I currently use a large computer monitor as a television, and use a Google TV hdmi plugin to access content.
Rather than have Google selling all my personal data I would rather pay more for a privacy respecting alternative. Does something like the Vero V offer similar functionality, and if not what should I be using?
Ideally the solution should be family friendly using a remote to operate, and can access mainstream channels
Raspberry pi with OSMC (Kodi on Linux) OSMC remote control (A Vero is good too.) Large storage drive
You can get a plug-in to watch YouTube, you can watch local movies, you can build your own media library using local software and it’ll be small enough to carry it around in your pocket.
I’ve never personally messed with it but if you have a Chromecast already then you could try installing LineageOS
In the meantime, you can turn off a lot of Google’s tracking, or at least their record keeping. Make sure you’ve disabled all of the tracking you can.
Either use over the air TV and don’t connect your TV to the internet or pirate whatever you want using a VPN or seedbox.
If by mainstream channels you mean major streaming services then there is no perfectly private option. But I would recommend an AppleTV as the closest thing (it also doesn’t have ads which I really appreciate).
Other than that your options are devices that can’t access major streaming services at greater than 720p and are hackily put together on multiple levels but are fine for streaming local media you host yourself or more expensive than ATV devices and modding them with alternative launchers.
if you want a pragmatic answer, apple tv with emby works for me. not saying apple is perfect but at least their business model is not 100% dependent on monetizing your data and targeted ads.
Ironic, I use a smart TV that’s not connected to a network as a monitor. It can view some DVBT too, but only a handful channels. I basically never watch actual TV, just sometimes a video. TV feels like a gigantic waste of time.
DVD player and a library card
How is using a government service that literally keeps track of everything you borrow, avoiding surveillance?
Not hating on libraries at all, they are awesome. But you do realize that it would be trivial for the federal government to obtain that data, right?
HTPC + wireless mouse
All other solutions are memes.
