Bringing the convenience of digital browsing to a physical film library has long been a challenge for physical media enthusiasts, but one creator has bridged that gap in an unexpected way. Peter Somersby has designed and built a custom hardware and software integration that connects a touchscreen interface directly to physical shelving units, transforming how a physical Blu-ray and 4K disc collection is managed and navigated.
The creative setup is actually split into two distinct projects that work in tandem. The first application, named MovieNights, allows a group of friends or family members to nominate films for a viewing session. The software then spins a virtual wheel and systematically eliminates choices until a single movie remains for the evening. The second part of the creation focuses entirely on physical hardware integration, marrying custom shelving with smart lighting technology.
Key takeaways
- Peter Somersby built a custom system using a touchscreen and LED lightstrips to locate physical Blu-ray discs.
- The setup runs on a combination of Raspberry Pis, an Arduino, and assistance from Claude and Codex AIs.
- Two separate applications, MovieNights and MovieShelf, communicate to illuminate the exact shelf spot where the selected movie sits.
- When idle, the integrated touchscreen functions as a continuous movie poster slideshow.
Inside the MovieShelf Architecture
Inspired by an online short from another creator, Somersby incorporated a touchscreen display and LED lightstrips directly into his storage furniture. The resulting system, dubbed MovieShelf, acts as a physical database interface. The embedded touchscreen displays the entire movie collection complete with cover posters, advanced search utilities, and filtering options.
When a user manually selects a title or hits the shuffle option on the interface, the specific spot on the shelf where that physical disc resides illuminates via LED strips. This allows someone to simply walk up to the shelving unit and grab the highlighted case. When the hardware is not actively being used to locate a film, the touchscreen automatically transitions into a continuous movie poster slideshow.
The underlying infrastructure relies on modest yet versatile computing components. The entire apparatus runs on a couple of Raspberry Pis alongside an Arduino microcontroller, with additional development assistance provided by advanced AI models including Claude and Codex. Furthermore, the separate applications are coded to communicate seamlessly, meaning the television can randomly pick a film night winner and instantly command the shelf to light up the corresponding physical case.
Future Iterations and Community Response
The ingenuity of combining over-engineered automation with traditional physical media has drawn significant attention across online communities like Reddit, where users praised the unique blend of software design and woodworking. While the current build relies entirely on programmable LED strips to guide the user's hand, future expansions remain a possibility.
When discussing potential upgrades, Somersby noted that a motorized robot picker has crossed his mind as a logical next step, though he acknowledges it would represent a massive leap in complexity compared to the current LED implementation. For now, this smart lighting prototype stands as the initial phase of a project designed to modernize the physical movie-watching ritual.
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