[cranjice]

Even as a technical person I've found it much easier to cut the cord with a few different devices. I've yet to find a single device that does it all well.

Kodi is great at file playback but the bring-your-own-hardware approach is a great way to spend movie night trying to fix a broken computer (a separate mysql backend is needed for multi kodi device sync... seriously?) I replaced my kodi boxes with rokus and plex and haven't looked back.

Roku has a nice app selection and the remote makes a huge difference in usability for non tech folks. Then again roku lacks a good built-in "airplay" feature so I have an apple tv to do that.

I'd recommend to your friend two devices. A Roku, and a device that they can "cast" from the mobile platform they use.

[mmanfrin]

Shield has nearly every app you need including Kodi. And is a native chromecast box.