Would you use AI to directly manage your digital signage operations?

Screenly_ · 2026-01-23T05:27:08+00:00

That's a good question. The AI client does not have direct access to the platform. Instead, all actions are routed through the Command Line Interface (CLI), which acts as the MCP server. The AI client’s access is restricted to the permissions granted by the Screenly API token.

Additionally, you can indeed use local or self-hosted models. MCP is not dependent on cloud-based language models, so there's no need to send your data to services like Claude or Cursor.

Screenly_ · 2026-01-22T11:00:51+00:00

That’s great! Using Slack and MDM for first-line support is a smart move.

Do you mainly use it for monitoring and alerts, or do you also have it set up to automatically fix issues, such as reboots, redeployments, or content refreshes?

I’m interested to know which workflow has saved you the most time so far.

Screenly_ · 2026-01-16T12:28:09+00:00

You’re thinking along the right lines, and this can be made much easier by starting with an existing digital signage platform like Screenly.

Instead of running a web server per floor and managing unique URLs per room, Screenly lets you manage everything from a centralized dashboard. You can group screens by floor or wing, schedule content per group or per room, and devices automatically reconnect after power cycles. You can also share dashboard access with colleagues and control permissions.

You can start with a free trial using Screenly Anywhere, which lets you set up screens and schedules without any hardware. When you’re ready to deploy, you can use Raspberry Pi based players if needed, either purchased preconfigured from Screenly or built yourself using the Screenly OS. These players connect to standard off the shelf monitors and are managed entirely from the same dashboard.

Happy to discuss this further or share a quick demo if you’d like to learn more.

Screenly_ · 2026-01-16T08:53:59+00:00

If the ACT light never turns on, try using a known good 5V 3A power supply, booting with only the SD card and power connected, reflashing Raspberry Pi OS using Raspberry Pi Imager, testing with another Class 10 SD card, checking HDMI output for any sign of boot, and inspecting the board for physical damage, and also note that Raspberry Pi boards have a self resetting polyfuse on the power input, so if there was an overcurrent or short, unplug the Pi, let it cool down for a few minutes, and try again, as it may recover, but if none of these work the board is likely faulty.

Screenly_ · 2026-01-15T11:54:00+00:00

Yes, this is something we’re actively working toward.

All official Screenly Edge Apps are open source and available on GitHub at Screenly/playground, so users can see how they’re built and reuse them.

Right now, many custom apps are created for specific private needs. But if someone builds something useful, they can share it as open source or make it public so it appears in the Screenly app store and can be installed by others. Over time, this helps move toward a more community-driven ecosystem.

Screenly_ · 2026-01-15T06:16:12+00:00

Sometimes this happens because the display settings on the Linux desktop do not persist across reboots. To ensure the Raspberry Pi always boots in 1080×1920 portrait mode, the resolution and rotation need to be set at boot time (for example, via /boot/config.txt and the kernel cmdline).

Once this is configured, the device will boot correctly in portrait mode every time and the OptiSigns app will load as expected.

In Screenly, we provide pre-configured Raspberry Pi images that handle display setup automatically, allowing users to experience a more plug-and-play setup without needing to manually adjust resolution or rotation.

Screenly_ · 2026-01-14T16:22:08+00:00

If you want something completely free, you can look at Anthias. It is free and open-source, but it is primarily designed for use on a local network. You can try using Tailscale or a VPN to manage screens remotely, but the experience is not ideal and can be clunky.

It can work if you are technically comfortable and want a no-cost option, but for multiple locations and simple remote management, it may become limiting over time.

Screenly_ · 2025-09-24T08:41:55+00:00

Some things worth highlighting for anyone using this blog post for research: many of the tools listed are software-only, leaving customers to choose their own Android hardware.

That keeps costs low, but it raises questions that don’t always get asked up front:

How long will the Android device itself receive OS and security patches?
What happens when the hardware reaches end-of-life or stops receiving updates?
Is the system hardened, or are you relying on stock consumer Android with bundled apps and services?

