Player feature comparison

AbleSign runs on many different types of device. The content library, playlists, scheduling and screen management are all standard features and work the same whichever device you choose. A few features depend on what the device itself can do, and those are the ones listed below.

Content

Feature	Android	BrightSign	FireTV	LG webOS	Signage Stick	Web player
Images, videos and PDFs	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Web pages and web apps	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Video sound	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Videos play silently
Web page zoom and URL parameters	✓	Not applied	✓	Not applied	✓	Not applied
Playlist transitions	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Playback

Feature	Android	BrightSign	FireTV	LG webOS	Signage Stick	Web player
Scheduling and operating hours	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Offline playback	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Synchronized playback	✓	✓	✓	No	✓	No
Proof of play	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Portrait and rotated screens	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Starts when the device powers on	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Depends on the device

Remote control

Feature	Android	BrightSign	FireTV	LG webOS	Signage Stick	Web player
Restart the app	No	✓	No	✓	No	✓
Reboot the device	No	✓	No	✓	✓	No
Take a screenshot	No	✓	No	✓	✓	No
Switch the display on and off (CEC)	No	✓	No	No	✓	No

Hardware

	Android	BrightSign	FireTV	LG webOS	Signage Stick	Web player
Runs on	Android TV boxes, tablets and displays with Android built in	Any BrightSign player	A Fire TV Stick or any FireOS device	Built into LG commercial displays	An Amazon Signage Stick	Any device that can show a web page, including displays with a URL launcher
Minimum version	Android 7.0	BrightSign OS 8.5	FireOS 6 (VegaOS sticks are not supported)	webOS Signage 6.0	Build 3164N	A modern browser engine such as Chrome or Edge
Setup guide	Android TV	BrightSign	FireTV	LG webOS	Signage Stick	Web player

Notes

FireTV. Newer Fire TV Sticks run VegaOS rather than FireOS, and these are not supported. VegaOS has no way to start an app automatically when the device powers on and its screensaver cannot be turned off, which makes it unsuitable for digital signage.

Web player. The web player runs inside whatever shows the web page, whether that is a browser on a PC or a display’s built-in URL launcher, so it can only do what a web page is allowed to do. Browsers do not let a page play sound on its own, so videos play silently. It cannot reboot the device, take a screenshot or switch the display off. Whether it starts on power-on depends on the device: a display that opens its URL at startup will, while a PC needs the browser left open on the player page. It is the quickest way to try AbleSign, and a good fit for a display that can open a web address itself.

Synchronized playback keeps a group of screens on the same playlist item at the same moment. It is available on Android, FireTV, Signage Stick and BrightSign, and the players need to be on the same network. See How to sync playback with other screens.

Starting on power-on. On Android and FireTV, turn on autostart from the player’s options menu; devices on Android 10 or later also need the “Display over other apps” permission. See How to automatically start the AbleSign app when your device starts.

Switching the display on and off works over the HDMI cable (CEC), so it is only available on players that plug into a display. Screen operating hours work on every player.

Web page zoom and URL parameters can be set on any web page item, but at the moment only the Android, FireTV and Signage Stick players apply them. Other players show the page at its normal size.

4K video depends on the device rather than the player. See Does AbleSign support 4K videos?

This table reflects the current release of each player.