TVArgenta — a Retro Raspberry Pi TV Experience

Motivation — why I built this

I left Argentina 13 years ago. Life moved on, I built a life and family in Germany, and my kids were born here — they don’t share the small cultural cues that shaped my childhood. For me, TV commercials from around the 1990s are more than just short ads: they are memory anchors — jingles, lines, and little cultural signals that smell like home.

I wanted a way to share that feeling with my children and to preserve those tiny cultural moments. So I built TVArgenta: a compact, offline, retro-style TV that lets you “zap” through old commercials in the way we used to—static, channel noise, and all. The project is personal, but the platform is intentionally generic: anybody can fill it with their own content and use it to re-create a local cultural experience.

What TVArgenta is (high level)

TVArgenta is a self-contained retro TV experience built around a Raspberry Pi. It is:

• Offline-first — all videos and metadata live locally on the device (no streaming required).

• Oldschool — a rotary encoder acts as the old-school dial for channel surfing.

• Nostalgic UI — CRT-style blue menus, static noise between channels and short intros to create the authentic feeling of zapping.

• Shareable — the enclosure and the backend were designed so other makers can adopt and adapt the system to their own content (commercials, family videos, short documentaries, regional clips, whatever defines “home”).

Backend — running on the Raspberry Pi 4 (what it does)

Behind the simple UI is a small but capable backend that runs on the Pi 4 and handles content and administration. Key features:

• Content management — store video files, thumbnails and metadata locally.
• Channel creation & tagging — create “channels” that group videos; tags make it easy to build themed channels (e.g., “jingles”, “sports ads”, “holiday spots”).

• Video synchronization & thumbnails — automatic thumbnail generation and a simple consistency check so the playback UI always has what it needs.
• Admin interface — a local web UI to upload content, manage channels, and configure playback order and intros. (Everything is served locally; no internet required.)

• Playback engine — lightweight service that the UI queries for the “next” item, supports intro videos, channel intros and scheduled playback modes.

I’m keeping the technical deep-dive off the article — the code, wiring diagrams, and step-by-step instructions will go on GitHub soon so you can reproduce or fork it.

Design & enclosure

The visual goal was to evoke the look and proportions of small 90s CRT TVs without being a bulky full-size set. The enclosure is 3D printed with snap-fit joins and uses M3 screws for the parts that need serviceability (screen, Pi, speaker, encoder). I designed internal mounting points for neat cable routing and easy removal of the Pi for maintenance.

I uploaded the 3D files to MakerWorld so other makers can print their own shells or adapt the design.

UX highlights

Zapping behavior — quick channel skips use the encoder for tactile satisfaction; brief static/noise transitions recreate the pre-digital feel.

Channel intros — each channel can have an intro clip (a short jingle or bumper) to enhance immersion.

Local admin — add videos from a phone or laptop by connecting to the Pi’s local admin page; no internet required.

Offline safety — content stays on the device; this project works well in offline, privacy-focused setups.

Hardware

On the hardware side, the only handmade element is a small connection board I built using a double-sided solderable protoboard. It handles the wiring for the audio interface, rotary encoder, and other peripherals, and brings everything together through JST XH 2.5 mm connectors. This makes the installation much cleaner, modular, and safer to maintain. I also assembled all the cables myself, cutting and crimping them to the exact lengths needed for a tidy internal layout.

Who is this for?

• Makers who love nostalgia and want a small, self-contained project.
• Families who want to preserve or share cultural memory with younger generations.
• Creators who want a platform to curate short-form content for an offline — or local — experience.
• Anyone who enjoys old school interaction (encoder dial) combined with a simple, charming UI.
• This might also be a nice enclosure for Retropie projects!

What I’ll publish next (and where)

• Full source code (backend, admin UI, and playback engine) on GitHub — wiring diagrams, systemd/service guidance and configuration examples.
• 3D files (3MF) on MakerWorld so you can print the enclosure and mounting parts.
• A detailed parts list with links and a couple of optional BOM choices (budget / nicer finish).

If you want to reproduce it, the GitHub repo will be the single source of truth — everything from the software to the CAD for the case will be available there.

Future ideas & roadmap

• Implementation of an LED on the front side
• Implementation of a power on button
• A plug-and-play content import utility to batch-add videos and metadata.
• Optional networked mode for those who want automatic updates or multi-device sync (kept strictly optional—offline is the default).
• Additional enclosure styles and sizes.

Final note

TVArgenta started as a very personal project: a way for me to give my kids a tiny piece of my childhood. But I built it so anyone can reuse the idea and the platform for their own cultural memories, short clips, or quirky installations. The heart of the experience isn’t the electronics — it’s the content.

If you’re interested in the build or want to collaborate, comment below. I’ll post the GitHub repo and MakerWorld files soon and I’ll be happy to share wiring diagrams, code snippets, and 3mf exports.

— Thanks for reading. If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear what small cultural things you’d put on a device like this. 🇦🇷📺