Question Reusing old TV Box devices
Question Reusing old TV Box devices
Earlier this week my current TV/Internet provider came for a maintenance on my home. I've set aside the TV box (as it's unplugged anyway) just in case they might need to replace the whole set up, but they only replaced the router/decoder and left the TV hardware here. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and after this interaction it got me spun up again on: may these devices be used in any other way other than what they were designed to?
I'll explain, the hardware itself is capable enough that it can receive and transmit information over the network, decode video signals and receive information over infrared (by the controller), but it also has USB ports and certainly a somewhat capable processor that can run an OS robust enough to manage all those resources.
Considering the original Raspberry Pi was already capable of running a home lab for media content and what not, would it be possible to repurpose these kinds of equipment to do something similar? I mean, they've been around for quite a while and it wouldn't be a new thing to run custom software on devices from Service Providers such as Claro on Latin America, just look at the OpenWRT community, their software is compatible with everything.
Another thing going up in favor of this is the fact that most of these devices are "abandoned" by the companies themselves, I mean, who hasn't cancelled a service such as this and was told that someone would come by to pick the equipment, but they never came, they never retrieved it? Some of these devices date from 2012 or even earlier and wouldn't even make sense keeping using them as they are right now, they don't have the latest software, can't sometimes play in 4k or are too slow to meet the new customer demands anyway.
I've done some searching over YouTube and some forums as well but couldn't find out anyone talking about this or even if it's possible or not (maybe it isn't), but I thought it was worth the shot trying to start this conversation here. I have with me a Humax HNB100 (from Claro), and would like to venture in this further.
If anyone works on manufacturing or even supporting these devices, or have any knowledge on this matter, can this be done?
My belief is that unless a business has viable methods to reuse, repurpose, or recycle its products, there is no benefit in trying to recover such items. Outdated or otherwise...
Currently, very little can be reused or adapted for new purposes.
Schools and hobbyists seldom require these items for parts, experiments, training, etc.
Recycling poses greater risks and expenses.
The return on investment is minimal at best.
It might even exceed the cost of collecting an old device, considering disposal charges and hazardous waste regulations.
Businesses handle thousands of units or tons of waste daily.
Discarding items instead of managing them reduces costs for the company.
Eventually, customers will likely discard the product rather than deal with it.
Not a favorable situation at all.
Unfortunately, many of these gadgets are shielded from firmware updates and you can't even add Google apps. The businesses need to secure the units so that hackers can't easily find a method to obtain TV content for free, which is why they tighten their security measures. If your device has access to the Google Store, you might be able to install RetroArch and use it as an emulator or to run Android games.
Probably not.
However, pose this as a fresh discussion thread.