# Media PC Replacement

## Overview

Replace the aging Linux+Kodi media PC connected to the TV with a modern, compact solution. Primary use cases are Jellyfin/Kodi playback and watching Twitch/YouTube. The current machine (`media`, 10.69.31.50) is on VLAN 31.

## Current State

### Hardware
- **CPU**: Intel Core i7-4770K @ 3.50GHz (Haswell, 4C/8T, 2013)
- **GPU**: Nvidia GeForce GT 710 (Kepler, GK208B)
- **OS**: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS (Jammy)
- **Software**: Kodi
- **Network**: `media.home.2rjus.net` at `10.69.31.50` (VLAN 31)

### Control & Display
- **Input**: Wireless keyboard (works well, useful for browser)
- **TV**: 1080p (no 4K/HDR currently, but may upgrade TV later)
- **Audio**: Surround system connected via HDMI ARC from TV (PC → HDMI → TV → ARC → surround)

### Notes on Current Hardware
- The i7-4770K is massively overpowered for media playback — it's a full desktop CPU from 2013
- The GT 710 is a low-end passive GPU; supports NVDEC for H.264/H.265 hardware decode but limited to 4K@30Hz over HDMI 1.4
- Ubuntu 22.04 is approaching EOL (April 2027) and is not managed by this repo
- The whole system is likely in a full-size or mid-tower case — not ideal for a TV setup

### Integration
- **Media source**: Jellyfin on `jelly01` (10.69.13.14) serves media from NAS via NFS
- **DNS**: A record in `services/ns/external-hosts.nix`
- **Not managed**: Not a NixOS host in this repo, no monitoring/auto-updates

## Options

### Option 1: Dedicated Streaming Device (Apple TV / Nvidia Shield)

| Aspect | Apple TV 4K | Nvidia Shield Pro |
|--------|-------------|-------------------|
| **Price** | ~$130-180 | ~$200 |
| **Jellyfin** | Swiftfin app (good) | Jellyfin Android TV (good) |
| **Kodi** | Not available (tvOS) | Full Kodi support |
| **Twitch** | Native app | Native app |
| **YouTube** | Native app | Native app |
| **HDR/DV** | Dolby Vision + HDR10 | Dolby Vision + HDR10 |
| **4K** | Yes | Yes |
| **Form factor** | Tiny, silent | Small, silent |
| **Remote** | Excellent Siri remote | Decent, supports CEC |
| **Homelab integration** | None | Minimal (Plex/Kodi only) |

**Pros:**
- Zero maintenance - appliance experience
- Excellent app ecosystem (native Twitch, YouTube, streaming services)
- Silent, tiny form factor
- Great remote control / CEC support
- Hardware-accelerated codec support out of the box

**Cons:**
- No NixOS management, monitoring, or auto-updates
- Can't run arbitrary software
- Jellyfin clients are decent but not as mature as Kodi
- Vendor lock-in (Apple ecosystem / Google ecosystem)
- No SSH access for troubleshooting

### Option 2: NixOS Mini PC (Kodi Appliance)

A small form factor PC (Intel NUC, Beelink, MinisForum, etc.) running NixOS with Kodi as the desktop environment.

**NixOS has built-in support:**
- `services.xserver.desktopManager.kodi.enable` - boots directly into Kodi
- `kodi-gbm` package - Kodi with direct DRM/KMS rendering (no X11/Wayland needed)
- `kodiPackages.jellycon` - Jellyfin integration for Kodi
- `kodiPackages.sendtokodi` - plays streams via yt-dlp (Twitch, YouTube)
- `kodiPackages.inputstream-adaptive` - adaptive streaming support

**Example NixOS config sketch:**
```nix
{ pkgs, ... }:
{
  services.xserver.desktopManager.kodi = {
    enable = true;
    package = pkgs.kodi.withPackages (p: [
      p.jellycon
      p.sendtokodi
      p.inputstream-adaptive
    ]);
  };

  # Auto-login to Kodi session
  services.displayManager.autoLogin = {
    enable = true;
    user = "kodi";
  };
}
```

**Pros:**
- Full NixOS management (monitoring, auto-updates, vault, promtail)
- Kodi is a proven TV interface with excellent remote/CEC support
- JellyCon integrates Jellyfin library directly into Kodi
- Twitch/YouTube via sendtokodi + yt-dlp or Kodi browser addons
- Can run arbitrary services (e.g., Home Assistant dashboard)
- Declarative, reproducible config in this repo

**Cons:**
- More maintenance than an appliance
- NixOS + Kodi on bare metal needs GPU driver setup (Intel iGPU is usually fine)
- Kodi YouTube/Twitch addons are less polished than native apps
- Need to buy hardware (~$150-400 for a decent mini PC)
- Power consumption higher than a streaming device

### Option 3: NixOS Mini PC (Wayland Desktop)

A mini PC running NixOS with a lightweight Wayland compositor, launching Kodi for media and a browser for Twitch/YouTube.

