How to find the right Digital Signage media player?

Digital Signage media players might only be one component of a Digital Signage system, but they are integral to its success.

You can have the most cutting-edge content management system (CMS) and if required, the best LED or LCD Digital Signage screens, but if you don’t have the right Digital Signage media player, you won’t be able to execute or do justice to even the simplest content strategies.

So, what exactly is the role of a Digital Signage media player, and how exactly do you find the right one for your Digital Signage needs?

What is a Digital Signage media player?

A Digital Signage media player is a device that’s designed to feed images, video or interactive content to your LCD or LED Digital Signage screens. Depending on what your needs are, you can either choose a stand-alone Digital Signage media player that simply plugs into a Digital Signage screen, or one that comes embedded within the Digital Signage display itself. Personal computers (PC) can also be used as alternative media players.

While there are many different Digital Signage media player options, to work, they need to be compatible with whatever other Digital Signage hardware and/or software you intend using.  

Usually, Digital Signage media players are used together with other Digital Signage distribution software – that is, what’s often referred to as “content management systems” (CMS) that can handle the scheduling, playback and content delivery to the players.

The choice of Digital Signage media player options can seem infinite and confusing, but quickly narrowing down which models will work best for your Digital Signage isn’t nearly as hard as you might think. You just have to know what you’re looking for.

If you understand – and keep in mind – what you would ultimately like to achieve with your Digital Signage in both the long and short-term, then the choices you need to make will be clear.

Start by asking yourself a few simple questions.

1/ Do you intend delivering high-resolution content and video to your Digital Signage screens? 

If the answer is “yes”, then you’ll need media players with more processing power. 

2/ What is the scale of your Digital Signage project? How many Digital Signage displays are you looking to deploy?

Large-scale projects are likely to require models powered by operating systems, that can be provisioned and managed easily by network managers and remotely by I.T teams via the CMS. Make sure the device you’re picking allows for a CMS to manage your players remotely.  

3/ Where will you be installing your Digital Signage, and what will it be used to do?

Think about how the location, available space and purpose of your Digital Signage will impact the kind of media player solution you need. 

If your business is open around the clock, then you’ll need, for instance, a model that can deliver 24/7 support. If space is tight, you may also need to consider using smaller LED/LCD Digital Signage displays, perhaps with integrated Digital Signage media players.

4/ Do you have expansion plans for your business, and will this impact the size and functionality of your Digital Signage network?

It’s important to be realistic about what you will need for the future of your business. If you plan on investing in more office, customer-facing or business locations, then you’re probably going to need a scalable and extensible solution. 

5/ What is your budget and if necessary, where can you make compromises?

 If you only have a set budget to work with, figure out in advance what’s must-have, and if a lesser-powered media player could actually give you most of what you need for less upfront investment.

Once you have formed an initial idea as to what you’re looking for, don’t forget to draw on the experience and advice of your local reseller to ensure that you hit on exactly the right option.

High powered media players

At a glance

Big budget, powerful solutions that are ideal for complex content and can seamlessly deliver content to multi-screen video walls.

For a truly powerful Digital Signage media player option, High powered media players can offer some serious processing power for high resolution video content as well as intensive tasks and applications. 

 The most user-friendly Digital Signage PC solutions come pre-installed with a compatible content management system, offering a ready-made media player solution, straight out of the box.

If space is at a premium, or the décor is decidedly minimalist, then you might need a more discreet solution with, for example, the Windows-based Intel Next Unit of Computing (NUC). 

Offering a space-saving alternative small factor PC option, Intel NUCs are ultra-efficient, and can still, despite their diminutive size, provide exceptional processing power. 

Ideal for powering video wall solutions, just one of these mini PCs can be used to feed content seamlessly to as many as six screens at the same time.

Cons

Most PC solutions are likely to be more expensive than other Digital Signage media players, and, in the case of standard size models, will be relatively inefficient and costly to run.

Mac devices

At a glance

Powerful solutions for graphically intense content and applications.

Mac devices, such as the Mac Mini and Mac Pro can work well as Digital Signage media players, offering a familiar user interface, as well as enormous processing power for graphically complex applications.

With support for features, such as Magewell USB 3.0 HDMI capture devices, they can also smoothly deliver 4K Ultra HD video at sixty frames per second (FPS).

Cons

While Mac devices can offer a high-performance solution, they are expensive, and lack the robustness of other dedicated Digital Signage media players. 

Stand-alone Digital Signage media players

At a glance

Dynamic, all-round Digital Signage media player solutions that offer multimedia content delivery support. 

Comparatively cost-effective and efficient, stand-alone Digital Signage media players can support the delivery of CPU-intensive content to capacitive and IR touch screens as well as non-touch displays.

You can display everything from imagery, webpages and RSS feeds to video in Full HD 1080p, or 4K Ultra HD 2160p picture resolution.

