This digital signage glossary defines 45 terms used in digital signage and narrowcasting, from CMS, playlist and proof of play to HDMI-CEC, nit and pixel mapping. The terms are grouped by topic, each definition is exact and neutral, and each is short enough to quote.
Digital signage and narrowcasting use the same vocabulary, drawn from software, video and display technology. The tables below group the terms so that you can scan to the topic you need. Terms that Screenbird offers as features link to the matching Screenbird page.
Basic terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Digital signage | Electronic displays that show managed content such as menus, schedules, notices or adverts in public or business spaces. The content is usually controlled remotely from a central system. |
| Narrowcasting | Delivering content to a specific audience in a defined place, as opposed to broadcasting to a mass audience. The term is common in the Netherlands and Belgium and is used as a near-synonym for digital signage. |
| DOOH | Digital out-of-home advertising: digital screens in public places such as streets, transit hubs and shopping centers that show paid advertising. |
| Kiosk | A freestanding or wall-mounted terminal, often with a touchscreen, that gives people self-service access to information or transactions. |
| Kiosk mode | A device setting that locks the device to one application, so users cannot leave it. Signage players use kiosk mode to keep the player app on screen. |
| Menu board | A display that shows food and drink items and prices. A digital menu board can change prices and highlighted items by time of day. |
| Notice board | A display for announcements, timetables and internal news. A digital notice board replaces paper notices that need printing and hanging. |
| Wayfinding | Signs and maps that help people find their way in a building or site. Digital wayfinding can show directories, room allocation and route arrows. |
| Ticker | A scrolling strip of text, usually along the bottom of a screen, used for headlines, prices or short messages. |
| Video wall | Several displays arranged in a grid that together show one large image or video. |
Software and content terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CMS | Content management system: the software where media is uploaded, playlists are built, schedules are set and content is assigned to screens. Signage CMSs are usually web based. |
| Playlist | An ordered list of items, such as images, videos, web pages and designs, that a screen plays in sequence, each with a set duration. |
| Schedule | Rules that define which content plays on which screens, on which dates, days and times. |
| Dayparting | Dividing the day into time blocks, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner, and showing different content in each block. The term comes from broadcasting. |
| Zone | A defined region of the screen that shows its own content, for example a video in the main area and a ticker below it. Some systems call it a region. |
| Split screen | Showing several independent content areas on one display at the same time. Screenbird offers split screen with zones, each with its own content source. |
| Template | A ready-made layout or design in which text and images are replaced, which shortens the time needed to create content. |
| Widget | A small content component, such as a clock, weather, a social feed or a countdown, that is added to a screen. Some platforms call widgets apps. |
| Dynamic content | Content that updates automatically from an external source such as a spreadsheet, a calendar or a data feed, without anyone editing the screen. |
| Proof of play | A record of what content played, on which screen and when. Operators use it to verify advertising delivery and to check that screens are working. Screenbird includes proof of play reports. |
| White label | A product that a reseller sells under its own brand, with its own name, logo and often its own domain. |
Playback and hardware terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Media player | The device that stores or streams content and sends video to a display, usually over HDMI. It can be a stick, a mini PC, a Raspberry Pi or a unit built into the display. |
| Signage stick | A small media player in stick form that plugs into the HDMI port of a display. The Amazon Signage Stick is one example; Screenbird has a guide on how to set up the Amazon Signage Stick. |
| SoC display | A display with a system on a chip built in, so it runs signage software without an external player. Many commercial displays and recent smart TVs are SoC displays. |
| Offline playback | A player's ability to keep playing content it has already downloaded when the internet connection drops. Screenbird screens keep playing without internet. |
| Content sync | Two meanings. In a CMS, content sync is the download of changes to the player. On a video wall, it is keeping several screens in step so that the same frame shows at the same time. |
| Heartbeat | A periodic signal that a player sends to the CMS to report that it is online. Missing heartbeats mark a screen as offline. |
| HDMI-CEC | Consumer Electronics Control, a feature of HDMI that lets connected devices send control commands to each other, such as power on and standby. Signage players use it to switch displays on and off, and support varies by display and player. Screenbird supports screens on and off on a schedule with HDMI-CEC on supported players. |
