Hi! My goal: I want to set up a beamer projector in my flat and connect that to some kind of ‘always on’ machine with which I can stream (currently Netflix a bit but that really is not a priority as I am thinking of cancelling it) but would also like it to be a torrent client (I have a VPN) to download some media. Though something like popcorn time would also be nice, though that’s also something that I would only use behind a vpn for obvious reasons.

I have a pi5 or and some older NUCs hanging around that run well with Ubuntu. I know that something like kodi does not play nice with Netflix (iirc because of drm).

Should I use the pi? Or better an Ubuntu and do the power management best I can myself?

What would you guys say is a good way to try this out?

Edit: TIL I thought beamer is a word that German borrows from English, so I assumed it’s the same. Nope, in German ‘beamer’ has very weird roots (https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videoprojektor) so Germany stole an English word ‘beam’ but it meant project… Weird

  • stoy@lemmy.zipEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    Beamer?

    You want to connect your BMW to Netflix?

    An iPad and a roll of duct tape should do it…

  • Prunebutt@slrpnk.netEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    FYI: What you call a “Beamer” in German you would call a “projector” in english. I would edit the post, or else people will think you want to set up star trek technology. ;)

    • zweieuro@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      1 month ago

      Okay I never knew that, I would also accept tips for setting up a star trek beamer though xD

      • B0rax@feddit.deEnglish
        0·
        1 month ago

        The German language is strange like that… often using English words for an entirely different meaning.

    • ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      1 month ago

      Maybe they are illuminating their living room with the front end of a BMW.

      Better yet, it’s a Pimp My Ride style makeover that replaces those unused turn signals with a projection system for an instant drive-in movie experience.

  • rambos@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    Idealy you want a server that runs all the time and some kind of a player connected to projector for streaming. You can use your rpi for server, but NUC sounds better since it probably has SATA or m.2 port for storage. Raspbian or Ubuntu doesnt matter much since both are Debian based and setup should be simmilar. Look into servarr if you are interested in automated downloads. Then get Jellyfin for Netflix like experience with your local library. Most clients support Jellyfin player and Im using android TV stick. I have just ordered ChromeCast with Google TV 4K to replacce my old 1080p Xiaomi TV stick. You can also install Netflix app on any Android device.

    It is also possible to plug your server directly to projector via hdmi, but then you have to install server apps together with client apps on the same machine. I guess you need a wifi keyboard and mouse for remote control. Having 2 devices is better IMO, but it should work as single device.

    Rpi or NUC can also be used as a player, but got no experience in setting that up and Android box is better solution for me anyway

  • Victor@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    My future plans include setting up a NAS storage and connecting that to a Pi which would be always on. The Pi would be a torrent seeder, and a Plex/Jellyfin server as well.

    This way my trusty desktop computer can rest after being on 24/7 for like 4 years now. Poor thing.

    I haven’t tried this yet, so I can’t report on how well it works. But maybe it can serve as inspiration for you.

    • zweieuro@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      1 month ago

      This is what I had in mind as well; If you had to how would you add a beamer to this that could use your jellyfin/plex server?

      Ideally I’d want a pi or mini pc behind the beamer that I can switch on/off remotely so that part is not always on

      • Victor@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 month ago

        If the projector supports apps, maybe it can run Plex/Jellyfin? Otherwise maybe I would have another small Pi or a small laptop or something that would use the projector as its output. I’m assuming the projector doesn’t support HDR so a regular browser connecting to Plex could work.

        I just use my HDR-enabled smart TV to connect to Plex and Jellyfin. 🤷‍♂️

  • Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyzBEnglish
    0·
    26 days ago

    Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:

    Fewer Letters More Letters
    NAS Network-Attached Storage
    NFS Network File System, a Unix-based file-sharing protocol known for performance and efficiency
    NUC Next Unit of Computing brand of Intel small computers
    Plex Brand of media server package
    RPi Raspberry Pi brand of SBC
    SATA Serial AT Attachment interface for mass storage
    SBC Single-Board Computer
    SMB Server Message Block protocol for file and printer sharing; Windows-native
    SSD Solid State Drive mass storage

    9 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 17 acronyms.

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