Digital signage players are physical devices that play content on your screens. While they are not software themselves, these players work hand-in-hand with your digital signage software and typically connect to your digital signage content management system (CMS). By tying the two together, you are able to manage content and troubleshoot via your CMS, and then physically push the content out via your digital signage player. Experts agree that you cannot have one without the other and both are essential to ensuring your digital signage network runs seamlessly. Let’s dive a little deeper into what a digital signage player does, and why it is so crucial.
Why do I need a digital signage player?
If you own a network of screens, and are trying to display content on those screens, it is likely you will need a digital signage player. Content may range from images or display advertisements, to videos and gifs. Regardless of content type, there needs to be some kind of physical computer that takes the content and pushes it out to your network of screens. Without this, the content will not be seen by the valuable audience your screens have.
How do digital signage players work?
Digital signage players, unlike digital signage content management systems, are not a platform you log into. They are not an operation center or dashboard you need to check on daily. Rather, a digital signage player is a system installed on a physical device that plays content on a screen. Once you set up your player, you can essentially just let it do its job. The real work is done by your team on the CMS side. As mentioned, the CMS is the digital signage platform that allows you to control what is showing up on your screens while also troubleshooting any issues that arise. This is where you will spend most of your time. If everything is installed properly, the CMS and player will communicate with each other on their own.
What makes a good digital signage player?
You will want a player that fits the needs of your individual business. Most likely, you will want a player that works with any hardware you already have installed. You will also want the player to be able to process the content types you want to display. Different players sometimes also have different storage limitations, so if you run a large network that is pushing out large amounts of content or more complex content types such as videos or gifs, your ideal digital signage player should be able to handle it all without breaking or becoming overwhelmed.
Interested in learning more? Contact our digital signage experts today.
