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Retro Tv Turn MeowKit into a tiny wireless screen for your computer. RetroTV captures a selected area of your Windows desktop, converts it into a stream of JPEG images, and sends it to MeowKit over your local Wi-Fi network. Use it as a pocket-sized companion display for pixel art, retro games, photo slideshows, album covers, dashboards, or videos. It is not a full-size monitor—and that is part of the charm.

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How it works

RetroTV has two parts:
  • MeowKit receives and displays the images.
  • ScreenShotSender captures part of your Windows desktop and sends it to MeowKit. Both devices must be connected to the same local network.
NoteRetroTV streams images only. It does not transmit audio.Frame rate and image quality depend on your Wi-Fi connection, computer performance, selected capture size, and JPEG Quality setting.

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What you need

Before you begin, prepare:
  • A Windows computer
  • A local Wi-Fi network
  • ScreenShotSender（https://github.com/lovyan03/ESP32_ScreenShotReceiver）
  • MeowKit and the computer connected to the same network MeowKit uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Your computer may use Wi-Fi or Ethernet, provided it is on the same local network and can communicate with MeowKit.

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Set up RetroTV

1

Connect to Wi-Fi.

Complete the Wi-Fi setup in MeowKit Settings. Make sure MeowKit and your computer are connected to the same local network.
2

Open RetroTV.

Go to Applications → RetroTV. Once connected, MeowKit displays its IP address, such as 10.0.1.135.Keep this screen open.[Image: MeowKit displaying its IP address]
3

Download ScreenShotSender.

Download the Windows sender from the upstream open-source repository.
Security: Do not disable Windows Defender or Real-time Protection. Download the application only from the official upstream repository. If you have concerns, review and build the included C# source code.
4

Run ScreenShotSender.

Run ScreenShotSender.exe.If Windows Firewall asks for permission, allow access only on your trusted Private network.[Image: ScreenShotSender main window]
5

Configure the display.

Enter the IP address shown on MeowKit, then set:
  • Width: 320
  • Height: 240
  • Quality: 60
  • Col: 1
  • Row: 1 [Image: IP address and display settings]
6

Select the display area.

Click ShowBox, then move or resize the capture frame. Everything inside the frame will be sent to MeowKit.For the best fit, keep the capture area close to a 4:3 aspect ratio.
7

Start streaming.

Click Connect. When the button changes to Disconnect, your computer screen appears on MeowKit.When finished, click Disconnect, then press and hold MeowKit’s B button for 2 seconds to exit RetroTV.

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Troubleshooting

Having trouble connecting MeowKit to RetroTV? Start with the issue that best matches what you’re seeing.
This usually means MeowKit cannot establish a Wi-Fi connection.Check the following:
  • Wi-Fi has been configured in MeowKit Settings.
  • The Wi-Fi name (SSID) and password are correct.
  • Your network supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
  • MeowKit is within range of the router.
1

Open Wi-Fi Settings

Return to Settings on MeowKit and check your Wi-Fi configuration.
2

Reconnect to Wi-Fi

Reconnect MeowKit to your Wi-Fi network and wait until the connection is established.
3

Open RetroTV

Launch RetroTV again after MeowKit has successfully connected to Wi-Fi.
If ScreenShotSender cannot connect to MeowKit, check the following:
  • The IP address exactly matches the address displayed by MeowKit.
  • MeowKit and your computer are connected to the same local network.
  • RetroTV is still open on MeowKit.
  • Windows Firewall allows ScreenShotSender to communicate on the current Private network.
  • Your router does not have Client Isolation or AP Isolation enabled.
Guest Wi-Fi networks often prevent connected devices from communicating with each other.For the best results, connect both MeowKit and your computer to a normal trusted network instead of a guest network.

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Check the TCP port

RetroTV uses a local TCP connection on port 63333.Make sure your firewall or network configuration does not block this port.
MeowKit’s IP address may change when:
  • MeowKit is restarted.
  • MeowKit reconnects to Wi-Fi.
  • The router is restarted.
  • MeowKit is connected to a different network.
1

Open RetroTV

Launch RetroTV on MeowKit and check the IP address displayed by the application.
2

Update ScreenShotSender

Enter the newly displayed IP address in ScreenShotSender.
3

Reconnect

Disconnect and reconnect ScreenShotSender using the updated address.
Make sure ScreenShotSender is configured with the correct output resolution:For the best results, select a capture area with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
If the image is laggy, freezes, or updates slowly, try these steps in order:
1

Reduce image quality

Lower the Quality setting in ScreenShotSender.
2

Reduce the capture area

Select a smaller area of your Windows screen.
3

Improve the Wi-Fi connection

Move MeowKit closer to the router.
4

Reduce network activity

Pause other downloads, streaming, or network-intensive activity.
5

Reconnect

Click Disconnect in ScreenShotSender and then connect again.
If part of the image is missing, adjust the capture frame in ScreenShotSender.
For the best results, keep the capture area close to a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Make sure all important content is inside the selected capture area before starting the stream.
This is expected behavior.RetroTV sends JPEG images only from the Windows computer to MeowKit.Audio is not transmitted to MeowKit and continues to play through the Windows computer’s normal audio output.
RetroTV is designed for screen streaming, not audio streaming.
Do not disable Windows Antivirus or Real-time Protection just to run ScreenShotSender.If Windows displays a security warning:
1

Verify the source

Confirm that ScreenShotSender came from the official upstream repository.
2

Do not run untrusted executables

If you cannot verify or trust the executable, do not run it.
3

Build from source

Review the included C# source code and build the application yourself if you need to verify what is being executed.
Never disable antivirus or Windows Real-time Protection simply to bypass a security warning.

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Still having trouble?

If none of the solutions above work, check the following:
  • MeowKit is connected to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network.
  • MeowKit and the Windows computer are on the same local network.
  • RetroTV is currently open on MeowKit.
  • The IP address in ScreenShotSender matches the current IP shown by MeowKit.
  • Windows Firewall allows ScreenShotSender on the current Private network.
  • TCP port 63333 is not blocked.
  • Your router does not use Client Isolation or AP Isolation.

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Source and license

RetroTV is based on the open-source ESP32 ScreenShotReceiver project by lovyan03: github.com/lovyan03/ESP32_ScreenShotReceiver The original project sends JPEG images from a Windows computer to an ESP32 receiver over TCP and is released under the MIT License.