| Screen mirroring | Showing the exact screen of a laptop or phone on another display in real time. See how to mirror your laptop to a TV. |
| Casting | Sending a specific video or web page from a device to a receiving display over the network. In casting, the receiving device often loads the content itself, unlike mirroring, which copies the sender's screen. |
| Bezel | The frame around the edge of a display. On a video wall, the bezel is the visible gap between neighboring screens, and thin-bezel displays make that gap smaller. |
| Nit | The unit of display brightness, equal to one candela per square meter (cd/m2). Displays near windows or outdoors need a higher nit rating than displays in dim rooms. |
Display and video terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Whether the screen is used in landscape or portrait, or rotated by 90, 180 or 270 degrees. |
| Aspect ratio | The ratio of width to height of an image or display. Most TVs are 16:9, and a portrait screen is 9:16. |
| Resolution | The number of pixels on a display or in a video, written as width x height, for example 1920 x 1080 for Full HD. |
| 4K UHD | A resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, four times as many pixels as Full HD. |
| Pixel pitch | The distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next, measured in millimeters. It is used to specify LED displays, where a smaller pitch gives a sharper image at close viewing distance. |
| Pixel mapping | Cutting one wide or unusually shaped image into regions and placing them in a standard HDMI frame, so that an LED processor can put the image back together on an LED banner or LED wall. Screenbird has pixel mapping for LED banners and LED walls. |
| Bitrate | The amount of data per second in a video or audio stream, usually in megabits per second. A higher bitrate gives better quality and larger files. |
| Codec | Software or hardware that compresses and decompresses video. Common codecs are H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP9 and AV1, and a player must support the codec of the file it plays. |
| Frame rate | The number of images shown per second, written as frames per second (fps). Common rates are 24, 30 and 60. |
Integration and access terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| API | Application programming interface: a defined way for software to talk to other software, for example to create playlists or read screen status from another tool. |
| Webhook | An HTTP callback: when an event happens in one system, it sends an automated message to a URL set up in another system. |
| RSS | Really Simple Syndication, an XML format for feeds of headlines and articles. Signage platforms use RSS to show news or updates on a screen. |
| SSO | Single sign-on: logging in to several applications with one set of credentials through a company identity provider. |
Digital signage terms in Screenbird
Screenbird is a digital signage CMS, and several terms in this glossary map to its features. Playlists and schedules control what plays and when. Split screen divides one display into areas, and proof of play reports record what played. The Screenbird features overview lists the rest, including the designer with 250+ templates and the built-in AI assistant.
Digital signage glossary: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between digital signage and narrowcasting?
Digital signage is the general term for managed screens that show content in a space. Narrowcasting is a near-synonym that stresses delivering content to a specific audience in a specific place, and it is used mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium.
What is the difference between a CMS and a media player in digital signage?
A CMS is the software where content and schedules are managed. A media player is the device connected to the display that downloads that content and plays it.
What is the difference between screen mirroring and casting?
Screen mirroring copies the full screen of a device to a display in real time. Casting sends one video or web page to a display, and the receiving device often loads the content itself.
What does proof of play mean?
Proof of play is a record of which content played on which screen and at what time. It is used to verify that advertising or announcements actually ran.
What is HDMI-CEC used for in digital signage?
HDMI-CEC lets a media player send power commands to a connected display, so that screens can be switched on and off on a schedule. It works only where both display and player support it.
What is the difference between resolution and aspect ratio?
Resolution is the number of pixels, such as 1920 x 1080. Aspect ratio is the proportion of width to height, such as 16:9, and many resolutions share one aspect ratio.
Related guides
Sources: Digital signage (Wikipedia) · Narrowcasting (Wikipedia) · Out-of-home advertising (Wikipedia) · Consumer Electronics Control (Wikipedia) · HDMI specification (HDMI Licensing Administrator) · Candela per square metre (Wikipedia) · SI Brochure (BIPM) · RSS 2.0 specification · H.264 recommendation (ITU) · Video codec (Wikipedia) · Display resolution (Wikipedia) · Aspect ratio (Wikipedia) · Webhook (Wikipedia) · API (MDN glossary) · Single sign-on (Wikipedia) · Screenbird: pixel mapping · Video wall (Wikipedia) · Screenbird features