Setting up a new smart TV these days means being inundated with privacy notices, account creation screens and data collection agreements. I’ve been guilty of just accepting and being there to turn on the TV. But the problems do not end there. Dismissing excessive notifications locks the functions behind the inputs. Worse, after a firmware update, telemetry was silently restarted, and the manufacturers simply gave up on the temporary inconvenience.
I’m tired of software getting worse instead of better. I downloaded it LibreELEC on Raspberry Pi 4 and plugged it into my TV’s HDMI port. LibreELEC is a lightweight operating system that loads directly into Kodi. Within 20 minutes I was looking at my content library otherwise syncing with Jellyfin. LibreELEC has become my only way to watch everything in my library on my smart TV.
Why I chose LibreELEC for Raspberry Pi 4
A lightweight OS for media center software
As a Jellyfin and Plex user, I’ve always wanted to try Kodi. That’s why I found it LibreELEC to be perfect for my home. The project calls itself the “Enough OS for Kodi”. This is not your typical Linux distro. It has no desktop environment, background services or any other bloat. Unlike other Raspberry Pi OS or other general purpose operating systems, LibreELEC is loaded directly into Kodi.
I downloaded it last LibreELEC builds for Pi 4 with Kodi 21.3 and burned it to a 64GB microSD card using the Raspberry Pi Imager software. Only later did I discover the LibreELEC Configuration Tool, which makes it a one-click process. Since the Pi 4 board has a micro-HDMI port, I put mine in an Argon40 case with a built-in fan with a full-size HDMI port. This made it easy to connect the Pi directly to the TV.
Another personal reason was the lack of software support for the LG C2. Despite being 4 years old, it won’t receive the latest webOS 26 update. So I have to make do with whatever buggy firmware the TV manufacturer pushes.
- Storage
-
MicroSD card slot
- CPU
-
Arm Cortex-a72 (quad-core, 1.8 GHz)
- Memory
-
1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4
- Operating system
-
Raspberry Pi (Official)
LibreELEC’s interface is faster than any smart TV I’ve used
No features are added silently
The first thing I noticed was the speed. After using working TVs Google TV, Roku OSFire OS and Apple tvOS have all done the same thing over the years: populating promoted content, autoplay banners, and app carousels.
LibreELEC skips all that. The menus open immediately. The interface remains stutter-free while watching hundreds of movies, shows and music albums. Even after installing the add-ons, there was no noticeable lag in the interface. For fun, I set Kodi’s screen resolution to 1080p and the interface’s refresh rate to 120Hz. Everything went fast and smoothly without any hiccups. Kodi’s 4K output excels at 30Hz.
Local library management that surpasses any other streaming service
Many ways to add to your media library
While modern smart TV software is organized around apps, LibreELEC is organized around media. It sounds like a small difference, but it has changed everything about how I interact with my content library.
I showed LibreELEC network share on my home server and allow it to automatically delete metadata. Within minutes, LibreELEC’s home screen was filled with movie posters, cast information, ratings, trailers, plot summaries, and media codec details. It was like the Netflix version, but every title and layout felt like mine.
Library management makes it stand out. I built popular databases – TMDB for movies and TVDB for TV shows – to retrieve and synchronize metadata. Even multiple versions of the same movie were clean tagged. Since I’m already running Jellyfin, I installed the Kodi plugin and the watched content status syncs between Jellyfin and Kodi. No smart TV’s built-in library comes close.
Add-ons expand the possibilities even further. The YouTube add-on provides an ad-free experience without Shorts. Live TV enthusiasts can check out the TVHeadend add-on and use it with a DVB USB stick. This will turn the Pi 4 into a full DVR with live TV, scheduled recordings and a programming guide. All major streaming services use Widevine DRM and LibreELEC does not support it. So I’m using a Fire TV Stick with Projectivy launcher on the TV.
For control, my existing LG remote worked over HDMI-CEC without connecting any additional hardware to the Pi. This frees up the keyboard and mouse from the Pi 4.
Audio and video settings are in a different league
Expert level customizations
I can see why home theater enthusiasts rave about Kodi. Smart TVs are quietly languishing here with their webcap-like apps. By default, Kodi automatically adjusts the screen refresh rate to match the frame rate of the content. This means that movies play in 24p and have panned shots have no judder.
The audio link works cleanly, especially if you have sound panel or an AV receiver that supports Dolby Atmos or DTS:Xi. i use HomePod (1st Gen) with my TV via eARC.and Kodi streams the audio directly without letting the TV play again.
Granular video calibration settings for zoom, overscan correction, and subtitle placement help deeply customize the viewing experience. Some of these settings are buried deep in a typical smart TV.
Your TV knows more about you than you think
Smart TVs are watching you
Smart TVs today capture what you’re watching on screen and send that data back to the manufacturer via Automatic Content Recognition. Most manufacturers enable usage tracking and ad targeting by default, especially in preloaded streaming apps. Opt-out options for the same are placed deep within the settings.
LibreELEC collects no data, has no accounts, and has no terms of service you have to accept. Nothing that calls home. The home screen shows exactly what media I’ve pulled into the library, with the add-ons and layout I’ve chosen. After years of dealing with “you might also like” pushes on smart TV platforms, taking back control feels even more important.
LibreELEC is worth it, but not for everyone
LibreELEC is worth it, but it’s not plug-and-play. The setup takes real effort, and continuous 4K streaming sessions require a cooler or active fan case like the Argon40. If that sounds like a deal or too much work to you, then a Fire TV Stick with custom launcher Projectivy as a better challenge. If you put in an hour, it would be hard to give up what you got.
Smart TV software tends to age badly because manufacturers charge a premium when buying a TV and quietly stop updating after a few years. LibreELEC does none of these. No re-activated telemetry, no content recommendations, and no in-your-face promoted content. You need to command your layout and library. Of course, you can replace the Pi with better hardware if you need more space. Your TV stays smart. You get to decide who will run the show.
