Gallery Exhibition — your art on screens

Which way should I connect?

1. 1

   Step 1: Your options at a glance

   All of these show exactly the same gallery:

   1. 1Roku — the easiest if you have a Roku stick or a Roku TV. Install the free app from the Roku store.
   2. 2Raspberry Pi — the best for a screen that stays on the wall for good. A small, cheap computer that starts the gallery by itself.
   3. 3Web player on a computer — no installing at all. Open solpersona.com/player on a laptop plugged into the screen.
   4. 4Google Cast — send the gallery from Chrome to a Chromecast or Google TV.
   5. 5Apple AirPlay — mirror the player from a Mac, iPhone or iPad to an Apple TV or AirPlay TV.

   Tip Just curious? Open solpersona.com/player right now on this computer and press Try a sample gallery to see how it looks.

Roku: install the SolPersona Gallery app

1. 2

   Step 2: Install it from your TV

   With your Roku turned on and connected to the internet:

   1. 1Press the Home button on your Roku remote.
   2. 2Choose Search (on some Rokus, go to Streaming Store or + Add channels first).
   3. 3Type SolPersona Gallery and choose it from the results.
   4. 4Choose Add app (on older Rokus it says Add channel). Enter your Roku PIN if asked.
   5. 5Choose Go to app to open it.

   Home

   Search

   Streaming Store

   Settings

   Press Home on the Roku remote

   You'll know it worked when… The app opens on a pairing screen with a QR code and an eight-letter code.
2. 3

   Step 3: Or install it from your phone or computer

   Open SolPersona Gallery in the Roku Channel Store, sign in with your Roku account, and press Add app. It appears on your Roku within a few minutes.

   Tip Don't want to wait? On the Roku go to Settings → System → System update → Check now and it shows up straight away.
3. 4

   Step 4: Using the remote

   On the pairing screen, press OK to play a sample gallery and Back to return. Once linked, press OK to see the screen's name and settings.

   Tip Roku can't open an app by itself when the TV turns on. On a Roku TV, set Settings → System → Power → Power on to the last used app so the gallery comes back after a power cut.

Raspberry Pi: a dedicated gallery screen

1. 5

   Step 5: What you need

   1. 1A Raspberry Pi 5 (best — up to 4K at 60 frames) or a Raspberry Pi 4 (4K at 30 frames), with its official power supply.
   2. 2A microSD card of 16 GB or more. A card marked A2 or High Endurance lasts longest.
   3. 3A micro-HDMI to HDMI cable to plug the Pi into your screen.
   4. 4Wi-Fi, or a network cable.
   5. 5A computer with an SD card slot (or a cheap USB card reader) to set up the card.
2. 6

   Step 6: Download the SolPersona Gallery image

   On your computer, open the SolPersona Gallery for Raspberry Pi download page. Under the newest release, find Assets and download the file ending in .img.xz (for example solpersona-gallery-0.1.0.img.xz). It's about 700 MB.

   Good to know Don't unzip it. Raspberry Pi Imager reads the .img.xz file as it is.
3. 7

   Step 7: Get Raspberry Pi Imager

   Raspberry Pi Imager is the free app that writes the gallery onto your SD card. Download it from raspberrypi.com/software for Windows, Mac or Linux, and install it like any other app.

4. 8

   Step 8: Write the image to your SD card

   Put the microSD card into your computer and open Raspberry Pi Imager.

   1. 1Press Choose Device and pick your Raspberry Pi (Pi 5 or Pi 4).
   2. 2Press Choose OS, scroll to the bottom and choose Use Custom. Select the .img.xz file you downloaded.
   3. 3Press Choose Storage and pick your SD card. Check the size — it should match your card.
   4. 4Press Next. When Imager asks about OS customisation, press Edit settings to type your Wi-Fi name, password, country and time zone — or skip it and set Wi-Fi up later.
   5. 5Press Yes to start writing. Wait until Imager says the card has been written and verified, then take the card out.

