I've been using Pi 4s with a lineage OS build that has the Jellyfin Android TV client on it and thats been a pretty sweet setup.

You can!

You’ll just be limited in your app selection and then there’s DRM.

MSI cubi fanless with KDE Neon autologin to Plasma Bigscreen with Vacuumtube, steam big screen mode, jellyfin... Remote controller is a Rii F8 mini which has a few programmable IR buttons for the old dumb TV.

The future is now...

OK gang my point is not that this is impossible to DIY. In fact we really enjoy you all sharing your setups and appreciate everyone taking the time :3

We just like for something like this as a cheap (enough) commercial product to finally catch on. At the end of the day folk just want to have a TV, plug something into it, and have it work.

We were already tired of the overpriced TV boxes that shady broadband companies forced into everyones livingroom. Nowadays that horrible experience comes physically fused to every TV further out in the markey than a sane person could reasonably be expected to look.

It just super sucks to see so many pay for devices that actively fight you in general. Most electronics already inherently feel like an accesability issue simulator to most people anyways. It being deliberately opaque, confusing and facilitating dark patterns on top of that is such a PITA. Not to mention if you already have inherent accesability difficulties from any number of conditions.

Fortunately Roku is still not that bad. 3 rows of items to choose from, select and go.

It basically is a dump app launcher if you go into settings and make it one. Even more so once you use a network adblock to stop the single ad they display on the right.

I want to make my TCL Roku Smart TV dumb.

What do you see that makes a difference? Lack of ads or is performance also better?

i use Flauncher on my Nvidia Shield Pro and have for years

Is there something similar for Linux people like? I have an old computer hooked up for freetube but would like it to be the default input for my Frame TV.

Lol, just when I said I was going to take a break from tinkering, you tell us about this. Oh well! 😆

I also use Projectivity on my NVIDIA shield. No ads, no recommendations, just the apps I want. Everyday I'm glad I installed it.

Thanks for sharing this!

++Projectivy, it's top tier software. It's so clean by default, has lots of customization options, and no ads whatsoever. It's so good that I worry Google will try to take away the option to use a third party homescreen on Android TV.