(Repost ish, from Technology), So I just bought a new telly and to my surprise, not, the OS is rather bad and has very limited amount of apps. Therefore I’ll invest further in either Apple TV or the Firestick. Anyone got any recommendations, tips or hot takes on this in terms of pirated content? Which is more accessible and I reckon both support Jellyfin?
I love the Apple TV. It has a super fast ui. I use infuse on it to play content from a network share, and Plex.
Like most things when comparing Apples to Androids, the Apple product is typically cleaner and more performant throughout its longer lifespan.
My Apple TV 3 is still doing OK. My Firestick / Android / GoogleTV devices from the same time period (and some even later) are too slow to use.
Im on a First Generation Apple TV 4K. 6 years old and still works flawlessly.
Only reason I might get a newer one is to have another matter border router. Also the new remote looks nicer.
My friends who have them are also super satisfied, but obviously anything Android based has the advantage of sideloading apps to consider. Depends on what you want in the end, Apple has Plex and Jellyfin apps which I think is enough for the average pirate.
Also vlc and infuse.
If you want to invest in new hardware, I would suggest getting a mini PC. You can get these refurbished for under 100€. Add a wireless keyboard with touchpad (Logitech K400 or Microsoft Media Keyboard) and install Linux+Kodi.
You can select Kodi in your login manager to start straight into Kodi, so you dont have to mess with a desktop environment if you just want to watch a movie.
KDE is also developing a desktop environment for TVs called Plasma Bigscreen, although I haven’t tried this one.
And unlike devices with a locked down, proprietary OS you can run any desktop application or game on it (if the hardware supports it).
Nice alternative! Ill for sure look into Plasma Bigscreen 👍
What OS do you recommend installing beside Kodi? I’d be curious to learn about how the bypass the login screen and boot straight into the software.
I use Debian. If you install the kodi package, you also get the Kodi desktop environment installed.
On your login screen, you will find a menu to choose between different desktop environments. On lightdm you can open it by clicking the wrench icon in the top menubar.
There you can select Kodi and log into your system.
I use Libreelec. It is an OS that is made to run Kodi.
I was about to get mini pc for my TV, but, sadly linux doesn’t support HDR yet.
And Windows isn’t an option.
firetvstick is android based so you can sidelode a lot of apps that aren’t in the store
Firestick (any work but 4k Max works best) + Stremio + Real Debrid. You will be able to find nearly anything you can think of. Its also the cheapest way and easiest. I’m an iOS guy and would rather not use an Amazon product but it is the best i have found. It also will load Android TV apps so modified youtube apps also exist and other things. Apple tv is locked down and there are jailbreaks for certain OS, if its not in the app store you will be limited.
This is exactly my setup. Stremio with Real Debrid and Torrentio is amazing. SmartTubeNext for ad free YouTube is awesome too.
I’m also leaning towards an Apple TV actually
Stremio + Real Debrid is worth getting something that allows for sideloading apps. Right now, Android TV is the only platform that allows to do that (not counting just running Linux on a Pi).
Android TV, I have the Shield Pro and nothing can’t beat:
- SmartTube, no ads with SponsorBlock
- TiVimate, IPTV
- Kodi, best video player.
- Jellyfin and Plex
- Stremio with Real Debrid.
SmartTube is great. Can even link it to the mobile app and push videos with no ads for free.
It all depends on your tolerance.
FireSticks are inherently easier to tinker with. But Amazon bends you over with shoving ads and spyware up your ass at every opportunity. It is baked into the UI design itself. It is very advertising-forward, with everything else designed around ads. And even the 4K max lags at times.
AppleTV really requires an iPhone to set up optimally. And it is locked down with no clear jail break at this time for most people unless you’re willing to solder (or if I’ve missed a new flaw in an update which opened the door programmatically). But Apple TV is fast and smooth, with no inherent ads of its own. It is honestly over powered for its purpose, probably because it can also play a fair number of iOS games.
Chrome Cast with Google TV is a fucking mess. It is severely under powered to the point of lagging. It has half baked ideas like profiles which don’t change anything. And it has ads as the focus of the design just like FireStick.
But you’re going to pay a subscription if you go with Apple TV and want something like Infuse. Jellyfin and Plex, of course, don’t require it.
And despite what people say, Stremio is absolute dogshit on a FireStick because of its mobile-centric UI.
If you plan to use a server like Plex and Jellyfin, all of them work—but Apple TV works best. If you need anything else out of it, probably the fire stick if you use a pihole to stop it from phoning home for more ads constantly.
Stremio has an Android TV-native UI now. It’s quite great.
I use Jellyfin with https://firecore.com/infuse for Apple TV. It is the smoothest experience I can think of.
Chromecast with googletv 4k + stremio + torrentio plugin + debrid subscription
hands down the best experience if you don’t want to meddle with plex and just watch things netflix-style.
More of a Jellyfin kinda guy
Chromecast with web video caster app and fmovies. It doesn’t get any easier, just pay for the pro version of the app and no ads.
I’ve got firestick and Chromecast with Google tv, both really easy to use streaming apps of the high seas.
Would a Raspberry Pi not solve your problems? I’m not even into programming and I still have fun with it
They’re great for server side, but personally I wouldn’t use one as a streaming client.
If you care about video quality and interface performance, Apple TV is the only option.
Nvidia Shield is nice
This comment should say shield with Apple in a distant second
Jellyfin & Plex both have native apps as well.
An Nvidia Shield Pro is hands down the best but it is much more expensive. Slap a third party launcher over the top and use it for streaming Jellyfin or Stremio or Kodi or whatever floats your boat. Super responsive and is android-based so you can sideload whatever you want. It also has the most compatibility with most codecs so you’ll be able to direct play more through Jellyfin rather than transcode.
if you’re otherwise not in the apple ecosystem I’ve heard you need an iphone to input your password or some other such shit.
if it was a choice between the 2 I’d just install a UPnP media server or hookup a raspberry pi instead.
I personally use an AppleTV with the Infuse app. Great UI, no lag, and it plays everything including 4K Bluray remuxes. You also get Dolby Vision, frame rate matching, and Jellyfin support.