   Raspberry Pi Imager

   Raspberry Pi Device

   CHOOSE DEVICE

   Operating System

   CHOOSE OS

   Storage

   CHOOSE STORAGE

   NEXT

   1. Raspberry Pi Imager

   Careful Writing erases everything on the card. Double-check you picked the SD card and not another drive.
5. 9

   Step 9: Plug it in and switch it on

   Put the SD card into the Pi. Plug the Pi into your screen with the HDMI cable (use the HDMI port nearest the power socket), then plug in the power. Switch the screen to that HDMI input.

   The first start takes about two minutes — the Pi prepares the card and restarts once or twice. That's normal.

   Raspberry Pi

   Put the card in the Pi

   You'll know it worked when… The screen shows Register this screen to your SolPersona account with a QR code and a code.
6. 10

   Step 10: No Wi-Fi set? Use the setup hotspot

   If the Pi can't find a network after about a minute, the screen says Join Wi-Fi SolPersona-Gallery-XXXX on your phone.

   1. 1On your phone, open Wi-Fi settings and join SolPersona-Gallery-XXXX (or scan the QR code on the screen).
   2. 2A page opens on your phone. Choose your home or venue Wi-Fi and type its password.
   3. 3The Pi connects and shows its pairing code.

   Tip A network cable works with no setup at all.
7. 11

   Step 11: Looking after it

   The Pi updates itself overnight (around 3 am, or outside your opening hours), so there's nothing to maintain. Press OK on your TV remote (or Enter on a keyboard) to see its name, connection and version.

A computer or laptop: the web player

1. 12

   Step 12: Connect the computer to the TV (optional)

   To use a TV, plug your laptop into it with an HDMI cable (some laptops need a USB-C to HDMI adapter). Switch the TV to that HDMI input. If the TV shows your desktop, you're ready.

2. 13

   Step 13: Open the web player

   Open your browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox) and go to solpersona.com/player. You can also press Open the web player on the Gallery Exhibition page.

   

   Plug the laptop into the TV

   You'll know it worked when… The player shows a QR code and an eight-letter code.
3. 14

   Step 14: Make it full screen

   Press F on the keyboard (or the full-screen button in the top corner). If your TV shows a separate desktop, drag the browser window onto the TV first, then press F.

   Tip Set your computer to never sleep or turn off its display while the gallery is showing — otherwise the screen goes dark.
4. 15

   Step 15: Handy keys

   1. 1T — play a sample gallery.
   2. 2F — full screen on and off.
   3. 3R — reload.
   4. 4Esc — stop the sample or close settings.

Google Cast: Chromecast and Google TV

1. 16

   Step 16: Cast from the player

   Use Chrome or Edge on a computer (or Chrome on an Android phone), on the same Wi-Fi as your Chromecast.

   1. 1Open solpersona.com/player.
   2. 2Press the gear button in the top corner to open Settings.
   3. 3Under Show on a TV, press Cast to a Chromecast and choose your TV.
   4. 4The TV shows its own pairing code — link it as described below. Or press Play the sample on the TV to try it first.

   

   solpersona.com/player

   SolPersona Gallery

   ABCD-EFGH

   solpersona.com/pair

   Open solpersona.com/player in Chrome or Edge

   You'll know it worked when… The panel says Showing on your TV's name.

   Good to know If the button isn't there, the panel says why — for example that Google Cast only works in Chrome or Edge, or that no Chromecast was found on your network.
2. 17

   Step 17: Another way: cast the tab

   You can also use Chrome's own menu: press ⋮ at the top right, choose Cast…, then pick your TV. This mirrors the browser tab, so keep the computer on and awake.

Apple AirPlay: Apple TV and AirPlay TVs

1. 18

   Step 18: From a Mac

   1. 1Open solpersona.com/player in Safari or Chrome.
   2. 2Open Control Centre (the two switches at the top right of the screen) and press Screen Mirroring.
   3. 3Choose your Apple TV or AirPlay TV.
   4. 4Press F to make the player full screen.

