A little over a decade ago, the YBox2 Kit was all the rage. It used a Parallax Propeller chip with Ethernet to connect to the Internet and display custom widgets via a composite video output. From ladyada.net:

The YBox2 is a DIY networked set-top box. Connect it to your TV and you can design customized content to be delivered direct from the Internet.

YBox2's Memoir

The YBox was first invented by Uncommon Projects, as part of Yahoo Hack day. The project was a resounding success, and the following year 80 kits were commissioned by Yahoo for workshops at Maker Faire 2007. Robert Quattlebaum was one of the lucky few to attend that workshop and decided to see if he could design a second generation YBox. After much hacking, success! With a little of my help, we were able to design this kit to have more accessories than the original, and just as easy to build, yet less expensive.

Years later, it felt like it was time to revisit this project concept with new hardware. The next generation YBox, the YBox3, uses a Raspberry Pi Pico W to run Arduino code that connects to WiFi and displays custom widgets via DVI output with a DVI PiCowbell.

Parts