How to watch TV with a Raspberry Pi
Once you start to see all the possibilities that the Raspberry Pi offers, it is very difficult to stop, especially if you fully enter the whole world of possibilities that the GPIO connector offers you. Thanks to this set of 40 pins, the options are multiplied by being able to have a much more precise control with different types of accessories, components and other devices that would be connected to one or more of those pins.
And yes, sometimes the idea of having to solder or find a way to connect specific pins can seem complicated, but it is not so complicated. Although there are a number of accessories that are specifically designed to take advantage of it and that are as easy to use as connecting a simple USB cable. One of them is this HAT (hardware attached on top) that allows add a TV tuner.
Thanks to this TV Hat that The Raspberry Pi Foundation launched a long time ago, you will be able to create your own Smart TV, but completely. Not only will you have options to play multimedia content that you have stored locally or through internet services, you will also tune in to the television signal that arrives through DVB-T2. That means you put an antenna cable in and you can watch your favorite shows and live broadcasts.
Okay, it is unusual nowadays to resort to a digital television signal when everything is practically moving on the internet. Even so, there are programs or sporting events that continue to depend or are more interesting to see in a traditional way. So with this accessory you could.
In addition, the installation of the Raspberry Pi TV Hat is very simple since you only have to connect in the GPIO connector. All this with the advantage that they are still working to make use of other accessories or accessories. Of course, the ideal is that if you are going to use it, it is with one of the latest Raspberry Pi models so that there are no power problems if it is needed for the management of the digital signal that arrives.
Raspberry Pi, Kodi and TV Hat
As we said before, it is very likely that for most users, having a television capable of tuning in to the different television signals that may arrive via DTT or satellite is already unnecessary. Even so, if you want, this complement can be interesting to have a very versatile Smart TV.
Thanks to the use of said Hat and with all the Kodi potential, the Raspberry Pi can become a more than attractive solution to give a new life to an old monitor or television that for some reason does not offer an experience in terms of Smart TV satisfactory or simply did not have it. In addition, it must be remembered that with Kodi you can use a series of very attractive plugins and add-ons to enjoy IPTV among many other things.
You could even take advantage of an old television to do something like you see above: a portable game system with which you can also watch television, etc. Here, as always, the limits are practically set by the user.
Where to buy the Raspbery Pi TV Hat
There are different online and non-online stores where you will be able to find and buy this TV Hat for your Raspberry Pi. For example, one of them is on Amazon and its price is around 17 euros. Which is not bad even adding that of a more powerful Raspberry Pi 4.
To use it, you will need to have the most recent version of Raspberry Pi OS, which you can get directly from the official website. And from there, although for that you may need some guide or previous experience, you can complement it with more software or hardware options.
Thus, with a simple board like the Raspberry Pi, you can have a Smart TV with which to enjoy local and online multimedia content, the television signal and even other leisure options such as retro emulators thanks to Retro Pie.
