Digital Signage Basics FAQ: 35 questions answered
Digital signage is a system of screens whose content is managed centrally: a display, a media player behind it, and content management software (CMS) that schedules what each screen shows, connected over a network. Content is uploaded once, scheduled by time and place, and cached on each player so screens keep running offline. Good signage is glanceable, one message per slide with large text, and changes often enough that people keep looking.
What digital signage is
What does digital signage mean?
Digital signage is the use of electronic screens to show content that is managed centrally, instead of printed signs. The content can be images, video, menus, schedules, news, dashboards or alerts, and it can change on a schedule or in response to data. The term covers the whole system: the display, the media player that drives it, and the software that schedules and updates content remotely. Longer answer: what is digital signage.
What is the difference between digital signage and a TV?
A TV is only a display; digital signage is the system that controls what the display shows. A TV playing a USB stick shows the same loop until someone changes it by hand. Digital signage adds software to design content, schedule it by time and location, update many screens remotely and monitor that they are working. The screen itself can be an ordinary TV or a commercial display.
Is digital signage better than printed signs?
For content that changes, usually yes. A digital sign can change prices, promotions or messages in minutes with no printing, show different content at different times of day, use motion to attract attention and carry live information such as weather or wait times. Printed signs cost less up front and need no power, so they remain the better choice for permanent information that never changes, such as room numbers or legal notices.
What are the main types of digital signage?
The common types are informational screens such as lobby and hallway displays, digital menu boards, retail promotional screens, wayfinding and directory screens, interactive touch kiosks, video walls, outdoor and window displays, and digital out-of-home advertising networks. They differ mainly in brightness, size, interactivity and who owns the content. Most can run on the same software. Overview: types of digital signage.
What is a digital signage network?
A digital signage network is a group of screens managed from one CMS, whether it is two screens in one shop or thousands across a country. The screens can show the same content or different content per location, and the CMS tracks which player is online and what it is playing. Networks that sell screen time to advertisers are usually called DOOH networks. DigitalSignage.com manages every screen in an account from SignStudio in a web browser.
What is narrowcasting?
Narrowcasting means showing content to a specific audience in a specific place, rather than broadcasting to everyone. A screen in a gym shows members class schedules; a screen in a pharmacy queue shows health reminders; a screen in a factory shows that shift's targets. The term is widely used in Europe and is often used interchangeably with digital signage. The idea is that content is chosen for the people who will actually see that screen.
How digital signage works
How does digital signage work?
You create content in a CMS, schedule it, and each screen's media player downloads and plays it. The player checks in with the CMS regularly, downloads new content and schedules, stores them locally and shows them on the display at the right times. Updates made in the CMS reach every screen automatically, and the player keeps playing from its local copy if the network drops. Detail: how digital signage works.
What are the components of a digital signage system?
Four: the display, the media player, the content management system (CMS) and the network. The display is a TV, commercial panel, LED wall or kiosk. The player is a small computer that stores and plays content. The CMS is where you create, schedule and monitor content. The network connects the player to the CMS. Optional parts include touch screens, sensors, data feeds and an on-premise server.
What is the difference between a media player and a CMS?
The CMS decides what plays; the media player plays it. The CMS is software, usually in the cloud, where you upload media, build layouts and schedules and monitor screens. The media player is the device at each screen, such as an Android stick, Raspberry Pi, PC, Chromebox or iPad, that downloads content from the CMS, stores it and shows it on the display. On DigitalSignage.com the CMS is SignStudio and the player app is SignPlayer, which also runs in any modern web browser.
What is a digital signage CMS?
A CMS, or content management system, is the software where you create content, arrange it into playlists and layouts, schedule it to screens and check that screens are working. A cloud CMS runs in a web browser, so you can update any screen from anywhere. DigitalSignage.com's CMS is SignStudio, a web-based drag-and-drop editor with 180+ templates, scheduling, multi-zone layouts and remote management of every screen in the account.
Who creates the content for digital signage?
Usually someone in-house using templates, with occasional help from a designer. Most small businesses edit ready-made templates in the CMS and replace the text, images and prices. Larger organizations assign a content owner, often in marketing or communications, and let local staff update only their own screens or zones. Automated content, such as weather, news feeds, spreadsheets and dashboards, fills part of the loop with no ongoing work. DigitalSignage.com's SignStudio has 180+ templates and a drag-and-drop editor, so no design software is required.
