If you’ve ever looked into setting up digital signage for your business, you know that the screens on the wall are just the tip of the iceberg. Behind every display, there’s a key component running the show: the digital signage player. This is the device that renders your content and displays it on the screen.
In the “old days” of digital signage, this requirement often came with a catch. Users were often limited to one or two proprietary hardware options from the signage company. If you wanted their software, you had to buy their specific black box.
The cost of inflexibility with digital signage hardware
The traditional setup is not only restrictive. It is also expensive. For businesses looking to deploy a fleet of digital signs, the cost of purchasing new proprietary hardware for each screen quickly adds up.
What makes this even more frustrating is that many businesses already have perfectly good hardware sitting around. Maybe there is a stockpile of smart TVs from a previous project or tablets gathering dust in a supply closet. Being told you cannot use your existing hardware because new digital signage software will not “talk” to it is not ideal.
A new way & Screenly’s device-agnostic philosophy
At Screenly, we believe your digital signage software should work for you, not the other way around. That’s why a key part of our digital signage philosophy is being device-agnostic.
Our goal is to expand customer choice and significantly reduce the cost of deploying a digital signage fleet. We don’t think you should be forced to buy new hardware if you don’t need to. If you have existing hardware that can do the job, we want to help you use it.
Digital signage apps for the hardware you already own
To make this vision a reality, we’ve built robust digital signage Apps for the most popular hardware platforms.
With our Samsung Tizen App, you can turn your compatible Samsung smart TV directly into a Screenly digital sign. The app installs directly on the TV’s operating system, eliminating the need for an external player. It’s cleaner, simpler, and cost-effective.
We’ve taken the same approach with our Google Android App. Android powers a massive range of devices, from smart TVs and media sticks to tablets. Our Google Android App lets you repurpose almost any Android-powered device as a digital sign. No extra dongles, no extra boxes. Just download our Google Android App, pair it with your account, and you’re live.
Use Screenly Anywhere for ultimate hardware flexibility
For those who have unique setups or mixed hardware environments, we offer Screenly Anywhere. This feature is the ultimate expression of our device-agnostic philosophy.
Screenly Anywhere allows you to securely display content on any device that runs a modern web browser. Have an old laptop you want to turn into a dashboard? A smart monitor with a browser? A PC tower in a lobby? If it can browse the web, it can power a Screenly digital sign.
Use Screenly hardware for mission-critical digital signage
Now, despite our love for flexibility, we are also realists. We know that third-party hardware varies wildly in power and stability. That is why we still design and offer our own dedicated digital signage players.
While we are hardware-agnostic, we naturally have much more control over our own devices than over a third-party smart TV or tablet. When you choose a Screenly Player or the more powerful, 4K-ready Screenly Player Max Mk 2, you are choosing a device that we have optimized down to the last line of code.
If your deployment is mission-critical and you need the highest reliability, our dedicated digital signage players are the way to go. But, ultimately, the choice is yours. Whether you want the convenience of Screenly Anywhere or the horsepower of the Screenly Player Max Mk 2, the Screenly platform remains adaptable and easy to use for everyone.
Launch your first digital sign today
Ready to see how easy digital signage can be when you aren’t held back by hardware? You can get started right now. Grab that smart TV, Android tablet, or laptop you have nearby and launch your first screen in minutes. Start your free trial today.
