FAQ - avanc/photOS GitHub Wiki

What image do I have to use with my board?

• photOS-raspberrypi-...img.xz
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Raspberry Pi Zero
  • Raspberry Pi Zero W
• photOS-raspberrypi2-...img.xz
  • Raspberry Pi 2
• photOS-raspberrypi3-...img.xz
  • Raspberry Pi 3
  • Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
• photOS-raspberrypi4-...img.xz
  • Raspberry Pi 4

What file formats are supported?

• images: jpeg, png
• videos: mp4, mov

How are photos downloaded?

On startup and every half hour, photOS synchronizes photos from WebDAV to a local folder (i.e. download new photos and delete photos not available anymore). Thus, photOS can also show photos while the network is down.

What are the ssh credentials (username and password)?

The user is root with an empty password:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx

How do I configure the system?

Network configuration (e.g. WiFi) has to be done directly on the SD-Card (Installation), most other options can be configured via the webui. Just type the IP of your photOS system into a browser in the same network.

Read on if you want to change configurations not (yet) available within the webui...

How do I change network settings in a running system?

ssh into your device, edit /data/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf for wireless connection and reboot the system:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> vi /data/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
> reboot

How do I change the delay of the slideshow?

ssh into your device, remount the root partition read/write, edit DELAY variable within /usr/bin/photoframe.sh and restart the script.

Starting with photOS 0.3.0, this can be done via the webui.

How do I deactivate photo shuffling?

By default, photOS shuffles the displayed images. To deactivate it login to your device and add SHUFFLE=false to /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf and restart the service:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> echo "SHUFFLE=false" >> /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf
> /etc/init.d/S80photoframe restart

How do I change the scaling / black bars while showing images?

photOS decides based on the SMARTFIT parameter (0-100) if the image is scaled to fullscreen or black bars are added:

• SMARTFIT=0 means that 0% of the image can be hidden (i.e. always add black bars if aspect ratio does not fit)
• SMARTFIT=30 means that 30% of the image can be hidden (the default)
• SMARTFIT=50 means that half of the image can be hidden
• SMARTFIT=100 means that (theoretically) the whole image can be hidden (i.e. black bars are never added)

To set the parameter add SMARTFIT=_percentage_ to /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf and restart the service:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> echo "SMARTFIT=25" >> /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf
> /etc/init.d/S80photoframe restart

I still see unnecessary black bars...

Overscan is still activated by default, which can cause black borders. As workaround, disable_overscan=1 can be set in /boot/config.txt:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> mount -o remount,rw /boot
> echo "disable_overscan=1" >> /boot/config.txt
> sync
> reboot

How do I turn a CEC compatible TV on/off?

Check the CEC device ID of HDMI connected TV (usually "0") and update /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf accordingly:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> echo 'scan' | cec-client -s -d 1
> echo "CEC_DEVICE_ID=0" >> /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf

Now test it using the webui and turn the screen on and off.

How can I see the image filename?

photOS can be configured to show the image filename in the upper left corner of the screen. To activate it login to your device and add SHOW_FILENAME=true to /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf and restart the service:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> echo "SHOW_FILENAME=true" >> /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf
> /etc/init.d/S80photoframe restart

How do I show videos?

By default, photOS does not show videos and excludes them during sync to safe datarate. However, this feature can be activated by adding SHOW_VIDEOS=true to /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf. Thereafter force the synchronisation to download videos and restart the photoframe service:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> echo "SHOW_VIDEOS=true" >> /data/photoframe/conf/photoframe.conf
> /usr/bin/photoframe.sh sync
> /etc/init.d/S80photoframe restart

Please note that this feature has some minor glitches:

• After a video is shown, the previous image is visible
• Video is not scaled to fill screen

How to deactivate audio output via HDMI?

Audio output can be deactivated in config.txt:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> mount -o remount,rw /boot
> echo "hdmi_ignore_edid_audio=1" >> /boot/config.txt
> sync
> reboot

See Raspberry Pi documentation for additional information.

How to avoid reboots if network connection is not working?

The watchdog which checks for network connection can be deactivated in /data/etc/netwatch.conf to avoid reboot of the system:

> ssh root@photos-xxxxxxxx
> echo "LINK_WATCH=false" >> /data/etc/netwatch.conf
> sync
> reboot

Note: The device won't automatically reconnect. The device needs to be restarted to try connecting to the network again.

Why are system files which I edited manually not overwritten after an update?

A system file (e.g. /usr/bin/photoframe) which were manually changed won't be overwritten during an update. This is because /usr, /var/lib and /var/log are mounted using OverlayFS. This means that changes are not stored in the original file but in /data/usr, /data/varlib and /data/varlog, respectively.

At first, this sounds very handy but can cause some headache if the original file get some mandatory changes which are not visible. If you experience problems just remove the contents in /data/usr and /data/varlib and reboot the system.

I want the bleeding edge!

Great that you want to test new features and help development. Just follow the the instructions for activating pre-releases.