My 4 Favorite Linux Distros For Streaming - And Why Choosing The Right One Makes A Huge Difference

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Some Linux distributions are amended for streaming.
• There are definite factors to see for streaming connected Linux.
• The distributions present should activity good without tweaking.

Among Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and different streaming services, I devour a batch of content. Although you mightiness deliberation immoderate operating strategy pinch a web browser (or nan expertise to instal an app aliases two) is perfectly suited for streaming, you'd beryllium amazed that location are definite elements you should return into consideration, which are:

• Codec support
• Hardware acceleration
• A user-friendly UI
• Apps that support streaming
• A due kernel

An important favoritism is that I'm talking astir an optimal environment. You tin watercourse conscionable astir thing connected astir Linux distributions, but if you want to get nan astir retired of nan experience, you should take carefully.

Here are my favourite options.

Also: Elementary OS 8 continues nan contented of a beautiful, user-friendly desktop

1. LibreELEC

Before I get into LibreELEC, it's important to understand that this distribution was built pinch nan sole intent of moving nan Kodi media center. This minimalist distribution offers "just capable OS" to tally Kodi. But why would I propose a Linux distribution built astir a multimedia streaming platform?

Well, first and foremost, Kodo makes it easy to watercourse Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Tubi, Twitch, Plex, Popcornflix, and more. After you instal Addons, you tin entree these services. On apical of that, LibreELEC allows you to watercourse your ain content. You mightiness person a ample postulation of euphony aliases films that you'd for illustration to beryllium capable to entree from anyplace connected your LAN. Thanks to Kodi, LibreELEC makes that possible. LibreELEC besides has a mini footprint, truthful it boots quickly. If you not only want to watercourse contented from various services, but besides your ain content, LibreELEC is nan measurement to go.

2. Linux Mint

Not only is Linux Mint a user-friendly distribution (with a awesome UI), but it's besides lightweight capable that it runs blazingly accelerated (so nan desktop won't devour much strategy resources than necessary). But what places Linux Mint connected this database is really easy it is to instal each nan basal multimedia codecs. You tin either adhd them during OS installation (via nan third-party codecs option) aliases you tin instal them aft by going to Menu > Sound & Video > Install Multimedia Codecs. It doesn't get overmuch easier than that. 

Also: I'm a Linux powerfulness personification and this distro has nan astir refreshing return connected OS design

Another bully characteristic astir Linux Mint is nan inclusion of nan Web Apps app. Thanks to this mini application, you tin easy create web apps for each streaming work you usage (so you don't person to unfastened yet different tab successful nan default Firefox web browser). Linux Mint besides includes a Driver Manager, a colour floor plan manager, and nan Hypnotix TV spectator (which allows you to prime from tons of free streaming content, including news channels).

3. Ubuntu

You mightiness deliberation Ubuntu would beryllium an overseas prime for this database (seeing arsenic really it's often considered a Linux distribution for emblematic usage cases (documents, browsing, etc). The point astir Ubuntu is that it is really bully astatine streaming. Not only does it let you to easy instal codecs, but it besides includes galore of nan media servers (such arsenic Kodi, Plex, and Emby) from nan modular repositories. Ubuntu besides makes it easy to alteration your refresh complaint and solution (which tin heighten video streaming), which is done wrong Settings > Displays. 

There are besides colour profiles, which intends you tin calibrate nan colors precisely for your show (to get nan champion colors from videos). Color profiles are recovered successful Settings > Color Management. You could besides opt to spell pinch 1 of nan much lightweight Ubuntu spins, specified arsenic Lubuntu, which ensures your desktop situation consumes less resources (to free them up for streaming).

4. Fedora

Fedora mightiness look for illustration different overseas prime for this category, but you person to return into information nan exhaustive hardware support offered by this distribution. And past there's besides nan TuneD strategy tuning daemon, which tunes nan strategy dynamically and allows you to prime profiles specified arsenic balanced, latency, power-save, aliases throughput. 

Also: 7 things each Linux beginner should cognize earlier downloading their first distro

Another logic why I put Fedora connected this database is that, complete nan past fewer years, it has go 1 of nan best-performing distributions that uses a full-blown desktop. Fedora is fast… very fast. Finally, there's nan XanMod Kernel (a low-latency kernel), which tin beryllium installed from nan Fedora Copr repository. This kernel is awesome for streaming because it's a general-purpose kernel that has a real-time type (PREEMPT_RT) for ultra-low latency. 

If you watercourse a batch of content, immoderate 1 of nan supra distributions will service you well. Of course, because we're talking astir Linux, you tin ever tweak astir immoderate distribution to champion service this purpose.

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