Tangential, but does anyone know of good hardware to function as a standalone HDMI output video server? I've been wanting to play with making a 'plug and play' box that I could give to kids/grandparents in my life who don't have the technical skills to pirate for themselves, preloaded with content I think is good and they'd enjoy.
What is the cheapest hardware that can output arbitrary 1080p video over HDMI at a good frame-rate? Bonus points for having a good chunk of integrated storage and/or bundled with remote control. I bought one of those cheap tiny PCs but the video card wasn't up to the task.
Google ChromeCast is the usual solution for this. ~$50, the size of a hockey puck, needs a phone-charger for a power plug, and does HDMI-out.
Turns your TV into a YouTube/Netflix/Spotify/Hulu, and the remote-control is your phone.
If by "arbitrary 1080p content", you mean a collection of media files of your own, I'd get a Raspberry Pi 3B+ kit for $50, plug in a large external HDD or two, and setup a Plex server.
Arguably, buying a smart tv is the cheapest way to go.
There is the Pi 4, which once all the parts and shipping are put together about $80. Though, eh.. imho it's better if you get one of the Intel Nucs. They can be had for around $200 and are quite good.
What is the cheapest hardware that can output arbitrary 1080p video over HDMI at a good frame-rate? Bonus points for having a good chunk of integrated storage and/or bundled with remote control. I bought one of those cheap tiny PCs but the video card wasn't up to the task.