(the TV's were already there so that doesn't count
)I created a wordpress page with Turnkey Linux to supply the devices with their media. Since this page was doing the heavy lifting on its own server the A+ models could easily handle the load without much of any strain on them.
I wanted to post the steps I took. I also want to note I used the A+ models so that the units could be powered by the TV's USB ports making rebooting by the end user extremely simple. This did limit the graphics power of the unit. Video is not advised in this method and simple page transitions are highly recommended as you will note stutter stops on the pages.
There seems to be a million ways out there to do this but for me this has proven the simplest.
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Assuming Raspian OS Using NOOBs setup
Intial config during setup. ($ sudo Raspi-config If step is missed)
Set system to Boot to GUI
Set Localization and Time Zone
Change the default system password
Enable SSH from the Advanced Settings Section
Finish
Device will reboot
After Reboot: Update the system.
$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y
$ sudo apt-get install raspberrypi-bootloader
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Networking:
Option 1: Wired with a need for a fixed IP
sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
ctrl-x ctrl-y enter
Option 2: wireless: For this purpose I will include the method for a hidden SSID as well.
Ref: http://www.dafinga.net/2013/01/how-to-s ... idden.html
$ sudo apt-get install wpasupplicant
For a hidden network you will need to Generate a PSK version of your WLAN password with wpa_passphrase utility
$ wpa_passphrase "<Your Wifi SSID>" "<Your Wifi PASSWORD>"
(Quotes are needed for whitespace)
Copy the output elsewhere or open another session of terminal before proceeding so you can cut and paste
If your network is not hidden skip to the next step
$ sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
iface eth0 inet dhcp
auto wlan0
allow-hotplug wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wpa-scan-ssid 1
wpa-ap-scan 1
wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
wpa-proto RSN WPA
wpa-pairwise CCMP TKIP
wpa-group CCMP TKIP
wpa-ssid "<Your Wifi SSID>"
wpa-psk <Your PSK Value>
iface default inet dhcp
############################
If you need to set up a fixed IP see step1. I adjusted our DHCP server with a reservation for simplicity.
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Now to begin configuration of the actual Kiosk Mode Software (Chromium)
$ sudo apt-get install chromium x11-xserver-utils unclutter
For Flash Purposes:
$ sudo apt-get install gnash
$ sudo apt-get install browser-plugin-gnash
$ sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart
@xscreensaver -no-splash
Next add these lines underneath the screensaver line
@xset s off
@xset -dpms
@xset s noblank
##Disables Error Messages on power cycles
@sed -i 's/"exited_cleanly": false/"exited_cleanly": true/' ~/.config/chromium/Default/Preferences
##Autolaunches browser with plugin warnings disabled
@chromium --allow-outdated-plugins --noerrdialogs --kiosk http://www.page-to.display
Ctrl-O Ctlr-x
sudo reboot
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Fine Tuning for TV Resolution
After reboot (depending on resolution) you may need to set Chromium to open the webpages at a smaller than default page size.
Adjust this under chromium's settings-> Advanced Settings -> Default page size.
sudo reboot to test
It should be noted that you may need to adjust the screen size depending on your TV.
This can be found in
$ sudo nano /boot/config.txt
There are many options out there to set this file up but I just scrolled to the bottom and in a rather manual "trial and error" method adjusted the following for my rather old 720p TV I had:
# NOOBS Auto-generated Settings:
hdmi_force_hotplug=1
config_hdmi_boost=4
overscan_left=5
overscan_right=5
overscan_top=5
overscan_bottom=5
disable_overscan=0
core_freq=250
sdram_freq=450
over_voltage=2