How to Change What Plays on a Digital Sign

With cloud signage software you change what a screen plays from a browser, not at the TV: pick the screen in the CMS, choose the new content, and the player downloads it and switches over. There are three kinds of change:

A permanent assignment replaces what the screen plays by default.
A temporary takeover (a cast) shows something for a set time, then hands back.
A short message goes out to many screens at once.

In Brix: select the screen on the Screens page, select Change content, pick an item, and it plays as soon as Brix saves. You need one paired screen; if you have none, read connect a screen first.

A screen plays one item at a time: a file, app, playlist, schedule, layout or design. To rotate several, put them in a playlist; to change by time of day, use a schedule.

Change what a screen plays

Go to Screens in the sidebar.
Select the screen you want to change.
Select Change content on the Now bar at the top of the panel.
Select a tab: Files, Apps, Playlists, Schedules, Layouts or Templates.
Type in the Search… box to narrow a long list.
Select the item you want the screen to play.

The dialog closes as soon as Brix saves the change.

The Change content dialog, with the content-type tabs, the search box and the list of items.

A web page reaches a screen through the Files tab. To build a loop, read build a playlist.

Change what several screens play from the list

Go to Screens in the sidebar.
Switch to list view.
Point at the row of the screen you want.
Select the content name in the row, beside the pencil marked Change.
Select a tab: Files, Apps, Playlists, Schedules, Layouts or Templates.
Select the item you want the screen to play.

To put the same content on many screens at once, tick them in the list first. See manage your screens.

Undo a content change

Look for the Now playing changed message in the bottom right corner.
Select Undo in that message.

The message disappears after eight seconds, and there is no other way back. Brix offers no Undo when the previous content was a classic template, because a clear would blank the screen.

Clear the content on a screen

Select Change content on the Now bar.
Select Clear assignment at the bottom left of the dialog.

The screens list then reads Welcome screen for that screen.

Show something for a set time (cast)

A cast takes a screen over for a set length, then hands it back to its own content.

Select the screen on the Screens page.
Select Cast in the panel, or the dashed cast chip on the row.
Pick an item under Content.
Choose a length under For how long.
Select Start cast.

The Cast dialog, with the content picker, the length options and the Start cast button.

The default length is one hour. Choose Until I stop it for a cast with no end time.

An emergency message overrides a cast. Read alerts and emergency takeovers to pre-arm one.

Stop a cast

Find the Casting chip in the panel, or the cast cell on the row.
Select the X on it.

The screen returns to its own content.

Make a cast the screen's content

Open the cast dialog for the screen.
Pick the content under Content.
Select Set it as the screen's content, below the length buttons.

After 24 hours an open-ended cast raises an amber note in the panel. Select Set as content to keep the content for good, or Keep casting to dismiss the note.

Post a message to many screens at once

Quick Post writes a short styled message, sends it to the screens you tick, and returns them to their schedule.

Open Quick Post at cms.brixsignage.com/quick-post. It has no sidebar entry.
Type your message into the Message field.
If you want a second line, type it into the subtext box.
Choose a Style: Announcement, Alert, Celebrate or Info.
Check the Preview panel.
Choose a length under Show for.
Tick the screens you want in the Send to panel.
Select the Post to button at the bottom.

The Quick Post composer: the message fields, the four style tiles, the preview and the screen picker.

The Post to button stays inactive until the Message field has text and you tick one screen. A subtext on its own cannot go out.

With Until I remove it the message stays until someone removes it.

You can do all of this from a phone browser: read manage digital signage from your phone.