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How to play images and videos on a TV screen: the simplest digital signage setup

Quick answer: DigitalSignage.com plays images and videos on any TV with an HDMI input in about 10 minutes, free for the first 3 screens: plug in a device you own, such as a $30 to $60 Android TV stick, a Raspberry Pi, an old PC or a Chromebox, install the free DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer from the Downloads page, type the registration code it shows into SignStudio under Register SignPlayer, upload your files in Resources, put them in a playlist at 7 to 15 seconds per image, assign it to the screen and publish. The player downloads the files, loops them and keeps playing if the internet drops.

Key facts

  • Any TV with an HDMI input works, and Android TV or Google TV sets run the player directly; Samsung Tizen, LG webOS and Fire OS TVs need a stick or box on a spare HDMI port.
  • The cheapest player is a $30 to $60 Android TV stick with 2 GB of RAM; a Raspberry Pi 5 kit is $81 to $137; a retired PC, Mac or Chromebox costs $0.
  • Most people have a first screen playing within 15 minutes, and the getting-started guide puts the account-to-screen path at about 5 minutes once the device is plugged in.
  • Images should be 1920 by 1080 JPGs under 500 KB; video should be H.264 in an MP4 container at 6 to 10 Mbps for 1080p.
  • Show each image for 7 to 15 seconds and keep the loop to 3 to 5 minutes where people pass by.
  • The free plan's 1 GB of storage holds about 2,000 images or 13 to 22 minutes of 1080p video, and the player keeps a local copy so the screen plays through an internet outage.
  • The first 3 screens are free forever in 2026 with no credit card, no ads and no watermark, then from $3 per screen per month once an account has 4 or more screens.

Last updated October 23, 2026. Sources: SignStudio getting started, system requirements, scheduling, file formats, image optimization and hardware pages on this site.

What do I need to play images and videos on a TV?​

A TV with an HDMI input, a small device to run the player, an internet connection for setup and updates, and a free DigitalSignage.com account. The TV does not need to be smart, new or commercial; the device behind it does the work.

Device behind the TV2026 costGood forNotes
DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer on an Android TV or Google TV set$0, the TV runs the player itselfA TV you already own that runs Android TVInstall the SignPlayer and Watchdog APKs on the TV
Android TV or Google TV stick, 2 GB of RAM$30 to $60The cheapest new player for images and 1080p videoChoose a model with at least 2 GB of RAM; avoid Fire TV sticks, which have no SignPlayer app
Android TV box, 3 GB of RAM, Ethernet portAbout $60Multi-zone scenes, wired networkThe safer buy for a busy screen
Raspberry Pi 5 kit with case, cooler and official supply$81 to $137Hobbyist and school setups with a watchdog serviceEncode video as H.265 on a Pi 5
Old Windows PC, Mac or Chromebox you already own$0Reusing hardwareWindows minimum: Core i3, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB SSD
iPad$0 if you own oneA countertop or door-side displayRuns the web player in Safari, pinned with Guided Access
Any laptop browser$0Testing for an afternoonNo local cache or auto-restart; not for a permanent screen

Bottom line: a $30 to $60 Android TV stick is the sensible first player, and an Android TV set you already own needs nothing at all.

A registration code is the short code the player shows when it first opens; you type it into SignStudio under Register SignPlayer and the screen joins your account. That is the whole pairing process, and it is the same on every platform.

How do I set it up in 10 minutes?​

Create the account, install the player, register the screen, upload, build one playlist, assign it and publish. The steps below assume an Android TV stick; the other platforms differ only in how the player is installed, and each has its own setup page linked at the end.

