Not always. If the TV has its own browser (most Samsung and LG sets, and Fire TV), type the link in and press Start the show with the remote. For AirPlay, a Chromecast or an HDMI cable you need a laptop, a phone or a tablet to run it from. A laptop on a cable is the most reliable of all the options.

Which plans include TV mode?

TV mode comes with The Works plan when you create your event on the web. Not sure whether your event has it? Open your print page from any of the emails we sent you: it shows a Put the album on the TV card when your event includes it.

What if my photos are set to reveal after the event?

The wall respects that. It shows the photo count climbing and the QR code, and no photographs, until the reveal opens, and then it fills itself with no reload and nobody at the laptop. If you want photos on the wall during the party, set the reveal to live when you create the event.

Can guests see a photo before I have approved it?

The wall shows what guests can already see in the album, so anything a guest could open on their phone can appear on the screen. You can remove any photo in a tap and it leaves the wall within a minute, any guest can report a photo to hide it instantly, and with Block NSFW photos on, explicit photos are removed automatically before they ever appear.

Does it work with a projector?

Yes. Anything with an HDMI input works exactly like a TV, and a projector in a dim room is the best-looking version of the wall.

Can I run it on more than one screen?

Yes. Open the same link on each screen. Each one polls the album on its own, so a bar TV and a dance-floor projector stay in step within a few seconds of each other.

Is it safe to show the link on a screen?

Yes. The TV link contains no album key and no claim code - it's the same join link that's on your printed sign, and it shows only what guests are already allowed to see. Your private album link and your claim code never appear on it.

TV mode

Every photo, on the big screen, as it’s taken.

TV mode turns any screen in the room into a live photo wall. Guests scan, shoot, and their photo is up seconds later, with the QR code right beside it so the next person can join from their seat.

How it works

Three steps, one laptop.

Step 01
Open your TV link on a laptop
It's in the email you got when you created the event, in the reminder a week before, and on your print page. It looks like album.partycam.app/album/…/tv and carries none of your private codes, so it's fine to leave on a screen.
Step 02
Press Start the show
The wall goes full-screen and asks the laptop to stay awake. Do this before you mirror, not after: mirroring first makes some TVs renegotiate the picture in front of everyone.
Step 03
Put it on the TV and walk away
AirPlay, a Chromecast, an HDMI cable, or the TV's own browser - pick yours below. New photos appear within seconds. Anything you hide leaves the wall within a minute.

Setup

Connect it to the TV you have.

Pick the device you'll run it from. Every path ends the same way: the wall full-screen on the TV, the laptop plugged in, and you back at the party.

Mac

AirPlay or a cable

1
Open the TV link in Safari or Chrome and press Start the show.
2
Open Control Center from the top-right of the menu bar, choose Screen Mirroring, and pick your Apple TV or AirPlay-compatible TV. If it asks, choose Mirror Built-in Display.
3
No AirPlay? Run a USB-C to HDMI adapter (or the Mac's own HDMI port) into the TV, switch the TV to that input, and drag the browser window onto it. If it lands on the wrong screen, System Settings › Displays › Arrange.
4
Keep the Mac plugged in and the lid open. Start the show keeps the screen awake; a closed lid still puts it to sleep.

Windows

HDMI, Cast, or Chromecast

1
HDMI is the sure thing: plug in, press Win + P, and choose Duplicate. Then open the TV link and press Start the show.
2
Wireless: press Win + K to open Cast and pick the TV. This works with Miracast TVs, and with the Fire TV and Roku models that offer screen mirroring.
3
Chromecast: in Chrome or Edge, open the menu › Cast… › choose the TV › Cast tab. Then press Start the show.
4
In Settings › System › Power, set the screen to never turn off while plugged in, and plug it in.

Smart TV browser

No laptop at all

1
Open the TV's own browser: Internet on a Samsung, Web Browser on an LG, Silk on a Fire TV. Roku and most Google TVs have no browser, so use a laptop or a Chromecast there.
2
Type the TV link exactly as it appears under the button in your email, then press Start the show with the remote.
3
Turn off the TV's screensaver and any eco or auto-off timer for the night, or the show ends when the timer does.
4
TV browsers are slower than a laptop and some cannot go full-screen. If the wall keeps dropping, a laptop or a Chromecast is the reliable path.

iPhone or iPad

Open the link, press Start the show, then swipe down for Control Center › Screen Mirroring › your TV. Set Auto-Lock to Never first, and plug it in.

Chromecast or Google TV

From any laptop running Chrome: menu › Cast… › choose the TV › Cast tab, then press Start the show. Casting a tab tops out at 1080p, which is plenty across a room.

A projector

Anything with an HDMI input works the same as a TV. A projector in a dim room is the best version of this - the prints fill the wall.

Can’t find your TV link? It’s under the Open TV mode button in your event emails, and on the print page those emails link to. Still stuck? Write to us before the day, and we’ll get you set up.

On the night

What the wall actually does.

It shows what guests can see, and nothing more

The wall reads your album as a guest would. If you set photos to reveal after the event, it shows the running count and the QR instead, and fills itself the moment the reveal opens. If you turned guest access to the album off, it says so on screen.

Arrivals jump the queue

A new photo goes up within seconds of being taken and holds for about eight seconds. Between arrivals the wall walks back through the night, so a quiet half hour replays the party instead of freezing on one face.

The QR is on screen all night

It's the same code as your printed sign. Forty-five minutes before the album closes it switches to Last call, which is when the final burst of photos tends to happen.

Hidden photos leave quickly

Remove a photo from your album, or have a guest report one, and it is off the wall within a minute. If Block NSFW photos is on for your event, explicit photos are removed automatically before they reach the screen.

Videos show as a still

A video clip appears as its first frame, labelled Video, with no sound. The room has its own music.

It needs the internet, not much of it

One small check every eight seconds and a thumbnail per photo. Venue wifi or a phone hotspot is enough. If the connection drops, the wall says Reconnecting in a corner, keeps the photos it has, and catches up on its own.

Nothing private is on it

The link carries no album key and no claim code. A guest who photographs the screen gets the same join link that's on the tables.

FAQ