DroidBuild forum member Carnivore decided his supposedly "smart" TV was not actually smart enough. So he did what most of us might not do-- disassembling the 40-inch Hisense Smart LED TV and sticking a Raspberry Pi inside!
For readers not in the know, the Raspberry Pi is a low-cost PC the size of a credit card. It runs on Linux, and is capable of both HD output and running media manager software (such as the popular XBMC), making it ideal for home-brewed media centres.
On opening the Hisense TV Carnivore discovered a logic board armed with 2 unused USB pads. These he used to ta the 5v 500mA required to power a Pi. Unfortunately such a solution means the Pi switches off whenever the TV is turned off, necessitating the finding of an always-on 5V source via multimeter.
But where would one place a Pi inside a TV? Since Carnivore already has a surround sound system, so he simply cut out the grill and removed the TV's built-in speakers. The empty housing left enough space to snugly fit a micro-PC complete with 3D printed LAN and USB port cover!
Admittedly such a modification is not for the faint of heart, but it'd surely make for an interesting business opportunity for anyone enterprising enough. More curious readers can check out the handy photo guide in the link below.