   ⌥⌥10:30

   SolPersona Gallery

   ABCD-EFGH

   solpersona.com/pair

   Open solpersona.com/player

   Tip Keep the Mac awake while it's mirroring: plug it in and set the display to never turn off.
2. 19

   Step 19: From an iPhone or iPad

   1. 1Open solpersona.com/player in Safari.
   2. 2Swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Centre.
   3. 3Press Screen Mirroring and choose your TV.
   4. 4Turn your phone sideways for the best picture.

Link the screen to your account

1. 20

   Step 20: Scan the code with your phone

   Point your phone's camera at the QR code on the screen and press the link that appears. Sign in to SolPersona if asked.

   SolPersona Gallery

   Register this screen to your SolPersona account

   ABCD-EFGH

   solpersona.com/pair

   The screen shows a QR code

   Tip No camera? On any device, go to solpersona.com/pair and type the code, or press Add a screen on the Gallery Exhibition page and type it under I have a code.
2. 21

   Step 21: Name it and link it

   Check the code matches the one on the screen. Give the screen a name — where it hangs, like Front window or Living room — then press Link this screen.

   

   You'll know it worked when… Your phone says is linked, and within a few seconds the screen starts playing your featured work.

   Good to know Codes last fifteen minutes. If yours has run out, the screen shows a fresh one by itself.

Choose what plays

1. 22

   Step 22: Open Gallery Exhibition

   In the menu on the left, choose Gallery Exhibition. Each linked screen has a card showing what it's playing, live, and whether it's Online.

   
2. 23

   Step 23: Pick a gallery

   On a screen's card, press Choose a gallery (or Play… if something is already playing). Choose what to show:

   1. 1Featured — your shortlist, in your order.
   2. 2Collections — any of your collections.
   3. 3TheVault galleries — galleries you curated on TheVault.Art.
   4. 4Collected — the art one of your wallets holds.

   

   You'll know it worked when… Press Play. The screen changes within a few seconds.
3. 24

   Step 24: Control it from your phone or computer

   Use the buttons on the card: Previous piece, Pause, Next piece and Stop. Press the picture on the card to see every piece in order — press one to put it up now.

   
4. 25

   Step 25: Show one piece right now

   On any of your artworks, press Show on a screen. Choose the screens and for how long, then press Show now. When it comes down, the gallery carries on where it was.

5. 26

   Step 26: Several screens, in step

   With two or more screens, tick them and press Play on 2 in step — or press Put every screen in step. They'll change piece at the same moment, like one installation.

6. 27

   Step 27: Keep the gallery on the screen

   Some players (like the Raspberry Pi) can store the whole gallery and play it with no internet. Press ⋯ on the card and choose Keep this gallery on the screen.

Make it look just right

1. 28

   Step 28: Exhibition settings

   Under Exhibition settings you choose how work is hung:

   1. 1Timing — how long each piece shows, the order, the transition, and opening hours (the screen goes dark outside them).
   2. 2Video — repeat short videos, and whether to play sound.
   3. 3Presentation — what surrounds the piece: a soft blurred wash, a frame and mat, black, or fill the screen.
   4. 4Wall label — a museum card with title and artist, one line, or none.
   5. 5QR code — where it leads, so visitors can take the work home on their phone.

   

   Tip Choose Defaults for every gallery in Settings for to change them all at once, or pick one gallery to give it its own look. Press Save changes.
2. 29

   Step 29: More than one screen

   Your first screen is free. If you need more, add screen licences in Settings under Add storage — the Storage guide explains how. A screen without a licence stays linked and starts playing again the moment you add one.

3. 30

   Step 30: Rename or remove a screen

   Press ⋯ on a screen's card for Rename, Identify (shows its name on the screen), Reload and Remove screen. A removed screen goes back to showing a pairing code, ready to link again.

Questions people ask