I used to do that. Until I got a Chromecast + Remote. It's a tiny, clean remote that controls my tv, my soundbar and the chromecast, my main media streaming app

I used to do that. Until I got a Chromecast + Remote. It's a tiny, clean remote that controls my tv, my soundbar and the chromecast, my main media streaming app (emby) is one click away after turning my tv on, performance "just works" and it handles 4k content no problem. A HTPC is great in terms of flexibility amd configurability, but it does not come close to the simplicity and elegance of a tv box - be it apple tv or google tv. My father has a generic android tv box (mecool something something) and it's equally as perfect for their needs. I'm not aware of any ads baked in to the google/android tv ui.