Poster Player Get Started

Cinematic Now Playing Dashboard

Turn any screen into a cinematic Now Playing display

Poster Player is a browser-based Now Playing display for home cinema rooms, media rooms and AV installers. It shows live movie posters, metadata, playback progress and Coming Soon artwork from sources such as Zidoo, Apple TV, Spotify and TMDb using a lightweight local bridge.

No powerful local hardware required. The lightweight bridge can run on modest local hardware, including Raspberry Pi, while the display runs beautifully on TVs, tablets, monitors or mini PCs.

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Multi-source support Cloud + Local Bridge No powerful display hardware required. Raspberry Pi ready Browser display Local network privacy Multi-screen ready
Cloud-powered. Locally connected. Poster Player Play Now screen showing Men In Black playback
Live Play Now from your cinema source

Poster, metadata, progress, audio, subtitles and backdrop preview in one dedicated display.

Poster Player Coming Soon card showing Pinocchio Unstrung
Coming Soon when idle

Automatic poster rotation keeps the room alive when nothing is playing.

Poster Player Play Now screen showing The Fifth Element playback
Designed for portrait displays

Clean readable layouts for wall screens, tablets, kiosks and Raspberry Pi browser displays.

Product overview

What is Poster Player?

Poster Player is a dedicated home cinema poster display system. It turns a TV, tablet, monitor, Raspberry Pi browser or mini PC screen into a live Now Playing display for your cinema room.

Live Play Now display

When a movie is playing, Poster Player can show poster artwork, title, runtime, progress, rating, backdrop, audio and subtitle information where available.

Coming Soon when idle

When nothing is playing, the same browser-based display can switch to a Coming Soon poster rotation with movie artwork and metadata.

Made for real cinema rooms

Use it on a dedicated cinema room screen, a tablet beside the seats, a TV browser display, a mini PC monitor or a Raspberry Pi kiosk display.

Use cases

Who is Poster Player for?

Poster Player is built for people who want a clear, visual media room display without replacing their existing player, control system or cinema source.

Home cinema owners

Show what is playing on a dedicated screen outside the cinema room, beside the seating area, on a tablet, or on a portrait display.

AV installers

Offer Poster Player as a premium visual add-on for home cinema installations, demo rooms and client showrooms.

Media room designers

Add a dedicated cinema room screen that feels intentional, useful and visually aligned with high-end media spaces.

Zidoo / media player users

Create a dedicated Now Playing screen that complements your media player instead of replacing it.

Demo rooms and showrooms

Use Coming Soon mode to keep idle displays useful and visually alive even when nothing is currently playing.

Dedicated display / kiosk users

Run a browser-based display on tablets, TV browsers, mini PCs, monitors or Raspberry Pi kiosk displays.

From local source detection to browser display.

How Poster Player works

The display can be a normal browser. The lightweight local bridge runs inside the local network, detects playback/source status where available, and sends that state to Poster Player.

01

Create your account

Set up Poster Player and prepare a display workspace for the cinema room or client installation.

02

Install the lightweight local bridge

Run the bridge on a Windows PC, mini PC, Raspberry Pi or local server inside the customer's network.

03

Connect your sources

Add sources such as Zidoo, Apple TV, Spotify or TMDb, depending on what the setup supports.

04

Add a display screen

Use a TV browser, tablet, monitor, mini PC screen or Raspberry Pi kiosk display.

05

Open the secure display link

Open the browser link directly or scan a QR code on the display device.

06

Show Play Now or Coming Soon

Poster Player shows live playback status when something is playing, or Coming Soon artwork when idle.

Coming Soon Mode

Beautiful when nothing is playing

When your cinema is idle, Poster Player automatically switches to a cinematic Coming Soon rotation with posters, ratings, descriptions and smooth transitions.

Tune timing, rotation, display behaviour and visual style for each screen without needing powerful display hardware.

Coming Soon in motion

Idle screens rotate upcoming titles with poster art, metadata, ratings and synopsis cards.

Automatic idle state

Switches from Play Now to Coming Soon without touching the display device.

Poster-led rotation

Use curated or upcoming movie artwork with smooth timing and transition controls.

Screen-safe layout

Readable on portrait displays, tablets, TV browsers and Raspberry Pi kiosks.

Supported sources and integrations

Sources and integrations

Poster Player uses active integrations where they are available, and keeps prepared or roadmap sources clearly marked. Source depth can vary because each device and app exposes different data.

Z Available

Zidoo

Designed for local playback detection and Now Playing displays, including movie title, artwork and playback progress where available.

tv Available

Apple TV local bridge

Can use a local bridge to detect playback state and available metadata. Protected apps may limit metadata, so clean fallback states may be used.

Sp Available

Spotify

Music playback display with album art, track information, progress, device and volume where available.

TM Available

TMDb

Enriches movie artwork, posters, backdrops and Coming Soon poster rotation.

EJ Prepared / planned

Emby / Jellyfin

Planned media server session and artwork support, depending on source access and customer setup.

Ko Prepared

Kodi

Prepared around local Kodi JSON-RPC and web server style integration patterns.