Support for web triggers also allows you to create more responsive, targeted content that automatically appears on-screen whenever a customer interacts with, for example, a specific product in your showcase.

More advanced media player options also come with HDMI in for live external video, and ensure uninterrupted playback if internet connectivity is lost.

Cons

Where space is tight, or the décor is ultra-minimalist, they may not always be the right fit, taking up more room than all-in-one System on-Chip devices.

System-on-Chip devices

At a glance

Two-in-one display and media player solutions that are ideal for small-to-medium Digital Signage networks.

Designed as Digital Signage screens with built-in media player functionality, System-on-Chip devices can offer a particularly cost-effective, “no-fuss” solution. 

Ideal for those wishing to simplify the set-up process and keep on-going costs down, they deliver a two-in-one solution that also happens to be space-saving. 

Some of the most well-known SoC solutions, include Samsung Tizen-powered Smart Signage, which can substantially cut the usual cost of investing in, and running a Digital Signage display.

In terms of SoC functionality, you can usually expect HTML5 support, which ensures that you’re able to deliver interactive experiences, as well as experiential retail with touch screens.

Cons

Although surprisingly high-performing, with a System-on-Chip solution, you won’t be able to rival the processing power of a stand-alone device. 

Chrome OS devices

At a glance

Cost-efficient, highly secure and enterprise-grade options that can simplify the management of large-scale Digital Signage networks.

Who says you always need to make big compromises when you cut costs? 

Chrome OS-powered Digital Signage media players enable you to simplify the management of enterprise-grade, large-scale Digital Signage projects, as well as maximise security and streamline costs. 

With the cloud-based Google Admin console, you can remotely assume full admin control over your Chrome OS Digital Signage players and manage network configurations, auto-updates, app installations as well as additional security controls. 

Offering native support for interactive HTML media, Chrome OS devices ensure a fast and responsive touch screen experience. In Kiosk mode, with just a single touch interaction, any interactive web application can be launched. 

Cons

To use Chrome OS Digital Signage media players at enterprise-level, you’ll have to invest in a Chrome Enterprise Upgrade Licence for every device. 

You’ll also need to make sure you have a recent model that allows for a long term investment into your Digital Signage. 

Amazon Fire TV devices

At a glance

A great way to trial enterprise-grade Digital Signage content software on a small network of consumer TVs.

Amazon Fire TV devices provide a simple, ultra-cost-efficient and risk-free way to try out powerful, enterprise-grade Digital Signage for your organisation.

The Amazon smart system – Fire TV essentially offers built-in media player functionality, ensuring compatibility with pretty much any Digital Signage application, or software.

So, simply by plugging in an Amazon Fire TV stick, you can transform any TV or screen into a smart display, and trial a compatible enterprise-grade CMS solution to create, manage and schedule your content. 

With the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, you can step up the image quality and deliver higher resolution ultra-crisp, vibrant and detailed 4K imagery and video to your screens.

Cons

While Amazon Fire TV devices offer a valuable opportunity to test and manage small networks with enterprise-grade CMS software, the products themselves are not designed for commercial use. They’re therefore unable to offer the reliability of other purpose- built Digital Signage media players.

Android Digital Signage media players

At a glance

Affordable, user-friendly commercial-grade Digital Signage media player options for less graphically complex content.

Providing an accessible, affordable and user-friendly “plug and play” solution, Android Digital Signage players are simple to set up, requiring minimal configuration compared to, for instance, Windows PCs. 

They’re also easy to incorporate into any application, thanks to their compact, slim profile designs, and ability to offer commercial grade support with smooth and reliable 24/7 operation.

Cons

They won’t, however, be able to support advanced motion handling, or the delivery of higher resolution 4K Ultra HD content. And, with so many versions of Android, they also can’t rival the iron-clad security of the Windows operating system. Be cautious when looking at Android as not all (in fact, very few) players are supported. 

Raspberry PI Digital Signage players

At a glance

Compact, energy efficient solutions that can deliver simple images and templates to small Digital Signage networks.

One of the most cost-effective Digital Signage player solutions, Raspberry PI is a credit-card sized computer that’s built into a keyboard, and neatly plugs into TVs, computer monitors, and commercial displays. 

While it was initially produced to support exploratory computer learning, many small organisations have since discovered that it can work well for Digital Signage. You can, for instance, save time and maximise energy efficiency by remotely scheduling the device to switch on/off and reboot automatically at pre-specified times.

Cons

With Raspberry PI, you might have some success displaying 720p videos, but you won’t have support for more intensive, higher resolution video and animation content.

The sheer number of different Digital Signage media player options can be confusing, but once you know what features you’re looking for, all this choice is ultimately a plus. With such a broad range to choose from, you can effectively create a more customised overall Digital Signage solution that perfectly suits your needs.