Introduction
This guide walks through the various available methods of using BrightAuthor:connected to set up a BrightSign player.
After the player is setup, the BrightAuthor:connected Publishing Quickstart is recommended to learn how to create a simple presentation and to publish that presentation to a player for display.
What You Will Need
BrightSign player
microSD (µSD) or other storage device (a µSD card will be assumed for this guide)
BrightSign Players lack onboard storage and require a separate storage device such as a microSD (µSD) card. USB drives are also supported including thumb drives, external hard drives, and external SSDs (solid-state drives). In addition, many BrightSign players also support internal SSDs in the common M.2 form factor.
Aside from streamed content and live video feeds, content is played from the storage device. Most users prefer µSD cards as these are affordable, readily available, and insert neatly (no dangling cables to worry about) into the player’s µSD card slot. Due to the continuous usage many players experience, the use of BrightSign-qualified µSD cards is recommended (more info here). If multiple storage devices are attached, the priority order will be USB storage, then µSD card, then M.2.
microSD (µSD) or TransFlash (TF) card adapter (computers with SD card readers typically require an adapter to access µSD or TF cards)
Mac or PC
Display
HDMI cable (connects the player to the display)
Additional requirement details can be found here.
Setup Configurations
Players can be set up in the following configurations: Standalone, Local Network, Web Folder, and BSN.cloud.
Configurations involving the legacy BrightSignNetwork.com are not covered in this guide.
Prepare the µSD card by erasing its contents. Cards must be formatted as exFAT (recommended) or FAT32. If unsure of the format, reformat the card using DiskUtility on Mac or File Explorer on Windows (right-click on the drive representing the card and click “Format…”).
exFAT is highly preferred as it avoids the 4GB filesize limit of the FAT32 filesystem.
Cards 2GB or smaller will be FAT12 (aka “FAT”) and subject to its 2GB file size limit.
Download, install, and launch the BrightAuthor:connected app on your Mac or PC.
The BrightAuthor:connected Dashboard screen should appear as shown below indicating that you are not connected to BSN.cloud. If you wish to use BSN.cloud, refer to the BSN.cloud setup.
From the Admin tab, select Player Setup.
Standalone Setup
Setup in BrightAuthor:connected
After selecting Player Setup from the Dashboard:
Enter the Player Name and Player Description.
Set your Time Zone.
Select an Idle Screen Color. The default is black but it is helpful to select an alternate color to readily identify when the display is idling as opposed to powered off.
For Publishing Mode, select Standalone.
Select Save Setup and save to a blank µSD card. Save the files to the top/root level of the card; do not save to a sub-folder. A message may appear indicating that your OS should be up to date. Select OK.
Player setup
Make sure the player is powered off.
Insert the µSD card into the player.
Power up the player.
Upon bootup, the player should display a message on the screen indicating that Standalone setup is in progress. Do not unplug the player.
When complete, the player will display a message indicating that setup is complete.
The player is now ready to be published to. Refer to the BrightAuthor:connected Publishing Quickstart to publish a presentation to a Standalone player.
Local Network Setup
Setup in BrightAuthor:connected
After selecting Player Setup from the Dashboard:
Enter the Player Name and Player Description.
Set your Time Zone.
Select an Idle Screen Color. The default is black but it is helpful to select an alternate color to readily identify when the display is idling as opposed to powered off.
For Publishing Mode, select Local Network.
If not checked, select Enable Local Web Server.
Select Save Setup and save to a blank µSD card. Save the files to the top/root level of the card; do not save to a sub-folder. A message may appear indicating that your OS should be up to date. Select OK.
Player Setup
Make sure the player is powered off.
Insert the µSD card into the player.
Power up the player.
Upon bootup, the player should display a message indicating that the Local Network setup is in progress. Do not unplug the player.
When complete, the player will display a message indicating that setup is complete. The message will also show the player’s IP address; take note of this as it may be required for publishing. If an IP address is not showing, check that the player is properly connected to the network. Unless wireless access was set up, the network connection will typically be via an Ethernet cable from the player to a router.
The player is now ready to be published to. Refer to the BrightAuthor:connected Publishing Quickstart to publish a presentation for a Local Network configured player.
Web Folder Setup
Setup in BrightAuthor:connected
After selecting Player Setup from the Dashboard:
Enter the Player Name and Player Description.
Set your Time Zone.
Select an Idle Screen Color. The default is black but it is helpful to select an alternate color to readily identify when the display is idling as opposed to powered off.
For Publishing Mode, select Web Folder.
Enter URL for Web Folder. This is the web accessible folder where the presentation resides.
Optional: if authentication is desired, enter the User Name and Password.
Select Save Setup and save to a blank µSD card. Save the files to the top/root level of the card; do not save to a sub-folder. A message may appear indicating that your OS should be up to date. Select OK.
Player Setup
Make sure the player is powered off.
Insert the µSD card into the player.
Power up the player.
Upon bootup, the player should display a message indicating that Web Folder setup is in progress. Do not unplug the player.
When complete, the player will display a message indicating that setup is complete.
If a presentation has already been published to the Web Folder, then the presentation should begin playing. To publish a presentation to the Web Folder, refer to the BrightAuthor:connected Publishing Quickstart.
BSN.cloud Setup
Of the various player setup configurations, setting up a player for BSN.cloud is the easiest.
Connect your player to the network (such as by connecting an Ethernet cable from the player to an internet connected router).
Insert a blank µSD card.
Plug the player in. The player will then automatically connect with BSN.cloud servers and configure itself. You may see several screens flash on the display indicating that “BSN.cloud setup is in progress” and “BSN.cloud registration is in progress”. After a short while, the purple activation screen will be displayed. You will use the Code displayed later to activate the player.
From the main Dashboard of the BrightAuthor:connected app, Connect to BSN.cloud by clicking on Connect to BSN.cloud:
If you are a new user, you will have to set up an account.
Once you have set up an account, log in with your username and password.
You will then be prompted to enter a Network Name and agree to the terms of service. The Network Name helps you to keep track of a collection of players. You can create multiple Networks which can be useful when managing a large number of players.
You will then be taken to the BrightAuthor:connected Dashboard.
To begin your free trial, select the Admin tab then Content Cloud 30-Day Trial. After entering your password to confirm, your free trial will begin.
Return to the Dashboard and select Activate Player.
Enter the Activation Code displayed by your player and select Submit.
The player will finish the setup process and soon you will see a message indicating that setup has been completed.
The Dashboard will now indicate the presence of the player. Clicking on the Network tab will show further details about the player like giving the player a name and description.
Enter a Player Name (a).
Enter a Description (b).
The Target Group (c) feature enables players to be put into groups for easier management. By default, players are placed in the Default Target Group.
Your player is now active on your BSN.cloud account is ready to be published to. Refer to the BrightAuthor:connected Publishing Quickstart to publish a presentation to a BSN.cloud configured player.