Screenly Anthias Portable <Full HD>

(originally launched as Screenly OSE or Open Source Edition) is a widely popular, free digital signage platform developed by

. It is designed to turn hardware like the Raspberry Pi into a dedicated media player capable of transforming any screen or TV into a digital sign.

While the core software is designed for fixed setups (like digital menu boards in restaurants or information screens in offices), a "portable" or highly adaptable approach can be achieved by utilizing its lightweight nature. 💡 Interesting Content & Key Features of Anthias

Anthias - The world's most popular open source ... - Screenly

Screenly Anthias Portable: The Ultimate Guide to Mobile Digital Signage

In the world of digital signage, flexibility is king. For years, businesses have been chained to static USB drives or unreliable consumer-grade streaming sticks. Enter Screenly Anthias—the open-source heavyweight champion of digital signage management. But what happens when you take that powerful platform and make it... portable? screenly anthias portable

Welcome to the concept of the Screenly Anthias Portable setup. Whether you are a trade show exhibitor, a pop-up retailer, a church running a mobile food bank, or an IT professional needing a "dashboard to go," combining Screenly Anthias with portable hardware unlocks a new dimension of signage.

In this comprehensive guide, we will break down what Screenly Anthias is, how to make it portable, the specific hardware you need, and the best use cases for a truly mobile digital signage solution.

6. Use Cases

Conference/Trade Show Booths – Unit A deployed in a 3×3m booth, looping product videos. Recharged overnight. No IT support needed.
Emergency Shelter Information – Unit C ran for 3 days on solar + battery, displaying evacuation routes and announcements. Offline robustness proved critical.
Mobile Food Truck Menu – Unit B attached to cart, updated daily via USB. Total cost < $150.

Step 2: Create the Self-Healing Hotspot

SSH into your Pi. Run the following commands to set up an Access Point that starts automatically on boot.

sudo apt install hostapd dnsmasq
sudo systemctl unmask hostapd
sudo systemctl enable hostapd

Configure /etc/dhcpcd.conf to give the Pi a static IP (192.168.4.1). Then configure hostapd.conf for your SSID. Once rebooted, your Screenly Anthias player will broadcast its own Wi-Fi. (originally launched as Screenly OSE or Open Source

Pro Tip: Install watchdog so that if the Wi-Fi dongle or Pi crashes in the field, it auto-reboots.

5. Results

| Metric | Unit A | Unit B | Unit C | |--------|--------|--------|--------| | Max runtime | 7h 20m | 10h 10m | 9h (without solar) | | Boot-to-signage time | 48s | 35s | 52s | | Offline asset update success | 100% (preloaded) | 100% | 100% | | Frameskip (video, 1080p) | <1% | 12% (limited decode) | <1% | | Operating temp range | 5–35°C | 0–40°C | -5–45°C |

Network findings: When using phone hotspot, Anthias performed synchronously. Offline mode required manual asset refresh via USB or SD card swap—acceptable for pre-planned events.

Power: The RPi 4 + 10" LCD draws 5.2W average. A 30,000 mAh (3.7V nominal → 111 Wh) delivered ~7.2 hours, matching theoretical. Screenly Anthias Portable: The Ultimate Guide to Mobile

Reliability: No crashes over 30 cumulative hours of looping playback. Unit B showed thermal throttling after 90 min in direct sun, mitigated by passive heatsink.

Step 1: Configure Screenly for Offline Use

By default, Anthias tries to fetch updates, time, and weather. For a portable unit:

Go to Settings > General.
Disable "Check for updates on boot."
Set the Timezone manually (or rely on a GPS dongle if you have one).
Preload Everything: Before you go off-grid, upload all your images, videos, and web assets while connected to home Wi-Fi. Screenly caches them locally. Once cached, the internet is irrelevant.

Why Screenly Anthias for Portable Use?

Screenly Anthias (the open-source version of Screenly OSE) is perfect for this because:

It runs locally – No cloud subscription needed.
It has a web interface – Manage assets from your phone or laptop.
It handles offline mode – Once assets are downloaded, it doesn’t need the internet.
It’s lightweight – Runs smoothly on a Pi 3 or 4.

Using GPS for Hyper-Local Content

Add a USB GPS dongle to your Pi. Script Screenly to rotate assets based on location.

Example: A mobile hot dog stand. Within 1 mile of the beach, show "Ice Cold Soda." Within 1 mile of the office park, show "Lunch Special." The GPS tells Anthias which playlist to run.