Set up a TV

Every LobbyLoop screen is just a web page: play.getlobbyloop.com, shown full-screen. Here's how to set that up on a Raspberry Pi (recommended) or any computer.

Raspberry Pi Recommended

Small, quiet and cheap. Mount it on the back of the TV and forget about it.

1. Put the LobbyLoop image on the SD card

   On your computer, install Raspberry Pi Imager (or balenaEtcher). Choose your Pi model, then for the operating system scroll to the bottom and pick Use custom, and select the file you downloaded. Pick your SD card and write it.

   If Imager asks about customizing settings, choose No. LobbyLoop handles that on the TV.

2. Plug it in

   Put the card in the Pi, connect it to the TV, and power it on. It starts straight into LobbyLoop.

   • Using Ethernet? It connects by itself.
   • Using Wi-Fi? After about a minute the TV shows a QR code. Scan it with your phone, pick your church Wi-Fi, and type the password. A keyboard and mouse plugged into the Pi work too.
3. Pair it

   Once it's online the TV shows a six-character code. In LobbyLoop, go to Screens → Add screen, type the code, and pick the wall and which TV it is. Within a few seconds the TV switches to your content.

WIFI_NAME=Church WiFi
WIFI_PASSWORD=yourpassword
SCREEN_SIZE=1920x1080     # or 3840x2160@30, an LED processor size, or auto
ROTATE=0                  # 90, 180 or 270 for TVs mounted sideways
SSH_PASSWORD=             # set one to let your IT team log in as "lobbyloop"

Copycurl -fsSL https://getlobbyloop.com/pi.sh | bash

Any other computer

A Mac mini, mini PC, old laptop or Chromebox works too. Launch the player in kiosk mode so it opens full screen with no browser bars, with no clicking needed.

Mac (including a Mac Studio running several TVs)

Open Terminal and run:

Copycurl -fsSL https://getlobbyloop.com/mac.sh | bash

It asks which displays to use, then sets each one up to open the LobbyLoop player full screen every time the Mac logs in. It restarts the player if it ever closes and keeps the Mac awake. If the Mac drives several TVs, each one gets its own player and pairing code, so you can assign them as TV 1, TV 2 and so on.

• For a hands-off signage Mac, also turn on System Settings → Users & Groups → Automatically log in as…
• To stop it: curl -fsSL https://getlobbyloop.com/mac.sh | bash -s -- uninstall

open -na "Google Chrome" --args --kiosk --user-data-dir="$HOME/.lobbyloop-player" --autoplay-policy=no-user-gesture-required https://play.getlobbyloop.com/

Windows

Right-click the desktop → New → Shortcut, paste this as the location, and name it LobbyLoop Player:

Copy"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk --user-data-dir=%LOCALAPPDATA%\LobbyLoopPlayer --autoplay-policy=no-user-gesture-required https://play.getlobbyloop.com/

To start it automatically, press Win+R, type shell:startup, and move the shortcut into that folder. To quit, press Alt+F4.

Just trying it out?

Open play.getlobbyloop.com in any browser and click once anywhere on the page. The browser goes full screen. Browsers only allow full screen after a click, which is why kiosk mode is better for screens that run all the time.

LED walls

An LED wall's processor (Novastar, Colorlight, Brompton and so on) takes a normal HDMI signal and maps one area of it onto the LED panels. LobbyLoop can draw your content at exactly that spot, pixel for pixel.

1. Make an LED wall in LobbyLoop

   Go to Walls → + New wall → LED wall and enter the LED canvas size in pixels, the same size your processor is set to (for example 2496 × 768). If the wall is fed by more than one player, choose the number of sections and enter the size of each.

2. Match the player's output to the processor input

   Connect the Pi (or computer) to the processor's HDMI input and set its display resolution to what the processor expects, often 1920 × 1080 or 3840 × 2160. On a Pi, use Screen Configuration in the desktop menu.

3. Pair it and set the output to pixel-exact

   Pair the screen as usual, then go to Screens → Edit → Output → Pixel-exact and enter where the LED area starts in the HDMI signal. That's usually 0, 0, the top-left corner, unless your processor's mapping says otherwise.

4. Check it with Identify

   Click Identify on the Screens page. The wall shows a pink outline and grid with the content size and signal resolution for 20 seconds. If the outline is cut off or shifted on the LEDs, adjust the X/Y start or the processor mapping until it fits exactly.

Tips for reliable screens

• Turn off the TV's own power-saving. Many TVs switch off after a few hours with no remote input. Look for "Auto power off", "Eco" or "No signal power off" in the TV's settings.
• Use Ethernet where you can. Lobby Wi-Fi gets crowded on Sunday morning.
• Video walls: set every TV in a wall to the same picture mode and brightness so they match.
• If the internet drops, screens keep showing the last content and reconnect on their own.

Troubleshooting