We try our best to support as many digital signage players as possible. Almost any hardware can be used as a digital signage player – the real challenge is finding one that fits your needs. On this page, you’ll find some of the player devices that we have tested and rated.
Entry-level players
Cost-effective digital signage players. Great for starters! digital signage player
Mi Box by Xiaomi is an interesting choice as it’s actually running AndroidTV, a branch of Android customized for TVs. Mi Box has a sleek design and comes with a comfortable remote. Though the hardware acceleration is not as good as FireTV devices, this model has 2GB of ram, which can come handy if you plan to display many website plugins.
Notes
Zones (?) Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch screen integration (?) Wifi Ethernet
Specifications
2 GB Ram, 8 GB Storage (5GB usable), Quad-core CORTEX A53 1,5 GHz. Processor, MALI GPU, Android digital signage
MX10 comes with a decent processor and graphics chip, however FireTV devices pack more punch. What makes this device stand out is the large amount of storage and RAM that comes with the device. If you find FireTV devices lacking storage or ram for your content, then MX10 might be a good choice for you.
Notes
Zones (?) Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch screen integration (?) Wifi Ethernet
Chromebit is the first entry-level player running ChromeOS – for production usage we recommend setting the device up in kiosk mode. The hardware acceleration is not as good as FireTV devices, however the device has 2GB of ram and supports script injection, which makes it a good choice if you plan on displaying websites or need to alter the site behaviour / log in.
Zones (?) Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch screen integration (?) Wifi Ethernet
Great player for Open Source enthusiasts. You don’t need to be a Linux wizard to set it up, just download & copy our pre-made image! The 2 or 4GB RAM option makes it a good choice for memory intensive playlists (such as long playlists with many slides or zoned playlists/sub-playlists), but limited hardware acceleration reduces the player score, so it’s not as good as FireTV 4K when it comes to ticker/transitions and animation effects. If all you need is to display basic signage (images, videos, text, occasional website) without many bells and whistles, Raspberry PI will serve you fine!
Notes
Zones (?) Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch screen integration (?) Wifi Ethernet
Specifications
1,2 or 4 GB Ram, SD card storage, BCM2711 SoC with a 1.5 GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor, Broadcom VideoCore VI GPU, Raspberry PI digital signage
At around 30$, MXQ Pro is probably the cheapest Android device. For a low-end device, it can handle transitions and certain element animations surprisingly well, but can become unstable or even freeze if it’s overwhelmed, therefore we can recommend this device only if you’re planning on simple signage content consisting mostly of images and text. There is also MXQ Pro+ that comes with 2GB RAM.
Despite the 4K promise, the device can’t scale higher than 720p in all apps we’ve tested.
Notes
Zones (?) Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) ( Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch screen integration (?) Wifi Ethernet 4K support (?)
Specifications
1 GB Ram, 8 GB Storage (5GB usable), Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.2Ghz processor, Mali 450-MP GPU, Android 7.1, Android digital signage
Compute sticks come in both Linux and Windows flavors. The upside of using Linux is that it can be completely configured to disable all popups/updates whereas Windows is more restrictive in terms of configuration options. Unfortunately though Linux does not have as good graphics drivers, therefore our application will perform better in Windows if you’re planing to use element animations or transitions.
Zones (?) Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch screen integration (?) Wifi Ethernet (possible with adapter)
Specifications
2 GB Ram, 32 GB Storage, Intel ATOM Processor, Integrated (Mode STK1AW32SC), Windows digital signage
We test the player capability to smoothly and error-free run different content. We put the player through 13 different tests including transitions, animations, 4K, zoned playlists, etc.
150+ Slides
150 slides contain more than 150 slides. All 150+ slides has images (non-4K), duration of 5 sec. per slide and no transitions.
HD Video contains multiple slides running HD video on a top level, meaning there are no objects on top of the video. This test utilize the players native graphic rendering.
4K Video contains multiple 4K video in different durations separated by slides giving the player opportunity to cache the video before the slide starts.
Level 1 Playlist contains random content such as slides with png, shapes, images, clock, weather and youtube. The slides does not have transitions and there are no animations.
Level 2 Playlist contains random content such as slides with png, shapes, images, clock, weather, youtube and several social media plugins. All slides have random transitions. There are no animations.
Level 3 Playlist is build for advanced players running an HD video in the background and a playlist-in-playlist (Also known as a zone) containing multiple slides with transparent background. Slides include clock, weather, images and several social media plugins. All slides have transitions.
Level 1 Zone Playlist contains of few slides where the main slide has an image as background and one zone on top running several plugins such as the clock, weather, video and images. All slides in the zone has transitions.
Level 2 Zone Playlist contains of few slides with transitions and where the main slide has an image as background and two zones on top running several plugins such as the clock, weather, video, ticker, video and images. All slides in the zone has transitions.
