With limited RAM on the ESP32, there’s not much buffering to be had, so is bankrolling an AWS Cloudfront instance which should make it possible to use ESPFLIX from most places around the world with a solid internet connection. The titles themselves consist of public domain content, running off an Amazon Web Services instance. Output is via composite video, generated on the ESP32 itself. It’s chosen here for its tiny sample buffers, making it easier to decode in the limited RAM of the ESP32. Audio is via the SBC codec, originally intended for use with Bluetooth devices. Video is MPEG1, at just 352×192 resolution. has achieved this feat through a careful use of codecs, and some efficient coding strategies to make it all come together. ![]() Yes, that’s right – it’s an online streaming service running on an ESP32. Control of the system is achieved by an Apple TV remote. However, if you’re really stuck in the past, ESPFLIX might just be for you. Apple TV, Chromecast, and a cavalcade of Android boxes are available to help get content on your screen. Smart TVs, being less widely used than smartphones and computers, thus receive lower priority.These days, if you’ve got a TV that’s a little too old to directly access streaming services, you’ve got plenty of options. Content providers have to juggle compatibility for a lot of platforms these days, including web players, smartphone apps, tablet apps, third-party devices like Roku and Chromecast, and smart TVs. However, the speed-up feature didn't even work properly on my Samsung TV-if you sped up the video, it muted the audio. For example, the YouTube app for TVs only gained the option to let you change the playback speed in 2021, even though that feature was available on both desktop and mobile for years before this. And any time I disconnected an HDMI cable and reconnected it, the TV forgot the name I had set for that input and made me replace its shortcut icon.Įven the apps themselves can be limited in features. I had to re-pair my Bluetooth headphones with my old Samsung smart TV almost every time I used them. For example, I've seen an issue where the YouTube app on my older Samsung smart TV overlapped video titles with the item below, making them near-impossible to read. Even the remote control can be confusing, hiding some functions behind colors or letters that aren't at all clear. Many smart TVs are plagued with generally poor interfaces that take a lot of button presses to get anywhere and hide important settings where you might miss them. ![]() Some of them also have mobile TV remote apps, which support typing out your searches on a smartphone or tablet.Īnd that's only one issue. On the other hand, most streaming boxes come with remotes that have superior voice assistants. While most smart TVs have microphone support, the stock solution is often spotty (and likely requires sharing voice data with your TV manufacturer). With a regular TV remote, typing is a hair-pulling affair that could take up to a dozen button presses per letter typed. One major example searching for a particular TV show or movie on a streaming service. While it's not overwhelming, it makes what should be a fun experience inconvenient at best. When you want to sit down and watch something on a smart TV, it's actually a lot more work than you'd expect.
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