Bright Plates User Guide
2015-11-24
: Brightsign Brightplates User Guide BrightPlates User Guide s
Open the PDF directly: View PDF 
.
Page Count: 16
1
USER GUIDE
BrightPlates
BrightSign, LLC. 16780 Lark Ave., Suite B Los Gatos, CA 95032 | 408-852-9263 | www.brightsign.biz
2
INTRODUCTION
BrightPlates is a straightforward web-based presentation authoring and publishing interface. You can
use BrightPlates to create professional-looking HTML5 content from premade templates, or you can
upload your own HTML templates for uniquely branded content. If you have a BrightSign Network
account, you can use content and Live Media feeds from your BSN account to populate the templates.
3
MAIN PAGE
Once you log in to BrightPlates, you will be taken to the
BrightPlates main page. This page provides an overview
of your saved presentations, groups, players, and
account information.
1. Manage Templates: Takes you to the Manage
Templates page, where you can add or remove
custom presentation templates.
2. Device Setup: Takes you to the Device Setup
page, where you can configure BrightSign players
to connect to your BrightPlates account.
3. Log Out: Logs you out of the BrightPlates UI.
4. My BrightSign Players: A list of BrightSign players
on your BrightPlates account.
a. View: Opens the Player Details window.
b. Setup player: Takes you to the Device Setup
page, where you can create setup files for
adding players to your BrightPlates account.
5. My Presentations: A list of currently saved and/or
published BrightPlates presentations.
a. Create presentation: Creates a new
presentation using one of the available pre-
made templates.
b. Edit: Edits the saved presentation.
c. Copy: Copies the saved presentation. You can
then use the Edit button to modify it.
d. Delete: Deletes the presentation.
6. My Account: Provides information about your
account.
a. Email Address: The Email address associated
with your account.
b. First name: The first name associated with your
account.
c. Last name: The last name associated with your
account.
d. Last login: The last time you logged into the
account: The date/time is formatted as follows:
4
<yyyy-mm-dd>T<hh:mm:ss.sss>
7. My Groups:(BSN Only) A list of groups on your
BrightSign Network account. Click a group name to
see a list of players that are part of that group.
Player Details
Clicking View next to a player will open the Player
Details window.
a. Serial: The serial number of the player.
b. Model: The model number of the player.
c. Presentation name: The name of the current
presentation on the player (if any).
d. Autorun version: The current presentation autorun
version. This number is usually determined by the
version of BrightAuthor used to create the
presentation. Presentations created in BrightPlates
or the BSN WebUI use a standard, up-to-date
autorun version.
e. Firmware version: The current player firmware
version.
f. Card size: The total size of the primary storage
device on the player.
g. Card free size: The amount of free space on the
primary storage device of the player.
5
CREATING A BRIGHTPLATES PRESENTATION
Follow these steps to create a BrightPlates presentation.
Selecting a Template
1. On the BrightPlates main page, click the Create
Presentation button.
2. Select the Portrait or Landscape option.
3. Select the template type (e.g. Menu Board).
4. Click a template thumbnail to see a larger preview.
5. Once you've selected the template you wish to use
to create your BrightPlates presentation, click the
Next / Edit button.
Creating a Presentation
Each BrightPlates template is divided into images, Live
Media feeds, and the background image.
Image Fields
Click an image field to edit it. The Image window will
open with the following options:
1. Image: Click Choose file to open the File Manager
window. Select the image you wish to use.
a. If the image you need is not uploaded to your
6
account yet, click Upload file in the lower-right
corner of the window. Use the Browse button to
locate the image file on your computer, then
click Upload to upload it to your account.
b. If you have a BSN account, you can use the file
directory at the top to navigate among content
folders on your account.
c. For best results, you should choose an image
that is the same width and height as the image
field. For system templates, the width and height
of the image field is shown in the sample image
accompanying the field.
2. Size: Select one of the following sizing options for
the image:
a. Fit: Centers the image without stretching it. If the
aspect ratio of the image does not match the
aspect ratio of the image field, some of the
image field will be left blank.
b. Stretch: Alters the width and/or height of image
to ensure it fits the image field.
c. Stretch width: Alters the width of the image to
ensure it fits the width of the image field. The
image height is left unaltered.
d. Stretch height: Alters the height of the image to
ensure it fits the height of the image field. The
image width is left unaltered.
3. Horizontal Align: This option specifies the image
alignment if it the width of the image is smaller than
the width of the image field.
a. Left: Aligns the image to the left side of the
image field.
b. Center: Aligns the image to the center of the
image field.
c. Right: Aligns the image to the right side of the
image field.
4. Overflow: This option specifies the behavior of the
image if its width or height is greater than that of the
image field.
a. Visible: The height or width overflow of the
image will be displayed. Note that this may
cause unpredictable interactions with other
elements of the template.
b. Hidden: The height or width overflow will be
hidden, cutting off part of the image.
