Plasma Bigscreen is KDE's open source TV ecosystem that once had a lot of potential but slowly fell off the radar.
Originally launched in March 2020, it aimed to turn regular television sets into smart, Linux-powered devices with a clean, remote-friendly interface. But over time, development slowed, and it quietly slipped out of most Linux distribution repositories.
Thankfully, it is making a much-needed comeback thanks to the work of Plasma Mobile contributor espidev (Devin Lin).
Plasma Bigscreen Returns: What to Expect?
Source: espidev
Working on this over a week, Devin has made some solid progress bringing Plasma Bigscreen back to life. He started small by cleaning up the repository, adding a README file, a REUSE license checker in the continuous integration system, and porting the QML library to work as a declarative plugin.
Next, he focused on the homescreen, introducing a more modern and cleaner design with a simplified layout that reduces visual clutter. He removed panel backgrounds and shadows where possible, added tooltips for the indicators, and added an "expanded clock" view that appears when users are at the top of the application categories.
The clock automatically shrinks when users scroll down.
Source: espidev
Following that, he improved the search menu by redesigning the interface to be cleaner and more user-friendly. It is now powered by KRunner, allowing users to quickly find and launch apps or settings, making navigation faster and easier.
Source: espidev
Next, he turned his attention towards the settings menu, where work was done to simplify navigation by introducing a sidebar with a two-pane layout. Settings are now grouped into clear sections, making it easier for users to find and change options quickly.
Controller support was also improved, with better navigation and button mapping for gamepads (tested on an Xbox controller), making it easier to use without a keyboard or mouse.
Source: espidev
Running applications downloaded from Flathub is possible too. Devin tested apps like VacuumTube, Kodi, SuperTuxKart, Jellyfin, and SuperTux. While this was a mixed experience, he mentions that some apps worked well, but others need more work to run smoothly on Plasma Bigscreen.
Looking ahead, there are still some unresolved issues to tackle, including improving TV remote support and polishing the app design. The main goal is to get Plasma Bigscreen ready for inclusion in the Plasma 6.5 release cycle.
If you want to see these improvements firsthand, then you’ll need to build Plasma Bigscreen manually from the source code.
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