TVMenus

Help

Help & FAQ

Questions

Do I need additional hardware to run TVMenus?#
Not when your television already has compatible Google TV built in. Install TVMenus directly from Google Play. No additional hardware or separate player box required. Google TV is available in select models from brands including TCL, Hisense, and Sony; confirm the exact model, not just the brand. If Google TV is not built in, connect a compatible Google TV streamer to an HDMI port. See the Google Store or Amazon. That fallback does add a streaming device. Manage either setup from any web browser.
What TVs are supported?#
TVMenus installs directly on a compatible Google TV. To check, look for Google TV in the television settings and Google Play on its home screen. Select TCL, Hisense, and Sony models ship with Google TV, but a brand name alone does not guarantee the operating system or app compatibility. If your TV does not have Google TV built in, add a compatible streamer (Google Store · Amazon) to an HDMI port.
Will a static menu damage my TV?#
On most televisions, no. But any panel that shows the same image for months can develop image retention: a faint ghost of that image, usually called burn-in. OLED televisions are noticeably more prone to it than LCD or QLED ones. The player app already spreads the wear for you: it shifts the whole picture by a few pixels on a slow cycle, on every screen and every template. There is nothing to configure and you cannot see it from across the room. The one setting that matters is “Keep this display awake,” on the screen's page in your dashboard. It is off by default, which lets the television run its own screensaver, which is the panel's built-in protection. Turning it on keeps your menu up around the clock and switches that protection off. On an OLED television, leave it off. The full wording is in Terms §17.
How do I get my menu onto a screen?#
Upload it. TVMenus plays an image or a video file on your TVs, whatever your menu already looks like as artwork. Upload the file, pick which screens show it, and the TVs pick it up within seconds. No designing inside our editor, no rebuilding your menu item by item.
What files can I upload?#
Images (JPG, PNG, WebP) and video (MP4). Design them at 1920×1080 landscape for a normal TV. The same file your designer or printer already made will usually work as-is. Images can be up to 15 MB each and videos up to 1 GB, which is a few minutes of phone video. Video and 4K are included: 4K video plays in 4K on a compatible 4K Google TV or streamer, and at 1080p on a 1080p TV. Every image upload opens a crop window before it saves. A TV screen is 16:9, so anything that isn't already those proportions has to be trimmed somewhere. The crop window lets you drag and zoom to pick where, instead of the TV stretching it or cutting off the edge you cared about. A file that's already 1920×1080 needs one click to confirm.
Are you affiliated with Google, or with the TV brands you link to?#
No. TVMenus is an independent product from Cook Coding, LLC. We point you at Google TV hardware because that's what the player app runs on, we don't sell hardware, and we earn nothing from the links on this page. Buy wherever you like. Google TV, Android TV, and Google Play are trademarks of Google LLC. TCL, Hisense, Sony, onn., Walmart, and Amazon are trademarks of their respective owners. TVMenus is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them. We name them only to tell you what hardware the app runs on. The full wording is in Terms §16.
How much can I upload?#
Video costs nothing extra. What grows with your account is storage: 10 GB per screen you pay for, shared across your account, so three screens give the whole account 30 GB. If you need more room, add it from Billing at $5 a month for each extra 100 GB (10% off on a yearly plan). Your trial gets one screen's 10 GB, video included. Before your first TV connects you get 100 MB. It's sized for building: that stage is images only, with no video, and a menu image is a couple of megabytes, so 100 MB is dozens of boards. The moment a TV connects, your trial starts and you get the full allowance above. If you ever fill it, every screen keeps playing; new uploads wait until you delete media you no longer use or add storage.
How do I change what's on a screen?#
Upload the new file and assign it. Every TV showing that screen swaps over within seconds, from wherever you are. Prices, specials, a holiday notice: if you can export a new image, you can change the screen.
How do I pair a TV?#
Install the TVMenus app on the TV. It shows an 8-character code. Enter that code in the dashboard at /welcome (first-time setup) or /devices (later).
How do I run more than one screen?#
Pair each TV separately. Each one gets its own code. Every screen can show its own file, so a counter board, a drink board, and a promo screen can all be different, and you change any of them from the same dashboard.
My screen went black. Now what?#
Check the power first. A TV on a switched outlet, a power strip somebody turned off at close, or a cable a delivery knocked loose looks exactly like a software fault and is the most common cause by a distance. If it has power, wake the TV and give it 30 seconds. It reconnects on its own. If it's still black, force-quit and reopen the TVMenus app on the TV. If that doesn't do it, contact us and include the device ID from your dashboard. If the set is on but showing a clock, a photo, or a dark screen that wakes with the remote, that is the television's own screensaver rather than TVMenus. Most start after about ten minutes without a button press. Turn on “Keep this display awake” on the screen's page in your dashboard to stop it. If the television is OLED, read will a static menu damage my TV? first. A dropped internet connection is not the cause. The screen keeps playing through an outage. See what happens if the internet goes down.
What happens if the internet goes down?#
