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THE 5 BEST RASPBERRY PI SMART TV PROJECTS WE'VE SEEN
By Christian Cawley
Updated Jan 18, 2023
Smart TVs are everywhere now! Here are the best smart TV projects you can make
with nothing more than a Raspberry Pi.
Readers like you help support MUO. When you make a purchase using links on our
site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.
Need a smart TV but don't have the budget? While there's a good chance that you
already own hardware that can make your TV "smart", one low-budget piece of kit
can make all the difference.
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For under $50, you can turn a dumb TV into a smart TV with a Raspberry Pi.
Here's what you need to know about building your own Raspberry Pi streaming TV
box.
5 THINGS A DIY SMART TV SHOULD OFFER
Before getting down to the "how," consider the "what."
Your Raspberry Pi can substitute the functionality of a smart TV, making a
so-called dumb TV into a smart TV. So, what should you expect from it?
1. The ability to play media from a USB storage device or external HDD. This is
possible via a USB port on smart TVs. On the Raspberry Pi, you should have a
USB port spare to do the same.
2. Video streaming from online sites like Netflix and YouTube. The Chromium
browser for the Raspberry Pi can play the Netflix library, or you can
install a Kodi add-on for Netflix.
3. Remote control from a mobile device. Kodi can be set up with a client app on
your smartphone to control the software remotely. Otherwise, an infrared,
Bluetooth, or wireless remote control can be set up, with a companion USB
dongle connected to the Pi.
4. News and weather. A smart TV should be able to pull news and weather data
and present it to you when you switch on the television.
5. PVR support. If you need to record a TV show, connect a USB TV card and hard
disk drive.
While these features aren't possible with all Raspberry Pi smart TV projects,
they're certainly available in the most popular option: Kodi.
1. BUILD A RASPBERRY PI STREAMING BOX WITH KODI
Image credit: David Marsh/Flickr
If you haven't already seen Kodi in action, now is the time to try it out.
Several Kodi images are available for the Raspberry Pi, each offering largely
the same experience:
* LibreElec
* OSMC
How you install these depends on your experience level. LibreElec is one of
several operating systems available in the Raspberry Pi NOOBS installer, making
it the simplest installation. Alternatively, you can download your preferred
image and write it to your Pi's microSD card.
Kodi can also be installed as part of other projects, such as a RecalBox retro
gaming center. Or you can also install Kodi manually:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install kodi
Once installed, add-ons let you access video and audio content from across the
internet. These are apps that present content of your choice. For instance, Kodi
features a YouTube add-on.
Beware, however: as some add-ons are illegal, you should stick to those
available from the official Kodi add-on repository.
Kodi also offers weather reporting, so you can check whether you're missing
sunshine while browsing YouTube. Kodi supports several options for controlling
your viewing remotely, such as using either one of the Kodi apps, a keyboard, a
remote, or even a video game controller. Kodi also allows you to watch and
record live television programs and broadcasts using a PVR client and a tuner
card.
2. STREAM MEDIA ACROSS YOUR NETWORK WITH PLEX
An alternative to Kodi, Plex enables you to stream media across your home
network. It uses a client-server dynamic in which a server (running Plex Media
Server) hosts the media files while the client (a local or web application)
streams them directly to your device. Since the Raspberry Pi 3 was introduced,
Raspberry Pis are now powerful enough to function as Plex servers. Previously,
you could only use them as clients using the Rasplex software.
You can still use a Raspberry Pi as the Plex client and host the server on a PC
(Windows, macOS, or Linux), or a NAS box. But, it might make more sense to
install the Plex server on a Raspberry Pi and then connect to that server from a
client app, either on your phone, PC, or smart TV. If you have a 'dumb' tv set
instead, you can use either Chromecast or a streaming stick to connect to your
Plex server. Pretty smart!
3. KDE PLASMA BIGSCREEN: OPEN SOURCE RASPBERRY PI 4 SMART TV
Employing a modified KDE neon distribution, this Raspberry Pi implementation of
Plasma Bigscreen features Mycroft AI, libcec, and PulseAudio. So, as well as a
smart TV, you get voice control (Mycroft), compatibility with your TV's existing
remote (libcec), and seamless, high-quality audio (PulseAudio).
As an open project, you can set up your own smart TV without worrying about
privacy or censorship. The interface is highly customizable and can be easily
modified to suit your needs/preferences.
You can install new apps to extend the functionality of your Big Screen.
Currently, supported skills for Mycroft.ai are limited to YouTube, Soundcloud,
BitChute, Unsplash, Wikidata, and Food Wizard. You can flash the image onto your
Raspberry Pi 4 using Etcher and get Big Screen running in no time. Despite this,
it's worth checking out---building a Raspberry Pi smart TV has never been so
easy.
Download: KDE Plasma Bigscreen
4. CAST MEDIA FROM ANDROID TO YOUR RASPBERRY PI TV
One popular low-cost approach to making your dumb TV smart is to use a Google
Chromecast. But if you own a Raspberry Pi, you don't even need to go this far.
Google Chromecast works in much the same way as Miracast and other wireless HDMI
technologies. Simply, an app window or entire mobile desktop is streamed
wirelessly to a TV. From here, apps can be run, games played in big screen mode,
video streamed, etc.
Or for a more straightforward implementation, take a look at the Raspicast app
on Google Play. Once you've done that, check our guide to setting up a Raspberry
Pi Chromecast. This method will allow you to turn your Raspberry Pi into a
streaming box.
You'll be streaming media from your phone to your TV via a Raspberry Pi in
minutes! If you are wondering about the maximum resolution support, almost all
Raspberry Pi versions are capable of streaming 1080p video, but you'll need to
get the Raspberry Pi 4 to stream 4K video at an acceptable frame rate.
5. ANDROID TV ON RASPBERRY PI
A final option is to abandon standard Raspbian-based Raspberry Pi distros and
opt for Android instead.
With Android installed on your Raspberry Pi, you can then configure the
operating system to play media files through your TV. It's like having a
big-screen version of Android in your home!
Android TV is a version of Android designed for set-top boxes, but you don't
need this for the Raspberry Pi. Follow our guide to installing Android TV on
Raspberry Pi and go from there. Do note however that you may run into issues
with Widevine DRM if you're planning to use Netflix or any other major streaming
service.
While you can't build a Roku box with a Raspberry Pi, Android TV is the next
thing.
5 WAYS TO BUILD A RASPBERRY PI SMART TV SOLUTION
If you own a Raspberry Pi, it's likely that at some point you've used it as a
smart TV. After all, the various Kodi ports are some of the most popular disk
images beyond Raspbian. And if you're using a Raspberry Pi 4, you're going to
enjoy one of the best Kodi experiences available.
We've looked at five options for a Raspberry Pi smart TV build:
1. Kodi
2. Plex
3. Plasma Bigscreen
4. Chromecast substitute
5. Android TV on Raspberry Pi
You should take a careful look at all the options and select the one that suits
you best, whether that's Kodi or Android TV.
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Related Topics
* DIY
* Entertainment
* Raspberry Pi
* Chromecast
* Plex
* Smart TV
* Kodi
* DIY Project Ideas
About The Author
Christian Cawley • Deputy Editor (1732 Articles Published)
Deputy Editor for Security, Linux, DIY, Programming, and Tech Explained,
Christian has extensive experience in desktop and software support, and has been
published in Computer Weekly, Linux Format, Tech Radar, ComputerActive, and
other titles.
Christian also produces MakeUseOf's weekly show, the Really Useful Podcast.
His current passions are his cigar box guitar, his retro gaming site
(retrogamerbase.com), and his family.
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