Information board TV loop thingy?
Discussion
Hello, I'm trying to help my daughter's school with communicating information to parents. One of the things we'd like to do is show information and events on the school reception TV.
It would need to be very light touch as the school staff won't have much time to admin it and the ability to upload new information dynamically would be ideal. That would rule out powerpoint and USB or similar. Something that ran on constant loop with a few pages/images sort of idea.
One of the main people who would likely upload info would another parent so being able to change remotely would be ideal.
Also something that is free would be preferable.
If anyone has suggestions they would be gratefully received. Thank you.
It would need to be very light touch as the school staff won't have much time to admin it and the ability to upload new information dynamically would be ideal. That would rule out powerpoint and USB or similar. Something that ran on constant loop with a few pages/images sort of idea.
One of the main people who would likely upload info would another parent so being able to change remotely would be ideal.
Also something that is free would be preferable.
If anyone has suggestions they would be gratefully received. Thank you.
This sort of thing is done all the time on bank's trading floors.
Set up a website somewhere on the internet that can be updated remotely. Updates can be as simple as a saved Word file (https://www.adobe.com/uk/acrobat/resources/convert-word-to-html.html).
Have something like a Raspberry Pi ( or a cheap mini PC) display that page on the monitor
Job done
The added bonus is that parents can view the web page on their own devices,
Set up a website somewhere on the internet that can be updated remotely. Updates can be as simple as a saved Word file (https://www.adobe.com/uk/acrobat/resources/convert-word-to-html.html).
Have something like a Raspberry Pi ( or a cheap mini PC) display that page on the monitor
Job done
The added bonus is that parents can view the web page on their own devices,
Found it
https://github.com/roiyz/PiVidBox/blob/master/READ...
edited to add a better version here which will work with a PI 2 (they go for approx £10 on ebay). Just stick the video on a USB stick and plug it in. It really is that simple.
https://videolooper.de/
https://github.com/adafruit/pi_video_looper
https://github.com/roiyz/PiVidBox/blob/master/READ...
edited to add a better version here which will work with a PI 2 (they go for approx £10 on ebay). Just stick the video on a USB stick and plug it in. It really is that simple.
https://videolooper.de/
https://github.com/adafruit/pi_video_looper
Edited by sugerbear on Wednesday 15th January 13:05
I run this on a few TVs in reception or cafes. It is free open source. https://anthias.screenly.io
Easy to set up on a raspberry Pi. It will need to be on an ethernet or WiFi network and accessible from the local network (LAN), so you may need the help of the IT dept. Best to have it on a static IP for easier access.
It's accessed via it's IP address on a web browser and it is easy to upload slides in .png or .pdf. Slides can be scheduled for timings etc. It can also show websites.
It's not cloud based, so remoting in will need another option, like a vpn into the LAN, I expect your IT dept may frown on that, unless they can secure it.
Easy to set up on a raspberry Pi. It will need to be on an ethernet or WiFi network and accessible from the local network (LAN), so you may need the help of the IT dept. Best to have it on a static IP for easier access.
It's accessed via it's IP address on a web browser and it is easy to upload slides in .png or .pdf. Slides can be scheduled for timings etc. It can also show websites.
It's not cloud based, so remoting in will need another option, like a vpn into the LAN, I expect your IT dept may frown on that, unless they can secure it.
Edited by megaphone on Wednesday 15th January 10:52
Edited by megaphone on Wednesday 15th January 10:53
Thanks all for your replies. Using something like a Pi isn't an option, but maybe the TV browser or via a firestick to website idea will work best. Particularly since we're volunteers and if updating the website also updated the info on TV it saves a load of admin.
It's a primary school so no onsite IT and any "support" would likely be via Crapita desk or similar.
I'll post back with an update on how I get on. Thanks!
It's a primary school so no onsite IT and any "support" would likely be via Crapita desk or similar.
I'll post back with an update on how I get on. Thanks!
sugerbear said:
Found it
https://github.com/roiyz/PiVidBox/blob/master/READ...
edited to add a better version here which will work with a PI 2 (they go for approx £10 on ebay). Just stick the video on a USB stick and plug it in. It really is that simple.
https://videolooper.de/
https://github.com/adafruit/pi_video_looper
Many modern TVs can play/loop an mp4 on USB via their built in media player, LG are quite good. https://github.com/roiyz/PiVidBox/blob/master/READ...
edited to add a better version here which will work with a PI 2 (they go for approx £10 on ebay). Just stick the video on a USB stick and plug it in. It really is that simple.
https://videolooper.de/
https://github.com/adafruit/pi_video_looper
Edited by sugerbear on Wednesday 15th January 13:05
I'm an IT admin in schools and setup exactly this yesterday!
I used a program called Faststone Image Viewer. Its freeware.
It shows a slide show of images from a folder. All the staff have to do is add or remove images from the folder and the display updates itself without any further input. You can alter the transition times and effects if needed, but the basics usually work well.
The program runs on a laptop that feeds the TV through HDMI. The laptop is logged into the school network and FastStone points to a shared folder. Staff update the folder. Simples!
If you get the right TV, you can set timers to come on automatically in the morning and off at night, so there's very little you need to do other than change the images.
I used a program called Faststone Image Viewer. Its freeware.
It shows a slide show of images from a folder. All the staff have to do is add or remove images from the folder and the display updates itself without any further input. You can alter the transition times and effects if needed, but the basics usually work well.
The program runs on a laptop that feeds the TV through HDMI. The laptop is logged into the school network and FastStone points to a shared folder. Staff update the folder. Simples!
If you get the right TV, you can set timers to come on automatically in the morning and off at night, so there's very little you need to do other than change the images.
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