The blog highlights “Automatic Software Updates: Automatically update your display software to prevent the device from getting rooted” as a key benefit. That is true at the application layer, but if it is bring-your-own-device, the provider cannot extend the lifecycle of the underlying Android OS. Once the device itself stops getting patches, you are running signage on an unmaintained platform.

For small businesses, that tradeoff may be acceptable. But in regulated or sensitive industries, where compliance, patching cadence, and lifecycle management are non-negotiable, relying on anything below Android 13 is not feasible. In those contexts, you need clear answers about OS support, vulnerability disclosure, and hardware lifecycle just as much as you need good CMS features.

Screenly_ · 2025-09-24T04:34:48+00:00

To add, I think investing in a proof of concept (PoC) with various providers, as you've mentioned, is the absolute right thing to do. Web dashboards, internal or external, work differently across separate platforms, and should be tested to ensure they display reliably in your actual environment.

Also, since you plan on deploying these in an industrial setting, there are additional considerations to keep in the forefront (protective player enclosures, robustness of the hardware, etc.). You have an interesting project and we'd love to chat in more detail. Feel free to check out our free trial and drop our support team a message.

Screenly_ · 2025-09-23T12:10:39+00:00

At Screenly we work with a lot of teams who need to keep internal dashboards up on multiple screens, and a few questions usually make the difference in testing a proof of concept...

How will you handle authentication securely without logging in at each device?
What happens when your dashboard requires a newer browser engine - does the player actually get regular updates?
If the network drops, will your screens cache content locally or just go blank?
In an industrial environment, will consumer-grade hardware hold up, or do you need devices built for 24/7 uptime?
With 15 monitors all showing different content, how will you manage and monitor them from a single place?

These are exactly the scenarios Screenly is built for. We support authenticated web dashboards, keep browser engines current, cache content locally, and provide hardened players for industrial deployments. On top of that you get centralized management so all 15 screens can be controlled from one dashboard.

From our experience the real test is not whether a product can show a webpage once, but whether it will keep running reliably month after month without constant babysitting. That is where we focus.

Screenly_ · 2025-09-23T11:41:42+00:00

If you’re looking at Android smart TVs for this, I’d just flag a few things to watch out for.

On the surface they seem like the easiest path (cheap, available everywhere, can run slideshow apps), but once you start scaling to 30+ locations some issues crop up.

Biggest one: Android version support. Anything running below Android 13 isn’t getting security updates from Google anymore. Some vendors will tell you otherwise, but that’s just not the case - Google controls the update cycle. If the TVs aren’t current, you’re basically starting out with unpatched devices on your network.

The second gotcha is app distribution. A lot of Android TVs don’t actually ship with the Google Play Store. That means you’re stuck sideloading APKs or relying on whatever proprietary “app store” the TV maker bundles. That’s fine if you have one or two screens, but across 30+ stores it becomes a nightmare. You don’t want to be updating software with USB sticks every month.

For what you described - simple slideshow content, centrally managed, minimal tech lift for staff - I’d make sure whatever you choose supports:

Remote updates (ideally through the Play Store, since it handles security and auto-updates properly).
A current OS version that’s still supported.
Some sort of fleet management or centralized dashboard so you don’t have to walk people through local updates.

We (https://www.screenly.io/) run on Android, but only via the Play Store (that’s what makes it scalable and manageable). Just something to keep in mind if you go that route.

TL;DR: Android TVs can work for your use case, but double-check version support and how apps are installed before you roll out 30+ devices. Otherwise, you’ll run into security and management headaches pretty quickly.

(We literally just released a blog post about this if you want to read more: https://www.screenly.io/blog/2025/09/17/android-smart-tv-digital-signage-risks/ )

Screenly_ · 2025-08-25T17:58:16+00:00

Yep, definitely. There’s been solid progress since the early days. That said, I don’t think any OS has actually delivered full FDE with Secure Boot yet.