7
5. Once you are finished configuring the image, click
Save to insert the image into the image field.
Live Media Feed Fields
Click a feed list to edit it. The Live Media Feed window
will open:
1. Click Create Feed to create a new feed (editing the
default template text will create a new feed
automatically).
2. If you already have a feed you wish to use, select it
from the list on the left and click Edit.
3. Enter a name for the feed.
4. Enter a time-to-live (in minutes) for the feed in the
TTL field. This determines how frequently the player
will check in to see if the feed has changed.
5. Click Add Item to add a new item to the feed. The
File Manager will open. Select the image you wish
to associate with the feed item. If the feed is text
only, choose any image as a placeholder.
a. If the image you need is not uploaded to your
account yet, click Upload file in the lower-right
corner of the window. Use the Browse button to
locate the image file on your computer, then
click Upload to upload it to your account.
8
b. If you have a BSN account, you can use the file
directory at the top to navigate among content
folders on your account.
6. Enter Title and Description text for the item.
7. If the template allows for additional text field(s)
(such as item price, calorie count, etc.), click the
Add Field button. This will add the same custom
field for all items in the feed, so you will only need to
add a custom field once.
a. Enter a key for the text field.
Important: This key must match the internal key
within the template, or the custom field will not be
displayed. To display menu prices, this key must be
"price".
b. Enter the text that will be displayed in the
custom field.
c. Click the "x" next to a custom field to delete it.
This will remove the custom field from all items
in the feed.
8. Repeat steps 5-8 for each item you wish to add to
the template.
9. Once you are finished editing the feed, click Save
feed or Save feed as….
10. Click Save to replace the default template text with
your Live Media Feed.
Text Fields
Click a text field to open the Edit Block Text window.
Edit the text and click Save. You can also use the options
in the tool bar to modify the formatting and layout of the
text.
Background Image
Click Change background image to modify the default
background image.
1. Select whether the background should be an Image
or Video.
2. Click Choose file to select the new background
image/video:
a. If the file you need is not uploaded to your
account yet, click Upload file in the lower-right
corner of the window. Use the Browse button to
9
locate the image file on your computer, then
click Upload to upload it to your account.
b. If you have a BSN account, you can use the file
directory at the top to navigate among content
folders on your account.
3. If you are adding a video, specify the following:
a. View Mode: This option specifies how the video
will be treated if it doesn't fit the display exactly.
i. Scale to fit: Scales the video to fill the screen
without maintaining the aspect ratio. The
video may appear stretched.
ii. Letterboxed and centered: Centers the
video and adds black borders on the top and
bottom. The aspect ratio is maintained.
iii. Fill screen and centered: Centers the video
and fills the screen. The aspect ratio is
maintained, so the video may be cropped if
required.
b. Audio output: Enables or disables the Analog,
HDMI, and SPDIF audio outputs for the zone.
i. Pass through: Supplies the un-decoded
audio signal through the HDMI/SPDIF
connector. Use this option if the zone audio
(for example, AC3 Dolby Digital) is being
decoded on an external device.
ii. Stereo: Supplies the decoded audio signal
through the HDMI/SPDIF connector.
c. Audio mixing: Sends the stereo, left-only, or
right-only audio signal.
d. Initial volume (Video): Sets the initial volume
for video files (0-100).
e. Initial volume (Audio): Sets the initial volume
for audio files (0-100).
4. Click Save to update the background image or
video.
Saving and Publishing the Presentation
1. When you are finished editing the BrightPlates
presentation, click Save / Publish. This will open
the Publish window.
2. Enter a Presentation Name. This name must be
unique within your BrightPlates account.
10
3. Specify which Player( or BSN Group) you wish to
publish the presentation to.
4. Select the target player Model for the presentation.
5. Select a Video Mode that is supported by the
monitor(s).
Note: All system templates are intended for use with
1080p monitors. Selecting a video mode other than
1920x1080 may lead to scaling issues with system
templates.
6. Select the Connector type that will be used by the
players(s).
7. Specify the Language for date and time formatting.
8. Complete the BrightPlates creation process:
a. Click Publish and Save if you want the
presentation to be saved in your BrightPlates
account and published to the specified Player or
Group.
b. Click Save Only to save the BrightPlates
presentation without publishing it.
Important: If you have already published the
BrightPlates presentation to a player or group, you
do not need to select Publish and Save again.
Instead, choose Save Only, and the player(s) will
update its content the next time it checks in.
11
DEVICE SETUP
Before publishing BrightPlates presentations to a player,
you will need to configure the player to connect to your
account. To perform the setup process, click Device
Setup in the top-right corner of the page.
