• Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    It doesn’t really matter, just don’t connect them to the internet. Our TV just has a 14 year old computer that plays media perfectly, and is completely cut off from the internet.

      • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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        1 year ago

        It takes some research if youve never done anything like it before, but you can drip feed it the internet via a pihole, and starve it specifically of ads and data collection. Keep the functionality, kill the leech.

        Google smart tv pihole, theres a few guides, for anyone interested.

        • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          But why? It doesn’t need that for anything. Just plug an old computer in via HDMI and bookmark movie-web.app or download/stream stuff from anywhere. Much better quality, interface, and no jank.

          • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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            1 year ago

            Just depends on what you need it for, and what youre trying to plug into it.

            For example, some people dont have spare computers to turn into a mini server, but do have $60 and the time to fiddle with a raspberry pi.

            • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              1 year ago

              Mines a 14 year old gateway you could prolly get for free or under 100, much more powerful than a RPi. Using Windows 10 on it with zero issue.

              I do have a couple Pis next to it but those don’t hook up to any screens, I just tunnel into em. One is a PiHole and one is a server. :3

              • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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                1 year ago

                Not that theres anything wrong with your setup, but if Ive not got a spare pc or laptop, Id rather get the new pi than risk cheap older hardware that might fail sooner than later if all its gonna do is basically play as a pi.

                Plus, like. Pi’s are cool. All compact and efficient. Adorable little motherboards.

                • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  1 year ago

                  Oh totally! But this ancient machine plays better video than my pi 4b 4GB (which now is my headless server.) Surprisingly, it DESTROYS the performance of a Pi 4b even though my Pi runs off a solid state drive too.

                  This ancient PC was my Grampa’s originally. I recommended a much cheaper machine for what he did. He told me “this is the last computer I’ll ever buy.” I told him to not be silly. He bought the Phenom x4 machine w/ video card anyway.

                  He was correct. I was given his machine because we did computer stuff together.

                  It lives on, though. It’s got a SSD now and more RAM, but it plays 1440p perfectly and runs 24/7… and has been running 24/7 for years. It used to also torrent, but the HDD died and my server RPi is gonna torrent too eventually.

                • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  1 year ago

                  It won’t take any distro of Linux I’ve tried :c

                  I have debloated and de-telemetried 10 though, it’s a very basic LTSC install with everything turned off. I don’t think that’s much of a security issue.

      • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        Curious, what functionality would I lose? All it needs to do is turn on and display video through an HDMI port.

        • 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏@lemmy.one
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          1 year ago

          Samsung historically has had a habit of poaching features from their Smart TVs as they age, eventually leaving you with a not so smart TV after a decade or so. Not sure if other manufacturers do the same

          • asudox@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            What a realistic approach! A thing getting dumber as it ages, what a great idea!

            /s

          • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 year ago

            Aha! Yeah that’s okay with me, since we just disable their internet hook computers up, to use them as dumb monitors.