Shelling out $500~$600 for a used M1 seems like a lot. I have one from 2012, but it obviously can’t do 4k on HDMI (and it can only do 30Hz on DisplayPort and doesn’t do HDR).

I was thinking of just using an older Mac Mini. In some instances, the volume might not have been turned ON properly. Never bothered with Kodi but Plex as suggested above, I ran for many years but then the updates to the app side of things on the TVs started causing issues about 2 years ago.

If your computer can run OS X 10.8 or later then your hardware should work just fine with Kodi. Kodi v18 (and its nightlies) will at least require 10.9) All hardware requirements are the same as those for OS X 10.8. My video programming background is non-existent, so I’m not sure if I want to try to pick up either of those and working of them. I use a Mac (not a mini) as a home server to stream hdd content. Kodi v17 requires Mac OS X 10.8 or later. I want to use a Linux box, but HDR support on x86_64 Linux seems non-existent for amdgpu, Intel or nvidia/noveanu graphics! There is kernel support for amdgpu, but neither Linux mpv nor VLC support it yet (VLC supports HDR10, but only in Windows/Mac it tseems). I can sync my content using emby server (which I run off my Linux NAS in a Docker container), but I really just prefer having a PC hooked up to my TV without the Kodi/UI. The latest builds of it can support HDR10 and 4k (although at a low refresh rate). My current home theatre PC is a Pi4 running LibreELEC.

Kodi on mac mini