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
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
A lazy option to set up a player (what I do a t least), is installing via flatpak Jellyfin Media Player. For android, installing from F-droid.