A full-screen 8-bit fireplace for digital signage: a burning pixel-art log pile with drifting embers and firelight moving across the firebrick behind it.
The screen is the mantelpiece
There is deliberately no drawn surround, mantel, or caption. The screen’s own bezel frames the hearth, so the TV itself becomes the mantelpiece. Perfect for lobbies, waiting areas, seasonal displays, or anywhere you want a warm, retro atmosphere without looping a video file.
How it works
The whole picture is one small canvas (around 280×155 pixels), upscaled by a whole number of device pixels and drawn with crisp pixelation. That keeps every chunky pixel exactly square from 480×800 up to 4K, and means performance barely changes with the display’s resolution.
- Flames use the classic cellular “Doom fire” effect, seeded along the top of the log pile and spreading upward with a little random loss.
- Firelight is palette animation: each static pixel stores a colour plus how exposed it is to the fire, then lighting is a lookup against a pre-baked table.
- Brickwork is generated from a seed derived from the screen’s hostname, so each screen gets its own firebox but always looks the same after a restart.
Hardware Screenly players only. This app is built for the player environment.
Customizable settings
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Scene | hearth for the log fire, or inferno for a full screen of flame | hearth |
| Flame Colour | classic (orange), azure (blue), emerald (green), or violet (purple) | classic |
| Flame Height | How far the flames reach: low, medium, or high | medium |
| Pixel Size | How chunky the pixels are: chunky, classic, or fine | classic |
| CRT Scanlines | Overlay CRT-style scanlines for a period-correct look | off |
Unrecognized values fall back to their defaults rather than blanking the screen. The app uses a fixed period palette (workspace brand colours are ignored on purpose). Use Flame Colour to change the mood instead.
Display styles
The screenshot gallery shows classic orange hearth, azure / emerald / violet flames, the full-screen inferno scene, chunky and fine pixel sizes, and CRT scanlines, in both landscape and portrait.
Why use the 8bit Fireplace App?
Ideal as filler content, a seasonal conversation piece, or a playful idle screen. No video uploads, no network calls for the animation itself. Just install, pick a scene and colour, and deploy.
