Top Ten Best Free Web Sites to Watch Movies On Line

Nice trick, tubi+brave and tubi is streaming very smoothly these days. Some streaming services just don't play that well, like pluto.

I'm getting ready to put together an open source streaming box using a beelink mini PC. It will run Kubuntu with VLC, Kodi, Spotify, Plex HTPC, Brave, Chromium, ICE. Chromium is the open source version of Chrome browser before google gets it's hands on it.

ICE is a program that creates “Site Specific Browsers” or SSBs. You plug in a url, add an icon or have it use the website's favicon and choose a spot in your PC's menu system so it can be started like a program. It's a minimal browser window with close/minimize/maximize buttons and that's it. No browser menu, favorites/bookmarks, history etc so that it uses less resources. Here's Pluto.TV as an SSB.

The volume, scroll bar etc go away after a few seconds of course but my screenshot tool made them reappear. It can also go full screen like any browser window or video player for a TV like experience.

Most of the streaming sites listed in this thread will be done as SSBs. It's too bad the ICE program won't work with Brave. Brave does have Guest Window mode which is also a private window but with Guest mode, it removes the menu/bookmark bars so it's fairly minimal.

This is what I ended up going with for a streaming box. Has 4 USB 3.2 ports(2 on back, 2 on front), 2 - 4K HDMI ports and will do dual display, LAN port, wifi 802.11ac. The mid sized keyboard has a touchpad and media control buttons and is designed for PC to TV use. Not backlit but the space bar is the pause/play button for most everything and I don't need light for that. Don't need light to use the touchpad either.

Kubuntu KDE runs the Plasma desktop and there's a full screen menu called Application Dashboard and it can be activated using the Super/Meta key and then navigated with the arrow keys. Being full screen, I'll be able to see it from the couch. I can also edit the menu items. Add, remove, rearrange, rename, change icons etc.

About the same price as an nVidia Shield TV box which runs Android which is google, no thanks. Had one once and didn't care for it. Then one day it wouldn't get past the Android startup graphic so I sold it as parts only on ebay.

I started watching Midway on tubi using my laptop and got about half way through. Two days later, went to go finish watching and it's no longer available. That's ok. I'm sure it will come back in rotation at some point and I'll play it on the TV the using the new streaming box so my son can see it too.

I looked through the list in that earlier post and came up with this. Roku, Tubi and Pluto. The rest are listings, purchases or absolute B grade like popcorn flix.

I figured out how to use Brave to run SSB windows by simply replacing chromium-browser with brave-browser-stable in the command box. Brave, like many browsers, is derived from the open source Chromium. That's why it works even though Brave isn't listed in the ICE SSB program. Below is the Kubuntu KDE menu editor.

Added Roku, Tubi and Pluto to my new TV sub-menu and then dragged Kodi, Plex HTPC and Spotify over to the TV sub-menu.(try that in stock Windows)

When I set up my open source streaming box, it will have a slimmed down menu. Yes, both my laptop and the streaming box will run Kubuntu OS. Here's part of the full screen menu on my laptop. It typically starts with Recent Applications highlighted but for the TV box, I can get rid of Recent Applications and Recent Files and then All Applications would be highlighted. One arrow click down will put me in TV and left arrow will run me through the TV apps. All Applications isn't something I can get rid of. Kodi will handle any video/audio files I have on the hard drive. It works as a media library and player. There's also some free streaming content available through it.

Just placed the order for the Beelink Mini PC that will be the streaming box and the wireless keyboard with touchpad for it. $215 with tax. Our dumb TV has one 4K HDMI input which is where the Beelink will plug in. We've only been able to run 1080p due to using an older laptop to play videos from and that old laptop will not stream. It will barely do basic web surfing. I've been wanting to do this for 2-3 years now and thought about building a mini PC or using a Raspberry Pi. Then I ran across the Intel NUC mini PC and then Beelink which has the same Intel processors as the NUC lineup and comparable other internals but at about 1/2 to 2/3 the price.

One of these days, I’ll get a nice surround sound system set up again. I’m not big on TV/movies but I do prefer a nice experience when I do watch.

I’m fine with my 8 year old laptop 15 inch 1920x1080 screen and headphones for just me but I’ve got a 21 year old autistic son here and he likes most things I like of course.

Currently to watch something on the TV, it’s download to my laptop, transfer to a USB stick and HOPE that the wimpy old laptop, the only one with HDMI, will handle it. I’ve been known to recode videos so that they’ll play on that junk laptop. Acer Aspire One - economy netbook.

We’ve got a DVD player but I’m not buying movies. We’re too far out for antenna TV and I have no use for any of it anyway. Not paying for satellite and no cable here which I also wouldn’t pay for.

You might want to check out the Midway remake when it comes up on tubi again - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_(2019_film)#Historical_accuracy

Says it’s more accurate than the 1976 version and other naval films on the same subject. Of course today’s technology and acting is different than decades ago for better or worse.

The keyboard on my very old, Windows 7, Sony Vaio was failing & I needed new laptop. Didn't want to spend but wanted to be able to stream movies at least. Got a Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 with a intel i5 10 core( up to 4.6 GHz), SSD, 15" screen.

For sound I have an older Denon AVR-2311CI (135W x 7ch). Speakers are Aperion; 2 Intimus 5T, 5.25" 2.5 Way towers, Intimus 5C 5.25" 3 Way center channel, 2 Intimus 5D, 5.25" 2 Way Dipole/Bipole surrounds, 1 Bravus 10D Subwoofer (dual 10" 300W power amp). SW comes with a remote to conveniently set cross over, room & para EQ.). That speaker set up came with a audio SPL meter for manually setting speakers. The AVR has an Audyssey with external mic for auto calibration of each speaker.
The room is ~ 21x11 (231 sq/ft) so it fills that up pretty good.

I've also have an older Sony DVD (RW), HDD player that works well.

BTW Everything is powered through a Surgex surge eliminator/power conditioner. This a professional grade, non sacrificial unit. They use these in places like Carnegie Hall. I had to chase down a sales rep to get one. Not available at retail stores at the time, not sure about now. He asked, how did you find out about these we don't sell retail. Told him I'd been in the rock n roll concert biz and had seen them around. He arranged to get me one. Can't remember what it cost.

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