Computer for TV with DVD

I am looking for a small computer to purchase, preferably $500 or less that can play DVDs and internet to run my home TV. My TV takes HDMI input.

Any thoughts?

Is the TV 4K? Not all Linux distros work with 4k. But as far as the form factor of the computer are you looking at something such as a nuc or a mini-ATX tower? An optical drive isn’t a big deal since an usb attached optical drives are cheap.

What about a Raspberry Pi? It is a really small computer and just made for the task. I guess you can attach an external DVD drive and the cost is really low.

Personally I use the Raspberry Pi 3 hooked to my TV via HDMI and I am already thinking about connecting a DVD drive because my Blu-ray player broke.

What do you use on there, and does it play any streaming services? Or is it for local services only? And will any external external Bluray player work? I quick DDG shows results from 5 and 7 years ago.

I use it for both, streaming and local files so it has internet access. Of course it depends on the service. I use it with Netflix and YouTube. The Raspberry Pi runs a whole minimal OS (LibreELEC) using Kodi for media playback. You can run something else even with a real browser and a keyboard or mouse attached to it. Just search for Raspberry Pi.

About the external Blu-ray player, I will investigate. I know there is stuff on Amazon.

You could try the new raspberry pi 4 combined with the new plasma bigscreen? That would be fun, especially if you like KDE!

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