I'm looking to create an easy solution that is child/wife friendly. I'm hoping to get a set up going without internet. I however would like it to run like a Chromecast with plex.

I was thinking of a

Dell Optiplex 3020M Mini PC USFF, running windows 10

An external hard drive with content.

From here is where I have gaps. Could I set up a plex server offline on the device, with plex media player and use an Flirc remote with pre-programmed buttons?

Essentially, I'm trying to create the experience of watching Netflix on a Chromecast but with plex and a pc remote control of some sort (with pre-programmed buttons that load up content so kid and wife only have to press one or two buttons to get to their shows)

Thanks!

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[–] Platform27@lemmy.ml 30 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You might have better luck with Jellyfin, than Plex. Plex uses online authentication tools, which is used for not just user, but server management. In contrast, Jellyfin can be ran completely locally.

Now one thing to note is that neither solution will properly detect your media files properly. You’d need to manually input file details. Usually these servers would do a quick online search, to detect that your movie is what it is. You could import this data, but you’d need an internet connection to acquire it. If you do not mind all that busy work, then you should be fine.

Now the remote… honestly, no idea. I’m pretty sure Android TV has a button remapper app, which might help… Do modern Chromecasts use Android TV? I haven’t used them since their second generation. Best do some research yourself, or wait for another reply.

[–] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 11 months ago

Seconded, Jellyfin runs completely offline which I know from the practical test when my internet provider had lots of issues for a few days. Could not access anything online but locally Jellyfin was fine.