A small home-automation project posted in September 2024 shows how maker hardware can change the feel of digital media without changing the media itself. In the supplied firsthand account, the builder behind Simply Explained described creating an NFC-based movie library for his children using laminated cover cards, an ESP32 microcontroller, an RC522 NFC reader, ESPHome and Home Assistant. The goal was simple: let children choose a movie by placing a card on a reader instead of relying on an adult to navigate apps and remotes.
The idea came from a problem familiar to many families with streaming libraries. The movies were available, but they were scattered across digital services and hidden behind interfaces designed for adults. The post says the builder wanted to recreate some of the tangible experience of pulling a VHS tape from a shelf while keeping the convenience of a modern setup. The result was a collection of physical movie cards, each containing an NFC tag that mapped to a specific title.
On the hardware side, the prototype started with an RC522 reader and spare NFC tags attached to an ESP32 development board. After confirming the tags appeared in ESPHome logs, the builder shifted to a smaller production version based on an ESP32 Super Mini, added a buzzer for scan feedback and designed a 3D-printed enclosure to protect the electronics from children. The post also describes practical design compromises, including a clip mechanism to hold the board in place because the chosen module lacked screw holes.
The media side of the system relied on Plex and an Apple TV. Rather than use the Plex integration in Home Assistant, which the builder called slow and unreliable because it required the Apple TV and app to be active first, the setup used Apple TV deep links to open Plex content directly. The supplied evidence says the builder listened for Home Assistant `tag_scanned` events, captured each tag's ID and created a mapping between those IDs and Plex media identifiers. Once that mapping existed, a scan could trigger the Apple TV to turn on the television, open Plex and start playback in about five seconds.
The project also included thoughtful constraints. After the builder's oldest son realized the cards effectively bypassed the need to ask for help, the automation was limited to approved morning and evening windows. That detail matters because it shows the project was not just a technical demo. It was a household tool shaped by rules, routines and the need to make the system usable without making it uncontrollable.
Even the cards themselves were treated as a product design problem. The author printed movie covers on sticker paper, applied them to PVC cards and designed backs that included summary information, release dates and studio details. In another version, small booklet-style covers were laminated with the NFC tag inside so the tags could be recovered later. The physical object was not an accessory to the software. It was the interface.
What makes the build interesting is that none of the underlying services were new. Plex, Home Assistant, ESPHome, NFC tags and Apple TV deep links already existed. The innovation came from combining them into a workflow that replaced menu navigation with a simple, child-readable action. In a media ecosystem dominated by search bars and endless carousels, the project suggests there is still room for interfaces that are slower, smaller and more deliberate, especially when they make technology legible to the people using it.
