Help & Setup

Compatible Devices

Shale works on any screen with a browser — TVs, monitors, projectors, tablets. Here's everything that's been tested, and how to set each one up.

The Quickest Path

Just need a board on a TV right now?

  1. Open your board URL on any phone, tablet, or laptop
  2. Press F (or tap the fullscreen button in the corner)
  3. Screen stays on automatically — no sleep settings to change

Streaming Sticks & Boxes

Plug into any TV's HDMI port. Best option if your TV doesn't have a built-in browser.

🔥

Amazon Fire TV Stick

~$30 · Most popular choice

Works on any TV with HDMI. Open Silk Browser, navigate to your board URL, go fullscreen. Wake Lock keeps the screen on indefinitely.

Setup:

  1. Plug Fire Stick into TV HDMI port
  2. Open Silk Browser from the home screen
  3. Navigate to your board URL
  4. Press menu → Fullscreen

✅ Full support · Wake Lock · Fullscreen

🎮

Chromecast with Google TV

~$30

Full Chrome browser built in. Best Wake Lock support of any streaming device. Open Chrome, go to your board, press fullscreen.

Setup:

  1. Plug Chromecast into TV HDMI port
  2. Open Chrome from the app drawer
  3. Navigate to your board URL
  4. Tap the fullscreen button (bottom-right)

✅ Full support · Wake Lock · Fullscreen

📺

Apple TV

Requires iPhone or iPad

Apple TV has no web browser, but you can mirror your iPhone or iPad to it with AirPlay. Your board appears full screen on the TV.

Setup:

  1. Open your board URL in Safari on iPhone/iPad
  2. Tap the fullscreen button on the board
  3. Open Control Center → Screen Mirroring
  4. Select your Apple TV

⚠️ AirPlay mirroring required from iPhone/iPad

🟩

Nvidia Shield TV

~$150

Android TV with full Chrome browser available from the Play Store. Excellent performance for large screens. Great if you're already using Shield.

Setup:

  1. Install Chrome from Play Store
  2. Navigate to your board URL
  3. Press fullscreen button

✅ Full support · Wake Lock · Fullscreen

Computers & Laptops

Best option for projectors or when you already have a computer near the display.

💻

Mac / Windows / Linux

Any browser

Open your board in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Press F to go fullscreen. Connect to a TV or projector via HDMI for a dedicated display.

✅ Full support · Wake Lock · Fullscreen

🖥️

Raspberry Pi

~$35 + setup

Set Chromium to kiosk mode on boot and it'll launch your board fullscreen automatically. Great for a permanent dedicated display that never needs babysitting.

chromium-browser --kiosk https://shaleboard.com/b/YOUR-UUID

✅ Full support · Kiosk mode · Wake Lock

Tablets & Phones

Works as a standalone display or for AirPlay / screen mirroring to a TV.

📱

iPhone / iPad

Open in Safari or Chrome. Fullscreen button in the bottom corner. Use AirPlay to mirror to Apple TV or AirPlay-compatible smart TVs.

✅ Full support

🤖

Android Phone / Tablet

Open in Chrome. Fullscreen button works great. Can cast to Chromecast-enabled TVs via the Cast button in Chrome.

✅ Full support

🪟

Surface / Windows Tablet

Use Edge or Chrome. Fullscreen works well. Can connect to a monitor or TV via USB-C or HDMI.

✅ Full support

Smart TV Built-in Browsers

Many modern Smart TVs can load Shale directly — no extra device needed.

Platform Browser Support
Samsung Smart TV (Tizen, 2019+) Samsung Internet ✅ Full support
LG Smart TV (webOS, 2020+) Chrome-based ✅ Full support
Android TV / Google TV Chrome ✅ Full support
Amazon Fire TV (built-in) Silk Browser ✅ Full support
Vizio SmartCast TV Chromecast built-in ✅ Cast from Chrome
Apple TV No browser ⚠️ AirPlay from iPhone/iPad
Roku TV No browser ⚠️ Use Fire Stick via HDMI
Older Smart TVs (pre-2018) Varies ❌ Use a streaming stick instead

🔆 Screen Stays On Automatically

Shale uses the Screen Wake Lock API to prevent your display from sleeping. You don't need to change any sleep or screensaver settings. On devices that don't support Wake Lock natively, Shale falls back to a compatibility method automatically.

🎥 Projectors

Any projector with an HDMI input works. Connect a laptop or Raspberry Pi, open your board in Chrome, press F for fullscreen. Shale's dark background and high-contrast design looks great projected.

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