Level 3 Zone Playlist contains of few slides with transitions and where the main slide has an image as background and three zones on top running several plugins such as the clock, weather, video, ticker, video and images. All slides in the zone has transitions. One zone also has element animations.
150 slides contain more than 150 slides. All 150+ slides has images (non-4K), duration of 5 sec. per slide and no transitions.
Transitions
Transitions contain several slides with shapes and text running different transitions.
Animations
Animations contain multiple types of element animations, including animation of text, shapes, png, images etc.
Ticker
Ticker contains a couple of slides, one with a simple one line ticker and a slide with multiple tickers running at different speeds.
HD Video
HD Video contains multiple slides running HD video on a top level, meaning there are no objects on top of the video. This test utilize the players native graphic rendering.
HD Video Background
HD Video Background contains multiple slides with HD video running in the background. This test utilize Play’s graphic rendering engine.
4K Video
4K Video contains multiple 4K video in different durations separated by slides giving the player opportunity to cache the video before the slide starts.
Level 1 Playlist
Level 1 Playlist contains random content such as slides with png, shapes, images, clock, weather and youtube. The slides does not have transitions and there are no animations.
Level 2 Playlist
Level 2 Playlist contains random content such as slides with png, shapes, images, clock, weather, youtube and several social media plugins. All slides have random transitions. There are no animations.
Level 3 Playlist
Level 3 Playlist is build for advanced players running an HD video in the background and a playlist-in-playlist (Also known as a zone) containing multiple slides with transparent background. Slides include clock, weather, images and several social media plugins. All slides have transitions.
Level 1 Zoned Playlist
Level 1 Zone Playlist contains of few slides where the main slide has an image as background and one zone on top running several plugins such as the clock, weather, video and images. All slides in the zone has transitions.
Level 2 Zoned Playlist
Level 2 Zone Playlist contains of few slides with transitions and where the main slide has an image as background and two zones on top running several plugins such as the clock, weather, video, ticker, video and images. All slides in the zone has transitions.
Level 3 Zoned Playlist
Level 3 Zone Playlist contains of few slides with transitions and where the main slide has an image as background and three zones on top running several plugins such as the clock, weather, video, ticker, video and images. All slides in the zone has transitions. One zone also has element animations.
Calculating the score.
Calculating the score for the individual player is based on how well the player pass the different tests. Players are rated 0 if the test was not passed or even if the graphics is stuttering. In addition to the test we also include point for IP rating, WIFI, Ethernet and other parameters that we think define a digital signage player.
The Amazon FireTV Stick 4K is an HDMI stick powered either by a power supply or a TV’s USB port. The stick consumes very little power and requires next to no maintenance. Unpack the stick, plug it in your TV’s HDMI port, plug the MicroUSB into the stick, and a power source and you’re up and running.
The Amazon FireTV Stick 4K is an entry-level media player that will work great with most content. Images, video, text, plugins like weather, RSS, stream, social media, etc. The media player fails on dynamic content like slide transitions, animations, and advanced playlists and playlists with zones.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
The newest product from Amazon is their 3rd. Generation Amazon FireTV Stick (Also called 2020 release). The media player is not as powerful as the 2nd. Generation 4K model, as it has lesser ram. Also, it does not support 4K. The stick consumes very little power and requires next to no maintenance. Unpack the stick, plug it in your TV’s HDMI port, plug the MicroUSB into the stick, and a power source and you’re up and running.
The Amazon FireTV Stick is an entry-level media player that will work great with most content. Images, video, text, plugins like weather, RSS, stream, social media, etc. The media player fails on dynamic content like slide animations, and advanced playlists, and playlists with zones.
The Amazon FireTV Stick does support HD video and will play HD video on top smooth. If you add elements on top of the video you should expect studdering.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
The newest product from Amazon is their 3rd. Generation Amazon FireTV Stick including this LITE version. The LITE version is identical to the regular 3rd. Generation stick except it does not have the ability to remote control the TV and it does not support Dolby Surround. The media player is not as powerful as the 2nd. Generation 4K model, as it has lesser ram. Also, it does not support 4K. The stick consumes very little power and requires next to no maintenance. Unpack the stick, plug it in your TV’s HDMI port, plug the MicroUSB into the stick, and a power source and you’re up and running.
The Amazon FireTV Stick LITE is an entry-level media player that will work great with most content. Images, video, text, plugins like weather, RSS, stream, social media, etc. The media player fails on dynamic content like slide animations, and advanced playlists, and playlists with zones.
The Amazon FireTV Stick LITE does support HD video and will play HD video on top smooth. If you add elements on top of the video you should expect studdering.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
Brand: Amazon Model: FireTV Stick LITE (3rd. Gen) AFTSS
The Amazon FireTV Stick (2nd. Generation) was the first Amazon product we supported. Since then we’ve added more plugins and more functionality that is not supported on the 2nd. Generation sticks. The stick consumes very little power and requires next to no maintenance. Unpack the stick, plug it in your TV’s HDMI port, plug the MicroUSB into the stick, and a power source and you’re up and running.
