New to Android TV but not to PC building/tech. I love my Fire Pendant but was looking at Android TV boxes and couldn't help but wonder if it's possible to build your own out of a mini ITX case.
Are there any ways of getting anything in a smaller form factor like the Mi Box or Shield?
Ideally I'd like my own design for an Android TV with the option to load in my own theme on a home screen.
Ideally I'd like my own design for an Android TV with the option to load in my own theme on a home screen.
I don't think you can build your own box... However.
If home screen customisation is your number one goal; Kodi can be set to auto-launch and be your home screen, it can launch Android apps and can be customised to your liking.
I have a Shield and bloody love it.
If you don't need a disc drive, Android Tv with Kodi leaves my old HTPC in the dust for ease of use.
There are a lot of options, but without a Netflix-certified device you'll be stuck in standard definition.
It would be amazing if you could build your own AndroidTV with a mini-ITX PC or a Raspberry Pi 4, but really there is no project that has this where you will get successful results and work with all the DRM apps like Netflix that I'm aware of.
Khadas have ATV builds
Also odroid have some ATV builds for their boards
https://forum.odroid.com/viewtopic.php?t=35390
All a bit hacky but might be what you want...
You can easily build a HTPC, and even run Android on it, but it won't be an Android TV without a Google certification. AFAIK, the only way to get your hands on Android TV source (not AOSP source) is to be a manufacturer with an agreement with Google.