I have been rather unhappy with my smart TV’s functionality as I feel it isn’t smart for me but smart for the manufacturers. I just can’t use it how I want to. I would love to overwrite the existing OS from Android to Linux. I’ve recently converted from Windows and loving Mint.
I haven’t read too much regarding Linux smart tvs as my searches mostly come up with raspberry Pi and overwriting an Android box. I don’t want to connect anything and just want my tv to boot up in Linux when it’s turned on, and get some of my apps going. Is there a way to do this?
For reference I have a Sony Bravia with Android installed on it.
If you can unlock the bootloader, it might be possible to install a Halium distro like Droidian on it. I wouldn’t recommend doing so, however, and there will be missing functionality, such as being able to use any video inputs or watch live TV. It will basically be a large smartphone without a touchscreen.
Instead, I recommend disconnecting your TV from the internet and connecting an external device to it as others have recommended. See if there’s a way to autoboot your TV to an HDMI input. You can also get a USB CEC adapter to use your TV’s remote on your external device for something like Kodi, for instance.