How to turn your TV into a smart TV with a Raspberry Pi

By Jabin | 12/9/2022 (Rewritten from the old site)

What you need

1. Raspberry Pi 4 with at least 2 GB RAM
2. TV
3. Wireless or wired Internet connection
4. USB remote control if your TV doesn't support CEC*

How To

First, download KDE Plasma Bigscreen. You’ll want to select the Manjaro option, or whichever supports the Raspberry Pi 4. Once it’s downloaded, open the Raspberry Pi Imager. Select “Custom Image” and the Micro SD card you want to install KDE Plasma Bigscreen to. Wait until the imager finishes flashing Bigscreen to your MicroSD card and remove the card from the reader.
Next, plug your Raspberry Pi into your TV via HDMI, insert the Micro SD card into the slot on the bottom of your Pi, with the golden terminals on the Micro SD card facing upwards. Plug in your Pi to an electrical outlet, and switch inputs on your TV to the HDMI port you’ve plugged your Pi into, if necessary.
Once the Raspberry Pi has finished starting up, connect a keyboard and mouse to complete the setup process. Connect an Ethernet cord or connect to your wireless Internet network and enter the password if necessary.
When your Pi is connected to the Internet, a screen with a Mycroft Assistant verification code will appear. You’ll need to create a Mycroft account and enter the code shown on the screen to proceed. Mycroft is a secure and private virtual assistant, similar to the Google assistant or Siri. Visit home.mycroft.ai to enter the verification code.

What to do next

* If your TV does not support CEC, which allows you to use your regular TV remote on connected devices via HDMI, you may want to purchase a USB remote control for the best experience. Below are a few recommendations.

1. Rii MX3 Multifunction 2.4G Fly Mouse Mini Wireless Keyboard & Infrared Remote Control
2. Fm4 2.4G Universal Remote Control USB
3. WeChip W1 Remote 2.4G Wireless Keyboard Multifunctional Remote Control

To see if your TV supports CEC, try selecting items on screen with your TV remote. If it works then you’re good to go with your TV remote. If it doesn’t, you might want a USB remote to plug into your Raspberry Pi to control KDE Plasma Bigscreen.

---

This article shows you how to turn your Raspberry Pi into a smart TV using KDE Plasma Bigscreen. If you have any questions or suggestions, comment below!