The Digibox

The Digibox is a custom-built set-top box made for Miswylltia. It acts as the gateway to the entire experience. Rather than containing a full computer inside, the best solution I found was to make it work as a kind of dock for my PC. I simply connect one HDMI cable and one USB cable, and the Digibox takes care of everything else.

I started building its software as you can see in the screenshots above, but not on the hardware yet, I already have a pretty clear idea of how it's going to work. The box itself doesn't do the heavy computing. Instead, it's more like an extension of my PC.

Inside the Digibox will be a slot-loading DVD drive, an external SSD (which I already use every day, and where Miswylltia currently lives), a powered USB hub, the front and rear ports (USB and SD card), an HDMI-to-YPbPr converter, the LEDs, the expression display, and a few other small components.

My PC will run the entire system. It will connect to the Digibox using just two cables: HDMI for video and USB for all the peripherals inside the box. The Digibox will then output component video to my CRT while also powering all of its internal hardware through the USB hub. This is due to the fact that I only have 1 pc for now, and I also don't want to complicate things.

The Digibox is designed to feel more like a household appliance than a computer. It isn't trying to disappear into the room, but it also doesn't want to compete with the television for attention. The proportions, colours and materials are intended to make it feel like it naturally belongs in a living room.

The current design uses a combination of white, silver and subtle wood accents. They're inspired by furniture and home décor rather than gaming hardware or PCs.

I considered building an entire PC inside the Digibox, but eventually decided against it. Using my existing computer as the "engine" behind the system makes the Digibox much smaller, easier to maintain and far more upgradeable. If I replace my PC in the future, the Digibox stays exactly the same. I simply reconnect two cables and everything continues to work.

Early concept of the Digibox operating system.
The interface is entirely custom-built using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, with backend components written in Node.js and Python. Building it as a web application allows rapid iteration while still giving complete control over every detail of the experience.

Rather than having one fixed colour scheme, the interface changes throughout the year. Every month has its own primary colour. Colours gradually transition during the final weeks of each month instead of changing instantly.

Saturation and brightness change throughout the day. Midday produces the brightest interface, while midnight produces the darkest one. Accent colours are automatically generated from the complementary colour.

The Digibox isn't limited to Miswylltia. It also allows local media playback from USB devices, SD cards and DVDs. Home videos, music and personal collections are treated as first-class citizens alongside the television channels.

• Birthday messages.
• Reminder notifications.
• Expression display changing mood.
• Hidden ports behind a front flap.
• No front buttons except Power.
• Smooth animations.
• Background music.
• Tiny sound effects.

The Digibox remote control is also being custom-made with a strong focus on ergonomics, heavily inspired by the iconic and comfortable design of classic Sky remotes. Internally, the hardware is based on a G20S Pro air mouse remote, but the stock shell is being completely removed and replaced with a custom-designed enclosure tailored for superior grip, better build quality, and an authentic set-top box feel.

The Digibox is still under development. While many parts of the software already exist as prototypes, the hardware itself hasn't been assembled yet. This page documents the ideas behind the project as they evolve.