Screen Edges Tips | Play Digital Signage Guide

About

Most of the time, you don’t need to do anything. The player uses the whole screen and fits your playlist to it. Screen edges are for the times when that doesn’t look right:

Older TVs that cut off the edges of the picture. This is called overscan. A logo in a corner or a ticker at the bottom of your content can disappear off the screen
LED signs and billboards, where the LED sign only shows part of the media player’s picture. You tell the player where that part is and how big it is, in pixels
Any other setup where you want your content in one specific area of the screen

You can set screen edges in two places:

In the web portal, in the screen’s settings (Screens → the settings button → Screen edges). This is handy when you’re not near the screen
In the player app on the media player itself (Options → Screen edges). This is handy when you’re standing in front of the screen, because a red border shows you exactly where the edges are

The two places use different names for the same settings. Adjust bounds in the web portal is called Adjust size in the player app, and Adjust offset in the web portal is called Adjust position in the player app.

This page covers:

Use entire screen area
Adjust bounds (Adjust size in the player app): the width and height of the area
Adjust offset (Adjust position in the player app): where the area starts
Reset edges
Setting screen edges in the web portal and in the player app
Fixing content that’s cut off on a TV
Setting screen edges for an LED sign
Portrait screens, supported players, plans and team roles

Get Started

This is the most common way to set your own screen edges: in the web portal, for example for an LED sign. The screen must be online while you do this.

Go to Screens
Click the settings button (the gear icon) on the right side of your screen’s row. The [screen name] settings window opens
On the Settings tab, scroll to the bottom and click Screen edges to open it
Turn off Use entire screen area
Under Adjust bounds, type the width and height of the area you want to use, in pixels
Under Adjust offset, type how far from the left edge and how far from the top edge the area starts. Leave both at 0 if the area starts in the top-left corner
Click Save at the bottom of the window. The screen should pick up the new edges within moments

Screens are found here: https://my.playsignage.com/screens

Tip: If the edges of your content are cut off on a TV, check the TV’s own picture size setting first. See “Fix content that’s cut off on a TV” below.

Tip: Want to go back to using the whole screen? Turn Use entire screen area back on and click Save.

Open Screen edges in the web portal

Go to Screens
Find your screen. It must be online
Click the settings button (the gear icon) on the right side of the screen’s row
The [screen name] settings window opens on the Settings tab
Scroll to the bottom and click Screen edges. It’s closed when you open the window

Only team members with the Owner, SuperAdmin or Admin role see the settings button. Members don’t.

If the screen is offline, you’ll see Edges can only be changed while screen is online. and all the Screen edges controls are grayed out. Start the player app, check that the media player is connected to the Internet, and then close and open the settings window again.

Use the entire screen area

Use entire screen area is on for most screens. It’s turned on automatically when a new player is set up. When it’s on:

The player uses the whole screen, whatever its resolution
In landscape, your playlist is centered on the screen
If you change the media player’s resolution or move the player to another display, the player adjusts to the new screen size by itself
Adjust bounds, Adjust offset and Reset edges are grayed out, because there’s nothing to set

To turn it on:

Open Screen edges in the screen’s settings (see above)
Turn on Use entire screen area
Click Save

Any edges you set yourself are replaced by the full screen, with both distances set to 0.

Set your own screen area

Open Screen edges in the screen’s settings
Turn off Use entire screen area. The boxes under Adjust bounds and Adjust offset can now be changed
Set the width and height under Adjust bounds (see “Change the size of the area” below)
Set where the area starts under Adjust offset (see “Move the area” below)
Click Save

When you turn off Use entire screen area, the boxes normally still show the full screen size, with both distances at 0. So you only have to change what you need.

Change the size of the area (Adjust bounds)

Under Adjust bounds, you’ll see a picture of a screen with two number boxes and four + and - buttons.

Type the width in the box on the right side of the picture, and the height in the box at the bottom of the picture
Or use the buttons: the + at the top and the - at the bottom change the height. The - on the left and the + on the right change the width
Each click changes the number by 1 pixel. Hold the button down to keep changing it
The buttons don’t go below 0
Click Save

Tip: If you know the exact size, for example the resolution of your LED sign, type it straight into the boxes. That’s faster and more exact than the buttons.

Move the area (Adjust offset)

Under Adjust offset, you’ll see the same kind of picture, with two number boxes with arrows.

