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On the software-side of things; Kodi is cool. As for remote control, consider referring to Kodi's Wiki-page on the matter for options.
Btw, honestly your query is way too vague. If possible, please provide us with more info so that we can better help you 😉.
I just probably need ~~to buy a fire stick~~ a software with a tv-like UI, where I can use a remote to visit streaming websites in an easiest way.
Thanks for enlightening us! Fortunately, the answer in my original comment should still satisfy your needs.
OK, buy a webcam and set it up so it's pointed at your couch or wherever you sit in front of your TV. Make the webcam audio and video stream available on a public server. Then do all your web browsing in vanilla Chrome with no ad or script blockers. Make sure that you always have tabs open for Amazon and Facebook, and allow their web apps access to the webcam data.
The smart TV experience.
I would recommend you a wireless keyboard with an integrated touchpad, it makes it easier to control everything from the couch.
I have one of those wireless keyboards with an integrated touchpad. It’s plugged into a small PC, which runs Linux Mint, Firefox, Jellyfin. Plenty comfortable and no invasive tracking.
KDE has an interesting project that lines up with this. Unfortunately I'm not too sure how progress is. Plasma Bigscreen
I'm at the couch constantly and just use a wireless keyboard and mouse on the coffee table. The mouse also works fine next to me on the couch as long as I'm not gaming that way.
I did explore the possibility of scrolling options with the TV remote a while back, but the vast majority of PC video cards do not support HDMI-CEC.
Your video card doesn't need to support CEC if you can get your hand on one of those: https://www.pulse-eight.com/p/104/usb-hdmi-cec-adapter
Plex
I've set up Netflix on my Steam Deck and PC through the Steam UI, by installing Netflix as a PWA in desktop mode and adding it to Steam as an external game. Steam Input recognised that it should map to mouse and keyboard, so the directional buttons navigate quite smoothly and the controller's stick works as a mouse. A is enter and B goes back, so selecting stuff is quite easy. Not quite the console experience (how I wish Netflix would make a native Linux app...) but it works a lot better than through a fake mouse.
All smart TV replacement options were too frustrating to use last time I tried. Kodi got close, but getting Netflix to work on there was too much of a pain. The Jellyfin integration was also unstable and unreliable and the way to cast Youtube onto the thing was bothersome and broke every update. I just went with a Chromecast, the open source stuff doesn't cut it.
If you want a more private alternative, there's a Smart TV build of LineageOS that you can flash onto certain Android TV boxes. It's basically Android TV but without Google's apps (or any other apps, for that matter). I can't tell you if it's any good, but it'll get you the full Android TV experience with none of the bloatware, all open source. Make sure you wipe any cheap Android TV box though, many of the cheap models come preloaded with malware.
Smart TV experience? As is tons of ads in any app? Crappy user interfaces, out of date apps and plenty of tracking? You want to replicate that?
FWIW I never experienced any of the above besides the tracking, that's there for sure.
...isn't the point of OP's question to look for alternatives to that sort of experience? Personally I am also looking for a way to make my Linux PC usable for TV use because navigating with a keyboard and mouse is annoying when sitting on a couch tbh.
Kodi on a raspberry pi supports “CEC” so your TV remote “just works” to go through the menus
Thanks for this. A remote was the biggest concern I had with moving.
Roku
I will second the Roku. I tried this a few years ago and kept running into issues. Some sites like Netflix don't offer HD resolution on PC. Then there are other services that have sketchy support for Linux. HBO and peacock are 2 examples.
I use my PC for personal streaming and a Roku for the main TV
I used to pay for Hulu live tv but decided I wasn't getting enough out of it and bought a Roku instead. Now that I have it with free apps like PBS, crackle, freevee, tubi, Plex, Pluto, xumo, and a few others plus a few paid subscriptions like peacock, paramount, and basic Hulu, I have more content than I know what to do with for a fraction of what I was paying for live tv ($85/month in addition to my internet bill). It wouldn't be possible without very fast and reliable Internet however.
Yup. Get a $30 Roku and call it a day.
I'll second this, I've also tried Chromecasts which are fine. I often watch shows after kids are asleep though and being able to switch from TV audio to bluetooth headphones in the Roku app is very useful.
If it's the input the problem, I use KDE connect to use my phone as a remote control. You can use the gyroscope in your phone to point to the screen like a Wii controller.
Came across this https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/some-android-tv-firmware.4571981/ when looking for Android TV source code
Off topic but I'm surprised by the amount of smart tv hate in this thread.
I have a Philips TV with Android TV. I use it for YouTube, Twitch, Spotify and occasionally for other streaming services. I actually really like the experience. Everything is a few clicks on a remote away, the UI is clean, it works reasonably fast.
I'm not going to argue about privacy though, that's definitely terrible.