Last updated: October 30, 2023 (no changes)
Caution: This configuration is unsupported by Screenly or Ubuntu (the operating system running Screenly). It is possible your changes here will be reset each time Ubuntu pushes out an update to their system.
While we do not officially support Composite/RCA (we strongly encourage you to use HDMI if possible), it is technically possible to use Composite/RCA using an adapter like this.
To do so, you need to jump through a few hoops:
- Flash out the latest disk image to a new SD Card.
- Mount the SD card in your computer and make the following changes to config.txt on the boot partition:
- Change the line "hdmi_force_hotplug=1" to "#hdmi_force_hotplug=1".
- Append the line "sdtv_mode=0" (for PAL) (see this page for details).
- Connect your Composite/RCA cable.
- Unmount the SD card, insert it into your Raspberry Pi and boot it up.
- You should now get the PIN code on your screen and be able to pair the device.
Once you have paired your device, the device will reboot. You will lose the settings above (because Screenly now manages them for you). As such, you need to make some changes to the screen.
Navigate to the screen you just paired in the management interface. Go to Manage. Then go to Advanced. Then you need to set "Video Output" to Composite/RCA.
Lastly, you need to power down your Raspberry Pi and reset the "#hdmi_force_hotplug=1" setting to config.txt.
After this, you should be able to use your Raspberry Pi with Composite/RCA. However, be aware that if you do make any change in the Advanced section, the hdmi_force_hotplug setting will be reverted.
Please note that some Composite/RCA cables are labeled incorrectly for the Raspberry Pi. As such, it may not be the yellow cable (which normally denotes video) that receives the video signal. Thus you may need to test a different cable.