What are the hardware requirements?

Viktor Petersson
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Screenly requires three basic things to run: 

  • A TV or monitor that has an HDMI input. You can use nearly any 1080p HD TV or computer monitor on the market. If you think your screen may be unusual submit a ticket with a link to the model's information and we can check it out.    
  • An internet connection, wired or WiFi.
    • You can read more about the exact network requirements here.
    • Most networks already meet the above criteria. Those that do not can be modified easily by your ISP or Network Administrator. 
  • A Player connected to the Internet and your TV that runs the Screenly Software. 
    This can be either:
    • The Screenly Box 0 Kit, a ready to go device already loaded with our software. Just connect the HDMI cable, internet, and plug it in.  
      OR
    • Advanced users can turn any Raspberry Pi Model 4B (2GB/4GB/8GB), 3B+ or 3B into a Screenly Player. See the DIY section below for our hardware and setup recommendations. 

 

 Screenly Box 0

The quickest way to get started with Screenly is to purchase the Screenly Box 0 bundle from one of our distributors or on Amazon. 

 The Screenly Box 0 kit includes everything you need to get started with Screenly digital signage. Included is a digital signage player with a microSD card that comes preloaded with Screenly digital signage management software. Also included are the necessary power cord and HDMI cord to connect to your display.  

Caveat: The Box 0 is not manufactured or sold by Screenly. We will do our utmost to support our customers and advocate on your behalf with a supply partner should a problem arise. However understand that the transaction is between yourself and the supplier. Screenly Inc is not liable for the merchandise or behavior of its partners. You retain all liability regarding your hardware purchase and should exercise due diligence. 

D.I.Y.

The Screenly Player is essentially a Raspberry Pi 4B (suggested) or 3B/3B+ with a microSD card preloaded with our disk image, and bundled with the necessary cables.  Since the components are available off the shelf anyone can build their own Screenly Player.  Building your own player offers the opportunity to tailor the components to your specific situation. You can find a list of official re-sellers on the Raspberry Pi website. 

Caveat: Screenly is not responsible for the performance of custom built hardware. We will do our best to provide support when possible, but proceed at your own risk. 

Follow our build advice to create a reliable and long lived Screenly Player:

  • Supported Pi models:  We recommend using the Raspberry Pi 4B model (2GB/4GB/8GB).  Screenly can run on models 3B+, 3B. The Model 3 Compute module (CM3 or CM3+) is supported in NEC monitors, if you want to use it in a different configuration contact support to verify that we can meet your needs. 
  • Choose a case that has ventilation holes, or an aluminum heatsink case. *Don't* use the official plastic RPi foundation case as it doesn't have vent holes.
  • Always fit aluminum heatsinks if not using a heatsink case.
  • Fans are unreliable, noisy, and suck in dust. Passive cooling with a well ventilated case and heatsinks. or, a full heatsink case, is much better. 
  • Use a high-speed 16 GB+ class 10 microSD card. Preferably "MLC" or "SLC" type. We currently recommend buying SanDisk Industrial-grade cards. Part Number: SDSDQAF3-016G.
  • You will need a microSD card reader/writer 
  • Use the official Raspberry Pi power supply. All power supplies are not created equal - cheap non-standard ones deliver inconsistent power and create strange performance issues and errors. Spend a little extra and save yourself a headache. 

A note on the official Raspberry Pi power supply: 

The Raspberry Pi foundation now has two different models of official power supply on the market, be sure to buy the type that corresponds to the model of Raspberry Pi you are using. 

Want to use a HAT or POE?

Check with the support team to verify compatibility. As of 2019 our disk image does support the POE hat. (Power Over Ethernet)

Next steps:

Once you have the Pi assembled you can follow these instructions to write the Screenly software onto your microSD card:
https://support.screenly.io/hc/en-us/articles/360025164713-How-to-Flash-Out-Screenly-to-an-SD-card

 

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