I’ve been looking for something to replace the google chromecast that is attached to our TV.

I’ve tried Kodi out, but the main use case for the TV set is a 70+ yo person watching netflix and there is just no way they will be better off with Kodi than with the stock netflix app.

Besides supporting netflix, being easy to use, and providing significantly better privacy than the chromecast does, the device would ideally:

  • support other mainstream streaming (amazon, disney, …) for when my people get tired of netflix
  • support a DVB-T2 usb stick (directly, or through IPTV: I can put the stick in a different machine)
  • support youtube without ads (through an adblocker and possibly sponsorblock, or maybe using invidious)
  • possibly, support local public TV streaming (eg. BBC)

I have a PC set aside that should be more than capable enough (intel N100), but I’m open to getting new hardware if needed. Also, it doesn’t matter if the system is not very user friendly to setup (eg. if it needs to be nixos), but once it’s setup it should be easy to use and relatively straightforward to update/maintain.

I guess a FOSS android TV would be ideal, but… is there any? (I see Lineage supports the Google ADT-3, but that is basically unobtanium, at least where I live).

  • Possibly linuxEnglish
    32·
    1 year ago

    I don’t want to be rude but I don’t think Netflix is Foss in the least.

      • Possibly linuxEnglish
        12·
        1 year ago

        FOSS stands for free/libre and open source. For something to be libre it has to meet the 4 freedoms. Proprietary software doesn’t do that.

        I don’t mean to start a holy war but FOSS doesn’t mean DRM streaming services. I appreciate the sentiment but I wanted to take the time to explain why many will disagree with your statement

        • T (they/she)@beehaw.org
          3·
          1 year ago

          Ok, so let me try again: OP didn’t say Netflix is FOSS. Nobody is saying Netflix is FOSS. OP is asking for something open source that can run proprietary software, which happens to be an alternative to Android TV. Your comment didn’t answer OP’s question and just added an unecessary and obvious comment which gives the idea that you are judging OP for utilizing proprietary software. If you are able to consume only free and open source software/hardware, good for you! That’s it, just make an attempt to be helpful and nice when people are trying to consume more open source stuff.

          Edit: I saw that you actually gave an answer to OP afterwards. That’s nice!

          • Possibly linuxEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            Yeah I reread my comment and realized that it sounded pretty aggressive.

            I get annoyed at a lot of the communist circle jerk but I’m sure many people get annoyed at my comments about free software. I’ll try to rephrase my comments in the future.

              • Possibly linuxEnglish
                1·
                1 year ago

                I just have talked to my local police and seen how hard it is to be a cop. Try to remember we are all human.

    • gomp@lemmy.mlOP
      41·
      1 year ago

      You are 100% right: netflix not being open is less than ideal, both from a freedom standpoint and for the privacy implications of it.

      However, my 70+yo relative does not care about FOSS or even about their own privacy for that matter… since I, however, do care about their privacy, I’d like to pragmatically find something that may be better than a chromecast privacy-wise, while not being so much worse (or radically different) from it that they’ll ask me to “put the old thingy back - I can’t use this nerdy shit” :)