Pl Roadmap

Plex

Roadmap source for media server session detection and movie artwork enrichment.

Sh Prepared

Nvidia Shield / Android TV

Prepared for bridge-based app detection and playback information where the platform exposes it.

Ka Roadmap

Kaleidescape

Roadmap direction for premium cinema source integration; not presented as full compatibility today.

C4 Roadmap

Control4

Roadmap integration direction for installer-led cinema room setups and automation workflows.

HA Roadmap

Home Assistant

Roadmap direction for automation status, source context and room display workflows.

API Planned

Custom webhooks

Planned option for custom playback status events from installer or advanced user systems.

Clear expectations

What Poster Player does not do

Poster Player is focused on visual presentation and source detection. Clear limits make the system easier to specify for home cinema owners and AV installers.

It does not replace your media player.

Poster Player complements sources such as Zidoo or Apple TV with a separate display experience.

It does not need to control playback.

The product is designed around live playback status, movie artwork and metadata presentation.

It does not bypass DRM restrictions.

Protected apps can limit what metadata is available, especially on Apple TV and streaming services.

It does not require heavy display software.

The screen itself only needs a browser, display link or kiosk-style browser setup.

Metadata depth varies by source.

Some sources provide rich movie artwork and progress, while others provide only basic state.

Some integrations are roadmap items.

Active, prepared and future sources are described separately so compatibility is not overstated.

Cloud + Local Bridge

No powerful hardware needed at the screen

Poster Player separates local device detection from the display experience, so one bridge can support multiple browser screens across a cinema installation.

Lightweight local bridge

The bridge runs inside the customer's network and talks to local devices.

Any browser can be a display

Smart TV browser, tablet, monitor, Raspberry Pi kiosk, mini PC or dedicated wall display.

Multi-screen ready

Use one setup for cinema room, lobby display, tablet preview or multiple zones.

Private by design

Playback detection stays connected to the local network through the bridge.

Easy support and updates

The main platform can improve without every customer rebuilding a local app manually.

Commercial model ready

Display links and tokens can be controlled per customer and per number of screens.

Installed experience

Looks at home in a premium cinema room

Poster Player is made for the real spaces around the screen: cinema entrances, equipment walls, lobby displays and tablet control points.

Home cinema entrance with multiple Poster Player Coming Soon displays
One bridge. Multiple screens. Coming Soon as a cinema lobby wall

Use idle screens as a curated poster rotation for entrances, demo rooms and high-end media spaces.

Dedicated Poster Player Now Playing wall screen beside a cinema room
Play Now from local sources Dedicated wall display

Live poster, metadata, rating, audio, subtitles and progress beside the theatre door.

Feature set

Built for home cinema, installers and media rooms.

From playback detection to cinematic presentation, every view is designed for dedicated display hardware that only needs a browser.

Smart matching

Matches movie titles from file names, playback metadata and local source data.

Posters, trailers & photos

Shows posters, backdrops, YouTube trailers and gallery rotation.

Progress & playback state

Live progress bar, time, paused state and Now Playing status.

Fallbacks for protected apps

Clean fallback views for Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV and apps that hide metadata.

Source priority

Choose which source wins when several devices are active.

Kiosk ready

Fullscreen, hide cursor, clock, display scaling and screen behaviour.

Local + cloud architecture

Bridge connects locally, display runs through a secure cloud link.

Settings dashboard

Customer/admin settings for sources, display, bridge and priorities.

Screen-first interface

Designed for dedicated screens

Optimized for portrait displays, tablets, TV browsers and dedicated home cinema screens.

Poster Player Play Now mode for Men In Black
Play Now from Zidoo Live source state, poster, backdrop, audio, subtitles and watched progress.
Poster Player Play Now mode for The Fifth Element
Portrait display mode Optimized for dedicated 1080x1920 wall screens and browser-based kiosks.
Poster Player customer control panel
Customer control panel Displays, bridge status, sources, licence limits and screen management in one place.
Dedicated portrait screen 1080x1920 Tablet TV browser Monitor / lobby display

Customer control

Simple setup for customers, deeper control for experts

Customers can manage screens, bridge connection, source settings and display behaviour from a clean dashboard.

Poster Player control panel dashboard
Control panel Bridge, screens and licence status

Customers see only their workspace, display links, bridge state, sources and active screen limits.

Basic mode

  • Connect bridge
  • Add screen
  • Select sources
  • Choose display style
  • Start trial

Expert mode

  • Source priority
  • Bridge diagnostics
  • API/status checks
  • Fallback settings
  • Timing/display/kiosk options

Use cases

One bridge. Multiple screens.

Premium presentation for cinema rooms, demo spaces and high-end media installations.

Home cinema room

Show what is playing on a dedicated poster display.

AV installers

Offer a premium add-on display experience for cinema installations.

Multi-room media setups

Show different screens or zones using display links.

Lobby / demo room

Use Coming Soon mode as an elegant film poster rotation.

Collectors and Zidoo users

Make a movie library feel like a premium cinema experience.

