3 ms·

Ask HN: I'm fed up with my Chromecast/Google TV. What are my options?

5 points by module1973 5mo ago

I like the chromecast hardware and the nice remote, but I want a more "open-source"-y solution, something like a chromecast but that allows for custom TV software. What are my options?

HESSBAN 5mo ago
[dead]
nathanmills 5mo ago
Is your search engine of choice down?
- module1973 5mo ago
  More like horror movie ads show up for my toddler between watching Zoboomafoo and Little Bear, that was the last straw. I know there are other solutions for that particular problem like DNS ad blockers but I am ready to move on to a completely new and less tracky system.
  - nathanmills 5mo ago
    Your search engine of choice doesn't list anything related to alternative systems? If thats the case then you already know the answer to your question. If not, then you already have yout answer anyway.
    - module1973 5mo ago
      I think optimal system configuration takes more than a simple one page Google search. It builds upon the successes and failures of what curious people have already tried. anyway.
      - nathanmills 5mo ago
        What the hell are you talking about?!?
- whycome 5mo ago
  Should one Google “what does the hacker news community think is a good alternative to Chromecast”?
  - nathanmills 5mo ago
    Why do you care about what the "hackernews community" thinks more than independent research?
    - module1973 5mo ago
      Why even have an Ask HN tab at all? You can find anything out from independent research or develop it yourself. I guess when you are promoted as CEO of ycombinator you can get rid of the tab altogether and we can all slow clap for you. Good luck!
      - nathanmills 5mo ago
        Agreed with that first part. Not so sure about that second part.
jauntywundrkind 5mo ago
In the long run I don't see anything but open screen protocol actually being competitive. There's dozens of different cast things, but imo it was access to the web & web platform that made Chromecast so capable & powerful, and nothing else is remotely as competent. https://github.com/w3c/openscreenprotocol https://github.com/w3c/openscreenprotocol There are however little more than tech demos for it. There's still a significant body of unresolved questions. Theres very limited amount of effort going in. But there are some very nice libraries too, such as https://github.com/youtube/openscreen-rs https://github.com/youtube/openscreen-rs . Not an answer for most people for today, but if folks are feeling agentic, this is where I would burn my tokens. Your timing is actually quite incredible; I picked up my project again & have been burning the last tokens of my weekly quota on open screen protocol today! (Don't get me started on what a frelling turd show MatterCast is. Last I checked it was for native apps, and had no means to distribute or find programs, only could work with apps already on the castee. Miserable evil capture-computing shizzle, with zero aspirations to ever allow the just works interoperability that made Cast so amazing. Truly captured device ecosystem, of Official Partners anti-consumer villainy. Vomitously disgusting, makes me feel much worse about Matter in general seeing how wretched that looks.)
- module1973 5mo ago
  What I don't understand is what the actual hardware needed to run on a "regular" TV is. Do I need to buy a Raspberry Pi 4, connect via HDMI and cross my fingers that my TV remote will work with whatever open source TV software is out there? I am surprised that I can't find something more like a complete product for sale with software + dongle + remote.
  - jauntywundrkind 5mo ago
    This would be a rpi or mini PC plugged in, yeah. Really it's not actually much different than Chromecast, same general ideas and technologies. It might be possible to make an open screen server that runs on Android running tv's, but deploying to those things is, to my understanding, a sort of deliberate hell orchestrated by everyone involved, from Google to the TV makers. Generally I recommend -- like with Chromecast -- using your phone to launch and control apps, using your phone as the locus of control. Maybe having a gyro mouse or Bluetooth keyboard connected to your pi... but the originally Chromecast was input less, was a networked output. To cast a thing was just to tell the display or speaker: go to this URL. And then to have some communication channel open from your phone or casting computer to the display or speaker. Any web page can use Presentation API to start a cast, to extend itself to another device. It's amazing. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentation_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentatio... Under that model, there is no remote. The phone is the remote. To run a regular TV is harder. Yeah I don't recommend trying to host a whole media system. You can run jellyfin on many TVs or maybe plex. Some rare brave souls go and build their own castles in the sky. Personally I feel strongly though that people clutching at remotes & making the tv itself the locus control are doing it wrong and that the cast model is fundamentally much better, and that the tv itself ought be a blank slate. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/07/broken-linux-laptop-makes-for-a-fine-smart-tv-alternative/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/07/broken-linux-laptop-...
tencentshill 5mo ago
A windows thin client with cast-to-screen software installed, replacing the explorer.exe shell. Proprietary Miracast, Chromecast, and Airplay mirroring will work. The UI is your phone. I used this solution for quite a while, and it avoids the headache of maintaining some hacked together open-source Jellyfin/Kodi frontend.
iptvzebraline 5mo ago
[flagged]

5 points by module1973 5mo ago

I like the chromecast hardware and the nice remote, but I want a more "open-source"-y solution, something like a chromecast but that allows for custom TV software. What are my options?

