Video dashboard for kids HW and setup

Hardware
1

I need a bit of help with the HW and tooling selection.

The concept:

I’d like to create some sort of a dashboard attached . It has two areas. Video area plays a playlist from YouTube/Netflix. Progress bar shows how much watch time is left with some icons ( time for snack, drink etc) for the actions as of now.

Scenario:

  • tv turns on at set time
  • dash board is started and playlist is played
  • when time is up tv shuts down

During the day I’d like to have a few sessions at fixed schedule. One in the morning, lunch time and in the evening.

I need help with tv selection allowing home assistant integration and some sort for kiosk mode. I like Samsung tizen but not convinced that this is the best choice for HA integration. Fire stick with kiosk mode could be an option as well.

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2

You can do this with a raspberry pi and a CEC enabled television. CEC will allow full TV control and RasPi is flexible so you can create program or just use for the web browser.

I am thinking its just a browser pane thats needed.

3

I used to have a Samsung TV but found it very hard to integrate to HA. Now have an LG and this integrates really well. I even have it so that i can ask Alexa (not the TV integrated one) to open HA and it launches a browser with the HA dashboard, al controlled by HA integrations and scripts. You can also send toast messages to the TV from HA.

Haven’t look at how to control a TV app once launched.

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4

Could you suggest any specific models?

5

Can you turn on LG TV via WiFi from HA?
I don’t really want to hardwire it.

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6

Yes. However, you have to enable a setting on the tv

And the use the wake on lan integration to allow this. Instructions for LG integration also explain.

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7

TV models? No

While i do like samsung TV for CEC i do not like their OS. i did like LG OS but do not believe i would craft anything around it since i do not trust companies to not kill their OS features.

I would definitely use a raspberry pi since it reduces needed TV support and a computer(Rasberry Pi running Raspbian OS or any linux OS) is extremely flexible and can use this

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8

LG is the answer.

I have Plex meets Home Assistant for close to this idea right now, and there are scripts in the background that allow someone to choose a movie on the wall tablet, and it will turn on the TV, and play the selected movie.

It could easily be modified to change to a time based event/automation.

9

This one is nice! :grinning:

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10

Thank you to everyone who chipped in!

I have rpi 4 witch arch installation laying around.

I am looking for 32inch ish TV to mount on a hinge.

Remaining question is how to power on TV.

I can see three options to power on TV:

  1. CEC
  2. smart tv os functionality
  3. IR blaster
  4. Wake on lan, probably a long shot

Any thoughts?

11

1 if you can get it to work without problem.

2 if there is api for smarttv OS or integration works well

3 requires more hardware and more potential ways thing can fail. You can get IR that goes in the headphone jack and may work well

4 is not likely to be on consumer TV

12

Disagree. My LG C2 (and i believe most modern LGs) will work with WOL, and does very reliably. I also believe many Samsung TVs also do. But you have to enable the setting to keep Wifi on in standby. Will not normally be default on due to power saving requirements on manufacturer.

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