Streaming OS

[freakdiablo]

*Sigh*

Having a SWELL day. Coworkers I pick up on the way to work were late, spent 8 hours doing things both above my paygrade and below my patience, coworkers I drive home were also...late.

Grab a 6 pack on the way home, sit on the couch, turn on the HTPC, turn on the TV - which is getting flakier - and...W10 is throwing boot errors.

</rant>

So I originally tossed W10 on the HTPC because I was going to use it for light gaming, hence the 1060. That really doesn't happen. Think I played a few older racing sims when I first got it but nothing since then.

Right now since it's looking like I'll either A) have to reinstall the OS or B) spend almost just as much time kicking the current W10 install in the head, figured I'd ask around.

I know some of the average desktop & server flavors of *nix just through work and tinkering in my off time. But I wanted to ask, is there an HTPC focused distro with wide streaming support , almost integrated into a remote/controller-centric UI? Netflix, crunchyroll, Amazon Video, etc.? I do have some local videos I play - h.265/MKV support is a solid plus. But I would say it's an 80/20 split streaming/local play.

I could just set up Mint, go the browser/VLC route, that's what I did with W10, just wanted to see if there's anything more streamlined.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Look at using Kodi. I think you can load Netflix and some other add-ons to it.

 

[unsafesteagle]

I use Jellyfin for starters. It doesnt have the option to load apps such as netflix/hulu , that im aware of.
Full open source tho.

 

[Janus67]

Look at using Kodi. I think you can load Netflix and some other add-ons to it.

Kodi is great, but for clarity isn't a distro but an application that can run on another OS.

What I'm not certain of is how many Linux OSes can run things like Netflix because of security/codecs/anti piracy stuff.

Personally I run all my htpc stuff through an Nvidia shield. (I have a separate server for running Plex for my local streaming, but Kodi can play basically anything from local or network storage)

 

[freakdiablo]

I've heard good things about Kodi.

I thought about just picking up a streaming box with local drive support (like the Shield) but figured if I can save a couple bucks and revive my htpc, I'll try that first.

 

[stompah]

https://www.amazon.com/fire-tv-stick-4k-max-with-alexa-voice-remote/

I bought this on sale for $35. If you can wait until it is on sale again it is a great way to break away from HTPC blues.

I have no plans of going back to a HTPC set up as my main way to watch non OTA content.

I moved away from my HTPC to Plex and either the above Firestick or the native Plex app on my TV. Saves me from quite a few headaches. The TV does have it's quirks, whereas the Fire stick is near flawless.


My current setup has my Plex PC linked to the network wirelessly and both my smart TV and Firestick are wireless. I have no problems streaming 4k from my Plex server. And my Plex server and Firestick do not get the strongest WiFi signal.


You can use the Silk browser to watch Crunchyroll. And turn the HTPC into a Plex/gaming rig.



Also, Windows 10 is a pretty decent OS. Something had to have borked it. Maybe it was purely a Windows error that got you there. But it could just as easily be a hardware issue that corrupted your OS. Linux won't be immune to failing hardware. You may want to spend some time troubleshooting before you dive into a Linux install that won't complete, or does complete only to corrupt itself in the future.

 

[ihrsetrdr]

I just run any Linux(currently Arco-Linux) on a laptop and can cast to my TV any content I choose in Chrome browser.

 

[freakdiablo]

https://www.amazon.com/fire-tv-stick-4k-max-with-alexa-voice-remote/

I bought this on sale for $35. If you can wait until it is on sale again it is a great way to break away from HTPC blues.

I have no plans of going back to a HTPC set up as my main way to watch non OTA content.

I moved away from my HTPC to Plex and either the above Firestick or the native Plex app on my TV. Saves me from quite a few headaches. The TV does have it's quirks, whereas the Fire stick is near flawless.


My current setup has my Plex PC linked to the network wirelessly and both my smart TV and Firestick are wireless. I have no problems streaming 4k from my Plex server. And my Plex server and Firestick do not get the strongest WiFi signal.


You can use the Silk browser to watch Crunchyroll. And turn the HTPC into a Plex/gaming rig.



Also, Windows 10 is a pretty decent OS. Something had to have borked it. Maybe it was purely a Windows error that got you there. But it could just as easily be a hardware issue that corrupted your OS. Linux won't be immune to failing hardware. You may want to spend some time troubleshooting before you dive into a Linux install that won't complete, or does complete only to corrupt itself in the future.

Honestly you're right.

