. I don't think they even sell the 2B anymore because it's so old.

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are dedicated media-centered OSs (fast boot, remote control) available?

[–] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yes, I'm using libreelec, I and friends control the display from our phones using the Kore app. Makes searching and typing easy, works great on my Pi. Fun game, which of you will select a movie first on your phones lol.

Note: pi3B can do 1080p but it struggles a little if the codec is anything other than h264, because Kodi decided to stop supporting closed source drivers. If you're playing anything above 1080 and anything other than h264, go for a pi 4 or better.

[–] danque@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes just research how to install Plex or Kodi on your pi. I just did it this evening for an update. For that I used docker with Linuxserver/Plex. It takes some time to get all the settings but there are good YouTube tutorials on how to do it.

[–] Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Great news. I have a pi I'm not really using. Be a good project for it.

[–] Lupara@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You'd be better off with a used office pc, something with a 4. Or 6. gen Intel CPU is usually cheaper than a RPI and way more versatile. Only thing you lose on is size and power consumption.

[–] Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I'll need to look into that then

[–] Limit@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

OK I've tried in the past to make a decent streaming box from both windows media center edition and various Linux distros. But I need something that is simple, can be controlled entirely from a remote, and has the major streaming apps (Netflix, disney, etc). I haven't really found any solution that's easy enough for non techie people to use. I have a standalone roku box that works ok we also have a roku TV which is a giant piece of garbage, and I'm considering buying an external roku or nvidia shield as a streaming box instead, I do have a couple of raspberry pi 4s I could use one but again I'm faced with the same issues.

This may seem like a bit much, but it pretty much holds your hand to guide you through the install.

[–] itsraining@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Have you tried Kodi?