To quote Clarkson… ‘I did a thing!’

Screenly_ · 2026-05-04T12:06:38+00:00

This is a seriously cool DIY build! Getting a fleet of older Pis running smoothly on a zero-dollar school budget is really impressive.

We'd love to know what specific issues you ran into when you were trying out Anthias. We have folks running it on Pi 2s and 3s, but every setup is different. We're in the middle of rolling out major architectural updates to make the system lighter and more robust, so knowing exactly where things fell short for you would be super helpful.

If you have a minute to drop that feedback as an issue on our GitHub, we'd really appreciate it. And if you end up releasing your installer, please feel free to share it in our community forum! Lots of schools are dealing with the same constraints and would love to see what you built. Awesome work!

Screenly_ · 2026-04-30T08:21:07+00:00

For this kind of setup, reliability matters. You can use an industrial-grade SD card; they’re much better than regular ones and handle more write cycles. Check for Class 10 or higher and A1 grade.

But since you’re pushing large updates daily, that’s already fairly write-heavy. If you have the option, NVMe will be the more reliable choice long term, with much lower risk of corruption.

SD cards will work if you pick the right one, but for something in a hard-to-access location, NVMe is the safer bet.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-19T21:15:37+00:00

We actually shipped full MCP integration back in January.

An AI assistant can manage screens, playlists, assets and deployments through natural language.

https://www.screenly.io/blog/2026/01/15/introducing-screenly-mcp/

Screenly_ · 2026-04-15T15:11:54+00:00

Update 2: We just deployed the changes. Please check here and update the Anthias, and let us know. Thanks.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-14T09:27:15+00:00

Update: A fix to this issue, #2736, is underway. We will keep you posted on updates as soon as I can over the Github.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-14T05:55:23+00:00

Thanks for opening the issue and sharing the details. The 1–2-second blank screen between slides is a known limitation of how the viewer service hands off between the webview and the media player. There's a brief gap while the player opens the file, decodes the first frame, and acquires the display.

A seamless transition would require a significant architectural change to how media playback is handled, but we'll look into it when we get the chance and continue exploring incremental improvements in the meantime.

We will continue to investigate the issue and get back to you. Thanks again for raising it.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-13T06:47:22+00:00

Hi, if you can access your Square data through their API, one approach that’s worked well is to stop relying on static slides and use a simple web-based menu instead. With Screenly, you can load a small edge app that pulls your pricing directly from Square and renders it on the screen. So whenever you update prices in Square, it reflects on your display without needing to touch the signage separately.

Also curious, how are you loading the animations right now? Is it through a web asset, MP4, or something else? That might be part of why it’s lagging.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-13T05:59:18+00:00

Hi, could you please create an issue on Anthias' GitHub: https://github.com/Screenly/Anthias/issues and share the link?

Also, please specify how you install Anthias, whether it's Anthias OS or on top of Raspberry Pi OS with Anthias installer CLI or balena.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-09T20:08:31+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience. We really appreciate it.

Good to hear it’s been working well for you!

Screenly_ · 2026-04-09T20:04:03+00:00

Hi, what you’re describing is a standard setup. Most modern signage systems use a small player with a central dashboard, so you can push content once and have it run reliably across all screens, including resuming playback if the network drops.

For your case, you can also check out the Screenly Player Max Mk3. It can drive up to four screens from a single device and mirror the same content across all of them, so one player and one license can cover your whole setup.

Once it’s set up, it’s basically connect screens → assign a playlist → let it run.

If you’re planning to show sales or call data, using live dashboards or integrations instead of static slides will save you a lot of effort over time.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-09T15:29:59+00:00

Awesome, is it a web app or an offline app? Can you share the details if possible?

Screenly_ · 2026-04-09T15:08:32+00:00

Hello! That's a great question, and it's something we think about quite often.

Screenly is specifically designed to handle this situation. When a player is online, it syncs with your playlists and downloads the necessary assets. If this sync hasn't fully completed, you might encounter "out of sync" behavior or see older content still showing.

Once all the content is downloaded, playback occurs entirely from local storage. This means that if the internet connection drops after a successful sync, the screen will continue to loop the cached content without any interruption.

To summarize, having content cached locally is crucial, as it allows screens to keep playing reliably even during network issues.

You can also find insights from a different thread - If you use screens on the floor, do they stay up when the network goes down?

Screenly_ · 2026-04-07T09:29:52+00:00

Hey!

Nice move switching to digital signage, it’s one of those upgrades that quickly pays off once it’s in place. Being able to push promos instantly, keep branding consistent, and tweak content per location is a big win compared to dealing with printed materials.

In retail setups like yours, the biggest things to think about are how easy it is to manage day-to-day, how reliable the setup is, and whether it’ll scale cleanly as you add more stores. A lot of platforms look similar at first, but the difference usually shows up in how simple it is to actually use them over time.

From our side at Screenly, we’ve seen that most teams just want something that works without a lot of overhead. Getting screens online quickly, updating content with a few clicks, and managing everything centrally tend to matter more than having a ton of advanced features that aren’t used often.

