How to show Websteer on your TV

Every Websteer design is made in 16:9, the shape of almost every modern TV. Messages, phrases and seasonal greetings are still pictures (JPG). Scenes are videos (MP4). Here is how to get either one onto your screen.

From your phone
USB stick
Your TV brand
Looping a scene
Holiday lets and businesses
If it won't play

1. The quickest way: from your phone

Save the file to your phone first. Your phone and TV must be on the same Wi-Fi.

iPhone (AirPlay)

Open the Photos app and tap your picture or scene.
Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow), then AirPlay.
Pick your TV. It fills the screen.

AirPlay works with Apple TV and many recent Samsung, LG, Sony and Roku TVs. If your TV is not listed, use a USB stick instead.

Android (Google Cast)

Open Google Photos and tap your picture or scene.
Tap the Cast icon (a screen with a Wi-Fi symbol) at the top.
Pick your TV or streaming stick.

Cast works with Google TV, Chromecast and many Sony, Philips, Hisense and TCL TVs.

Samsung phone with a Samsung TV (Smart View)

Open your picture or scene and turn the phone sideways.
Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Smart View.
Pick your TV.

Smart View copies your whole phone screen, so keep the phone awake and don't take calls while it's showing.

Phones are great for a quick look or a one-off message. For a scene running all evening, a USB stick is more reliable, because the TV plays the file itself and your phone is free.

2. USB stick: the most reliable way

Download your file on a computer and copy it onto a USB stick.
Plug the stick straight into the TV (not through a hub or extension lead).
Open the TV's media player or Source menu and choose the USB stick. Your TV's steps are below.
Select the file. A picture stays on screen until you change it. For a scene, turn on Repeat (see Looping a scene).

Most TVs read sticks formatted as FAT32 or exFAT. FAT32 can't hold a single file bigger than 4GB, so if a long scene won't copy, reformat the stick as exFAT on your computer (this wipes the stick).

3. Your TV, brand by brand

Menu names change between models and years, so yours may be worded slightly differently.

Samsung

Plug in the USB stick. A pop-up may take you straight to it.
If not, press Source on the remote (or Home, then Source) and choose USB Device or Connected Device.
Select your file. Press Enter to show the controls, where you'll find the repeat option.

Samsung The Frame (Art Mode)

Art Mode is ideal for still messages and seasonal greetings. Scenes play as normal videos (see Samsung above).

Using your phone

Save the picture to your phone and open the SmartThings app.
Choose your TV, then Art Mode, and add your photos.
Pick the picture and save it to The Frame, then select it to show.

Using a USB stick

Plug the stick into the One Connect box with the TV in Art Mode.
Open My Collection, choose the USB device, select your pictures and save them.
Find them later under My Collection, then My Photos.

Plug in the USB stick and press Home on the remote.
Open the media app (called Media Player, Photo & Video or My Media depending on the model) and choose the USB stick.
Select your file. In the player's options, set Repeat to On for scenes.

Sony, Philips and other Google TV or Android TV models

Plug in the USB stick. If a prompt appears, choose to open it.
If not, press Home and open the Media Player or Files app (Sony may list it under Apps).
Choose the USB stick and select your file.

These TVs also accept Google Cast from your phone (see section 1).

Roku TV or Roku stick

Plug the USB stick into the Roku TV or player (not every Roku stick has a USB port).
Open Roku Media Player. If you don't have it, the Roku will offer to add it for free.
Choose Video (for scenes) or Photos, then the USB stick, and select your file.

No USB port? Many recent Roku devices accept AirPlay from an iPhone.

Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick

On the Fire TV remote, press and hold Home and choose Mirroring.
On an Android phone, open the screen-sharing option (Smart View, Cast or Screen mirroring) and pick the Fire TV.
Open your picture or scene on the phone, turned sideways.

Fire TV doesn't support AirPlay from iPhones as standard. If your Fire TV is built into the television and has a USB port, the TV's own media player may also work.

Apple TV

On your iPhone or iPad, open Photos and tap your picture or scene.
Tap Share, then AirPlay, and pick the Apple TV.

4. Looping a scene

Scene Loops are made so the end joins smoothly back to the start. To keep one running:

On a USB stick: open the scene in the TV's media player and turn on Repeat (sometimes shown as a circular arrow, or Repeat one).
No repeat setting? Copy the scene into its own folder a few times and play the folder, or choose Scene Extended, which runs for a full hour.
From a phone: casting usually plays the video once. Use a USB stick for all-evening viewing.

Picture looks too bright or too strong? Switch the TV's picture mode from Vivid or Dynamic to Standard, Natural or Filmmaker for a calmer, more natural look.

5. Holiday lets and businesses

Showing Websteer to guests or customers needs a business licence. Then:

Leave a USB stick in the TV with your welcome message or scene on it, so it's ready each time you switch on.
Check the sleep timers. Many TVs switch off after a few hours without a button press. Look in Settings for Auto Power Off, Eco or Sleep timer and adjust it to suit your opening hours.
Swap greetings with the seasons. Keep one folder per season on the stick and change it in a few seconds.
Turn it off overnight. It saves power and protects the screen.

OLED TV? Don't leave the same still picture on screen for many hours a day. Rotate a few designs, use a moving scene, or switch off when the room is empty, to avoid screen burn-in.

6. If it won't play

The TV doesn't see my USB stick

Plug it straight into the TV, not through a hub or extension lead. Try another USB port.
Reformat the stick on a computer as FAT32 or exFAT (this wipes it), then copy the file again.

I can see the stick but not my file

Make sure you copied the downloaded file itself, not a shortcut, and that the download finished.
If the file arrived in a .zip, open the zip on your computer first and copy out the JPG or MP4.
Our scenes are MP4 (H.264), which almost every TV from the last ten years plays. Very old TVs may only play smaller HD versions. Email us and we'll help.

There are black bars or the picture is cropped

In the TV's picture settings, set Picture size or Aspect ratio to 16:9, Original or Fit to screen.
When mirroring a phone, turn it sideways. Mirroring can still leave thin bars, so a USB stick gives the cleanest result.

My phone can't find the TV

Check the phone and TV are on the same Wi-Fi network.
Turn on AirPlay or screen sharing in the TV's settings, then restart both.

The scene stops after a while

Turn on Repeat in the media player, and check the TV's Auto Power Off or Eco timer.

Still stuck? Email hello@websteer.co.uk with your TV make and model and we'll talk you through it.

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