• XT and XD players are limited to playing 2 videos at a time. All other players can only play one video at a time. If there are more than the supported number of videos activated BrightSign will play them in a queue. 
• Flash Content is not supported
• The smallest size a video can be is 64x64 pixels
• Animations are limited to 20fps

• XT and XD players are limited to 4k images and below. Other players are limited to 2k and below

• All general features of the Revel CMS are available on the Revel BrightSign app
• The top tier of performance for BrightSign is the XT/XD models. All other models should only be considered for basic signage (One Multimedia playlist and a couple of other zones that aren't a slideshow or marquee).
• Several animations at one time can slow down any of the BrightSign players. (Animations are used with slideshows and Media Gallery)
• All the Revel Software will automatically update itself on startup provided there is an active network connection
• The Revel Player application does not come with hardware acceleration turned on by default. This is due to layering issues with content. This can be turned on to increase video performance using the settings menu.

Updating the firmware version of a BrightSign

• To run Revel's Digital Signage application on your BrightSign, it'll need to be on firmware version 8.5.36 or above.
• You can find BrightSign's official update guide here and BrightSign's official update video guide here

 

Notes

• autorun.zip is a compressed file that contains Revel Digital's application files. The standard autorun.zip can be downloaded here or a custom autorun.zip can be created here for automatic activation and configuration in Revel's CMS.
• Additional information and instructions for BrightSign can be found here
• BSN stands for BrightSign network

 

Activation, Registration, and Deployment

Many of the deployment and registration options listed below can be combined to suit any deployment size. All methods will require an active internet connection and a firmware version above 8.5.36

 

Manual deployment without BSN 

Revel can be deployed to a BrightSign on firmware above 8.5.36 manually by downloading this file (autorun.zip), or creating a custom file (autorun.zip) for automatic device registration, and dragging the autorun.zip to the root of a blank MicroSD card. Power on the BrightSign with the MicroSD card inserted and make sure the BrightSign has an active internet connection. The BrightSign will show a loading screen briefly then go black and restart several times. After a couple of minutes, the Revel Application will launch and present an activation code and the BrightSign will be ready for registration in Revel's CMS.

 

 

*Note* An alternate option for faster deployment is to unzip the autorun.zip and transfer the contents to the root of a black MicroSD card like the example picture below.

 

 

Deployment via BSN

• BSN offers advanced features and additional control for BrightSign Players. BSN is not required for running Revel on a BrightSign. You can register for BSN here.

Creating a BSN Device Setup

Device Setup allows you to set up a player for your desired publishing type and configure various other settings on the player. Use a device set up to deploy the Revel Digital application automatically.

 

You can create a Device Setup from the option within the Admin tab, Device Setup Library. For more information see here.

 

1. Select the Admin Tab
2. Select Device Setup from the admin tab
3. Enter a package name
4. Select a  Device type
   • For standard deployments use the Partner Application option and select Revel Digital in the partner dialog under the view all section.
   • For a custom package (automatic Revel Activation zero-touch) select Custom Application URL and use the URL of your hosted custom autorun.zip
5. Enter any other relevant settings for your setup and select Add Setup File To Library
6. Make sure the current configuration is the default in Admin>Device Setup Library

 

BrightSign Player registration via BrightSign serial number

For mass deployments, B-deploy or provisioning via serial number is recommended. For BrightSign's official video guide on BrightSign player provisioning click here.

