Raspberry Pi

A Raspberry Pi is a small, low-cost single-board computer roughly the size of a credit card. Despite its size, it can run a full operating system and a web browser, making it a capable and energy-efficient player for Booth Beam.

It connects to any monitor or TV via HDMI, runs continuously without overheating, and consumes very little power — making it a practical choice for a permanently installed display.

Note: Raspberry Pi support is based on widely accepted best practices in the digital signage community. We haven’t formally tested all hardware and software combinations listed here. If you run into issues, contact our support team.

Recommended hardware

|Component|Recommendation| |---|---| |Model|Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB RAM minimum) or Raspberry Pi 5| |MicroSD card|16GB or larger, Class 10 or faster| |Power supply|Official Raspberry Pi USB-C power adapter| |Display connection|Micro HDMI to HDMI cable (Pi 4/5)| |Internet|Wired Ethernet preferred; Wi-Fi works| |Case|Optional, but recommended to protect the board|

Why Raspberry Pi 4? It has enough processing power to run a browser smoothly, including video playback. Earlier models (Pi 3B+) can work but may struggle with video-heavy content. Raspberry Pi 5 works well but is more expensive than necessary for most signage setups.

How it works

You install an operating system on the Raspberry Pi, configure a browser to open open https://tv2bb.com automatically in full screen when the Pi starts up, and then pair it with your Booth Beam account. After that, it runs on its own.

Setup options

|Method|Difficulty|Best for| |---|---|---| |Raspberry Pi OS + Chromium Kiosk Mode|Beginner–Intermediate|Most users. Uses the official Raspberry Pi operating system with its built-in browser set to launch Booth Beam automatically on startup.| |DietPi + Chromium|Intermediate|Users who want a leaner, faster OS that uses fewer system resources| |Third-party signage OS (e.g., Screenly OS)|Intermediate|Users who want a dedicated digital signage platform built for Raspberry Pi|

For most setups, Raspberry Pi OS with Chromium is the right starting point. It is the official operating system supported by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, it is well documented, and Chromium (the browser it includes) works reliably with Booth Beam.

The other options are worth considering if you are comfortable with more technical configuration or have a specific reason to use a lighter OS.