We recently switched to using a Linux Mint laptop with an adblocker for our streaming (while also cancelling a bunch of services). A friend at the recycling center set it aside for me - the screen was irreparably smashed but it was otherwise quite a nice little laptop. Replacement screens were too expensive so I carefully removed the broken one entirely so it'd default to the HDMI port and then set it up as a quick media center (we watch a lot of YouTube and the ads were driving me crazy, I might switch to a more purpose-built OS eventually). The TV is one I pulled from an ewaste bin to replace my previous ewaste TV after it finally gave up. It has a thin line through one edge of the screen occasionally but is otherwise fine. I also recently found a perfectly good wireless trackball mouse and a Bluetooth keyboard in the same bin where I got the TV (came with that other mouse). The bin even supplied HDMI cables. The whole thing is perched on a particle board TV stand I found like a decade ago when the college kids move out.
I feel seen.
I am sitting in front of a free tv I got because it has some failed leds, it has an old laptop I got for free from a client plugged into it. I have the same exact trackball mouse. But I am running ubuntu.
I recommend going to the rom archives and loading up. My rig is old and can't handle anything past gamecube emulation. Be nice to play some og cod zombies.
Oh, and check out KDEconnect, turn your phone into an airmouse. and a bunch of other cool shit.
Need any free streaming site rec's?
I'm a huge fan of rom archives! A few years ago I built an arcade cabinet using as many secondhand parts and materials as possible and set it up to run a ton of games on an ewaste retropie. It took months longer to make than it would have if I'd just gone to a lumberyard but I had the space and time, and I was already on the local free groups daily so keeping an eye out for stuff from my parts list wasn't hard.
Sure! Always happy to hear any recommendations!