Hardware
Display NowBoard on any TV
Plug a device into your TV's HDMI port. Live in 15 minutes — no IT required. No smart TV browser needed.
Works with any HDMI TV. From £30 to get started.
Pick the right display method
Every option works with NowBoard. The right choice depends on how reliable you need the screen to be and how much you want to spend.
| Option | Cost | Reliability | Offline | Kiosk lock | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart TV browser | £0 | Poor | ✗ | ✗ | Open URL | Testing only |
| Any HDMI Android box + app | £20–£50 | Good | ✓ | ✓ | Install app, enter code | Yes — flexible |
| Tablet + app (wall-mount) | £100–£300 | Good | ✓ | ✓ | Install app, wall-mount | Yes — meeting rooms |
| NowBoard Player | £139 | Excellent | ✓ | ✓ | Plug in, scan QR | Yes — best reliability |
| Laptop/desktop browser | £0 | OK | ✗ | ✗ | Open URL | Previewing only |
Budget option
The budget route — Android TV box or smart TV
Any Android TV box, Android-based streaming stick, or modern smart TV with a browser can run NowBoard. Plug into HDMI, sign in to your Location, and your Boards display in kiosk mode.
Best reliability
Set and forget — NowBoard Player
Our plug-and-play box. Plug it in, scan the QR code, done. No setup wizard. No IT support call. Just a screen that works — every morning, after every power cut, for years.
Based on a Raspberry Pi 5 2GB, configured and tested by us so you never have to think about the hardware again.
What's in the box
- NowBoard Player unit
- Aluminium case with integrated heatsink
- USB-C power supply
- HDMI cable
- TV mounting brackets
- Quick start card
Raspberry Pi 5 inside
Configured, tested, and ready to run NowBoard 24/7 without intervention.
Already have a device?
A NowBoard Player is the safest pick for unattended 24/7 displays — but it isn't required. Several common devices already work well with NowBoard.
Raspberry Pi 5
Already have one? Download our free Player image and flash it to an SD card. Full NowBoard Player functionality at no extra hardware cost.
Any Android TV box
Any Android box with a browser works. Boxes from £20 on Amazon. Install the NowBoard app (coming soon) or open the Location URL in kiosk browser.
Wall-mounted tablet
Perfect for meeting room displays outside each door. Install the NowBoard app, enable kiosk mode, and wall-mount it. Android or iPad both work.
Smart TV browsers look tempting. They are not reliable.
Smart TV browsers work fine for a quick test. They are not built to run a display unattended, 24 hours a day.
They crash and sleep
Smart TV browsers go to sleep, crash, or show "not enough memory" popups. Guests and residents see a blank screen. Nobody notices until someone walks past.
No offline support
When the Wi-Fi drops — even briefly — the browser shows a white screen or error page. A dedicated player caches your Boards locally and keeps displaying them.
No kiosk lock
Anyone with the TV remote can change channel, open other apps, or accidentally navigate away from the page. A dedicated player locks the screen to NowBoard only.
No auto-start after power cuts
A power cut means someone has to walk over and manually reopen the browser. A dedicated player starts up, connects, and resumes displaying automatically.
The browser is great for previewing on your laptop. For the TV on the wall — especially in a care home lounge, hotel lobby, or school corridor — plug in a device.
Browser, device, or Player?
Three ways to display NowBoard. Each has its place.
Browser
For testing & preview
Open your Location URL in any browser on any device. No installation. Instant access.
- Free — no extra hardware
- Works on laptop, phone, tablet
- No kiosk lock
- No offline support
- No auto-start
Android TV box or stick
For reliable displays
Plug into any TV's HDMI port. Runs the NowBoard app. Budget-friendly and widely available.
- From £20–£50
- Works offline
- Kiosk lock available
- Auto-starts on power
- Native app coming soon
NowBoard Player
For 24/7 unattended screens
Purpose-built for always-on display. Plug in, scan QR, done. No ongoing maintenance.
- £139 one-off
- Works offline
- Full kiosk lock
- Auto-starts on power
- TV scheduling via CEC
- Remote management included
25+ Players? Let's talk volume pricing.
Rolling out across multiple sites? We offer volume pricing for 25 or more Players and can coordinate hardware delivery, imaging, and deployment support for multi-site rollouts.
Compatibility note
Why Google Play Certified hardware matters
NowBoard runs in the device browser. The quality of that browser — and how often it gets security and feature updates — depends entirely on the hardware you choose.
Non-certified Android sticks and boxes (the cheap ones you find on Amazon for under £20) ship with a frozen version of Android WebView. That browser never updates. Over time it breaks on modern websites, misses CSS features, and can create security issues.
Google Play Certified (also called GMS certified) devices have the Play Store, which means Chrome and Android WebView receive regular updates automatically — exactly the same engine that runs NowBoard on a desktop browser.
A certified device is also the only way to get official Netflix 4K, Chromecast, and the Google Assistant voice remote working properly.
Certified
- Auto-updating Chrome & WebView
- Official Netflix 4K support
- Chromecast built-in
- Google Assistant remote
- Play Store — install any app
- Regular security patches
Tested hardware
Devices we’ve tested with NowBoard
We test every device listed here ourselves. If it’s on this list, NowBoard loads fast, runs reliably, and the browser stays up to date.
- Android 11 (Google TV interface)
- 4K HDR 10+ & Dolby Audio
- 2GB RAM • 16GB storage
- 2.4 & 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi
- Voice remote with Google Assistant
- Netflix 4K certified
- Powered via USB-C (TV port or wall)
A solid mid-range stick for most venues. Fast enough for smooth Board transitions and the certified WebView means NowBoard stays current without any effort on your part.
Buy on Amazon →We only list hardware we’ve personally tested. Check back, or contact us if you have a specific device you’d like us to evaluate.
Start free, scale when you're ready
Sign up and run NowBoard on a device you already own. When you're ready for the most reliable always-on setup, the NowBoard Player (£139) is waiting.
See all NowBoard features