How it works

OpenObject runs entirely on your own network. There are only two kinds of device:

One library. One control panel. All shared with every screen. You manage everything in one place, the web control panel, from your phone or any computer on your network.

Every screen you own

OpenObject runs on four devices. Two can host your art (and display it). Two simply display it. Start with a Mac. Add displays as desired.

• Mac

  The easiest way to get started. Your Mac stores your library, displays your art full screen, and is controlled from any browser on your network.

  Available Download ›

• Infinite Objects XXL

  Bring an XXL frame back to life. OpenObject turns it into a self-contained digital art display again. Advanced installation required.

  Available XXL guide ›

• Apple TV

  Turn any TV into an OpenObject display. Connect to a Host on your network and your art appears instantly.

  Coming soon Learn more ›

• iPad

  Use an iPad as another display option. It connects to a Host and stays in sync with your library.

  Coming soon Learn more ›

What it does

• Your own images and videoJPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, SVG, and MP4, MOV, WebM, shown edge to edge with no borders or interface.
• Library, Rotation, PinEverything you upload is kept. You choose what plays, in what order, and for what duration. Alternatively, pin one piece to hold it on screen.
• Fit or FillShow the whole image, or crop it to fill the screen.
• Always in motionAnimated art and video loop to fill their time.
• AudioEnable or disable audio so a scored piece can optionally play sound on a supported device.
• Sleep ScheduleBlank the screen on a schedule you set per day, overnight or while you're out.
• Drag and dropAdd art straight from your phone or laptop. No accounts, no cloud, no subscription.
• Folder CollectionsPoint OpenObject at a folder on your computer and it shows everything inside, no uploading required.
• Connected CollectionsCertain curated generative and on-chain artworks, such as live p5.js pieces, mirrored locally so they render offline. (Not supported on the Apple TV and iPad displays.)
• Works offlineIt all runs on your own network. If the internet goes out, your art keeps playing.

What is OpenObject?

It started as a rescue for one specific piece of hardware: the Infinite Objects XXL, a lovely 26-inch square digital art frame that is really just a little PC behind the panel. A lot of those frames went unused. OpenObject brings the hardware back under your control, and along the way it turned out the same small core runs just as happily on a Mac, an Apple TV, or an iPad. It deliberately avoids wallet connections, blockchain APIs, and cloud services: instead, you keep local copies of the artwork you own and upload them directly. Nothing phones home, and nothing expires.

Full credit to the White Walls app that originally drove these frames. It was the real heart of the whole setup. The backend services it relied on wound down, which left the hardware no longer able to function as originally intended. That is where OpenObject comes in.

On displaying art you love

Anyone can view digital art in a browser, download it, or screenshot it. That has always been true, and it is not what OpenObject changes. Viewing art and displaying art you own are different things. OpenObject is built to display art you own, or otherwise have the right to display, in your own home. If you display art in public, please make sure you have a license to do so.

Getting started

Download OpenObject for Mac, open the .dmg, and drag it to your Applications folder. Open it, and your Mac starts serving the display and the control panel. The Mac guide walks the first run.

Planning to use an Apple TV or iPad? Those apps are displays: you'll run a Host (your Mac or a frame) on your network, and the app plays its art. More about the Apple TV app ›

Have a stranded Infinite Objects XXL? OpenObject can revive one too. It's an advanced, hands-on path, separate from the Mac app. The XXL Frame Guide walks the whole revival in plain English, from wiping the original software to booting straight into your art.

A fair warning

OpenObject is shared as is, with no warranty of any kind. Running it on your Mac is simple: it's just an app you start and can delete, and it doesn't touch the rest of your machine. Reviving an Infinite Objects frame is the part with real risk: it wipes the device, with no supported way back, and might not work on your exact unit. For that path, the honest advice is to treat the frame as already a paperweight with nothing to lose. That is exactly how this started.

The good news is that it runs on real hardware today, and a lot of care went into smoothing the path so you hit fewer walls than the first time around.