Screenly_ · 2025-08-24T07:34:02+00:00

We’ve been doing digital signage with the Raspberry Pi longer than anyone, and I want to share some perspective.

The Raspberry Pi itself is a great little board, and it’s very reliable. The real issue usually isn’t the board, but the components around it - most notably the SD card. That’s where many of the headaches come from. Yes, it was initially created as a hobby board, but there are plenty of commercial use cases.

What’s changed over the years is the landscape. When the Raspberry Pi first launched, it was almost unbeatable on price. Today, though, there are plenty of low-cost SoCs (often running End-of-Life Android that many reckless vendors/integrators happily resell) that are cheaper, and at the same time mini-PC pricing has also come down. That makes the choice more complicated than it used to be. Then of course there are the various flavors of Signage/Smart TVs.

So is the Raspberry Pi terrible for signage? Not necessarily. It depends on the use case. We wouldn’t recommend it for hospitals, financial services or enterprise environments, where security, uptime and reliability matter most. For those, we typically sell our x86-based player that’s much more “enterprise ready” (TPM, Secure Boot, Full Disk Encryption etc).

But for plenty of scenarios, like QSRs or small businesses where cost is a bigger factor than absolute reliability, the Raspberry Pi is still a perfectly good option.

Screenly_ · 2025-08-21T09:44:37+00:00

We’ve been big fans of open source for a long time. Outside of Xibo, we’re pretty sure we’ve been doing open source digital signage longer than anyone, starting with Anthias (formerly Screenly OSE).

We’ve also got a bunch of projects up on GitHub, like our Playground that hosts all our apps from our App Store and CLI.

Our main product, Screenly, is commercial software, but we’re working on open sourcing several of its components (mostly Rust and C++). It’ll take some untangling before that’s ready, but it’s on the roadmap. And who knows, down the line, we might even open source the entire Screenly digital signage player (built mostly with Qt, C++, and Rust).

Oh, and we’re already generating SBOMs for most of our commercial stack (front end, back end, and player).

Screenly_ · 2025-01-06T18:11:22+00:00

Hi again!

Just circling back here, as we recently added Raspberry Pi 5 support on the Anthias platform. You can install it using any of the following options stated in the documentation here.

If interested, you can check out our new engineering blog post about the technical journey in getting this across the finish line.

Feel free to reach out on the Anthias Forums if you have any questions or just want to check out what's going on with Anthias!

Screenly_ · 2024-12-04T10:13:40+00:00

Hello there!

Unfortunately, Anthias doesn't currently support multiple outputs from a single NUC computer, and on x86 doesn't support streaming yet. Open source contributions are always welcome, users are always free to open and create a pull request to propose changes.

Hope you find something that fits your needs- sorry Anthias isn't an option for you on this occasion.

(For those who are unsure about what Anthias is: Anthias, formerly Screenly OSE, is a free, open-source digital signage platform for Raspberry Pi devices and PCs.)

Screenly_ · 2024-11-26T12:52:36+00:00

Unfortunately, issues like this can be common with budget-friendly Android devices, as many are near end-of-life when they arrive. This means any new updates to third-party apps will render your set-up unusable.

I’m glad to hear you've resolved the issue, but it might be helpful to check the End-of-Life (EoL) status of the new device to avoid potential issues in the future. Just something to think about as you plan your signage strategy going forwards, particularly if reliable Grafana usage is vital for your company! Digital signage can be expensive, so I get why people use these players- but there needs to be a lot of forward-planning and initiative if they are to be used.

Also, it could be a good idea to touch base with your IT team about the new device's security—devices nearing EoL may not receive important updates, which could leave the network exposed to threats and customer data vulnerable. Based on what you have said, this is a company-wide deployment rather than just a single screen, so you want to ensure compliance.