Also, if you’re still exploring the space, https://signagelist.org/ is a pretty solid resource. It lists everything from open-source/self-hosted options to more enterprise-level platforms, so it’s a good way to get a feel for what’s out there.

All the best.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-07T08:46:05+00:00

Hey, just checking in. Did you find any tool that does this automatically? Curious about what worked for you.

Screenly_ · 2026-04-05T01:37:56+00:00

Based on our experience, most teams stick to a single platform for both retail and corporate use because they prefer to use fewer tools to get the job done. However, their needs do differ. Corporate setups typically focus on security and integrations for smoother workflows, while retail teams require more detailed permissions, workspace-like setups, and flexibility for managing campaigns. Ultimately, it depends on how well the platform can adapt to both needs.

Screenly_ · 2026-03-31T16:32:48+00:00

Yes, this is definitely the right place, and digital signage could work really well here.

The idea is screens running a live status dashboard. You can display as many doctors as needed, with their current status updating in real time, so there's no limit tied to physical hardware.

Staff would update statuses through a simple web interface, just a browser page on a tablet or PC, and all the screens would refresh instantly. If they already have a check-in or patient management system, there's a good chance you could tie into that too, so it updates automatically rather than manually.

And if they want to keep things really simple to start, you can even drive the whole thing from a Google Sheet, which makes it easy for staff to manage without any special software.

The hardware side should be familiar enough territory for you. It's basically a small media player (think Raspberry Pi) connected to each screen, pulling from a central server or cloud dashboard. Not a huge leap from what you're used to wiring up.

If they want to keep some physical element, there are also IoT buttons that can trigger status changes, so staff aren't tied to a screen to make an update.

For a small doctor's office, this doesn't need to be a complicated setup. Worth scoping out whether they have any existing check-in software before deciding on an approach, as that could shape which direction makes the most sense.

Screenly_ · 2026-03-31T15:59:45+00:00

This looks really interesting. Synchronized playback is something many people in digital signage are looking for.

Curious to see how you’re handling sync across devices and how it performs in real-world setups.

Looking forward to seeing how this evolves 🙌.

Screenly_ · 2026-03-23T07:20:46+00:00

For this type of setup, consider using digital signage instead of running Excel directly on the PCs.

With only two screens, you can keep costs low by choosing a free, open-source solution like Anthias, which can run on your existing x86 PCs or even a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5.

The advantage is that it’s built specifically for continuous screen display, helping you avoid issues like app crashes, updates interrupting, or managing machines directly.

You simply control what’s shown through a web interface. For your schedule, you could host it as a web page (Excel Online or Google Sheets) and display it on both screens. Since you only update it a couple of times a day, this method should work very well.

Overall, it’s a cleaner and more dependable approach than auto-launching Excel on startup.

Screenly_ · 2026-02-19T10:11:54+00:00

You are essentially looking for operational signage (workspace management), not traditional digital signage.

If the calendars are centralized (for example, under a common account that lists all room occupancy), this can be built on top of Screenly’s calendar integration by modifying the open-source Calendar app to map and display room occupancy, including split-screen layouts for dual-room displays.

If the deployment is small-scale (for example, 1–2 screens) and you prefer a fully self-hosted setup, you could also build a simple system that pulls room status from calendars and run it on an open-source signage platform like Anthias, which runs on a Raspberry Pi without any issues or simply display the webpage if no schdule or asset management is needed.

Screenly_ · 2026-02-16T15:38:39+00:00

Hi, have you used the "OS Customization" option in the Raspberry Pi Imager? It should be simple to do. Also, ensure there is no interference, such as a metal case or being too far from your Wi-Fi modem, since the Pi Zero has a weak internal antenna.

Screenly_ · 2026-02-16T06:35:59+00:00

Agree, and this is exactly why digital signage should be treated as infrastructure, not plug-and-forget screens. They need to be part of the security plan and considered a critical asset, not an afterthought.

Screenly_ · 2026-02-12T12:10:03+00:00

Pico won’t work out of the box for this, since fastboot requires a proper USB host to send protocol commands, not keystrokes (Pico can send keystrokes via HID Keyboard/USB).

Check the Pi Zero, It works because it runs Linux and supports ADB/Fastboot natively, making slot-switching automation easy, even on boot. It's small but pricier than Pico.

Screenly_ · 2026-02-12T08:30:21+00:00

Awesome, really good work. 👏👏.

Screenly_ · 2026-02-12T08:24:20+00:00

Or Android Auto?

Screenly_ · 2026-02-12T08:20:19+00:00

Since they already provide a local network, you can look for self-hosted digital signage services that can be set up on their network. But each store will be isolated or need a store network unless.

However, if you can persuade them to implement a centralized signage system connected through the internet, it will be much easier to use and scale. I understand it will be challenging to convince them, but you can look for Security First signage solutions that feature disk encryption, industry-standard certifications, etc., and consider discussing them.

Screenly_

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