Recommended hardware

What to buy for production: TVs, sticks, mounts, and cabling.

Updated May 18, 2026·4 min read

TV / display

  • Commercial displays (Samsung QM/QH, LG UH7, NEC E-series) — rated for 16+ hours/day. Recommended for QSR.
  • Consumer TVs — fine for cafés and low-traffic operations. Pick a model with overscan disable and a stand-by power option.
  • Size — at counter 43"–55" works. Drive-thru menus typically run 55" landscape or 49" portrait stacks.

Player devices

  • Fire TV Cube — best value. Solid 4K decode, hardwired Ethernet, $140.
  • Fire TV Stick 4K Max — cheaper ($50), WiFi-only, fine for single-screen sites.
  • Tizen-equipped displays — the TV is the player. No external stick. Cleanest install.
  • Chromebox CN50 / ASUS — when IT prefers ChromeOS management.
  • Raspberry Pi 4 (8GB) — budget option, community-supported.
Prefer Ethernet over WiFi
Every hour of WiFi flakiness becomes a 1-second buffer hitch a customer can see. If you can run Cat-6, do it.

Mounting

Use VESA mounts rated for 2x the TV weight. For ceiling drops, pick a column-mount with cable channel — running HDMI through a hollow pole hides everything.

Cabling

HDMI runs over 25 ft (7.5 m) need active or fiber HDMI. Cat-6 in conduit is rated for 90 m. Use a PoE switch if you want to power Fire TV Cubes off your network rack.