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Set up a DIY Player on a Raspberry Pi

A DIY Player is your own Raspberry Pi running the free NowBoard Player software. It works the same as a NowBoard Player Pro: plug it into a TV, pair it once, and it plays its Channel all day. It is the option to choose outside the UK, where the Player Pro is not sold yet, or if you would rather build your own.

What you need

  • A Raspberry Pi 5 (2 GB is enough) or a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. Older models are not supported.
  • A 32 GB microSD card, class A2. A 16 GB card works but fills up sooner.
  • The official Raspberry Pi power supply (27 W USB-C for a Pi 5). A weak supply causes random restarts and a flickering picture.
  • A case with some airflow. A Pi 5 slows down in a sealed case.
  • A micro-HDMI to HDMI cable.
  • A network cable for the first start. You can switch to Wi-Fi afterwards.
  • A computer with Raspberry Pi Imager, the free tool from the Raspberry Pi website, and a card reader.

Get the NowBoard Player software

Download the latest NowBoard Player image. It is one file of about 1 GB, ending in .img.xz, and the same file works on a Pi 4 and a Pi 5. You do not need to unzip it.

The downloads page lists the previous versions too, with a checksum for each. Only use an older version if we ask you to.

Put the software on the card

  1. Open Raspberry Pi Imager and put the microSD card in your computer.
  2. Under Choose device, pick your Raspberry Pi model.
  3. Under Choose OS, scroll down to Use custom and pick the NowBoard file you downloaded.
  4. Under Choose storage, pick the microSD card. Check it is the card and not another drive: everything on it is wiped.
  5. When Imager asks whether to apply OS customisation, choose No. The NowBoard software sets everything itself. Do not enter Wi-Fi details here.
  6. Let Imager write and verify the card. This takes a few minutes.

First start

  1. Put the card in the Pi and the Pi in its case.
  2. Plug the HDMI cable into the port nearest the USB-C power socket (HDMI0), then into the TV. That port is the one that lets NowBoard turn the TV on and off.
  3. Plug in the network cable, then the power.
  4. After about 30 seconds the TV shows a clock, the software version and a pairing code with a QR code.

The first start is the only slow one. Later starts are quicker, and the Pi copes with being unplugged without warning: the software is read-only, so a power cut cannot damage it.

Pair it

  1. Scan the QR code on the TV with your phone, or open the Players page and press Pair a Player, then type the code.
  2. Choose the Channel it should play.
  3. Within a few seconds the TV switches to that Channel's playlist.

The code changes every 10 minutes. If it has expired, the TV shows a new one on its own.

Switch to Wi-Fi

  1. With the Pi still on the network cable, open it from the Players page.
  2. Under This player's own Wi-Fi, press Connect to Wi-Fi, enter the network name and password, and save.
  3. Wait until the page says it is connected over Wi-Fi, then unplug the network cable.

Networks that need a sign-in page in a browser, like many hotel and guest networks, will not work. Use a network cable there.

If something goes wrong

  • Nothing on the TV: check the cable is in HDMI0, next to the power socket, and the TV is on the right input.
  • It keeps restarting or the picture flickers: use the official power supply.
  • No pairing code after a few minutes: the Pi has no network. Check the network cable and that the network reaches the internet.
  • "This device is already claimed": the Pi was paired to another organisation. Ask whoever manages it to remove it, then pair it again.

Still stuck? Email hello@nowboard.tv with a photo of what the TV shows.