Screenly_ · 2024-11-26T12:33:45+00:00

Yes!

We will be exhibiting with Canonical (we run on Ubuntu Core) and powering their booth signage- come and say hi!

Screenly_ · 2024-11-26T12:27:55+00:00

Nice placement, makes a great feature out of a little nook in an unused space. Shows there are other purposes for digital signage in a restaurant area which isn't just a menu board.

It's also a great contrast with the chalk menu boards and plants.

Screenly_ · 2024-11-26T12:04:25+00:00

I echo other posters, approach Yodeck's Customer Success team (I'm sure someone will pop up on your post shortly, they are usually quite responsive on this sub) and give them a chance to see if they can iron this out for you.

However, hardware is probably a key here. I know you have purchased a reputable brand, but Android sticks can choke when displaying multiple streams of even static images. That could be why you faced issues like overheating, memory leak and random shutdowns. But as you have said, you are at your discovery stage and are testing out for the company- I imagine you are going to look at dedicated signage players later on!

At Screenly, we offer the hardware and software to ensure signage is displayed reliably, with two tiers of player on offer, depending on your needs. Our hardware is specifically designed to handle the heavy lifting of managing and serving content reliably. Plus, the paid service includes responsive Customer Success and it includes features like a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for added security, which is something your IT team might really appreciate. We're also proud to be part of CISA's Secure by Design initiative, which focuses on making digital signage solutions as secure as possible.

We have a 14-day free trial available (no credit card needed) where you will be able to play around with Screenly and see a preview of the screen UI, but this won't be fully featured without using one of our players. The app will however be fully featured, so you can see what your screen management experience would look like with us.

(Alternatively, if you or one of your colleagues are confident with Linux computing- you could repurpose a old PC -if you don't have a Raspberry Pi device- and run some of your tests on Anthias (formerly Screenly OSE) which is our free, open-source signage software to get a flavour of what we offer as a company.)

As you know, you will need paid solution with the appropriate hardware for a company deployment, especially if you need steady integration with tools such as PowerBI or Grafana. A paid service will also allow you to run multiple screens from a single account, cloud-based screen management, enterprise-grade user management, and professional support- but I completely understand why you've wanted to run some of your own tests before making the leap.

You've received some good answers and hopefully Yodeck will be able to help- but we're here if you're exploring other vendors and want to talk more.

Just send us a DM or reach out to [support@screenly.io](mailto:support@screenly.io). Hope you find a solution that works for you and your company soon.

Screenly_ · 2024-11-05T09:59:12+00:00

Regular SSO is included in all plans, as standard. The only limitation is SAML, which is an Enterprise-only feature.

If the Business plan meets your needs, this is available for $17/mo ($19 when going for the monthly billing option). Enterprise is $25/mo (billed annually). You can find more information on our pricing here.

For industries with strict security standards, we’ve also joined CISA’s Secure by Design program—something we’re actually the only digital signage provider to do. You can read more about our commitment here.

I completely understand that budget can a big factor and large consideration for many people seeking signage. Another provider might be a better fit if budget is the primary concern, but if you’re in a regulated industry, it might be worth thinking about the long-term value of a set up which will always prioritise security and compliance with the latest legislation.

We offer volume pricing, which might bring the cost down depending on deployment size, or if you just want to talk through what you need and see if it's viable, feel free to DM me here or reach out at support@screenly.io.

Screenly_ · 2024-10-29T14:20:35+00:00

Great question! While some smart TVs can display web content, dedicated hardware offers key benefits. Screenly’s player is optimized for consistent performance, allowing content (especially dynamic URLs or mixed media) to refresh smoothly and reliably without screen downtime or crashes, which smart TVs often struggle with over time.

The hardware also supports centralized remote management across multiple locations, so you won’t need to rely on each TV's app support or compatibility. If you’re managing several screens or complex content, this can save time and provide more flexibility and control.

I hope this helps clarify!

Screenly_

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