The screen keeps playing. Each TV holds its own copy of the file it was given, so an outage doesn't blank your menu board. Lunch service carries on and nobody in the queue can tell. What you lose is the ability to change it. A new upload can't reach a screen that's offline, so it waits. When the connection comes back the TV checks for anything it missed and catches up on its own. You don't have to touch it, and you don't have to re-upload. A paid screen keeps playing for 30 days past the end of your current billing period, so a long outage doesn't switch it off. A trial screen stops when the trial ends, even if it is offline.
How do I reset my password?#
Go to /forgot-password and enter your email. We'll send a reset link that expires after one hour. You can also sign in via magic-link from the login page, with no password needed.
How many screens can I have on one account?#
Purchase the screen capacity you need on the billing page, then pair your TVs. You can buy several screens before connecting them. Pricing is $8 per screen per month ($7/screen for every screen when you purchase 5 or more). Your trial includes one TV.
What screen count am I billed for?#
Your bill is based on purchased screen capacity. The connected TV count is shown separately. Unpairing, disabling, or taking a TV offline does not change your subscription or create a credit. A replacement TV can use an available screen in your existing subscription. Your subscription renews each month, or each year if you pay yearly, on the date it starts. Adding screens charges the prorated difference immediately for the rest of the current billing period, with the same renewal date. The billing page shows the amount due today and the amount and date of your next renewal before you confirm.
What do I get before I pay?#
Build playlists and upload media before pairing your first TV: up to 100 MB of images, with no credit card required. The 14 days of your trial start the first time your TV pairs. Your trial includes the full product on one screen, with video. The screen carries a "Menus by TVMenus · tvmenus.com" mark in the bottom-right corner the whole time, plus a footer note for 15 seconds every 5 minutes. It never takes over the whole screen. Keep the bottom strip of your artwork clear of anything that must be readable at all times. A paid subscription includes playback without TVMenus branding. Billing is based on purchased screen capacity at $8 per screen per month, or $7/screen for every screen when you purchase 5 or more.
How does the free trial work?#
Sign up at /signup and build your playlists. The 14 days don't start at signup; they start the first time a television pairs. Your trial includes one TV for 14 consecutive days, with video. Disconnecting, reconnecting, or replacing that TV does not restart or extend the trial. The trial screen carries a permanent TVMenus mark in the corner and a footer note for 15 seconds every 5 minutes. It never takes the whole screen. Paid checkout charges today and ends your trial after payment. Choose how many screens to purchase on the billing page. Your subscription renews each month, or each year if you pay yearly, on the date it starts, and paid screens have no TVMenus branding. If the trial ends without a paid subscription, playback pauses and new uploads stop. Your playlists and media stay in your account. Start a paid subscription to resume playback.
Can I pay yearly?#
Yes. Paying yearly is 10% off every screen and every storage block: $86.40 a screen a year, or $75.60 each a year when you purchase 5 or more. You choose monthly or yearly when you subscribe, and extra storage follows the same schedule. To switch an existing subscription between monthly and yearly, contact us.
How do I cancel?#
Cancel or reduce your purchased screen count on the billing page. Changes take effect at the next renewal. Your current paid access continues until then. You can reverse a scheduled change from the same page. For an off-season break, schedule cancellation before renewal. Unpairing a TV does not change your subscription. See Terms for the cancellation and refund policy.
Is my data private?#
Yes. Screens and uploads are tenant-scoped, so only users in your Company can see them. We don't sell data and don't share it with third parties beyond the infrastructure providers needed to run the product (database, email, hosting). See /privacy for details.
Can I get a copy of my data?#
Yes. It's your content, and the Terms don't claim otherwise. Ask at /contact and we'll send your screens, uploads, and device list. There's no self-serve export button in the dashboard, so the request reaches a person rather than a download link.

Check your TV before you buy anything

If compatible Google TV is already built in, install TVMenus directly with no additional hardware. Google TV comes in select models from TCL, Hisense, Sony, and other brands. Confirm the exact model has Google Play. If it does not, use a compatible streamer below with an HDMI TV.

  • Google Store

    Google TV Streamer (4K)

    A Google TV streaming option for an HDMI television that does not have compatible Google TV built in.

    View on Google Store →

  • Amazon

    Google TV Streamer (4K)

    The same Google TV streamer through another retailer. Confirm the seller and model before ordering.

    View on Amazon →

  • Walmart

    onn. 4K Pro Google TV Streaming Device

    Another Google TV streaming option for an HDMI screen. Confirm Google Play app availability and the model specifications before buying.

    View on Walmart →

  • Amazon

    TV with Google TV built in

    Buying a TV? Select TCL, Hisense, and Sony models include Google TV. Confirm the exact model, then install TVMenus directly and skip the separate streamer.

    View on Amazon →

Buy wherever you like. Google TV is a trademark of Google LLC; other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. TVMenus is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them (Terms §16).