Digital signage software for any TV with a browser

Digital signage software decides what appears on a screen in a public or shared space, and when. It replaces the USB stick plugged into the back of the TV with a web dashboard: you upload content once, arrange it in a playlist, and every paired screen plays it.

A digital signage setup has three parts:

• The screen — any display people can see: a TV above a counter, a monitor in a waiting room, a portrait screen in a shop window.
• The player — the device that shows content on that screen. With CardDeck Screens the player is a web browser, built into most smart TVs or running on a cheap TV stick or mini PC.
• The manager — the CardDeck web app (and mobile app) where you build playlists, set schedules and check which screens are online.

Because content lives in the cloud, a change you make in the morning reaches every screen without anyone visiting the site.

CardDeck Screens works by pairing a browser-based player to your workspace and then sending it a playlist and schedule. You don't install an app from a TV store or buy a player box.

Pairing a screen

1. Open the CardDeck player address in the screen's browser and switch to full screen.
2. The screen shows a 6-character pairing code. Codes use letters that are hard to confuse and expire after 10 minutes.
3. In CardDeck, choose Pair screen, type the code and name the screen.

The player then receives its own device token, so it stays connected after restarts. If a TV is replaced, you can re-pair the existing screen record and keep its playlist and schedule.

Playing content

Each screen plays its default playlist, or the playlist of its group. Schedules and emergency messages are resolved on CardDeck's servers into a timeline for the next seven days in the screen's own time zone, so daylight-saving changes and overnight slots behave as expected.

Updating content

When you edit a playlist, screens check for changes about every 10 seconds and download only what is new. Media is cached in the browser, which is also what keeps playback going when the internet drops.

You need a display and a device with a modern web browser, such as Chrome, that can stay open in full screen. Many recent smart TVs have a capable browser built in; otherwise, plug in a TV stick or a small PC over HDMI.

Practical options:

• Smart TV with a browser — the cheapest route if the built-in browser is reliable and can run full screen.
• TV stick or streaming device with a browser — a common choice for cafés and shops; plug it into any HDMI port.
• Mini PC or old laptop — the most predictable option for video-heavy playlists and portrait screens.
• Commercial display — a screen built for long daily hours, worth it for windows and 12-hour-plus opening times.

Tips before you mount anything:

• Turn off the TV's own sleep timer and screensaver so the screen stays on.
• Use a wired network where you can; Wi-Fi works, and offline caching covers short drops.
• For portrait displays, use the rotation setting rather than rotating the content files.
• Test one screen for a day before buying ten of the same device.

You can show images, videos, web pages, branded slides, QR codes and live CardDeck content such as review walls. Mixing a few types keeps a screen interesting without making it busy.

• Images — JPEG, PNG, WebP and GIF, such as posters, offers and photos.
• Videos — MP4 and WebM. Export videos at the size the screen needs, since CardDeck plays files as uploaded.
• Web pages — any https page, such as a public dashboard or timetable.
• Menu slides — items and prices that pick up your brand colors; pair them with a menu QR code for people who want the full menu on their phone.
• Promo and announcement slides — a headline, a line of detail and a call to action.
• Countdown slides — to an opening, a sale or the start of an event.
• QR code slides — a dynamic QR code, short link or URL, so a passer-by can act on the screen in one scan.
• Clock slides — 12 or 24 hour, to suit the US, UK or UAE.
• Review walls and landing pages — approved testimonials from CardDeck Reviews, or a CardDeck landing page, played as an item.

Good screen content habits

• One message per slide, readable from the back of the room.
• 8–15 seconds per slide for text; let videos play to the end.
• Keep a QR code slide on screen long enough to scan, and print a short label such as "Scan to see today's menu".
• Refresh content every few weeks so regulars keep looking.

Dayparting means showing different content at different times of day. With CardDeck Screens on Pro and above, you add schedules to a screen or group: which playlist plays, on which weekdays, between which times and over which date range.

Examples:

• Café: breakfast menu 7:00–11:00, lunch menu 11:00–15:00, coffee and cake offers until close.
• Gym: class timetable in the morning, membership offers in the evening, a weekend playlist on Saturday and Sunday.
• Shop window: opening-hours and "scan to shop" slides overnight, using an overnight slot that runs past midnight.
• Seasonal: a Ramadan, holiday or Black Friday playlist with a start and end date, so it switches on and off without anyone remembering.

When schedules overlap, priority decides which one wins. Anything not covered by a schedule falls back to the screen's default playlist, so a screen is never blank.

Use an emergency message. It overrides the normal playlist on one screen, a group of screens or every screen in your workspace until you end it. You can start and end it from the web app or from the CardDeck mobile app, which helps when you are not at a desk.

Typical uses:

• A closure because of weather, a power cut or a staff shortage.
• An evacuation or safety notice in an office or clinic.
• "Card payments only today" or "Kitchen closes at 9 pm" at a counter.

Keep emergency text short and high-contrast, and end the message as soon as it no longer applies so customers don't learn to ignore it.

Name each screen by location and group screens that should show the same thing, such as all counter TVs or all branches in London. Groups, remote control and the screenshot status summary are available on Team and Business.

What an admin sees:

• Status — online or offline for every screen. A screen counts as offline after a short silence, and you can be alerted when one drops and when it comes back.
• Now playing — which playlist each screen is running.
• Remote commands — reload, identify (flash the screen so a colleague can find it), rotate or restart the player, without visiting the site.
• Webhooks — screen.online and screen.offline events for your own monitoring.

Your brand kit is applied to slide templates, so a new branch looks like the rest from day one. Free screens show a small CardDeck watermark; Business removes CardDeck marks entirely.

Many digital signage tools charge per screen per month. CardDeck Screens is part of the CardDeck suite plan instead, so there is no separate per-screen fee within your plan's limit, and the same plan also includes digital business cards and QR codes, forms and reviews.

Screens limits by plan, in the order Free, Pro, Team, Business:

• Screens: 1, 5, 25 and 100.
• Media storage: 500 MB, 5 GB, 25 GB and 100 GB.
• Schedules and dayparting: Pro and above.
• Remote control and screen groups: Team and above.
• Branding: small CardDeck watermark on Free; white label on Business.

Pro is $8 a month or $6 billed yearly. Team is $6 per seat a month or $5 billed yearly, with a 2-seat minimum. Business is $99 a month or $79 billed yearly and includes 15 seats. See pricing for every plan and currency.

Any business with a screen people look at while they wait, queue or walk past. The content changes; the setup is the same.

• Cafés and restaurants — menus by time of day, specials and a QR code for ordering or reviews.
• Salons and clinics — services, prices, aftercare tips and a "leave us a review" slide in the waiting area.
• Shops and high-street retail — window offers, new arrivals and a QR code to the online store; see CardDeck for retail.
• Gyms and studios — class timetables, member announcements and challenges.
• Offices and co-working spaces — welcome messages, Wi-Fi details with a WiFi QR code, and safety notices.
• Estate agents — window screens with current listings, each with a QR code to the full details.
• Events — schedules, sponsor slides and countdowns on screens around a venue.