OP - Simplest way is samba then dlna (this will segregate your files). OS is your choice as per hardware. VLC should be able to connect via samba and play natively. My tv's native media player does not support samba and plays through dlna.
I think you should take Gaurav's advice. I'm running omv headless on raspberry pi 4 1gb for same use case. You can build on it (docker and plugins) to take it further (UI and stuff). Lots of youtube videos online for every level. If you go this route do post for everyone.