Which screen and player should you choose for digital signage?

The short answer

For digital signage with Narrow.TV you need two things: a screen and an Android device running the Narrow.TV Player. That device can be built into the screen (a TV with Android TV or Google TV) or separate (an Android TV box or stick that you connect via HDMI).

Which screen you choose depends mainly on three questions: how many hours a day is it on, how much light falls on it, and how far away do people stand. We go through them below. The software itself is charged per screen; what that costs is explained in the cost of digital signage.

Professional display or ordinary TV

An ordinary consumer TV is cheap and perfectly usable, especially to get started. A professional display (also called a signage display) is made for commercial use. The differences usually lie in:

• Operating life: professional screens are generally designed to be on for long days or even continuously. A consumer TV is made for a few hours of viewing each evening.
• Brightness: professional displays are often considerably brighter. That makes the difference in a bright shop or near a window.
• Warranty: check the terms. With some consumer TVs, the warranty is void or limited for commercial or extended use.
• Portrait mounting: not every TV is designed to hang rotated. Professional displays usually support portrait mode explicitly.
• Appearance: no brand logo on view, thinner bezels and often a menu in which you can lock the screen.

Rule of thumb: if the screen is indoors, out of the sun and on for no more than a working day, a good TV is often enough. If it hangs in a shop window, behind glass, or is on for 12 hours or more a day, consider a professional display.

Brightness and location

Brightness is expressed in nits (candela per square metre). An ordinary TV is usually well below what a professional display achieves, and screens made specifically for shop windows are much brighter still. When choosing, look at the location:

• Indoors, artificial light: virtually any screen is readable.
• Bright room with lots of daylight: choose a brighter model and a matte finish to reduce reflections.
• Shop window, facing outwards: here you need a screen made for sunlight; an ordinary TV is barely readable during the day.

Do not hang a screen directly opposite a window or where lamps reflect in it. Keep the bottom edge at about eye level or slightly higher if people are standing, and make sure there is a power socket and good Wi-Fi or a network cable in that spot.

Which size and which resolution

How big the screen needs to be depends on the viewing distance and how much text you show. A screen at a desk where people stand a metre away can be smaller than one that has to be readable from the other side of a hall. If in doubt, test with a slide showing your smallest text at the real distance.

In the Narrow.TV dashboard you set the resolution per screen:

• Full HD 1920x1080 (default)
• 4K 3840x2160
• HD 1366x768
• Square 1080x1080
• A custom size

You also choose landscape or portrait. The content is scaled to fit the screen. For most applications Full HD is more than enough; 4K mainly makes sense for large screens where people stand close by.

Portrait works well for digital menu boards, next to a door or in a narrow corridor. Landscape suits video and screens above a desk better.

Which player: Android TV, box, stick or tablet

The Narrow.TV Player is an Android app that you install via Google Play. It works on:

• TVs and displays with Android TV or Google TV built in;
• Android TV boxes and sticks that you connect via HDMI;
• Android tablets.

The player does not work on Amazon Fire TV, on the own operating system of Samsung TVs (Tizen) or LG TVs (webOS), on Windows, on iOS devices or on Chromecast. Already have such a TV? You do not need to replace it: connect an Android TV box or stick to it via HDMI and use that as the player.

Many smart TVs from other brands run Google TV or Android TV. Check this in the specifications or in the TV's settings menu; if you can open the Google Play Store on the TV, you are usually fine.

Tips before you buy

• Choose a player on which you can set the app as the home screen. The player then opens as the main app after switching on. See installing the player.
• Think about the bracket. Check the screen's VESA size and whether the bracket is suitable for portrait mounting if you want that.
• Keep the player accessible. A stick behind the screen is tidy, but make sure you can still reach it for a restart or update.
• Test with one screen first. With the free 30-day trial you pair one screen and see straight away how your content looks on the hardware you have.

You buy the screen and player yourself, from a supplier of your choice. Questions about a specific device? Get in touch. More about the basics can be found in what is digital signage.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an ordinary TV for digital signage?

Yes, you can. For a few hours a day indoors, out of the sun, an ordinary TV is often enough. For long days, bright light or a shop window, a professional display is usually the better choice.

Which media player do I need for Narrow.TV?

An Android device: an Android TV or Google TV, an Android TV box or stick via HDMI, or an Android tablet. You install the Narrow.TV Player via Google Play.

Does Narrow.TV work on a Samsung or LG smart TV?

Not with Samsung's own operating system (Tizen) or LG's (webOS). Connect an Android TV box or stick to such a TV via HDMI.

What resolution do I need for digital signage?

Full HD (1920x1080) is the default and more than enough for most screens. Narrow.TV also supports 4K, HD, square and a custom size, landscape or portrait.