this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2026
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Advice for Linux media center (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 16 hours ago by Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works to c/linux@lemmy.ml
34 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Hi everyone!

In the next year or so, my project is to rip all my blurays and put them on a 4tb external USB hard drive. I've already done it for all my DVDs, but I still have to buy an external bluray player in order to finish the job. My budget for the bluray player is CHF 75.- used, so around 75$. All this is done through MakeMKV.

Then, I'd want to have a small Linux PC that I'd use as a media center. My budget is under CHF 100.-, so around 100$. I've noticed that you can get 2014 MacMinis with i5 or i7 for that budget, but I'm open to any other brand.

What I'd want the PC to do: -Play all my movies stored on my external USB drive. I don't think I have 4k movies, but I can't exclude that some of my Blurays will be 4k in the future -Display my family pictures and videos stored on kDrive (a cloud by Infomaniak) through Firefox and WebDav -Play my music on my Yamaha Amplifier through Firefox and Tidal -Use the wifi for updates, browser based stuff, etc..

The PC would probably not be used for anything else for now, but it needs to be able to become a desktop PC again in the future if needed.

I'd want to operate the PC with a bluetooth mouse and only have to use a keyboard from time to time.

I've heard about Jellyfin, Libelec, Kodi and other stuff but I don't really know what they are.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

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[–] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (2 children)

I read your article and it was interesting.

I didn’t know the RAM on the 2014 MacMinis wasn’t upgradeable. Thanks for letting me know.

Also what did you mean by don’t bother with the hotter i7 version as I saw a lot of them for quite cheap? Are they bad or just too powerful for what I’d do?

As for the Broadcom module, I’ve done it on my 2012 upgraded MacBook Pro and it was easy in Fedora. Don’t know about other distros though..

[–] doodoo_wizard@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

For what you’re suggesting using it for there isn’t much point in paying for the faster hotter chip.

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to decode 4k if you end up going that route with the 2014.

[–] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 hours ago

In my country, used i7 or i5 are around the same price, but I can’t find an i5 with 16gb of ram to future proof it and make it useable for something else than a media center if I want to recycle it in the future.

Still I hope the i7 isn’t consuming too much or producing too much heat.

[–] djdarren@piefed.social 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (2 children)

The RAM is upgradable on the 2018 mini, though the storage isn't. The ability to upgrade the RAM is a big part of why those ones have kept their value.

I actually use a 2014 mini as my general purpose home server.

The interesting thing about that model is that they were offered with a Fusion drive: so basically, some have a small SSD for installing the OS on, with a larger spinning HDD for everything else. If you do pick one up and it doesn't have the adapter for an M.2 drive, you can buy them on eBay for less than £10.

So mine now has a 250GB M.2 SSD and a 1TB SATA SSD. When I installed Debian, I put /root on the M.2 and /home on the SATA, which works perfectly. The OS can have as much space as it needs without eating into the space my stuff needs. And I have an external 1Tb HDD connected too.

But yeah, as mentioned elsewhere, the wifi can be a pain on those Macs. Personally, I didn't bother with it as it's hooked up with Gigabit ethernet anyway.

edit to add: Mine is an 8GB model and I honestly haven't found myself wishing it had more (for what I use mine, that is).

Mine runs Jellyfin, Navidrome, Mealie (a recipes app), pihole, and Booklore, and doesn't give me any trouble.

[–] datendefekt@feddit.org 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Recently read of some controversy around Booklore. Looks like the main dev is ignoring PRs and just vibe coding everything himself, planning a subscription model, and the quality is slipping.

[–] djdarren@piefed.social 1 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Yeah, I saw something about that after I'd gone to the trouble of getting it up and running. Might have another go at Calibre Web, though I had trouble getting it to sync with my Kobo, where Booklore was pretty straightforward.

[–] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

Thanks for your answer! I only realized now that since it’s gonna be near my router, an Ethernet cable can do the job in case RPM Fusion and installling the Broadcom drivers isn’t enough.

Just put an offer on an auction site for a MacMini with 16Gb of Ram, an i7 and a 265gb SSD. We’ll see if I get it for less than 100.-🤞

[–] djdarren@piefed.social 1 points 8 hours ago

Best of luck to you!