Beginner Questions

I want to preface my following questions with the up front apology because I am sure the forum gets a ton of “new users what do I do” questions.

Unfortunately I am a fairly new user. I was introduced to Kodi through one of the nefarious fire sticks with the pirated material. I no longer use it but I am fascinated with the system.

I have been a cord cutter for several years now so I am accustomed to not having live TV (other than my cheap antenna). What I currently use is Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime. I use a friends cable login for some things. I have a xbox and an Apple TV (3rd version) that primarily handle my entertainment.

I have been doing some reading here and I was looking for a basic box that can easily run most things. I saw mention of xiaomi mi box also noticed that the new Apple TV’s can be loaded with kodi as well. In general I was looking for ideas on hardware to get started.

On the software end my ultimate goal would be to have a concise or even universal streaming setup that would be easy for my girlfriend to manage as well as me. I looked at a couple of applications such as PlayOn and Emby. I am not sure if this is possible but I would like to be able to switch between multiple services within one familiar interface or app. If that could include live tv (I have access to my friends Comcast streaming online as well ATT Uverse) as well as the basic apps and any movie threads that would be the ultimate goal.

If there are any other general rules of thumb or tips that I have left out I am very much open to suggestions of any kind. Also if you know the prices of your suggestions that would be helpful as well.

I live in the DFW (Texas) area and would be willing to pay for a lunch or a few drinks if someone would like to meet up in person.