this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2026
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DeGoogle Yourself

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I am so close to completely being degoogled, the last nail in the coffin is my tv.

I have a very old Sony Bravia (over 20 years old), it has a Firestick to get access to Plex and Smarttube, these are the only apps I use. I also have a Mycloud server for Plex.

I have heard you can stream through Raspberry Pi, but am an absolute beginner in this area and don't even know where to start.

  • Which Pi do I get?
  • Can I get Plex and SmartTubeNext on it?
  • How do I set it up?

I just need a start point, guide, tutorial, anything to get this last little bit of privacy interfering tech out of my life.

Thanks!

UPDATE 1: Right after posting this, got my mitts on a used RP4 for a handful of change (even got the micro HDMI thrown in for free), and after anxiously waiting til I had some time to research and do it, I installed Lineage OS on the lil guy to do an Android TV thing (via Konstakangs build.)

However, while I had success getting the OS on there, after many dumb little issues that I caused through ignorance or accident, the guides I followed for installation all focus on putting Google apps on there. This is the guide I used the most.

Now I am a little stuck on my next step. The only apps I have on the box are settings and a file manager.

How can I get, say, the Aurora app store or AFTVnews downloader on the device? I use lineage on my phone and tablet and that's easy as they have browsers and I can alternately do it through ADB on my Laptop.

One can get the APKs for these, but I have no idea how to apply them to the Raspberry Pi.

Other future issues are, a usable remote (I have an old amazon firestick remote) and the screen is a little cut off at the edges, my tv is so old it doesn't have any overscan options in settings. Plugging the laptop into an HDMI to the TV does this also. Didn't do that when I used Windows so that's a tomorrow problem I guess.

UPDATE 2:

Well, that was easier than I thought! Turns out ADB can connect to your pi via the simple method of finding the IP address of your Android TV (Settings - System - Network) Then on your PC in the terminal, run adb connect And you can install your APKs from there. This guide has all the details.

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[–] mctoasterson@reddthat.com 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I have not messed with media streaming from a Pi to a TV since the 3B, which was a laggy experience that resulted in overheating.

For that reason, hardware-wise I would recommend at least a Pi4 with some kind of cooling solution. Could be a passive metal radiative case, or active fan cooling.

[–] Snowballfighter@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Went with the Pi4, still looking into a cooling solution. Updated original post to show my progress.

[–] Snowballfighter@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Out of curiosity, what other uses does Pi4 have outside streaming?

[–] mctoasterson@reddthat.com 2 points 3 weeks ago

I run Immich on mine with an external drive.

[–] JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh, oh, oh! This is kinda niche, but OpenPlotter (https://openmarine.net/openplotter) is a complete and modular marine instrumentation/automation package that is designed for the Pi4. This was my entry point into the Pi universe.

Then there's Pi-hole (https://pi-hole.net/), which provides network level ad-blocking.

Those are my main uses, but there are scores of others.

[–] Snowballfighter@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago

Hey, that's pretty cool!

[–] comradegreetingcard@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Here is a guide: https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi4/LineageOS22-ATV/

Yes you can get Plex. Not sure about SmartTube, but probably.

It works reasonably well. I bought just the remote from the Google streamer and was able to connect it. You'll need a keyboard and mouse to do the initial setup from what I remember.

[–] Snowballfighter@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

This was what I ended up doing, I updated the main post to show my progress

[–] Snowballfighter@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago

Oooh! Thankyou! It's android so theoretically it should be able to get Smart tube. This is an advanced user guide but it certainly will help when I get to this point.

I'm still at the "So, Pi is a green circuit board?" part of my learning.

[–] Snowballfighter@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

So following up I have some options, all fairly affordable.

  1. Acquaintance has a **barely used Pi4 with the official case + power supply. **
  • 2GB RAM memory.
  • Uses micro-hdmi for display, they may have an adapter (if it can be found)
  • Need a micro SD.
  • Very cheap

2.On a local marketplace style website, Used Micro Linux PC is powered by a Raspberry Pi 5

  • Processor: Raspberry Pi 5
  • 4GB RAM Memory
  • Case: Custom Cube with RGB lighting
  • Operating System: Linux (pre-installed)
  • Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, HDMI
  • Custom Noctua Fans
  • Custom heatsink w/ rgb fan
  • 128gb Patriot NVME running at pcie 3.0
  • Affordable
  1. Large Marketplace website, Lenovo M910q Tiny Mini PC i5 7500T 16GB 240GB SSD Win11 Pro WiFi
  • Hard Drive Capacity 240 GB
  • Processor Intel Core i5-7500T
  • Graphics Processing Type Integrated/On-Board Graphics
  • RAM Size 16 GB
  • SSD Capacity 240GB
  • GPU Intel HD Graphics 630
  • Processor Speed 3.30 GHz
  • Connectivity HDMI, USB 3.0, DisplayPort, RJ-45
  • Operating System Windows 11 Pro ( I can put a linux os on this I'm assuming)
  • Features Built-in Bluetooth Adapter, Built-in Wi-Fi Adapter, Slim, Ultra-Slim
  • Affordable

I'm leaning towards Option 2. With my limited knowledge, Option 1 doesn't seem like enough and Option 3 seems like too much. I'm getting many different thoughts and opinions from alot of places, I am but a simpleton, trying to stop my TV from spying on me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Update: Option 1 it is! Cheap enough that I can screw it up.