#upcycle — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Teklynk @[email protected] · 2026-08-09 · 09:29 UTC

Ditching Amazon Fire TV for a custom, self-hosted Smart TV experience on 2011 Mac Mini's.

For years, I used Amazon Fire TV sticks. They worked, but the ads, tracking, and clutter became annoying. I wanted a clean, personalized media center that felt like a dedicated appliance.

I found a few 2011 Mac Mini's on eBay and turned them into media centers running Debian Linux with a stripped-down Xfce desktop environment.

The Build:
Hardware: Intel i5 Mac Mini's.
OS: Debian Linux + Xfce (lightweight, flexible).
UI: A custom Python/Flask web app serving a kiosk-mode interface via Brave Browser.
Config: Entirely managed via JSON and CSS. No desktop, no panels. Just a curated home screen of Flatpak apps and web apps.

Features:
Privacy: No ads, no tracking, no Amazon account required.
Single-Task Machine: Apps launch fullscreen, right-clicking is disabled, kiosk mode.
Remote Ready: Fully keyboard and remote navigable (MX3 Pro wireless PC remote).
Robust: Auto-restart script ensures the dashboard never stays closed.

Use Cases:
Media center PC: A TV-connected mini PC with Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, and YouTube.
Workplace dashboard: A wall-mounted display showing internal tools, dashboards, or informational kiosks.
Infotainment kiosk: A public-facing screen with curated apps and no way for users to escape to the desktop.
Repurposed hardware: Give an old laptop or mini PC a second life as a dedicated appliance.

If you can think of a use case, you just set the apps and tools you want, point it at the URLs or Flatpak apps you need, and let it run.

I wrote a blog post on the setup and the specific tools (like wmctrl and input-remapper) I used to make it feel like a Smart TV. Github link is in the blog post.

https://www.teklynk.com/blog/diy-smart-tv-media-center-dashboard-fullscreen-app-launcher-for-debian-and-xfce

#linux #mediacenter #smarthome #opensource #privacy #debian #python #plex #jellyfin #upcycle #repurpose #reuse #recycle