While BrightAuthor:connected users may find the info presented on this page interesting, it is not strictly necessary for them to understand because BrightAuthor:connected automatically takes care of these details.
On the other hand, CMS partners who are looking to integrate with BrightSign’s products may find this basic explanation of player configuration helpful.
Player Configuration
When a fresh-from-the-factory BrightSign player is unboxed, it cannot do much without first being configured.
Configuring a player is the process in which a Setup is applied to the player. The Setup applies various settings to the player (network settings, logging, etc.) and includes a Player App which provides instructions for what the player should do upon startup.
Player Provisioning
As mentioned, provisioning refers to using BSN.cloud to configure a player, and given that BSN.cloud (either the Control Cloud or Content Cloud tiers) is used the vast majority of time to configure players, the term provision is often used when referring to player configuration.
The primary cases where a player might be configured instead of provisioned (i.e., BSN.cloud is not used to configure the player) are:
Standalone player configurations where the Setup is manually copied to a storage device and then the storage device is connected to a player.
Uncommon situations where a partner chooses to configure players without using BSN.cloud.
With BSN.cloud, provisioning a new player can be nearly automatic - if things are properly set up beforehand, new players can be automatically provisioned just by plugging them in! For customers who can’t or don’t want to connect to the internet, offline provisioning options are also available.
Setup
Setups can be created in BrightAuthor:connected or the aforementioned free and unbranded Control Cloud at control.bsn.cloud. Setups can be saved to a library, modified, and applied to other players.
Once created, Setups can be applied to a player or group of players using either BrightAuthor:connected or control.bsn.cloud. Alternatively, the information contained in a Setup can be directly incorporated into the Player App (described below) and manually copied to the player’s storage device.
More info about Setups can be found here and more info about provisioning can be found here.
Player Settings
The Setup establishes various player settings which include things like Publishing Mode, network settings (Ethernet, WiFi, etc.), player identification (name and description), logging, and more.
Player App
The set of files and folders that instruct the player what to do upon boot up is collectively known as the Player App. At a minimum, the Player App must contain an autorun.brs file (the .brs extension denotes a BrightScript file) which instructs the player what to do upon startup.
When a Setup is applied to a player via BSN.cloud, an autorun.brs file is automatically created on the player.
Partners can write custom Player Apps according to their specific needs. For example, the Player App may be designed to connect to the partner CMS to download content from the CMS for the player to display.
The term Partner App may sometimes be used when referring to the partner’s Player App.