Project
BoomerOS for TV
One home screen on the TV a parent already owns: watch, call family, see the day. The computer works and the screen is in progress. Next, Ben’s dad tries it.
Status: BuildingUpdated
Notes from Eric & Ben
Simple technology for the people who raised you.
Our parents’ TV now takes three or four remotes and a menu for everything. We’re building a simpler home screen for the TV they already own, so they can use it without having to ask anyone.
No ads or paid recommendations.
- Build notes from our own homes
- Each design change and why we made it
- Sources you can check
We’re starting with the TV.
Four remotes and 340 channels stood between Ben’s dad and the news.
See how Dad’s first test goes
Follow wherever you already read. Or write and tell us what your parents find hard.
Latest stories.
All stories
I'm turning my dad's TV into a video phone
FaceTime is hard for my dad, who has mild Parkinson's. So I'm building video calls into his TV, testing on mine first. He taps my name, and I'm on screen.
My mom dropped Dish for TVB and will save almost $1,000
She only watches five channels. Dish Network was charging her about $100 a month. TVB Anywhere Plus costs $30 a month, or $250 a year on the yearly plan (October 2026).
Video calls on the TV for seniors: Jetsons, but real
I turned my mom's TV into a video phone with a Raspberry Pi 5 and a webcam. When I call from my phone, my parents see me on the big screen and talk back.
Watch the build.
All videos
Video calls on TV for seniors: one tap, no apps
A demo of a video call on the TV: Dad taps a name on a simple web remote, I get a text with a link, tap Answer and appear on his TV. No app on either end.
Brain games for seniors: a driving game on the TV
Can a driving game make you sharper? A 2013 UCSF study, and the simple driving game we built for our parents' TV, steered with their phone.
Finding the news on DirecTV vs one tap on BoomerOS
Finding MSNBC with the DirecTV remote took 2:30 and 85 button presses. On BoomerOS, our simple TV home screen, you tap what you want to watch.
How we work
Notice. Make. Share.
Every post starts with a real snag at home.
Notice a real snag
A parent who has to ask for help to put the news on.
Make something simpler
A home screen redesigned more than a dozen times in two weeks.
Share what changed
Each version and the research behind it, like one yellow highlight that only ever means “you are here.”
Who we are
Built for our parents. Shared with yours.
We build software for a living. Ben is building a simpler TV for his dad. Eric built the first home screen and is shaping one around his mom, who mostly wants to reach family and watch TVB.
Why we startedWe also help organizations build simpler technology for older adults. Work with us