Music

Where your music comes from

FreeWorks with: Any Apple TVAbout 3 minutes

Theatrium does not play music itself. Tell it which app or speaker you listen with, and the TV follows along with cover art, visuals and room lights.

How it works

You keep playing music the way you always have, on your phone, a speaker, the Apple TV's own Apple Music app. Theatrium watches what is playing and shows it: the cover on the Now Playing card, the big album art in the music room, the visuals, the room lights. Every music source is free.

Settings › Now Playing, where you choose the source.
Settings › Now Playing, where you choose the source.

Choosing a source

  1. Open Settings (press Back on the dashboard) and choose Now Playing.
  2. Under Now Playing Source, choose the one that matches how you listen. The table below helps.
  3. Follow the short steps that appear for that source. They are also written out below.
  4. Press Back. Play something, and the Now Playing card fills in.
You listen with…ChooseWhat to do
The Apple Music app on this Apple TVApple MusicNothing more. Needs an Apple Music subscription on this Apple TV's Apple ID.
Spotify, on any deviceSpotifyTheatrium follows Spotify through Last.fm (below). Spotify does not let a TV app sign in directly.
Apple Music on your iPhone or a HomePod, or any app Last.fm supportsLast.fmMake a free Last.fm account, connect your music app to it, type your Last.fm username here.
Plexamp or another Plex music playerPlexSign in to Plex; approve from the Plex app on your phone. Theatrium mirrors what Plexamp plays.
Sonos speakersSonosTheatrium finds your speakers on the network; pick one.
A speaker or player in Home AssistantHome AssistantPick the media player, or Automatic to follow whichever is playing.

Setting up Last.fm (for Spotify and most other apps)

Last.fm is a free service that keeps a list of what you play, called "scrobbling". Theatrium reads that list. It works with Spotify Free or Premium.

  1. On your phone or computer, go to last.fm and create a free account. Remember the username.
  2. On last.fm, open Settings › Applications and connect Spotify (or Apple Music). In the Spotify app, make sure scrobbling to Last.fm is switched on.
  3. On the TV, in Settings › Now Playing, choose Last.fm (or Spotify), type your Last.fm username, and choose Save. It is your profile name, not your email address.
  4. Play a song. Within a few seconds the TV shows it.

Setting up Apple Music on this Apple TV

Choose Apple Music. The Now Playing card reads "Select to open Apple Music"; pressing it opens the Apple TV's Apple Music app. Start something there, then come back to Theatrium from the home screen. The visuals and light sync follow. This shows music playing on this Apple TV only; for Apple Music on your phone, use Last.fm.

Setting up Plex

Choose Plex and follow the sign-in: a code appears, and you approve it from the Plex app on your phone or at plex.tv/link. Theatrium then mirrors whatever Plexamp, or any Plex player on your account, is playing. The audio keeps coming from that device; the TV shows it and drives the visualizer. If you have already linked a Plex server for the media cards, this is the same sign-in.

Setting up Sonos

Choose Sonos. Theatrium searches your network and lists the speakers it finds; pick one. No Sonos account is needed and nothing leaves the house.

If the beat looks wrong

The visuals move to the song's tempo, which Theatrium looks up online. Online tempos are not always exact. If the visuals drift off the beat of a song, tap along in the Theatrium app on your iPhone; your tap is saved for that track and used instead. (Settings › Now Playing › Track Tempo.)