I set up a Linux pc to replace my smart TV and add some gaming capabilites. It took some time but I learned quite a lot (Thanks to Debian and Arch wikis). And I haven’t missed any TV functionality.
The launcher is flex-launcher on a labwc environment/compositor on a Debian stable distro. (For testing and easy setup, I also did it on Ubuntu Gnome but I don’t need a full DE in the background that I don’t use. But it’s adaptable to other distros and DEs.)
It’s now fully usable with a gamepad including turning the TV on and off, so I have also fully replaced the TV remote.
I hope some people may find it interesting. It was also quite a lot of fun, actually.
Do you use any streaming services e.g. Netflix, HBO, etc.?
If so, are you just using PWA front ends? Or running APKs?
Stremio, debrid and a good IPTV provider will get you everything for a year at less than Netflix costs for a month or two.
No, they can’t.
Sports just aren’t the same on pirate services, especially if you aren’t watching them live.
IPTV streams in HD and you can record shows on a schedule to watch later.
I’m not sure how much more clear I can be when I say that official sources for sports that I watch, provide significantly better experiences than pirating them.
If they didn’t, I wouldn’t pay for them.
Do you change the channel to the sport that is on? That’s what IPTV is.
How much different is your experience?
IPTV is not a suitable replacement for combat sports viewing as most events aren’t broadcast on linear TV.
To pirate combat sports, you’re mostly looking at streaming websites and torrents, which while doable, are both less than ideal.
Streaming sites frequently crash and freeze mid-fight, and don’t generally support rewinding, or pausing more than a few seconds.
Torrents aren’t terrible for next day viewing, but if I’m not watching it live, I greatly value how the streaming services will break out the event by each individual fight.
I’ve switched away from most streaming services. For one month, I watched Netflix in the browser. It’s a lower resolution, but works ok. Mostly, I download stuff, which is publically available or use public broadcasts like Arte.