Apologies if this is the wrong instance for this.

Is there a best option for HTPC streaming solutions besides throwing Linux on an old desktop? Plugging in a desktop for streaming doesn’t work too well for wall mounted televisions. My options are mini PCs or a 3rd party streaming stick. Even a RasPi stick running OSMC should do the trick.

These 3rd party sticks online are extremely tempting for power and features but I’m concerned about embedded malware. Best option would be to wipe it and load OSMCor raspbian to ensure its clean. Anyone have experience with this?

Care to share your setup?

$14.41 | DQ06 ATV Mini TV Stick Android12 Allwinner H618 Quad Core Cortex A53 Support 8K Video 4K Wifi6 BT Voice Remote Smart TV Box | Link

Runner up: $12.90 | Orange Pi Zero 2 W 1GB RAM DDR4 Mini PC Allwinner H618 Orange Pi Zero 2W WiFi Bluetooth SBC Single Board Computer Zero2W | Link

Update: My ideal solution would be $20-$50 for a replacement to several fire sticks in my home. For a solution around $100 I’d just go with a old refurbished mini pc from ebay/amazon and throw full Linux on it.

Setting up Kodi via the linux OSMC distro or even Android TV both work. Might stream games with steam link. Eventually going to setup jellyfin in my home

Current Plan: Get a mini pc and mount it behind / near my television. Ideally I would prefer just a stick for a cleaner / cheaper solution.

$100 MiniPC - HP EliteDesk 800 65W G2 Business Mini PC Desktop Computer/Intel Quad-Core i5-6500T up to 3.1GHz/ 8GB DDR4 RAM/ 256GB SSD/WiFi/Bluetooth/USB 3.0/ Windows 10 Professional OS(Renewed) | Amazon

Photo of mini pc mounted behind a TV.

pulled from amazon reviewer

Update2:

Finally researched about the Orange Pi (rasp alternative) and the darn thing comes with full hdmi! Orange Pi 3B Full HDMI and SD / eMMC / M2 (sata3) slots!

Orange Pi 3B 4GB RAM Rockchip RK3566 Mini PC Quad-Core 64-bit WiFi+BLE Gigabit Run Android Linux OpenHarmony OS SBC Single Board https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805733558464.html

    • Landless2029@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      11 months ago

      Yeah my issue is I have fire sticks and I want to transition away from it. Instead of purchasing another mainstream device I was hoping there would a lemmy approved alternative.

      • Bobby TurkalinoEnglish
        3·
        11 months ago

        I recently switched from fire stick to Roku and overall, it’s been a great move. The remote is my only gripe. Hate squishy rubber buttons.

        I understand your desire to not use a mainstream device, but personally, the last thing I want to do after a 10 hr work day of software debugging is sit down to watch TV, see some error messages, and find myself in a terminal troubleshooting network issues or whatever. I just want to watch TV.

        • Landless2029@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          11 months ago

          Yeah it’s a balance between privacy/performance/time. When I say I don’t want a mainstream device. It’s I don’t want mainstream bloat on my device. These things never age well and they become unusable with all the bloat. My best path might be getting a regular device and either flashing the OS or debloating.

  • Kokesh@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago

    Mi tv stick is brilliant. But doesn’t play h265 and is quite slow. I usually start it at least 2 minutes before I fire up Jellyfin.

  • Codilingus@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    I have an oDroid N2+ with CoreELEC, which is Linux for the sole purpose of booting directly into Kodi and only that. It plays content stored on my home server locally, without any transcoding. Works with my Atmos setup and can do everything except Dolby Vision.