  1. Create a free account at galaxy.signage.me. No credit card is asked for, and the first 3 screens stay free.
  2. Plug the stick into the TV's HDMI port and its power supply, select that HDMI input on the TV, and connect the stick to Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  3. On the stick, allow installs from unknown sources, then install the SignPlayer and Watchdog APKs from the Downloads page of your account. The Watchdog restarts the player after a reboot.
  4. Open SignPlayer. It shows a registration code. In SignStudio, click Register SignPlayer, enter the code, and the screen appears in your account.
  5. In SignStudio, open Resources, click Upload and add your images and videos. Resize images to 1920 by 1080 first and encode video as H.264 MP4 at 6 to 10 Mbps.
  6. Go to Campaigns, Playlists, New Playlist, name it, and add the files by dragging them from the library or using the browse button. Set the duration per image, 7 to 15 seconds, and leave videos at their own length.
  7. Create a campaign, choose the playlist, leave the schedule at Always, and assign it to your screen.
  8. Publish. The player downloads the files and starts playing within seconds; the Screens dashboard shows the screen online and a screenshot confirms the picture.
  9. On the stick, turn off sleep, screen saver and power saving, and on the TV turn off auto power off and HDMI-CEC standby, so nothing stops the loop overnight.
  10. Pull the stick's power for 10 seconds and plug it back in. If the loop returns by itself, the setup is complete.

If the screen shows the device home screen instead of your content after step 10, the Watchdog is not installed or was not granted its permissions; reinstall it and reboot.

How long should each image stay on screen, and how do I make it loop?​

Keep images on screen for 7 to 15 seconds, and set the playlist to loop, which the scheduling page documents among the playlist settings alongside play order and transitions. A longer duration is for text people must read, such as an opening hours slide; a shorter one is for photos.

Playlist settings documented in SignStudio include play order, sequential, shuffle or random, a default duration per item, a transition such as cut or fade with its duration, and loop. Each item can carry its own duration, a play count and validity dates, so a seasonal slide can expire on a date without editing the rest of the playlist. For a screen people walk past, a loop of 3 to 5 minutes means everyone sees everything.

How do I schedule it instead of looping all day?​

Give the campaign a schedule rule: a date range, days of the week and a time window, and the player switches on its own clock. Scheduling and dayparting, which is showing different content at different times of day, are included on every plan, including the free one.

Two campaigns on one screen, breakfast until 10:30 and lunch from 10:30, is the common first schedule, with a Default-priority campaign underneath so the screen is never blank. The dayparting guide has worked examples for restaurants, offices and holidays, and the holiday scheduling guide covers date-based campaigns.

Is a USB stick slideshow good enough?​

For one TV that nobody updates, yes; for anything that changes or that you cannot walk to, no. The table compares the four ways people put pictures on a TV.

MethodSetup costUpdatingSchedulingKeeps playing after a power cutReliability
DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer on a stick, Pi or PC$0 to $60 of hardware, software free for 3 screensFrom any browser, reaches the screen in secondsDate, weekday and time rules includedYes, the Watchdog relaunches the player and content is cachedStatus, screenshots and remote restart from SignStudio
USB stick in the TV's media player$10 for the stickWalk to the TV, swap the stick, restart the slideshowNone, or whatever the TV offersUsually not; the slideshow must be restarted by handNobody knows it stopped until a customer says so
The TV's photo or screensaver app$0Edit on the TV with the remoteMinimalSometimesTV apps stop for updates and prompts
Casting from a phone or laptop$0Only while the phone stays connectedNoneNoEnds when the phone sleeps or leaves

Bottom line: a USB stick costs $10 and a stick running SignPlayer costs $30 to $60, and the difference buys remote updates, schedules, automatic restarts and a dashboard that tells you the screen is on.

What does it cost?​

Nothing in software for up to 3 screens in 2026, and the hardware is a one-time $30 to $60 per screen. The table prices the common sizes.

Screens2026 software costOne-time hardwareYear one total
DigitalSignage.com free plan, 1 screen$0 forever$30 to $60 Android TV stick, or $0 on an Android TV set$0 to $60
Free plan, 3 screens$0 forever$90 to $180$90 to $180
mediaCLOUD Plus+, 5 screens$15 per month, $180 per year; every screen is billed once an account has 4 or more$150 to $300$330 to $480
mediaCLOUD Plus+, 10 screens$30 per month, $360 per year$300 to $600$660 to $960
EnterprisePer screen in the public price calculatorCommercial players for screens you cannot reachBy quote
mediaSERVER on-premise$895 one-timeYour server plus players$895 plus hardware

Bottom line: a cafe, salon or church puts pictures and video on 3 TVs for under $200 once and $0 a year.

What goes wrong most often?​

Four things, and all four are settings rather than faults: the TV is on the wrong input, the video is encoded beyond what the stick decodes, the device went to sleep, or Wi-Fi dropped and the dashboard says offline while the screen keeps playing.