Sorry I'm a little late getting back to this thread, seems like the NVMe drive decided to take a long nap in a shallow grave. Played around with Mint on a live USB stick, decided to install. The drive kept bouncing in the background and then the installer started throwing errors.

Honestly it's a Smart TV - Vizio - that has Netflix and Amazon Video apps, but didn't see a Crunchyroll app last I checked and don't think it supports H.265. If I was going to grab a media stick, I'll be just as likely to grab another cheap NVMe drive to replace this one

 

[stompah]

If your TV supports Plex you can use your PC to host a Plex server. This way you can stay just in the TV menu and apps.

But if you have a problem with h265 playback you can switch to the HTPC. I did this for a while. (It did help having my HTPC with a 3070 play its main role as a mining rig.)

The solution can be as simple or as complicated as you want. I find a lot of us in this community like the complicated aspect... Simple can be boring.

 

[freakdiablo]

To me, Plex is the hard way, lol. Tried setting up a small plex server with a RPi and a small USB drive. After several weekends I decided to forget it - it's why I ended up switching back to just having everything local.

 

[stompah]

Plex shouldn't require 2 weekends to set up. Was Plex your issue or installing/configuring Plex with Linux your issue?

 

[Janus67]

And a Raspberry pi depending on the age/model may not be a good choice as a Plex server if it has to do any lifting at all (transcoding)

 

[freakdiablo]

Plex shouldn't require 2 weekends to set up. Was Plex your issue or installing/configuring Plex with Linux your issue?

Little of column A, little of column B. And by weekends I mean maybe two hours total, lol.

And a Raspberry pi depending on the age/model may not be a good choice as a Plex server if it has to do any lifting at all (transcoding)

Pi 4 4GB, and I actually avoided using it for transcoding for that reason. When I tried I was primarily playing with a lower end LG and confirmed it worked with MKV/H.264 (which I was encoding to at the time) so didn't need the server to do any heavy lifting - just work as a glorified file server.

 

[Janus67]

Fair enough, I've run Plex on a Windows machine, an open media vault box, freenas, and now an Unraid docker container. The Unraid is my favorite so far, but I have a decent home server with a bunch of storage and run it all together. There's a fair number of guides on reddit, youtube, plex official forums, etc.

That said, if you just want to run everything locally with no plans of streaming outside of the house then having a local file server and using Kodi will be plenty sufficient (which you can run/install on a Shield as well as all the other apps folks have mentioned).

 

[freakdiablo]

I actually think we're getting out of the realm of the thread here.

This is no longer a question of "which OS is right". I was actually OK with W10.

I can grab a cheap replacement NVMe drive - I don't need speed nor local storage - for cheaper than a Shield, and the same price as a Fire stick.

 

[mcpherson1031]

Given your situation, it sounds like a good time to explore alternatives to your current Windows 10 setup, especially since you're mostly using your HTPC for streaming and some local media playback.
There are a few Linux distros designed specifically for home theater PCs (HTPCs) that might be just what you're looking for. Here are a couple of options that should streamline your experience:

1. LibreELEC: This is a minimalistic, Linux-based OS built solely for running Kodi, a popular media center software. Kodi's interface is remote-friendly and can handle both streaming services and local media playback, including h.265/MKV files. For streaming services like Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Video, there are add-ons available, though they may require some setup.
2. OSMC: Another Kodi-based option, OSMC is designed to be user-friendly and has a polished interface that's great for HTPC use. It also supports streaming and local playback, with many of the same capabilities as LibreELEC. OSMC might be a bit easier to configure for streaming services, but both options are solid.
3. Plex Media Server (on Linux): While not an OS, Plex can run on a Linux distro of your choice (like Ubuntu or Mint) and offers a great interface for streaming and local media. Plex has apps for most streaming services and integrates well with remotes or mobile devices for control. This could be a more versatile option if you want the flexibility of a full Linux environment.
4. Ubuntu with Kodi or Plex: If you prefer more control, you can install a standard Linux distro like Ubuntu or Mint and then set up Kodi or Plex manually. This approach gives you the flexibility to use a full desktop environment when needed but also provides a streamlined HTPC experience when you want it.

If your primary use is streaming with some local playback, I’d recommend starting with LibreELEC or OSMC. They’re both lightweight, fast, and focused on the HTPC experience, which sounds like exactly what you need right now. This way, you can avoid the headache of dealing with Windows boot errors and enjoy a more stable, streamlined setup tailored to your needs.