Either Slackware or Red Hat Linux 5, can’t remember. I do remember that when I first installed RH5 I used “Hick” for my language.

You’ve never used find have you? Let’s not even get started on the config file syntax for sendmail either.

Valid point, didn’t think of that.

Kodi is what you are looking for.

Run it on Pi 4 or a NUC. We use Disney+ and Netflix on ours, although Prime video does not work (although it should, I just have not made any effort yet).

You have basically just described Kodi.

Look into “digital signage” panels.

Not cheap, but they are basically a 49"+ computer monitor that is rated for 24/7 usage.

That 3D file system browser (I presume you’re talking about Jurassic Park) was totally real.

It was a tech demo that SGI included with IRIX called “fsn”. Ironically, at the time, many people criticised it for being unrealistic. There is an open source clone called “fsv”.

I know, but do TV shows to it?

I understand that it dynamic range is necessary and having none is terrible (look up “loudness wars” in the recording industry), but it seems TV shows are no longer mastered for a actual home consumption.

Back in the day, we would work on our nice studio monitors, switch to a pair of NS10s to make sure it would sound good on a cheap Hifi, but we would also make it sound good on something garbage. Sometimes (always in fact) this was to the detriment of how sound on good gear, but 99% of people use garbage.

Until 6 months ago I had 2Mb/s (with a tailwind) DSL that had a consistent 10% packet loss.

I feel I have earned my 2Gb/s fibre!

We used to call it “compression” and itwas an essential part of the recording process. It seems TV shows don’t do that anymore.