What is a video wall?
A video wall is several displays mounted edge to edge and driven as one large image, typically in grids such as 2 by 2 or 3 by 3. Narrow-bezel commercial panels keep the gaps between screens thin, and direct-view LED walls remove the gaps entirely. Video walls suit lobbies, control rooms, flagship stores and events, where one large image draws attention from a distance. They need precise mounting, matched panels and a player or controller that splits content across the screens. Design notes: video wall design.
What are the benefits of digital signage?
Faster updates, no reprinting, and content that fits the moment. Content changes in minutes across every screen, messages can differ by time of day or location, and live information such as wait times, weather or schedules stays current automatically. Motion catches the eye in places where printed posters blend into the background. The benefits depend on keeping content fresh; a screen that repeats the same loop for months does little more than a poster. Detail: benefits of digital signage.
Costs and ROI
Is digital signage worth it for a small business?
It usually is when your content changes often. Businesses that change prices, promotions, schedules or specials every week save the time and cost of reprinting and can react the same day. If your signs never change, a printed sign may be enough. Test cheaply first: DigitalSignage.com's first 3 screens are free forever, so a small business can try it on the TV it already owns plus a $30 to $60 player before spending more.
How do I calculate the ROI of digital signage?
Compare what the screens earn or save with what they cost over the same period. Costs are hardware, software, installation, power and staff time for content. Returns are printing and distribution costs avoided, staff time saved, and extra sales from promoted items, which you can measure by comparing sales of promoted products before and after, or between locations with and without screens. ROI equals total gain minus total cost, divided by total cost. Worksheet: ROI calculator.
How can I measure whether digital signage is working?
Tie each screen to an action you can count. Put a unique QR code or offer code on a promotion and count scans or redemptions; compare sales of promoted items against a period or location without the promotion; and track operational effects such as fewer front-desk questions after adding a wayfinding screen. Proof of play confirms the content actually ran. Pick one measure per campaign rather than trying to measure everything.
Content best practices
What should I show on digital signage?
Content that is useful or timely for the people standing in front of the screen: prices, offers, schedules, wait times, directions, news, weather, recognition and safety information. Mix practical information with promotions so people get into the habit of looking. Live data such as weather or a news feed keeps a loop fresh with no work. Avoid long paragraphs, tiny print and anything that only makes sense with sound.
How many seconds should each digital signage slide show?
About 7 to 15 seconds for most slides: 5 to 8 seconds for a single headline and image, and 10 to 15 seconds for a slide with several points. Menu screens and data need longer, around 15 to 30 seconds. For accessibility, do not auto-advance faster than about 5 seconds per slide. Time the slide by reading it aloud slowly; if you cannot finish, it has too much text. Detail: content best practices.
How long should a digital signage loop be?
Around 2 to 5 minutes for most locations. The right length depends on how long people stay in front of the screen: someone waiting in a queue for three minutes should see the whole loop at least once, while a waiting room with long visits needs a longer or more varied loop so regulars do not see the same slide repeatedly. Put the most important message in more than one slot of the loop.
What is the 3-second rule in digital signage?
It is the design rule that a sign should get its main message across in about three seconds, because most people only glance at a screen while walking or waiting. In practice that means one message per slide, a headline of a few words, a single strong image, large high-contrast text and one clear call to action. If a slide needs to be read closely to make sense, split it into two slides or move the detail behind a QR code.
Should digital signage use video or still images?
Use both, for different jobs. Short video or subtle motion catches the eye, which suits promotions and brand content, while still images are better for information people need to read, such as prices, schedules and directions. Keep video clips short, around 15 to 30 seconds, and caption any speech. Images also download faster and use less bandwidth. A common layout plays video in a main zone while text information stays fixed in a side zone.
Should digital signage have sound?
Usually no. Most signage is seen in passing or in shared spaces where sound is annoying or inaudible, so design every message to work silently. If a video carries information in speech, add captions so deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers get the same information. Sound can work in dedicated spaces such as a showroom or a kiosk the viewer chooses to use, at a volume staff can control.
Music, video and content licensing
Can I play Spotify or Apple Music on my business digital signage?
No. Consumer streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora limit their licenses to personal use, so playing them in a business or public space is outside their terms. Businesses use a licensed background music service for commercial spaces, or music whose license explicitly covers public performance. Rules differ by country, so check with the service or a rights organization before playing music through signage.
