TV entertainment centre software solution

[demodulated]

I have an old PC running as a file server that I'd like to turn into a media centre and entertainment machine on a television. Here's the hardware specs:

• i7 4790k with on-chip video (should support 4k 60hz via HDMI but can buy a cheap GPU if necessary)
• 16GB DDR3
• 256GB SSD for system
• 4TB onboard mechanical HDD for storage
• 4TB external USB mechanical HDD for backup
• Windows 10 Pro x64
• haven't bought the television yet

We've ripped some old DVDs to files but primarily we want to watch YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ streaming services. We'd also like to use the PC to play emulated retro games. Low on the list of priorities would be Google Stadia or in-home game streaming, but we can live without these.

 

Can anyone recommend a convenient software solution for these use cases, like a front end media centre UI? Or are we stuck with navigating a Windows desktop to switch between these tasks? I don't think Plex will meet our needs but I love that UI.

 

Thanks

[samcool55]

Most people use Kodi because it runs on basically anything and has apps for a bunch of things.

I would give it a try and see if it does what you want.

[demodulated]

Thanks samcool55, Kodi is even more capable than I realized. All the local media support is great. I need to play with some of the third-party addons to add Netflix and stuff like that. 

[demodulated]

Reporting back after some tinkering. Kodi is amazing for local media playback and for some streaming services like NHK Japan, Food Network, and YouTube. However, support for Netflix and Prime Video are unsupported and hacky. Unfortunately it won't meet my needs.

 

I'm gravitating toward a keyboard and mouse with a large Windows UI and desktop bookmarks.