This repository provides a script to configure a Raspberry Pi as a narrowcasting screen, displaying a webpage in full-screen mode using Chromium. The setup process includes installing essential packages, configuring the window manager, setting a fallback wallpaper, and enabling VNC for remote access.
This setup is designed for Raspberry Pi 3 or newer models and is compatible only with Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (64-bit) Lite. There's no need to install a full desktop environment, as this script installs and configures a lightweight alternative.
To get started, install Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (64-bit) and log in as a non-privileged user. It's important to avoid using su or sudo for root access during this process. Run the following command to execute the setup script:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oszuidwest/rpi-texttv/main/install.sh)"This command will download and run the script, automatically installing the necessary packages and configuring your Raspberry Pi for kiosk mode.
You can easily customize the script to use a different wallpaper or webpage by editing the WALLPAPER_URL and CHROME_URL variables at the beginning of the install.sh script:
WALLPAPER_URL="your_custom_wallpaper_url"
CHROME_URL="your_custom_chrome_url"- X11: The display server that provides the graphical environment necessary for running applications like Chromium on the Raspberry Pi. The script ensures X11 starts automatically on boot.
- Unclutter: A utility to hide the mouse cursor when idle, for a clean screen presentation.
- Openbox: A lightweight window manager that automatically starts and manages Chromium and other display settings, ensuring a minimal graphical environment.
- Feh: Used to display a fallback wallpaper in the absence of other graphical content.
- Chromium: Used to display the web application in full-screen kiosk mode, concealing all browser controls and unnecessary features such as translations.
- RealVNC: Provides remote desktop access to the Raspberry Pi on the default port 5900.
To ensure the Raspberry Pi displays the content correctly on different screens, the script includes settings to force a specific screen resolution. This is particularly useful when connecting to displays that may not automatically configure to the desired resolution.
By default, the script configures the Raspberry Pi to use a broadcast HD resolution (1080i) at 50Hz. If you need a diffrent resolution, you can change the VIDEO_OPTION variable and the xrandr commands. By default only the main screen (HDMI-A) is used.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues and pull requests for improvements and additional features.