Set up a BrightSign player

BrightSign players are purpose-built digital signage hardware — solid-state, fanless, designed to run for years unattended. STQRY Signage runs on them from an autorun script on the player's SD card.

Note: Check your model with us first. BrightSign has a wide range of players with quite different capabilities, and we maintain a list of models we've verified. Contact STQRY before buying hardware for a Signage deployment.

What you need

• A supported BrightSign player.
• A microSD card of the class BrightSign specifies for your model.
• A network connection — wired Ethernet if the model has it.
• Us, or your AV integrator, to prepare the card.

How installation works

BrightSign players don't have an app store. They boot from an SD card and run whatever is on it.

For STQRY Signage that means a prepared card containing the app and an autorun script that launches it full screen at 1920×1080 when the player powers on.

We prepare the card, or provide the files for your integrator to write. Either way the process is:

1. Write the prepared image to the microSD card.
2. Insert it into the player.
3. Connect the player to the screen and the network.
4. Power it on.

The player boots straight into STQRY Signage. There's no operating system to log into and nothing to configure on the device itself.

Step 1: Connect and power on

Connect HDMI to the screen, Ethernet to the network, and power.

The player boots in a few seconds and shows the provisioning screen with a screen code.

Step 2: Adopt the display

In STQRY Builder, go to Displays → Adopt display and type the screen code.

Then set the display's project, timezone, license and content. See Connect a display to your account.

Why BrightSign

Worth stating, because it's a more expensive route than a TV stick and the reasons are specific:

Reliability. Fanless, solid state, no moving parts, designed for continuous operation. In a venue where a screen going dark is a real problem, this is the hardware that doesn't.

Predictable boot. It powers on into the app. There's no launcher to fall back to, no operating system update to interrupt it, no screensaver to fight.

Commercial support. BrightSign players are built for this and warranted for it.

Longevity. A five-year installation on a Fire TV Stick means replacing the stick a couple of times. A BrightSign player is specified for the term.

Resolution and orientation

The autorun launches at 1920×1080. For a screen at a different resolution, or for portrait mounting, the player's own configuration handles it — talk to us or your integrator when the card is prepared.

STQRY Signage itself supports both landscape and portrait and locks neither.

No remote control

BrightSign players don't ship with a remote, so the normal D-pad routes into the settings overlay aren't available.

If you need to get into the settings overlay on a BrightSign, attach a USB keyboard and press Esc. That opens the PIN prompt in the usual way. See Open the on-device settings overlay.

Updates

The app on the card doesn't update itself. A new version of STQRY Signage reaches a BrightSign player only when someone writes a new card or updates it over the network. Contact us to arrange one.

Your content updates normally over the network. See How updates reach your displays.

Troubleshooting

The player shows nothing at all. Check the SD card is seated properly and the player's status LED. BrightSign's own documentation covers the LED codes.

The screen is blank but the player LED says it's running. Check the HDMI cable and the screen's input selection. Then check the resolution matches what the screen accepts.

The provisioning screen appears every time it boots. The player isn't saving its credentials. Check the SD card isn't write-protected or failing.

Content won't load. Check the network, then see Troubleshooting a display.

Next steps

• Quick start: from zero to content on screen
• Open the on-device settings overlay
• Troubleshooting a display