Do I need a license to play music on digital signage?
Generally yes, if the music is played publicly in a business. Public performance usually needs licenses covering the composition, often through performing rights organizations such as ASCAP or BMI in the US, and the recording. Royalty-free libraries and commercial background music services can bundle these for business use; read what each license actually covers. This is general information, not legal advice. Detail: content licensing and copyright.
Is it legal to show TV channels or other people's videos on business screens?
Often not without a commercial license. Showing broadcast TV, streaming services or someone else's videos to customers in a business is a public performance, and consumer subscriptions usually cover private viewing only. Commercial TV subscriptions exist for bars, waiting rooms and lobbies. Embedding YouTube videos, which platforms including DigitalSignage.com support, suits your own channel or videos whose owners allow embedding. The safest content is your own, licensed stock media, or feeds a provider offers for display.
Can I use stock photos on digital signage?
Yes, if the license covers it. Check that the license allows commercial use and public display, and look for limits on impressions or use in advertising, which some standard licenses restrict and extended licenses allow. Keep a record of each license. Photos found through a web search are not licensed for your use just because they are online.
Common mistakes
What are the most common digital signage mistakes?
Too much text, text too small for the viewing distance, content that never changes, screens mounted where nobody looks, consumer TVs too dim for a sunny spot, relying on Wi-Fi with no local caching, and nobody responsible for content. Another is buying hardware before deciding what the screens will show. Start with the message and the audience, then pick the screen, and assign one person to own the content calendar.
Why do people ignore digital signage?
Mostly because the content is stale, too dense or not relevant to them. People learn quickly that a screen repeating the same slides has nothing new, and they stop looking. A screen also fails when it is placed above eye level, faces the wrong way, is washed out by sunlight or shows text too small to read. Frequent updates, short messages and live information bring attention back.
Digital signage terms explained
What does the term dayparting mean?
Dayparting means scheduling different content for different parts of the day. A cafe shows breakfast items in the morning and lunch at noon, a gym shows morning classes early and evening promotions later, and a school shows the lunch menu before lunch. The player switches automatically at the scheduled times. DigitalSignage.com includes scheduling and dayparting on every plan, including the free tier. Detail: SignStudio scheduling.
What is a playlist in digital signage?
A playlist is an ordered list of content items, such as images, videos and web pages, each with a duration, that plays in a loop on a screen or in one zone of a screen. You build playlists once and schedule them to screens and times; changing a playlist updates every screen that uses it. Campaign scheduling usually means assigning playlists to date ranges or dayparts.
What is a zone in digital signage?
A zone is a region of the screen that plays its own content. A multi-zone layout might have a main video zone, a side zone with rotating promotions, a ticker of news along the bottom and a small weather and clock zone in a corner. Each zone runs its own playlist or data feed independently. DigitalSignage.com's SignStudio supports multi-zone layouts in portrait and landscape.
What is a digital signage template?
A template is a ready-made layout with placeholders for your text, images, prices or data, so you edit content instead of designing from a blank screen. Templates usually set the zones, fonts and colors for a use such as a menu board, a lobby welcome or a class schedule. DigitalSignage.com's SignStudio includes 180+ templates that you customize with drag and drop and then publish to any screen.
What is the difference between a schedule and proof of play?
A schedule shows what was supposed to play; proof of play records what actually played. Proof of play is a log of exactly which content ran on which screen and when, so it catches screens that were offline, switched to another input or turned off. Advertisers need it before paying for screen time, and operators use it to confirm campaigns and compliance messages reached every location. On DigitalSignage.com proof of play is an Enterprise feature.
What is digital out-of-home (DOOH)?
Digital out-of-home, or DOOH, is advertising shown on digital screens in public places, such as billboards, transit stations, malls and elevators. It is a subset of digital signage where the screen owner sells time to advertisers, usually with proof of play reports and often through programmatic buying platforms. Most business signage is not DOOH because the business shows its own content rather than selling ad slots.
What does nit mean for a display?
A nit is a unit of brightness equal to one candela per square meter. Digital signage uses it to match a screen to its environment: about 350 to 500 nits indoors, 700 to 1,500 nits near windows, 2,500 to 4,000 nits for a storefront behind glass and 5,000 nits or more in direct sun. A screen that is too dim for its spot looks washed out regardless of content. Reference: display brightness by environment.
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