**Pros:**
- Best of both worlds: Kodi for media, Firefox/Chromium for Twitch/YouTube
- Full NixOS management
- Can switch between Kodi and browser easily
- Native web experience for streaming sites

**Cons:**
- More complex setup (compositor + Kodi + browser)
- Harder to get a good "10-foot UI" experience
- Keyboard/mouse may be needed alongside remote
- Significantly more maintenance

## Comparison

| Criteria | Dedicated Device | NixOS Kodi | NixOS Desktop |
|----------|-----------------|------------|---------------|
| **Maintenance** | None | Low | Medium |
| **Media experience** | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| **Twitch/YouTube** | Excellent (native apps) | Good (addons/yt-dlp) | Excellent (browser) |
| **Homelab integration** | None | Full | Full |
| **Form factor** | Tiny | Small | Small |
| **Cost** | $130-200 | $150-400 | $150-400 |
| **Silent operation** | Yes | Likely (fanless options) | Likely |
| **CEC remote** | Yes | Yes (Kodi) | Partial |

## Decision: NixOS Mini PC with Kodi (Option 2)

**Rationale:**
- Already comfortable with Kodi + wireless keyboard workflow
- Browser access for Twitch/YouTube is important — Kodi can launch a browser when needed
- Homelab integration comes for free (monitoring, auto-updates, vault)
- Natural fit alongside the other 16 NixOS hosts in this repo
- Dedicated devices lose the browser/keyboard workflow

### Twitch/YouTube in Kodi

Several approaches, can mix and match:
- **sendtokodi** addon + yt-dlp — paste/send URLs, plays via yt-dlp backend. Supports Twitch and YouTube.
- **Kodi web browser** — launch a full browser from within Kodi (falls back to keyboard input)
- **Tube addon** / YouTube plugin — dedicated YouTube browsing within Kodi UI

The browser fallback with the wireless keyboard means streaming sites will always work even if Kodi addons are flaky.

### Audio Passthrough

Kodi on NixOS supports HDMI audio passthrough for surround formats (AC3, DTS, etc.). The ARC chain (PC → HDMI → TV → ARC → surround) works transparently — Kodi just needs to be configured for passthrough rather than decoding audio locally.

## Hardware

### Leading Candidate: GMKtec G3

- **CPU**: Intel N100 (Alder Lake-N, 4C/4T)
- **RAM**: 16GB
- **Storage**: 512GB NVMe
- **Price**: ~NOK 2800 (~$250 USD)
- **Source**: AliExpress

The N100 supports hardware decode for all relevant 4K codecs:

| Codec | Support | Used by |
|-------|---------|---------|
| H.264/AVC | Yes (Quick Sync) | Older media |
| H.265/HEVC 10-bit | Yes (Quick Sync) | Most 4K media, HDR |
| VP9 | Yes (Quick Sync) | YouTube 4K |
| AV1 | Yes (Quick Sync) | YouTube, Twitch, newer encodes |

16GB RAM is comfortable for Kodi + browser + NixOS system services (node-exporter, promtail, etc.) with plenty of headroom.

### Key Requirements
- HDMI 2.0+ for 4K future-proofing (current TV is 1080p)
- Hardware video decode via VA-API / Intel Quick Sync
- HDR support (for future TV upgrade)
- Fanless or near-silent operation

## Implementation Steps

1. **Choose and order hardware**
2. **Create host configuration** (`hosts/media1/`)
   - Kodi desktop manager with Jellyfin + streaming addons
   - Intel/AMD iGPU driver and VA-API hardware decode
   - HDMI audio passthrough for surround
   - NFS mount for media (same pattern as jelly01)
   - Browser package (Firefox/Chromium) for Twitch/YouTube fallback
   - Standard system modules (monitoring, promtail, vault, auto-upgrade)
3. **Install NixOS** on the mini PC
4. **Configure Kodi** (Jellyfin server, addons, audio passthrough)
5. **Update DNS** - point `media.home.2rjus.net` to new IP (or keep on VLAN 31)
6. **Retire old media PC**

## Open Questions

- [x] What are the current media PC specs? — i7-4770K, GT 710, Ubuntu 22.04. Overkill CPU, weak GPU, large form factor. Not worth reusing if goal is compact/silent.
- [x] VLAN? — Keep on VLAN 31 for now, same as current media PC. Can revisit later.
- [x] Is CEC needed? — No, not using it currently. Can add later if desired.
- [x] Is 4K HDR output needed? — TV is 1080p now, but want 4K/HDR capability for future TV upgrade
- [x] Audio setup? — Surround system via HDMI ARC from TV. Media PC outputs HDMI to TV, TV passes audio to surround via ARC. Kodi/any player just needs HDMI audio output with surround passthrough.
- [x] Are there streaming service apps needed? — No. Only Twitch/YouTube, which work fine in any browser.
- [x] Budget? — ~NOK 2800 for GMKtec G3 (N100, 16GB, 512GB NVMe)