  • Wrong input: select the HDMI port the stick is on, and turn off HDMI-CEC so another device cannot switch it.
  • Video will not play or stutters: re-encode to H.264 MP4 at 6 to 10 Mbps for 1080p; the playback guide has the per-platform checks.
  • Screen goes dark at night: turn off sleep, screen saver and power saving on the device and auto power off on the TV; the screens on and off guide explains how to switch the panel off on purpose instead.
  • Dashboard says offline: the player keeps playing from its cache; check Wi-Fi, DHCP and port 443 with the offline guide.

If none of these apply, ask support at support@digitalsignage.com, live chat at https://chat.digitalsignage.com/ or +1-877-344-7446 with the screen name and the device model.

Frequently asked questions​

How to play images and videos on a TV screen: the simplest digital signage setup

Plug a device you own into the TV's HDMI port, such as a $30 to $60 Android TV stick, a Raspberry Pi or an old PC, install the free DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer from the Downloads page of your account, type the registration code it shows into SignStudio under Register SignPlayer, upload your files in Resources, put them in a playlist at 7 to 15 seconds per image, assign it to the screen and publish. The first 3 screens are free forever.

Can I play a slideshow on a TV without a computer?

Yes. An Android TV stick or box, a Raspberry Pi or an Android TV set runs the free SignPlayer on its own; you build the slideshow in SignStudio from any browser, including a phone, and the player downloads it and loops it from its local cache. No PC stays connected to the TV.

What is the best format for images and videos on a TV?

JPG at 1920 by 1080 and under 500 KB for photos, PNG for logos and sharp text, and MP4 video encoded with H.264 at 6 to 10 Mbps for 1080p with a constant frame rate. On a Raspberry Pi 5 use H.265. Avoid PowerPoint, Word, AVI, WMV and MKV files, which are not listed as upload formats; export them first.

How do I make the slideshow loop forever?

Set the playlist to loop in its settings, leave the campaign schedule at Always, and turn off sleep, screen saver and power saving on the device and auto power off on the TV. On Android install the Watchdog app so the player relaunches after a power cut. Show each image for 7 to 15 seconds and keep the whole loop to 3 to 5 minutes.

Does it keep playing if the internet goes down?

Yes. SignPlayer downloads every image and video into its local cache and plays from there, so an outage does not blank the screen, and scheduled changes still happen on the player's clock. Only live content such as web pages, YouTube and feeds stops. New uploads arrive when the connection returns.

Does it work on the TV I have?

Yes if it has an HDMI input, which every flat TV made in the last 15 years does, with a stick, box, Raspberry Pi or PC plugged in. Android TV and Google TV sets run SignPlayer directly. Samsung Tizen, LG webOS and Amazon Fire TV sets have no SignPlayer app, so they need an external player on a spare HDMI port.

Which one is free, and how much does it cost after that?

DigitalSignage.com is free for the first 3 screens forever, with no credit card, no ads, no watermark and about 90 percent of the features, including scheduling and 1 GB of storage. Once an account has 4 or more screens, every screen is billed from $3 per screen per month on mediaCLOUD Plus+, so 10 screens are $360 a year; the hardware is a one-time $30 to $60 per screen.

Try it on your own screens, free​

DigitalSignage.com, which publishes this guide, runs a permanent free plan: the first 3 screens are free forever (no credit card, no ads, no watermark, no time limit), then from $3 per screen per month on Plus+. Once an account has 4 or more screens, every screen is billed, so 10 screens cost $360 a year; Enterprise is priced per screen in the public price calculator. The free DigitalSignage.com SignPlayer runs on Windows, Mac, Android and Android TV, Chrome OS, Raspberry Pi, iPad or any modern web browser, so the hardware you already own usually works. Start free · 2026 pricing · How 11 vendors compare on price

Maintained by MediaSignage Inc., operator of DigitalSignage.com since 2006. Product behavior on this page comes from our own SignStudio and SignPlayer documentation; where we do not document a step, this page says so instead of guessing. Last reviewed October 23, 2026.

Try it on your own screens
First 3 screens free forever, no credit card, no ads. Works on the TV you already own with a $30 player, Raspberry Pi, Chrome OS, Windows or iPad. About two minutes to your first screen.
Create free accountSee 2026 pricing