The Amazon FireTV Stick is an entry-level media player with a low rating, meaning the player can only do very simple stuff like Images, video, text, plugins like weather, RSS, stream, social media, etc. The media player fails on dynamic content like slide animations, transitions, ticker, RSS ticker, and advanced playlists, and playlists with zones.
The Amazon FireTV Stick does support HD video and will play HD video on top okay. If you add elements on top of the video you should expect studdering or in worst cases the media player crashing.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
This versatile Android Touch Screen system empowers users with easy, direct interaction with your content. A high-resolution display with crystal clear video output and vibrant colors, smooth and accurate response, creates an easy interactive user-experience.
In most cases, these units seem to be very underpowered, in this case, we found that the screen quality and the hardware resources were impressive. The all-in-one touchscreen is still rated as an entry-level media player, but it does feature some stuff that might be interesting to you. It supports WIFI and an internet cable, it supports touch, the cabinet is industrial grade quality and all controls and wires can be “locked” away in the back of the unit.
The test showed the all-in-one touchscreen to perform well when running content like images, video, text, plugins like weather, RSS, stream, social media, etc. The media player fails on dynamic content like slide transitions, animations, and advanced playlists and playlists with zones.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
The Android HDMI Stick is not as powerful as the Amazon FireTV Stick 4K, but it’s very close. The stick consumes very little power. Unpack the stick, plug it in your TV’s HDMI port, plug the MicroUSB into the stick, and a power source and you’re up and running.
The Android HDMI Stick is an entry-level media player that will work great with most content. Images, video, text, plugins like weather, RSS, stream, social media, etc. The media player fails on dynamic content like animations, ticker and advanced playlists, and playlists with zones.
The Android HDMI Stick does support HD video and will play HD video on top smooth. If you add elements on top of the video you should expect studdering. Be aware the media player does support 4K, but the tests showed 4K video not running smooth.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
Brand: Techland Associates, Inc. Model: Android HDMI PC Stick
Zidoo X9S is an advanced TV box also suitable for digital signage. What sets it apart is its connectivity. The Zidoo X9S supports both HDMI In and HDMI Out. In addition USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Gigabit network, Optical SPDIF, Composite Audio, and dual-band WIFI.
Zidoo X9S was first introduced in 2016 so it’s running old hardware putting it in the entry-level category.
Zidoo X9S runs simple content as Images, video, text, plugins like weather, RSS, stream, social media, etc. The media player fails on dynamic content like transitions, animations, ticker and advanced playlists, and playlists with zones.
Zidoo does support HD video and will play HD video on top smooth. If you add elements on top of the video you should expect studdering. Be aware the media player does support 4K, but the tests showed 4K video not running smoothly.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
We’ve been waiting for this for some time now – Finally a Google ChromeCast with local storage suitable for digital signage.
Testing this media player was fun and it almost became a sport trying to crash it, but so far we had no luck. This does not mean it will play anything, but it’s an indication that the hardware and OS are working very stable.
We think you’ll like the Google ChromeCast, its great looking, super user-friendly and it pulls off most content. The following content will not run smoothly, element animations, advanced playlists, and advanced zones.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
Brand: Google Model: ChromeCast with Google TV
Specifications
Android TV 10 OS, 1.9 ghz., Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU, 2GB ram, 8GB internal storage, Mali G31 MP2 GPU.
This 10” Android Tablet delivers reliability, responsive touch, and clear HD display designed to survive the rigors of continuous public use for in-store interaction, self-service, corporate and hospitality environments. A great solution for featuring products and services in retail, restaurant, education, among many other possible usages. This device can be utilize in a number of different applications without sacrificing performance and quality.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
Brand: Techland Associates, Inc. Model: MW-10T 10”
We support native Apple OSX used on Macbook and Macbook Pro. The test is made using a Macbook Pro, but you can use any of Apple’s computers running their OSX.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
You can use any form of PC, MiniPC, Laptop, etc., running Windows OS for your digital signage. In this test, we used a Dell Latitude (Specs further down) laptop. Keep in mind the performance is 100% based on the hardware.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
Brand: Microsoft (OS) & Dell (Hardware) Model: Latitude E7450
RKM DS02 Android7.1 Rockchip RK3288 Network signage/advertising player; Digital signage media player support rotation, RTC, time on/off; 4G or WIFI supported; Metal Case.
Slide transition effects (?) Element animations (?) Ticker support (?) Script injection (?) Screenshot (?) Touch support (?) HD Video 4K Video Simple level playlist Advanced level playlist Zones (One zone) (?) Zones (Multiple zones) (?) Ethernet WIFI Fan-less
