DisplayHub Forum - Recent Topics

Shelly Plugs / Power Control / Device Power Control / Automation

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:50:38 +0000

Shelly plugs are now native to the dashboard and can control things like bar signs, lights, signage, etc.

No hub is required and set up is super easy

The video is choppy or otherwise not smooth

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:47:35 +0000

Most devices work just fine on the encoders, but we also have to be real about what a Raspberry Pi 5 can handle. We choose this single-board computer because of its availability, pricing, etc., but it can get overwhelmed. Ya, a Radxa board or and Orange Pi could potentially work better and we may at some point offer those as an encoder but for now, we simply do not.

One of our beta installations called after installation to say, "Take it out; the picture sucks." When the installer arrived, they discovered the venue owner had basically turned it into Homer Simpson's webpage. They had created a full-screen overlay and text and set the encoder to be 60 fps at 1080p. This is just too much for a little Raspberry Pi. Surprisingly, it was mostly keeping up, but it was causing screen tearing and some frame drops. The installer actually requested we remove those options, but it really comes down to expectations and possibly training. We offer many ways to tweak and massage the encoders; removing these options would simply limit what the end user can do.

HDHomeRun as input

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:34:45 +0000

We have plenty of built-in options for the HDHomeRun tuners; mostly it just works but there are some gotchas.

Some channels are broadcast in formats that simply bring the Raspberry Pi to its knees; if that happens, the fix is pretty simple: just reduce the resolution and maybe the frame rate of the encoder. 720 / 24 fps usually makes it smooth right out. The HDHomeRun does not transcode but we have to transcode on our side to make those streams compatible across the board.

HDMI Splitters / Power Cycle / Regain Sync

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:21:15 +0000

Some inputs will need an HDMI splitter, and sometimes those splitters have to be power cycled to get a new sync, and because we try to make it so that the encoders can be placed at the device where it might be currently located, getting physical access to the splitter might be difficult. We have created a way to remotely power cycle the USB ports on the Raspberry Pi. Yes, you can usually power the HDMI splitter from the Pi itself. By power cycling the USB port you can reset the devices that are powered by the Pi; thus, a new sync is established.

The way that usually works is to go in reverse order, power off 4, 3, 2, 1 and then power them back on in the same order.

This method, generally speaking, will work, but there are, of course, edge cases where this will not work, and you might even have to reconnect the HDMI cables to get a solid sync.

To access the USB power options, open your encoder connected to the device, then go to advanced settings, scroll to the bottom:

Cool Android device

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:24:58 +0000

I often scroll Amazon like one might scroll social media looking at devices to try DisplayHUB, this one caught my eye but I can't think of practical reason to have such a device LOL

Small Smart TV, Mini TV with 7-inch Touchscreen, Built-in Apps, Support SD, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, HDMI Input, Kitchen TV Also As a Projector, Suitable for Home, RVs, and Outdoor Use.

Low Latency

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:21:21 +0000

I love Roku; I currently own a house mostly run on Roku, but for DisplayHUB it's not the best option. There is a DisplayHUB app for Roku, and it works really well; however, Rokus cannot play the low-latency mode of DisplayHUB. The hardware at the OS level simply will not support it; that's why there is not a mode selection in the controller to enable the low latency mode. This is not a matter of writing a better app or trying a different protocol; Rokus only support DASH/HLS which both fundamentally have much more latency. Currently we can get that down to around 3 seconds if you really push the encoder(s), but it's typically not worth the effort, and the Rokus also have sync issues; again, we can get that down to as little .500 - 2 seconds between devices, and if you really work it, you might even get perfect sync, but the devices have to react to the play commands in different ways. Most people do not notice the sync issues unless the displays are side-by-side, and latency is also not noticeable unless you place a DisplayHUB output next to a live output.

Do you need perfect sync and low latency? Then Roku devices are not for your install.
Already have Roku TVs but want better sync and low latency? simply add a Fire TV stick (or Android).

Roku devices do work with DisplayHUB, just have the expectation they will not be in perfect sync and they will not be low latency.

Overlays

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:53:48 +0000

The overlay settings allow for many options; the text and graphical overlay settings now have live preview, drag to move, and click to resize.

Built in electronic program guide(s)

admin — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:27:38 +0000

Some devices are directly tunable, such as HDHomeRun (recommended), DirecTV, and STBs with an IR blaster, in those cases, it's nice to have an electronic program guide that is not on the device screen; this makes it rather easy to isolate what you are looking for and, in most cases, also be able to tune the device to the selected channel/program. You can also hide and favorite channels to make the hunt for right content even easier.

Note: XMLTVListings.com subscription is required, approx. $20 per year. Each subscription allows for 5 separate listings; our software will ingest that data once per day (48 hours' worth) using your subscription API keys.

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On Screen Remotes

admin — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:07:25 +0000

There are now on-screen remotes for Roku, Android, Fire TV, Samsung / Tizen, LG / WebOS, HDHomeRun, and DirecTV.

These remotes can be used for decoders or when they are used as inputs into an encoder. So, you can control the playback or control the display.

Note: not all buttons will work for all devices.

Example screens following:

Roku

Will DisplayHUB work over a VPN?

admin — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:27:06 +0000

I was recently asked this, and it got me thinking, can you send the signal over a VPN? Yes, provided that the VPN is able to provide the same subnet. For example, if you had devices on a TailScale endpoint, it should work. The software only cares that the devices are on the same IP range, so all devices on your router's subnet will work.

The use case was for a resort that wanted to use displays in different buildings that are connected to a resort's network so that they can play the same video feeds at their 3 restaurants and tiki bars. The worst-case scenario would require putting those "remote" screens in compatibility mode if the bandwidth/ping is not as strong as the "local" devices.