Back in January 2025, I shared a massive post about how I set up my own Google Photos alternative using this exceptional Open Source project called Immich.
I’m still enjoying its virtues, but for the longest time, I suffered from its one major flaw: the lack of a (good) native TV client. Immich looks phenomenal on a computer or smartphone, but if you want to view family photos on the big screen, you hit a wall. My workaround involved a long HDMI cable or casting a Chrome tab from my MacBook Air — functional, but far from ideal.
The Problem. I wanted a native Android TV/Google TV experience to navigate my library seamlessly. There was a glimmer of hope in the form of the Immich Android TV project. The developer, giejay, is quite active, but the app lacked two features essential for my sanity: a Timeline and Favorites management.
Without a timeline, finding a photo from 2015 meant scrolling linearly through 140,000 images (that’s the size of my photo library) starting from today. That’s not browsing; that’s an endurance sport.
So what I did is a fork of the official Immich Android TV project and, with AI as a coding assistant, I added a few features that I wanted to add to that project. It would have been impossible for me otherwise, but AI allows (almost) anyone to transform his ideas for an app into a reality. And if there’s an Open Source project already created, like in this case, that concept is even more powerful.
In case you're interested, here's the rest of the story with lots of images and links to the GitHub Repository and the APK.
Ever wonder how your cheap HP printer became a subscription service? This story goes back to King Camp Gillette and his disposable razor. It’s part of a bigger story on how the 'razor-and-blades' business model (expensive consumables!) infected everything from ink and coffee pods (Keurig/Nespresso) to modern razor clubs. And from that we arrived to the curse of the subscription economy.
In fact they didn't make just services: they made good services. It happened with Netflix or Spotify. For the first time ever, piracy was a worse option. Netflix and Spotify were convenient and affordable.
I've been using it for a couple of years and I find absolutely stellar. I wrote the (quite long) of my process to find the perfect alternative (for me) to Google Photos, so in case anyone's interested
I've been trying to find the best way to manage my photo library without using Google Photos.
This is a (long) story of how over the years I've tried several alternatives (the good old Picasa, Monument 2, Synology Photos) to end building an Unraid server and test there a lot of self-hosted alternatives, which I compare to finally select Immich, the one that I think is the best for me.
As the author says, that 150% is not that good for the quality of text fonts showed on screen. I've been using a Dell UP2715K (27", 5K) for a few years and I've always used it at 200% scaling as the piece suggests. The texts are crystal clear, it's almost like seeing not a screen, but a sticker: everything is so well defined and precise.
Maybe that's because my eyesight is not that good lately. Even considering that, I really can perceive a 150% scaling on a 4K monitor when I see it. It isn't that bad and sure you can work with that, but man, do try 5K at 200% and then tell me about it.
It's a real tragedy there are not more 5K displays. The Apple Studio Display is expensive and a little absurd with that webcam and the A13 chip, but at least you can enjoy that resolution. I wonder if display makers will consider this someday and stop selling so much gaming models and so little 'work' models.
I'm from Spain, one of the most exposed countries right now. At first you see this as something distant, something that was happening in China as Ebola was happening years ago on Africa.
It can't touch me.
A few days ago the state of alarm began over here. Remain at home, minimal movement (just to go for groceries, pharma, the rest of retail businesses are closed now). It felt closer, but still you feel safe. You're at home, theoretically isolated.
And then you start hearing that people near you got sick and even die. One friend's father died a couple days ago. Other relative has been confirmed with covid-19 yesterday. More cases coming everyday. They are no longer points in a chart. These are your people.
Thanks for the video, it is quite disturbing. I live in Madrid, Spain (here the subject of the day is Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and rumors of cancelling the whole show) and over here there is some kind of uncertainty too, as you mentioned.
Let's hope this gets solved soon. Stay safe as well.
I was planning on installing this on my RPi3B but I wonder due to its low compute power could result in a somewhat slower experience in my home network. Could anyone comment on what his experience has been in this case?
Not necessarily if you appreciate battery life, that resolution should help at that. It seems it arrives in early june with a starting price of $1,089 [1]. If that corresponds to the 768p screen it certainly is quite expensive.
I’m still enjoying its virtues, but for the longest time, I suffered from its one major flaw: the lack of a (good) native TV client. Immich looks phenomenal on a computer or smartphone, but if you want to view family photos on the big screen, you hit a wall. My workaround involved a long HDMI cable or casting a Chrome tab from my MacBook Air — functional, but far from ideal.
The Problem. I wanted a native Android TV/Google TV experience to navigate my library seamlessly. There was a glimmer of hope in the form of the Immich Android TV project. The developer, giejay, is quite active, but the app lacked two features essential for my sanity: a Timeline and Favorites management.
Without a timeline, finding a photo from 2015 meant scrolling linearly through 140,000 images (that’s the size of my photo library) starting from today. That’s not browsing; that’s an endurance sport.
So what I did is a fork of the official Immich Android TV project and, with AI as a coding assistant, I added a few features that I wanted to add to that project. It would have been impossible for me otherwise, but AI allows (almost) anyone to transform his ideas for an app into a reality. And if there’s an Open Source project already created, like in this case, that concept is even more powerful.
In case you're interested, here's the rest of the story with lots of images and links to the GitHub Repository and the APK.
Please let me know what you think!