I vaguely recall it, but lost track of it. Any list of devices it works on, or will work on?
this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2025
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Me. I knew of this project. I'm waiting on it being ready to use on my HTPC
It's been pretty ignored but I understand there's been a fair bit of recent development on it by a single dev that's taken an interest. Hard to say how long that's going to continue, and it still has a long way to go to be something like LibreELEC/Kodi.
I don't know why they make this. Video streaming services don't support Linux.
Most KDE projects are acts of (dare I say it) love 💘 . People start projects, contribute to them, and maintain them, because they love them. The original spark may be need, an itch that needs scratching, but what keeps a project going is the thought that "wouldn't it be fun if...".
So that's your first reason.
The second reason is that the status quo doesn't stay the same forever. You are right: support for Linux on streaming for Linux users sucks and is often deliberately fked. But the status quo of, say games on Linux... oh, what? Five years ago? Also sucked and was deliberately fked, and look now.
KDE is not a company. It's contributors do not have to adhere to schedules or the current status quo. They can wait and improve as they wait. Very often the work they put into pays off in the future for the benefit of everybody.
And that is reason number 2.
So that's your first reason.
That explains absolutely nothing...
But the status quo of, say games on Linux... oh, what? Five years ago?
The status quo of Linux native gaming hasn't changed. What's changed is a compatibility layer.
Are you saying there's going to be a compatibility layer for iOS apps or something?
That explains absolutely nothing…
It explains the question of "why do they make this".
What’s changed is a compatibility layer.
Much more than that. What has changed is that studios explicitly work towards compatibility with it.
Are you saying there’s going to be a compatibility layer for iOS apps or something?
Well, there are already those for Android.
Wouldn't be surprising if someone did the same for Tizen or any of the other vendor's SmartTV systems. They all Linux systems after all.
Also this is only an issue for some proprietary apps. Some of which are often just fancy frontends for services which are also accessible in a web browser.
The people working on this might not even be using those
It explains the question of "why do they make this".
No.
What has changed is that studios explicitly work towards compatibility with it.
There's no work required.
Well, there are already those for Android.
They don't work without a ton of futzing around with microg and whatnot, and Google is actively trying to break them.
Some of which are often just fancy frontends for services which are also accessible in a web browser.
Which doesn't have the interface that this entire concept is about, and is limited to 720p.
I've used Plasma Bigscreen a bit, so I have some thoughts on this.
First, if you don't care about 4K streaming, you can have a perfectly good experience using commercial streaming services through a browser (on x64, at least). I set up Firefox to open fullscreen by default, then created a bunch of .desktop files as shortcuts to each streaming service I used, all opening in their own separate tab containers. That allowed my non-technical partner to open (for example) the Netflix "app" by clicking the desktop icon, which opens to the Netflix homepage full-screen, logged in and ready to go. The few times I've had to use Netflix via a smart TV or Android native app, it has been a worse experience than my in-browser bodge job - same has gone for Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and even Spotify. What Plasma Bigscreen brings to the table is laying out those desktop shortcuts in a way more familiar to smart TV users - you can create categories so all the streaming shortcuts show up in the same row together, and customise their icons & backgrounds. I don't really need it for myself, but when anyone else tries to use my TV, the familiar structure of the interface makes it easier. It's a small thing, but it's nice.
Second, you can do a lot more things than just stream video when you have a computer hooked up to a TV. Games are an obvious choice since you can use a controller to navigate Bigscreen, then jump straight into a game. Steam (especially in big picture mode) is the obvious one, but I have also found that Retroarch is seamless under Plasma Bigscreen, and with a knockoff air mouse remote you can have a good time even with games found in distro repos like Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, or the Space Cadet Pinball demo. Browser games are similary straightforward, and you can have direct shortcuts to them using the same trick I described for the streaming services.
The last thing I want to point out is that Bigscreen is just another desktop environment - you can install it alongside regular old Plasma (or GNOME, or whatever) and switch between them by logging out and selecting the one you want. Having a computer that's hooked up to a large display and can give you a choice of interfaces suited to both TV and desktop use is more powerful than either option alone.