I converted an old laptop into a home theater PC. My friend bought spare components for cheap and built a desktop for the same purpose. Not for everyone, but a great solution for some use cases. And can potentially fill other roles, like being your jellyfin host.

While shopping I suggest you find a spreadsheet with the capabilities of every device you’re considering. A lot don’t support certain formats, which can limit the kind of files and content you can stream. Last I checked shield and the Google TV stick thing were trouncing the competition.

Who exactly is having trouble believing this?