There are so many options on the market, but I feel like they all miss one thing or another. As my current setup is about to kick the bucket, I'd appreciate some input on your experiences and thoughts on the future.
Below are my thoughts and opinions, that are completely open to scrutiny!
-
The Nvidia Shield (and 2019 Pro) are aging and overpriced. Lacking software updates shows Nvidia's priorities on other product lines. Will there be a new version now that the Switch 2 is launched, or are the possible profits pocket change for them?
-
Apple TV seems to be a great alternative, but it's a locked down ecosystem. Tailscale is available here now, which is great, but there is no way to side load apps AFAIK. I am not giving up ad-free Youtube. Other than that, I see very few downsides with it.
-
Google TV Streamer 4K is basically a Chromecast with more memory, storage and a slight bump to the CPU. It does finally support AV1, but lacks support for many audio codecs and several relatively common DV-profiles. It has also more than doubled in price.
-
We don't have Amazon, so I know very little about the Firestick, but I imagine it would be like the CcwGTV? Probably same with the Roku?
To be fair, I'm looking for something with a bit more snappiness and punch than a stick for future proofing.
What are your thoughts? Waiting for the Shield 2 Pro? Happy with Apple TV or Google Streamer?
I wanna know how you play your obviously perfectly legal content on your TV's, but it needs to have the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor).
The server is a N100 NUC, so transcoding is no issue but I prefer not having to do it for everything.
Cheers!
I picked up an Intel N100 mini PC and put Bazzite on it. Regular Bazzite instead of the HTPC version that goes to game mode on boot. It works great as a client! I can directly play most everything and it's very snappy. I use an Logitech wireless keyboard with a trackpad to control it from the couch. It gets the job done.
Yeah it's been suggested by others and I'd love it myself, but it won't fly having a keyboard in the living room.
The server is a N100 running Proxmox and working like an absolute champion! Love these things.
Thanks for the input anyways. We totally agree, I'm just not in charge anymore
What about something like this? I haven't tested it personally, but it has been suggested elsewhere. https://a.co/d/gp4BIEV
Is there an OS or software around that could run LIKE a Google tv, firestick, etc? I have an Onno Google tv (it's just Walmart's brand) but it's slow. I like using a remote, but if I could throw a mini pc or something small and only use the remote to interact with it after setup that'd be ideal.
i used a mini PC (old x86 Chromebox actually) with Debian and plasma bigscreen and it worked pretty well. not a perfect replacement, but it made it easy to launch jellyfin, steamlink, etc.
edit. oh and I used it with one of those remotes that is also a magic mouse or whatever. like 10 bucks off amazon and all the buttons worked with plasma!
Never seen this, pretty cool!
It still needs to be app based for the family to approve sadly, so it's either Android og Apple. Super advice for those with less stringent "rules" though, hehe. Cheers!