HESSBAN 5mo ago

[dead]

nathanmills 5mo ago

Is your search engine of choice down?

module1973 5mo ago
More like horror movie ads show up for my toddler between watching Zoboomafoo and Little Bear, that was the last straw. I know there are other solutions for that particular problem like DNS ad blockers but I am ready to move on to a completely new and less tracky system.
- nathanmills 5mo ago
  Your search engine of choice doesn't list anything related to alternative systems? If thats the case then you already know the answer to your question. If not, then you already have yout answer anyway.
  - module1973 5mo ago
    I think optimal system configuration takes more than a simple one page Google search. It builds upon the successes and failures of what curious people have already tried. anyway.
    - nathanmills 5mo ago
      What the hell are you talking about?!?
whycome 5mo ago
Should one Google “what does the hacker news community think is a good alternative to Chromecast”?
- nathanmills 5mo ago
  Why do you care about what the "hackernews community" thinks more than independent research?
  - module1973 5mo ago
    Why even have an Ask HN tab at all? You can find anything out from independent research or develop it yourself. I guess when you are promoted as CEO of ycombinator you can get rid of the tab altogether and we can all slow clap for you. Good luck!
    - nathanmills 5mo ago
      Agreed with that first part. Not so sure about that second part.

jauntywundrkind 5mo ago

In the long run I don't see anything but open screen protocol actually being competitive. There's dozens of different cast things, but imo it was access to the web & web platform that made Chromecast so capable & powerful, and nothing else is remotely as competent. https://github.com/w3c/openscreenprotocol https://github.com/w3c/openscreenprotocol There are however little more than tech demos for it. There's still a significant body of unresolved questions. Theres very limited amount of effort going in. But there are some very nice libraries too, such as https://github.com/youtube/openscreen-rs https://github.com/youtube/openscreen-rs . Not an answer for most people for today, but if folks are feeling agentic, this is where I would burn my tokens. Your timing is actually quite incredible; I picked up my project again & have been burning the last tokens of my weekly quota on open screen protocol today! (Don't get me started on what a frelling turd show MatterCast is. Last I checked it was for native apps, and had no means to distribute or find programs, only could work with apps already on the castee. Miserable evil capture-computing shizzle, with zero aspirations to ever allow the just works interoperability that made Cast so amazing. Truly captured device ecosystem, of Official Partners anti-consumer villainy. Vomitously disgusting, makes me feel much worse about Matter in general seeing how wretched that looks.)

module1973 5mo ago
What I don't understand is what the actual hardware needed to run on a "regular" TV is. Do I need to buy a Raspberry Pi 4, connect via HDMI and cross my fingers that my TV remote will work with whatever open source TV software is out there? I am surprised that I can't find something more like a complete product for sale with software + dongle + remote.
- jauntywundrkind 5mo ago
  This would be a rpi or mini PC plugged in, yeah. Really it's not actually much different than Chromecast, same general ideas and technologies. It might be possible to make an open screen server that runs on Android running tv's, but deploying to those things is, to my understanding, a sort of deliberate hell orchestrated by everyone involved, from Google to the TV makers. Generally I recommend -- like with Chromecast -- using your phone to launch and control apps, using your phone as the locus of control. Maybe having a gyro mouse or Bluetooth keyboard connected to your pi... but the originally Chromecast was input less, was a networked output. To cast a thing was just to tell the display or speaker: go to this URL. And then to have some communication channel open from your phone or casting computer to the display or speaker. Any web page can use Presentation API to start a cast, to extend itself to another device. It's amazing. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentation_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentatio... Under that model, there is no remote. The phone is the remote. To run a regular TV is harder. Yeah I don't recommend trying to host a whole media system. You can run jellyfin on many TVs or maybe plex. Some rare brave souls go and build their own castles in the sky. Personally I feel strongly though that people clutching at remotes & making the tv itself the locus control are doing it wrong and that the cast model is fundamentally much better, and that the tv itself ought be a blank slate. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/07/broken-linux-laptop-makes-for-a-fine-smart-tv-alternative/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/07/broken-linux-laptop-...

tencentshill 5mo ago

A windows thin client with cast-to-screen software installed, replacing the explorer.exe shell. Proprietary Miracast, Chromecast, and Airplay mirroring will work. The UI is your phone. I used this solution for quite a while, and it avoids the headache of maintaining some hacked together open-source Jellyfin/Kodi frontend.

iptvzebraline 5mo ago

[flagged]