Yeah if you have hardware which still works, and you have a need for a dedicated standalone OS/device, Linux can fit the bill. I had a Raspberry Pi that cost $35, that I ran a build for TV- plugged into the back of the TV it had access to over-the-air stations, online stations, movies, radio, and more. I had speakers plugged in directly, so the TV wasn't needed for radio. My home desktop PC is running Ubuntu Linux, and works really well. I mostly use it for web browsing and games, lots of Windows games can be run on it.
If you install Linux on an existing Windows PC, it will usually allow a side-by-side install, and when the PC boots up you will get both options with Linux as the default:
Down the road if you decide you no longer need Windows, you can delete that partition and free up the disk space. I've found that unless you're after a very specific setup or using a certain hardware/OS combo, very little use of the command line is needed to get things working. Some distributions are easier than others regarding that, Ubuntu has been the most stable/robust for me.