Digital signage is the use of screens such as TVs, monitors and LED displays to show content like menus, notices and promotions that you manage from a computer. A system has four parts: a screen, a media player, content management software and a network. Screenbird is a digital signage CMS for small teams.
What is digital signage?
Digital signage is a segment of electronic signage that uses digital display technologies to present multimedia content in public and private environments. Its content can be video, images, text or interactive media, and it is usually shown to advertise, inform, build a brand or entertain. Wikipedia's summary draws on Schaeffler's 2014 book on digital signage software, networks, advertising and displays.
In practice, digital signage means that the menu in a cafe, the opening hours in a waiting room or the timetable in a school corridor sit on a screen instead of on paper. Someone changes the content in a web dashboard, and the screen shows the new version without anyone printing, hanging or taking down a sign.
What are the parts of a digital signage system?
A digital signage system has four parts. Each part has one job, and a problem in one part shows up as a problem on the screen.
| Part | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | Shows the picture. Any display with an HDMI input can work. | TV, commercial display, monitor, LED panel, video wall |
| Media player | Downloads the content, stores a copy and plays it on the screen. It can be a separate device or built into the display. | Streaming stick, small box, Raspberry Pi, mini-PC, smart TV |
| Content management system (CMS) | Software where you upload or design content, group it into playlists, set schedules and send it to screens. Many are cloud-based. | A web dashboard such as Screenbird's |
| Network | Connects the player to the CMS so new content reaches the screen. | Wi-Fi or a network cable |
Standalone systems skip the network. They play media from a USB drive, an SD card or internal storage, which works for one screen that rarely changes. Once a business has several screens or changes content often, a networked system with a CMS saves the walk to each screen.
What types of digital signage are there?
Digital signage is usually sorted by the kind of screen. The software and the player work the same way in all of them; the difference is where the screen hangs and how people use it.
- Single flat screens: one TV or monitor on a wall or stand. This is the most common type and the easiest to start with.
- Video walls: several panels tiled into one large picture, which Screenbird handles with pixel mapping on a video wall.
- LED displays and boards: large, bright displays, usually in bigger spaces.
- Outdoor displays: weather-sealed screens built for daylight.
- Window displays: screens that face outward through a shop window.
- Interactive kiosks: touchscreens that need software with touch support.
- Tablets on walls: a low-cost option for small screens, such as a room sign.
How is digital signage different from a regular TV?
A regular TV plays what you select on the spot: a channel, a streaming app or a USB drive. A digital signage screen plays content that was prepared and scheduled in advance, and you change it from another place.
- Remote control of content. You update a playlist in the CMS instead of walking to the TV with a remote.
- Scheduling. Different content can play at different times of day or on different days, and a promotion can expire on its own.
- Many screens, one place. One dashboard can manage screens in several rooms or locations.
- Built for all-day running. A dedicated player is set up to start the content again after a power cut. A TV left on a streaming app or USB menu is not.
A smart TV can show signage content in its own browser or app store, and many organizations start there. The page on using a smart TV for digital signage covers when that is enough and when a player is the better choice.
How is digital signage different from printed posters?
A printed poster has to be designed, printed and hung again for every change. A screen needs the change made once in the CMS, and it shows the new content on the next update. Screens can also show video, rotate several messages in the same spot and switch content by time of day.
The trade-off is cost and upkeep. A screen needs a player, a software subscription and someone who keeps the content current. The page on how much digital signage costs breaks down those costs.
What do small organizations use digital signage for?
Digital signage fits places where people wait, pass by or arrive, and where messages change often. Common uses in small organizations are:
- Shops and retail: promotions, new arrivals and opening hours in the window.
- Restaurants and cafes: digital menu boards and daily specials.
- Offices and lobbies: visitor welcomes and internal news.
- Waiting rooms: opening hours, Wi-Fi details and queue information.
- Schools: timetable changes and announcements.
- Hotels: welcome messages, facilities and restaurant hours.
- Gyms: class schedules.
- Apartment buildings: house rules and resident notices.
Each of these has a guide with examples. Start with the use cases for restaurants, waiting rooms or offices.
Set up digital signage with Screenbird
Screenbird is built for small teams with mixed screens. It is a CMS where you upload or design content, group it into playlists and schedules and send it to screens. Screenbird's explainer on what digital signage is shows the same four parts from the Screenbird side.
Screenbird runs on the Amazon Signage Stick, Fire TV (Fire OS models), Google TV and Android devices, Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi and any modern browser, and recent Samsung and LG smart TVs run it in the built-in browser. The list of supported players and TVs shows each option. The Mac player has its own page on running digital signage on macOS. Every feature is in one plan, from EUR 12 per screen per month billed annually, excluding VAT.
What does digital signage mean?
Digital signage means showing content such as menus, notices, promotions and video on screens that you manage from a computer. It replaces printed signs that have to be reprinted for every change.
What are the main parts of a digital signage system?
A system has a screen, a media player, content management software (CMS) and a network. The CMS holds the content, the player downloads and plays it, and the screen shows it.
Is narrowcasting the same as digital signage?
In the Netherlands and Belgium, narrowcasting is the usual word for showing content on screens to a specific audience. The software, hardware and uses are the same as digital signage. See the page on what narrowcasting is.
Do I need a special screen for digital signage?
No. Any display with an HDMI input can work, including a normal TV or monitor. Commercial displays are built for longer daily running hours and brighter spaces.
Do I need a media player?
Most setups use one, because the player downloads and stores the content and plays it on the screen. Some smart TVs can play signage content in their own browser, and many small organizations start that way.
Does digital signage work without internet?
Content already stored on the player keeps playing. Live content such as a web page or a spreadsheet needs a connection. The page on how digital signage works explains the details.
Sources: Wikipedia: Digital signage (definition, components, applications) · Screenbird: What is digital signage · Screenbird: supported platforms