Would one be better off using a R-Pi w/ Linux (through browser) to stream content using VPN (to access foreign content) than using a Google TV streaming box like this
Jeff Geerling did a video that would interest you asking essentially the same question:
IIRC some streaming providers such as Netflix limit the resolution you can get through the browser
Can confirm. I watched The Witcher when it first released on Netflix over on Linux and I was wondering why its a bit blurry like 480p… because it was sending 480p data stream/bitrate…
I try to be honest in consuming media but Netflix simply dont care about us. I could probably try again in a VM, I guess.
Just buy BluRays and rip them yourself if you want to be “honest” about it. I really dont think the big media corp cares if you do it yourself with your own purchased media. Or just get them straight off the bay if you want to. Frankly the more time passes, the more I think not caring and just getting it off the naughty sites are the best for privacy.
Same for yt-dlp and youtube, I guess.
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I mean, between those 2 options… of course the Pi would be significantly more private. But then you lack the QOL features and it’s not as nice of a TV experience.
I think generally I would recommend getting an NVIDIA Shield and installing LineageOS, either that or an Apple TV if you trust Apple and your content can be found on streaming apps available there.
The main problem with Lineage (and non-stock Android in general) is unlocking your bootloader limits your Widevine level, which many services require. I had a Shield running Lineage with Google Services. Disney+ and Hulu would not play any video at all. Also I think some other services did not provide their 4K streams (but I don’t recall which ones). HDR also didn’t work.