Most users are satisfied with the Smart TV features that come with their TV. Others use a dongle like Chromecast or Fire TV Stick to expand their possibilities and performance, in addition to TV boxes that are often superior in terms of specs. Again, There is another option for the most demanding, combining PC and Smart TV experience together.being able to trust a tiny computer and be prepared for anything. We are talking about Raspberry Pi.

Although there are countless projects that benefit from the electronics offered by this curious device, there are also those who use it like a TV Box by installing an operating system. In this article we reviewed All the advantages this device offers when creating a Smart TV system If you’ve ever thought about it, to help you take action.

What is a Raspberry Pi?

Raspberry Pi is nothing more a small format computer, it groups all its components in a small board where we will find various ports for connecting external devices. The latest model offers up to 8GB SDRAM, 1.5GHz Quad-core Cortex-A72 processor, Ethernet and Gigabit connectivity, Bluetooth, USB and HDMI ports, and even has the ability to decode content in H.265 and H.264. . Up to 4K and 60fps.

The power it offers in this small size is used in many projects, especially. smart media player for our tv. Below these lines we leave you the most extraordinary benefits of getting one of these plates for our TV.

We can install the operating system we want.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B offers: insert microSD cards so you can load the content embedded in them. We can equip these cards with any operating system the Raspberry Pi supports, and we warn you that there is already a wide range from here.

On this mini PC we can install Windows and even special Linux distributions, which are the true essence of this device. As a recommendation, we can always have one SD with Windows and another for a custom ecosystem For our Linux based Smart TV like KDE Plasma or openELEC, both of which have KODI integrations. In this way, we can transform our television even if it is not a Smart TV, to an advanced smart media player. We can even customize the style for Android TV or Apple TV. The possibilities are endless.

various ports

The card has a wide variety of ports and connections. We can play content from external devices via USB portsconnect remotes or play via USB or Bluetooth, or even connect directly to our router via Ethernet port with Gigabit speeds.

These various ports Turns the Raspberry Pi into an extremely versatile device and scalable, be it for streaming content through our favorite apps, playing video games or even controlling any smart device in the home.

Streaming content is a breeze for Raspberry Pi

In recent years, the trend of leisure and audiovisual entertainment has flown, and today we have multiple services and platforms for the reproduction of content with this technique. Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Prime Video and company will be fine for a Raspberry Pi.

With her, it is also possible to set up a Plex server, KODI or similar platform, enjoy our content on any device. With the right plugins and tools, we can turn our Raspberry Pi into a powerful server for any content.

Compatible with H.265 and H.264 codecs

Compatibility with existing codecs is something that is becoming more and more important, especially in terms of compression techniques. Raspberry Pi 4 Model B includes support for many codecsincluding H.264 and H.265 for video decoding.

Support for multiple formats makes Raspberry Pi an extremely capable player, allowing you to enjoy endless content.

Stream PC titles at up to 4K and 60fps

Since we are talking about a full-fledged computer, this one also offers compatibility with game streaming, as a team even more capable than an NVIDIA Shield. Like this, It’s possible to play our PC games with the right tools in excellent quality and resolution.

For this we can use tools such as Moonlight, Steam Link, Parsec or any similar application. In addition, if we have connected the Raspberry Pi to the internet via the Ethernet port, we will reduce the delay of the image. We can also connect controls via Bluetooth and play our favorite games practically without cables.

Turn Raspberry Pi into a proficient music publisher

For the more audiophile, there is also the possibility of turning a Raspberry Pi into a high-quality audio streamer. Like this, We can play FLAC files that we have stored on our PC wirelessly losslessly or server. In fact, our Raspberry Pi can also act as a NAS that can store all kinds of files and manage them from other devices and computers.

We can use tools like those offered by Volumio or moOde Audio to turn the Raspberry Pi into a music streamer. You can learn more through this article.

Emulation is the main reason many choose a Raspberry Pi

There are many users who want to buy the Raspberry Pi to turn it into a retro console. Given its versatility and features, it is also possible to enjoy retro video games thanks to emulation. It is also possible to purchase special cases to be able to place this device in a box that simulates the appearance of an NES, SNES or any other console.

There are many tools on the web for this, including specific operating systems to give our personalized retro console the necessary touch.

Raspberry Pi has a large community behind it

Due to its open nature, we can find all kinds of guides to run countless projects as well as countless tools, applications and systems developed by the community.

It will only take a few minutes to turn the Raspberry Pi into a smart multimedia player, as we only need to choose the operating system we want to use and a storage medium for our files. Its ease of use, versatility and small size are why many prefer this option over a TV Boxfirmware built into the dongle or Smart TV.