1. Sign in to BSN Cloud
2. Click on the Admin Tab
3. Select Device Provisioning
4. Download the CSV template. You can edit this in Google Sheets, a text editor, or Excel
5. Click the Admin Tab again
6. Create a BSN Device Setup *keep note of the Package Name of the setup. This will go in the CSV Template
7. After the BSN Device Settings have been saved, begin adding device information to the CSV template. Enter the device serial number, Device name, and the setup file name (the package name created above), and leave the application URL and description blank
8. After completing the CSV file return to Device Provisioning under the Admin Tab
9. Upload the provisioning file you just added your devices to
10. Select submit if all your devices are listed properly in the dialog
11. When a device listed in the CSV file is plugged in and has internet it will use the setup file created in step 6 to activate

Single BrightSign Player registration via BrightSign Activation Code

If the BrightSign is on firmware 8.5.36 or above, has an active internet connection, does not have a previously assigned configuration, and has a blank sd card inserted, it will display a 6-digit code on the screen that can be used to activate the device in BSN. If the device has had a previous configuration a factory reset will be required. Access the official guide here for additional information. 

1. Sign in to BSN Cloud
2. Click on the Admin Tab
3. Select Device Activation
4. Enter the code displayed on the screen 

 

Manual Activation on Revel CMS

An activation code will be displayed on the screen of unregistered players upon successful loading of Revel's Digital Signage Application and an active internet connection. Follow the steps below to finish activating a player in Revel. You can use pages 2 through 4 of this guide or this support article for additional information.

 

 

Create A Revel Automatic Activation Configuration

Revel offers a simple way to automatically register players, without manually typing in an activation code into the CMS, through the use of a deployment configuration. The deployment config is generated in the Account Information tab of Revel's CMS. The configuration is stored in a file called deploy.json. Combine the deployment config with the standard autorun.zip file to create a custom Revel Package that can be used in combination with many deployment options including multiple device zero-touch and manual deployment. Check out this support article for more information.

 

*Note* USB deployment config is not supported on BrightSign yet

1. Login to Revel or Create an account
2. Select Account Information from the profile tab in the top right corner
3. Select the Deployment Tab
4. Select New Deployment Config
5. Enter the information for your deployment in the Default Name and Group step
   • Deployment Name and Group are required
6. Select next
7. Device settings are not implemented for BrightSign currently, so the device settings step should be skipped. Select Next at the bottom of the page to progress to the Finish step
8. Save the configuration
9. Download the configuration. The file is called deploy.json.
10. Download the standard Revel autorun.zip here
11. Unzip the autorun.zip file
12. Add the deployment config (deploy.json) to the unzipped autorun.zip folder
13. Create a new autorun.zip file
    • On a Mac select all the files, right-click, and select compress. This will create a new file called 'Archive.zip'. Rename this file to 'autorun.zip'
    • On Windows select all files, right-click, click send to, and select Compressed (zipped) folder. Rename the compressed file to named 'autorun.zip'
    • Visit this link for more help on creating the new autorun.zip file
14. Utilize your new custom autorun.zip file in many of the deployment options like zero-touch or manual deployment

 

Hosting Configuration file for provisioning via BSN

You can host a deployment config anywhere on the publicly available web. Some popular spots include Dropbox and S3.

Zero-touch deployment via BSN

For a zero-touch deployment for multiple or a single BrightSign Player use BrightSign Network's serial number provisioning and revel's automatic activation deployment configuration

 

1. Make sure you've read the initial checklist and all BrightSign players have firmware version 8.5.36 and above
2. Create A Revel Automatic Activation Configuration
3. Host the configuration somewhere publicly accessible via the web. 
4. Follow provision players by serial number or assign a device setup after they have been activated on BSN via a code

 

 

Restoring A BrightSign To Factory Settings

Use the following video guide or written guide to reset a BrightSign player 

1. Disconnect power to the player
2. If possible, disconnect the player's storage device (this will
3. Hold the SVC and Reset buttons
4. Apply power to the player
5. Wait for the red Err LED to flash rapidly
6. Release the SVC and Reset buttons
   The error LED will stop flashing and the player will boot up
7. Wait until the player completes startup reboots again - the reset does not happen until this second boot
8. Replace the player's storage device if it was disconnected

 

What's next...

• Getting started guide
• Media Uploading
• Supported Media types for Revel's CMS
• Scheduling Templates/Playlists with a basic or smart schedule