USB Thumb Drive in a USB Port
Most modern TVs have the ability to play images and videos from a USB stick. Combined with the ability to play these in a series on repeat they create an easy way to display a slideshow on your TV. When updating your slideshow the drive will need to be removed from the TV, plugged into your computer and managed manually. No cloud access is available with this setup.
What’s needed: USB thumb drive ($10) and a TV that with repeat slideshow functionality.
Portable Digital Media Player
One step up from using the USB port on your TV is to use a portable digital media player such as the Micca Speck 1080p Full-HD Ultra Portable Digital Media Player. This is a powerful media player that can play multiple image and video formats in full 1080p HD. The player comes with a remote control and connects to your TV via HDMI cable. This device includes some noteworthy features such as a SD/SDHC memory card reader, USB port, automatic restart after a power failure, aluminum case exterior and high bit-rate playback. Just like the first USB thumb drive option you will need to remove your drive from this device, plug it into your computer and manage your media locally.
What’s needed: Micca Speck Ultra Portable Digital Media Player ($40), USB thumb drive ($10) and a TV with an available HDMI port.
Apple TV and Flickr
If you want to manage your slideshow remotely and not have to physically remove USB drives from your TV you will need a system that pulls images from the cloud. Apple TV is a popular choice because it is a cloud based media device, it’s a familiar product to many users, it’s affordable and is simple to setup.
There are two ways to create a looping slideshow using an Apple TV. One way is to set your screensaver to a Flickr album and the second way is to use an iPhoto album to pull your photos from the cloud. Both have there advantages and disadvantages and you will need test both to see which workflow best fits your needs. One feature that makes the Flickr option attractive is the fact that anyone with access to your Flickr account can upload photos and images into the slideshow album. iPhoto albums only work with Apple products and devices
What’s needed: Apple TV ($69), Flickr account (free) and a TV with an available HDMI port.
Android Sticks and Photos Alive
Luke Irvine from Hillsong Church shared this one of a kind digital slideshows setup with me. He installed Rikomagic MK802 Android Mini PCs in his lobbies and connected them to his wifi network. For media playback he uses an application called “PhotosAlive! Digital Frame” which can automatically download pictures from a Dropbox account and display them fullscreen as a slideshow. You can adjust the slide transition time and also install an auto startup app (AutoStart – No Root) so that when the TV is turned on the Photos Alive app starts automatically. One feature he particularly likes is how the device plugs directly into your HDMI port resulting in only one power cable and no bulky HDMI cords to manage.
What’s needed: Rikomagic MK802 or equivalent ($60), PhotosAlive! Digital Frame ($1.49), DropBox account (free) and a TV with an available HDMI port.
Raspberry Pi and Rise Vision Player
One last option that is gaining popularity is using Raspberry Pi and Rise Vision Player. Rasberry Pi is a micro computer that DIY dreams are made of. It runs a Linux operating systems of your choosing, has multiple ports and can run web applications.
Typically users install Rise Vision Player on their device and use free presentation services that Rise Vision provides to it’s users.
What’s needed: Raspberry Pi ($45), Rise Vision Player (free) and a TV with an available HDMI port.