Trial and plans

Start with a trial. Add more screens when needed.

Plans can be based on number of active displays / screens. Bridge required for local device detection. No powerful screen hardware required.

Trial

Explore the full Poster Player experience before rolling it into a cinema room.

Single Screen

For one dedicated Now Playing display in a home cinema or media room.

Multi Screen

For cinema, lobby, tablet preview and multiple display zones.

Installer / Pro

For AV professionals managing customer setups and premium installations.

Roadmap

Built to grow with real cinema installations

Current

  • Zidoo
  • Apple TV bridge
  • Spotify
  • TMDb Coming Soon
  • Display links
  • Customer screen management
  • Bridge status

Next

  • Bridge installer improvements
  • Source discovery
  • Customer dashboard polish
  • Delete/archive bridge devices and screens
  • Better tablet/TV preview
  • More integrations: Emby/Jellyfin, Kodi, Shield, Kaleidescape
  • Secure licensing and per-customer screen limits

Answers for search, setup and specification

Poster Player FAQ

Short, practical answers about the browser display, local bridge, supported sources and realistic limits around protected apps.

What is Poster Player?

Poster Player is a browser-based Now Playing display system for home cinema rooms, media rooms and AV installers. It turns a screen into a live movie poster display with playback information and Coming Soon artwork.

Does Poster Player need a powerful computer?

No. The display only needs a browser. A lightweight local bridge handles source detection and sends the playback state to Poster Player.

Can Poster Player work with Zidoo?

Yes. Poster Player supports Zidoo playback detection through the local bridge and can show movie poster artwork, playback progress and related metadata where available.

Can Poster Player work with Apple TV?

Poster Player can use a local Apple TV bridge to detect available playback state and metadata. Some protected apps may limit what can be shown, so fallback views may be used.

Can I use a tablet or TV browser as the display?

Yes. Poster Player is designed for browser-based screens such as tablets, smart TV browsers, monitors, mini PCs and Raspberry Pi kiosk displays.

What happens when nothing is playing?

Poster Player can switch to Coming Soon mode and rotate movie posters, backdrops and related artwork.

Is Poster Player only for one screen?

Poster Player is designed with multi-screen use in mind, so different displays can be linked and managed depending on the customer setup.

Is Poster Player for AV installers?

Yes. AV installers can use Poster Player as a premium visual add-on for cinema rooms, showrooms and client installations.

Does Poster Player control my media player?

No. Poster Player is focused on visual display and source detection. It does not need to control playback.

Does Poster Player bypass DRM?

No. Poster Player does not bypass DRM or protected app restrictions. It uses available source data and fallback display modes where needed.

Knowledge base

Learn more about home cinema poster displays

These public guides explain the most common questions people ask when they search for a home cinema Now Playing display, movie poster screen or installer add-on.

Guide What is a Now Playing display?

Understand the screen, playback state and Coming Soon concept.

 How to How to create a movie poster screen

Plan a tablet, monitor, TV browser or Raspberry Pi kiosk display.

 Zidoo Zidoo Now Playing display

Use Poster Player as a dedicated screen beside a Zidoo setup.

 Apple TV Apple TV Now Playing display

Learn what a local bridge can detect and where protected apps can limit metadata.

 Installers Poster Player for AV installers

Position Poster Player as an AV installer cinema room add-on.

 Idle displays Coming Soon poster display

Keep demo rooms and cinema screens visually alive when idle.

Public docs

Poster Player documentation for setup, sources and local bridge

These docs explain how Poster Player works as a browser-based Now Playing display system with local bridge detection, supported sources and clear technical limitations.

Docs home Poster Player docs

Start with the public documentation index for customers and installers.

 Sources Supported sources

Understand Zidoo, Apple TV, Spotify, TMDb and planned integrations.

 Bridge How the local bridge works

See why Poster Player uses a lightweight local bridge inside the customer network.

 Screens Screen pairing

Learn the direction for QR codes, short codes and browser display setup.

 Trust Limitations

Read honest notes about metadata, protected apps and local network requirements.

 Roadmap Product roadmap

See the planned direction for more sources, installer tools and display workflows.

Comparison guides

Poster Player alternatives and multi-source display guides

These pages help people comparing poster display apps understand why Poster Player is different: browser-based screens, local bridge detection and multi-source home cinema support.

Comparison PosterBox alternative

Compare Poster Player as a multi-source home cinema poster display direction.

 Comparison Now Showing alternative

Explain Poster Player as a browser-based Now Playing and Coming Soon display.

 Plex Plex poster display alternative

Position Poster Player for rooms that use more than one source.

 Browser display Browser-based poster display

Turn tablets, TV browsers, monitors and mini PCs into cinema poster screens.

 Core concept Multi-source Now Playing display

Show why source priority and local bridge detection matter in real cinema rooms.

Built for home cinema

Ready to elevate your home cinema experience?

Download Trial Setup Guide Contact / Installer Enquiry
  • 14-day free trial
  • Works with browser screens
  • Bridge-based setup
  • Multi-screen ready
  • Built for home cinema