GoKawiil
Tech News
A tech writer published a setup guide for replacing Google TV's ad-laden interface with Projectivy Launcher, swapping YouTube for the ad-free SmartTube client, using Wholphin for Jellyfin, and remapping the remote with Button Mapper. The configuration was tested on two Chromecast with Google TV devices and a Hisense TV, and the author says it should work on most Android TV hardware.
A blogger recounts switching from Netflix, Disney Plus and Spotify to a self-hosted Jellyfin media server after leaving India, citing rising subscription costs and frustration with algorithmic recommendations affecting his son's viewing. The post describes how this shift led to hosting additional services at home over roughly 18 months, replacing several cloud subscriptions. The author also outlines personal rules, including never exposing self-hosted services directly to the public internet, relying instead on VPN access through his router.
The guide explains how to repurpose an old computer as a home media server by adding storage (ideally with redundancy like RAID) and installing server software such as Plex or Jellyfin to stream content across devices. It compares the two platforms, noting Plex's simplicity but paid features versus Jellyfin's free, more customizable but technical setup, particularly around GPU-based media transcoding.
The open-source media server project Jellyfin has shipped version 12.0, a stable release that completes the database conversion started in 10.11 and translates it into concrete performance gains. The update also adds long-requested support for books and comics, alongside changes to how usernames and alternate video versions are stored.
Android Authority's Robert Triggs reports that the first-generation Chromecast HDMI dongle recently got an unexpected software update, despite being eight years old. He explains he still relies on the device because it casts content faster and more reliably than his TV's built-in Google TV casting features, which suffer from lag, bloat, and audio sync issues.