I bought these mini pcs that sell under $100 dollars on Amazon (some refurbished HP brands and some new no name Chinese brands) to connect to my TV and make it a "smart" TV but basically use it to watch online like YouTube and some subscription services. They run Windows 10 and 11 and have worked great for my needs.
I have one mini PC in living room, bedroom and kitchen. I use a wireless mouse as my new remote control! The wireless remote works just fine under the bed covers as a "TV" remote to click on channels (Pluto or Tubi or Youtube, etc). I still use the TV remote to turn on and off and switch to indoor antenna mode when needed.
Has anyone done this kind of set up? The cost for these mini PCs paid for itself in no time in cable bill savings.