We have set up many of these Bright Sign systems, and we sometimes get questions from new employees of the organizations that the install was completed in. We all know the story. So we are publishing some getting started step from our friends at Bright Sign!
Quick Play Instructions
Download sample video or audio content for your player. You can use your own content as well, but first make sure that your video, image, or audio content is supported on BrightSign players.
Place the content on the root folder of your SD card (e.g. "SD:/").
Turn off the BrightSign player by unplugging the power adapter (or Ethernet cable if the unit is being powered by PoE).
Insert the SD card into the player.
Turn on the player by reconnecting the power. The content will begin playing after a few moments.
Note: Content files on an SD card will play alphabetically in a continuous loop.
Step 1 - Get the Software You Need
Click here, select your player model, and download the Official Release of BrightAuthor software.
Note: BrightAuthor is not supported on Mac. However, there are still several ways to publish presentations using a Mac: See this FAQ for more details.
Install BrightAuthor on your PC. If needed, additional installation instructions are available on the Step-by-Step tutorials page:
Step 2 - Set up the Player
Follow these steps to set up your BrightSign player:
Note: These instructions outline the setup process for the Local File Networking publishing method. You can use this method to publish presentations to your player via SD card or over your local network. Watch the Player Setup Introduction tutorial video to learn about the different publishing methods.
Open BrightAuthor.
Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Networking. Check Enable BrightSign Local Networking.
Navigate to Tools > Setup BrightSign Unit.
Enter a Name for your unit. The Description is optional.
(Optional) Check Enable wireless if you plan to connect the player to the network via WiFi (this requires a Wireless Module and a compatible model). Enter the credentials of the wireless network.
(Optional) Click Advanced Network Setup and navigate to the Wired/Wireless tabs to configure the player's Internet connection settings. Choose one of the following options:
Obtain an IP address automatically: The player will use DHCP to obtain an IP address. If you choose this option, we recommend using Bonjour to publish to the player over the local network.
Use the following IP address: The player will use the IP settings you enter in the fields. Contact your network administrator for more details.
Specify the Time zone where the player is located.
Click Specify Firmware Update.
Select the Minimum Compatible Release version of firmware for your player model.
Click OK.
Check Enable local web server, then enter a User name and Password. You will need these credentials later if you want to publish to the player over the local network.
Select Networked with Local File Networking.
Click Create Setup Files.
Select an SD card to store the setup files and click OK. It may take several minutes for the setup process to complete. Note: We recommend formatting your SD card using FAT32. Formatting your card using NTFS allows you to play media files that are 4GB or larger in size, but the player will not be able to receive network updates or generate logs.
Turn off the BrightSign player by unplugging the power adapter (or Ethernet cable if the unit is being powered by PoE).
Insert the SD card into the player.
Turn on the player by reconnecting the power. The connected display device will indicate when setup is complete.
The SD card must remain installed on the BrightSign player during playback and networking operations. Because the player has no internal storage, it cannot play presentations or receive content over the network without a storage device connected.
Step 3 -Create a Presentation in BrightAuthor
Use BrightAuthor to create a presentation for your player. Choose one of the following modules to get step-by-step instructions and a sample BrightAuthor presentation:
Full-Screen Presentation: Create a simple looping presentation that occupies the entire screen.
Multi-Zone Presentation: Create a presentation with multiple zones on a screen. Each zone has its own playlist.
Interactive Presentation: Create a presentation that responds to touchscreen interactivity.
Step 4 - Publish the Presentation to Your Player
Once you have set up your player and created a presentation, you can use BrightAuthor to publish the presentation to your player. The following steps outline how to publish a presentation using an SD card.
Note: If you have set up your player for Local File Networking, you can also use BrightAuthor to publish content over your local network. View this tutorial video to learn more.
Insert an SD card into your computer’s card reader.
Navigate to Publish > Local Storage.
Click the Browse button, select the folder where your presentation is saved, then click OK.
Drag your presentation from the list into the calendar to set a time when the presentation will play. You can expand or contract the time range by clicking, holding, and moving the lower border of the colored field.
Double-click the presentation in the calendar to further customize the play schedule:
(Default) The presentation plays during a limited time range on a single, specific day. Customize the range by changing the Start and End times in the Event time field.
Active all day, every day: Check this box to have the presentation play continuously without interruptions or end times/dates.
Recurring Event: Check this box to have the presentation play for a limited time during a recurring pattern of days. Use the Range of recurrence field to choose what dates the recurring event will begin and end.
Note: You can drag and drop multiple presentations into the calendar to schedule different presentations at different times; you can even have one schedule interrupt the other for a set period of time.
Click Browse, locate the root folder of your SD card, then click OK.
Click Publish. Wait for the Publish Complete notification to appear.
Turn off the BrightSign player by unplugging the power adapter (or Ethernet cable if the unit is being powered by PoE).
Insert the SD card into the player.
Turn on the player by reconnecting the power. The presentation will begin playing after a few moments.
Step 5 - Further Steps
Once you have your player set up and running content, you can follow these links to learn more about advanced BrightSign topics:
Documentation: Get up-to-date user guides, tech notes, API reference manuals, hardware manuals, and regulatory information.
FAQs: Search our knowledge base for specific questions and advanced topics.
Demos: Get more presentation examples, which provide an overview of advanced BrightSign features.
Support: Contact support if you are having trouble with your BrightSign player.