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Comment by drnick1

2 days ago

It's great to see Android TV mentioned. Has anyone managed to build a freedom-respecting TV box with Lineage? This is a much needed alternative to "smart" TVs and streaming boxes filled with spyware and arbitrary restrictions.

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drnick1

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BLKNSLVR  2 days ago

This!

Looks like LineageOS supports various iterations of the Nvidia Shield device. What I'm wondering is whether this new Catapult launcher is compatible with Android TV that comes with off the shelf Smart TVs. I've grown accustomed to the default screen on my current TV's in-built Google TV (not Android TV, although I'm not totally sure of the difference), but it does enforce at least one additional click to get to the actual functions I, and the family, use it for.

Gonna check out Catapult right now.

Edited to add note: It looks as if the latest Nvidia Shield device requires soldering a USB port onto the mainboard of the device[0]. That probably excludes a decent percentage of people who may otherwise be happy software hacking a device.

[0]: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sif/install/#usb-port-ins...

ajot  1 day ago

Nate Johnson, one of the devs at LineageOS, maintains some official and unofficial builds. You could go from scratch using a Radxa SBC, or try to get an older streaming device (like one of the previous versions of the Chromecast). Some of these older devices even got Widevine DRM still working after installing LineageOS, if you want to use a streaming service.

https://xdaforums.com/t/official-lineageos-22-for-amlogic-gx...

  • drnick1  1 day ago

    Most of the hardware mentioned, like the 2021 edition of the Walmart Onn, isn't available for purchase anymore, so that's a rather limited list.

    I think that a generic mini-PC would make more sense overall, but can Lineage be build for x86 at all?

bestouff  2 days ago

There's a build for RPi5, I didn't try it yet but intend to do it soonish.

https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi5/

  • drnick1  2 days ago

    I'd be curious to see how that works out. One of the main advantages of the Pi is that it supports HDMI-CEC. However, I am seen reports that it struggles with 4K playback at more than 30fps. Even 60Hz isn't great if you have a modern TV and want to use SteamLink to play Steam games running on your PC from your couch.

peanut-walrus  2 days ago

Almost all major streaming services will refuse to work on unapproved devices.

  • drnick1  2 days ago

    You don't "streaming services" when you can open a Web browser and stream from the high seas, or download NewPipe from F-Droid, or download Jellyfin and stream local content.

    • przmk  2 days ago

      Does it work well with the Google tv remote for example? Last time I used NewPipe on the tv, the ui was completely unsuited for remotes. I can't imagine using streaming services on the browser to be any better.