Linux TV Box for both Set top box and AV1 media

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Hi I am planning to get a cheap mini PC or a TV box for my parent’s old 4K Mi TV. I wanted some suggestions on how I can get a Linux PC running a stable OS that can run like a regular TV with a remote and usual TV friendly interface. I would rather avoid the android TV box out there for mainly privacy reason but also customization and using it like a PC for doing a few more things like CCTV, games etc.

Whenever I am using the TV it’s usually Jellyfin using Tailscale with some of media being AV1 as well so hardware decoding would be nice but if software encoding can do a good enough job without putting too much stress then that also works I suppose. Would start using it for Youtube as well or Freetube to be specific. My parents would mostly use it for watching the Jio set top box that we got with the fiber connection. Can I get HDMI input to work with existing HDMI port or with a USB to HDMI adapter? I never want to interact with that shitty android TV again so want everything to be done/interactive within Linux.

Currently I am eying the cheap mini PC on used market like thinkcentre or wyse. Trying to keep everything below 5k. Would like to know more on the importance of AV1 decoding and how to get a good TV interface on Linux.

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Any of the Kodi based distros like LibreELEC or OSMC will work fine. They support HDMI-CEC, so can be used with a remote, boot up to the TV interface at launch, and also support the Kodi remote app.

However, you will not be able to run things still checking for Widevine L1.

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Or this.

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I am a big fan of KDE Plasma so very excited when I saw the news but it’s still fairly in development right? How stable is it for regular use?

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Haven’t used it personally yet. Guess you should give it a go on another device to check it out first.

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How well will they work for Dolby atoms and vision and hdr10 since they aren’t licensed?

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Not trying to discourage you and I am assuming your parents don’t like to tinker as much as you do, all these solutions are very finicky and don’t run even close to as seamless as even the cheap Chinese boxes would. I tried many of these solution about a year ago but gave up because how janky those were and how often they will break. It could certainly be my incompetence but most reviews I followed also seem to suggest that these could work but not without fixing stuff all the time.

If you want a solution that just works and works well, Apple TV is something that works great. Else, google box or nvidia shield could be your option (I have heard good things about both but haven’t tried them). Privacy is a valid concern but at least in case of TV boxes, the DIY software solutions are just not good enough IMO.

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