1. Player Name: This section allows you to set the
name and description of the player:
a. Name: Enter a name for the player. This name
will be displayed in the My BrightSign Players
and My Groups sections on the Main Page.
b. Description:(Optional) Enter a description for
the player.
2. Unit Configuration: This section contains general
configuration options for the player:
a. Group:(BSN accounts only) Use the dropdown
list to assign the player to a BrightSign Network
group.
b. Diagnostic Web Server: Check this box to
enable the Diagnostic Web Server (DWS) on the
12
player. The DWS allows you to troubleshoot a
player on your local network. For more details,
see the Diagnostic Web Server User Guide.
c. User Name: When signing in to the DWS, you
will need to enter "admin" as the user name.
d. Password:(Optional) Enter a password for
authentication when logging in to the DWS.
3. Network Properties: This section contains
network configuration options for the player:
a. Wireless: Check this box to enable Wi-Fi
connectivity on the player.
Note: A Wireless Module must be installed on the
player to use the Wireless option.
b. SSID: Enter the SSID of the wireless network.
c. Security Key: Enter the password for the
wireless network.
d. Advanced Network Setup: Click this button if
you need to manually configure network settings
for the player. See the Advanced Network Setup
section for more details.
e. Time Zone: Select the time zone where the
player is located.
4. Create setup files: Click this button to download
the setup.zip file to your computer. Follow these
steps to install the setup files on a player:
a. Unzip the contents of the setup.zip file.
b. Copy the presentation files (autorun.brs, current-
sync.xml, etc.) to the root directory of your SD
card (e.g. SD:/).
c. Turn off the player by unplugging the power
adapter (or Ethernet cable if the player is being
powered by PoE).
d. Insert the SD card into the unit.
e. Turn on the player by reconnecting the power.
f. Give the player a few minutes to configure itself
and connect with your BrightPlates account.
Important: You must create a different set of setup files
for each player you wish to add to your account.
Advanced Network Setup
Use the Advanced Network Setup window if the player
needs a specific IP configuration to connect to the
Internet.
1. Hostname: Enter a custom hostname for the player
on the network. By default, the player serial number
is used to generate a unique hostname.
2. Use Proxy: Check this box to have the player
connect using a proxy server. Enter the Address
and Port of the proxy. If you need to provide a user
name and password for the proxy, use this format:
<user name>:<password>@<proxy server
address>
13
3. Enable Network Diagnostics: Check this box to
have the player perform network diagnostics when
first booting up. The player will display the Network
Diagnostics screen on a connected display device:
• Test Ethernet: The player will indicate if it was
able to attain an IP address over Ethernet.
• Test Wireless: The player will indicate if it was
able to attain an IP address over wireless.
• Test Internet Connection: The player will
indicate if it was able to communicate with
remote URLs.
4. Wired – Connection Settings: Select Obtaining
An IP Address Automatically if you want the
player to use DHCP to obtain an Ethernet IP
address. If you want to manually configure the
Ethernet IP settings of the player, select Use the
Following IP Address and enter the settings.
5. Wireless – Connection Settings: Select
Obtaining An IP Address Automatically if you
want the player to use DHCP to obtain a wireless IP
address. If you want to manually configure the
wireless IP settings of the player, select Use the
Following IP Address and enter the settings.
14
MANAGING TEMPLATES
BrightPlates comes equipped with a number of default
templates for key verticals: Food Services, Retail,
Corporate, and Education. However, you can also use
presentation templates that are specialized for your
organization or business. To manage your templates,
click Manage Templates in the top-right of the page.
Adding a Template
Click the Upload new template button to open the
Upload Template window:
1. Browse: Locate and select the .zip file containing
the presentation template files.
2. Template filename: Enter the name of the HTML
template file. This file is usually named index.html. If
you don't know the name of the HTML file, open the
template .zip file and identify the .html file that is in
the root directory of that zip file.
3. Category: Select a vertical to which the template
belongs.
4. Orientation: Specify whether the template is
Landscape (e.g. 1920x1080) or Portrait (e.g.
1080x1920) oriented.
5. Title: Specify a title for the template, which will be
visible in the Templates browser in the BrightPlates
UI.
6. Description: Specify a description for the template,
15
which will be visible when the template is selected
in the Templates browser.
7. Enable jQuery: Check this box if the template uses
jQuery, which allows for advanced data parsing and
server interaction. Ask the template author if you're
not sure whether your template uses jQuery or not.
8. Upload: Click this button to upload the template to
BrightPlates. It will be visible in the Templates
browser momentarily.
Managing Templates
You can do any of the following on the Manage
Templates page:
a. Delete selected: Delete the templates that you've
checked (selected).
b. Deselect all: Remove check markers from all
templates in the list.
c. Delete: Remove the template from your
BrightPlates account.
Important: Deleting a template will make presentations
based on that template unusable. Make sure the
template is unused before deleting it.
d. Download: Download the template .zip file.
