Hopefully this is the right kind of question for this community, my apologies if not.
I’m looking for some sort of device that will let me load my own media from a USB / SD card, and play it to my TV. Does such a device exist? Some sort of remote controlled box that can just load mp4 / mkv files from locally hosted storage? I have been using my PC over HDMI but it can get annoying having an awkward room layout because my computer always has to be next to the TV to do this.
Take a look at simple Android TV boxes with a USB port. There are plenty of options and you can just install vlc on them
Maybe get a reputable one, the other ones are sadly malware infected in way to many cases. It’s a way for the manufacturer to make an extra buck from the sale.