Using a TV as a pool hall queue display
A screen on the wall showing who is up next removes more friction than any other single change. Nobody has to ask, and nobody has to be told twice.
Why a shared screen helps so much
In a bar with one table, most of the low-level irritation comes from uncertainty. People do not know if they are next, or how long the current match has left, or whether they were skipped. So they ask. The bartender answers, and then answers again ten minutes later for someone else.
A display answers all of it at once, for everyone. The queue order is visible from the table, and the wait time is visible from the bar. The questions stop.
Hardware options
The display app is a web page, so almost anything with a browser and an HDMI output will work.
| Option | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Old laptop or mini PC | Free if you have one | Most reliable. Can be set to open the page on boot and stay there. |
| Raspberry Pi | Low | Runs a browser in kiosk mode. Small, silent, cheap to leave on. |
| Chromecast or similar stick | Low | Simplest to set up, but less control over what the screen does over time. |
| Smart TV browser | Free | Works on some models. Browser quality varies and it can drop the page after a while. |
| Android tablet | Moderate | Good for a small screen near the bar rather than a wall display. |
Whichever you pick, the important properties are: it can be left on, it can be locked to one page, and it does not sleep. A display that needs a person to wake it up will not survive a week.
Mounting and placement
- Height: eye level for someone standing at the table, so roughly 1.5 to 1.7 metres. Higher looks better and reads worse.
- Distance: far enough that the whole queue is readable from the table without walking over.
- Glare: avoid facing a window or sitting under a downlight. Screen glare is worse than paper glare.
- Liquor: higher is better. A screen at shoulder height in a bar takes damage eventually.
What the display shows
The display app is deliberately simple, because a wall screen is read in a glance from across a room.
- Who is currently playing, and on which table.
- The queue in order, with the next few names large.
- An estimated wait for people further down.
- A QR code so new arrivals can join from where they are standing.
That is the whole thing. Tempting as it is to add statistics, leaderboards and announcements, they belong on a phone rather than a wall. A display that tries to show everything shows nothing at a distance.
Setting it up
- Open the display app on the device and let it register with the venue.
- Confirm it joins the venue's live queue and starts showing names.
- Set the device to open this page on boot, and to not sleep.
- Enable fullscreen so no browser chrome is visible.
- Mount it and check readability from the far side of the room, in the evening lighting.
The display keeps its own connection and reconnects on its own if the wifi drops. It does not need a keyboard, and it should never need attention during service.
The wifi question again
A display is the one part of the system that genuinely depends on the network, because its whole job is to receive live updates. If the wifi drops, the screen stops refreshing.
The queue itself is not at risk. Staff manage it on their own device, which works offline, and the display catches up when the connection returns. Worst case on a bad night, the printed QR code on the wall still works and the staff still know the order.
If your wifi is genuinely unreliable, run an ethernet cable to the display device. It is the cheapest reliability upgrade available and worth doing on any permanently mounted screen.
Open the display app All guides
Last updated 16 September 2026