The box with the arrow pointing right is the distance from the left edge of the screen. A bigger number moves the area to the right
The box with the arrow pointing down is the distance from the top edge of the screen. A bigger number moves the area down
0 in both boxes means the area starts in the top-left corner of the screen
You can also use the + and - buttons. Each click changes the number by 1 pixel. Hold the button down to keep changing it
Click Save

Tip: Type the numbers straight into the boxes. That’s the most reliable way to get exactly the position you want.

Reset the edges

There are two ways to go back to the full screen:

Reset edges: sets the width and height to the screen’s full resolution, as reported by the player, and both distances to 0. It only changes the boxes, so click Save afterwards. The button only works while Use entire screen area is off. Use it when you want to start over but still set the edges yourself
Use entire screen area: turn it on and click Save. The player uses the whole screen and keeps following the screen size if it changes. This is the easiest way to undo your own edges

To leave the settings window without changing anything, close it with the X in the top-right corner instead of clicking Save.

Set screen edges in the player app

You can also set the edges on the media player itself. The red border makes it easy to see what you’re doing, so this is the best way to fix a TV that cuts off the edges.

Open Options in the player app (see how below)
Under Actions, click Screen edges
A red border shows the current edges. Your goal is to get the red border to run exactly along the edges of the picture you can see (or along the edges of your LED sign)
Turn off Use entire screen area
Under Adjust position, move the border. Under Adjust size, change its width and height
Click or tap the + and - buttons. With a remote control, use the arrow buttons to pick a + or - button and press OK. Each press changes the number by 1 pixel. Hold to keep changing it
You can also type the numbers in the boxes (except on Amazon Fire TV, where you use the buttons)
Your changes are saved on the player right away. There’s no Save button
When you’re done, click Options at the top of the screen to go back to the Options page, and go back to your content from there (on a remote, press the Back or Return button)

To go back to the full screen, click Reset edges, or turn on Use entire screen area. Both work right away.

How to open Options on most players:

Windows, Mac and Linux: press Ctrl + O (Cmd + O on Mac), or move the mouse and click Options in the menu bar at the top of the screen (the menu bar only shows when Show top menu bar is on)
Android and Amazon Fire TV: press OK on the remote while your content is playing, or press Ctrl + O on a keyboard
Samsung signage TVs: press the Tools button on the remote
LG signage TVs: press OK on the remote while your content is playing

The player app works without an Internet connection, so you can set the edges here even when the screen is offline. When the player is online, it sends the new edges to our server, so they should show up in the web portal the next time you open the screen’s settings.

Fix content that’s cut off on a TV

Many TVs, especially older ones, zoom in on the picture a little. This is called overscan. It cuts off the outer edges of your content.

The best fix is to turn off overscan on the TV itself:

Open the TV’s picture settings and look for a picture size or aspect ratio setting
Choose the option that shows the whole picture. It’s often called Screen Fit or Fit to Screen (Samsung), Just Scan (LG), or Full Pixel (Sony). The name depends on your TV brand and model

If your TV doesn’t have such a setting, or the edges are still cut off, use Screen edges to make your content a little smaller:

Open Screen edges in the player app (see above)
Turn off Use entire screen area
Use Adjust size and Adjust position until you can see the whole red border, running just inside all four edges of the screen

You can do the same in the web portal with Adjust bounds and Adjust offset, but then you can’t see the red border, so you’ll need someone to look at the screen.

Set screen edges for an LED sign

LED signs are often driven by a media player whose picture is bigger than the LED sign. The LED controller (sending card) only shows part of that picture, usually starting in the top-left corner. Screen edges tell the player to put your content exactly in that part.

Find your LED sign’s resolution in pixels, for example 1200 × 800. Your LED supplier or the LED controller’s software can tell you
Create a playlist with the same resolution, for example 1200:800. Our LED Screen page shows you how
Open Screen edges in the screen’s settings and turn off Use entire screen area
Under Adjust bounds, type the LED sign’s width and height, for example 1200 and 800
Under Adjust offset, leave both boxes at 0 if the LED controller shows the top-left corner of the picture. If it starts somewhere else, type where it starts
Click Save

When the area starts in the top-left corner and is smaller than the screen, the player should cover the rest of the screen in black. That way, nothing from your content shows up outside the LED area.

Screen edges and portrait screens

If you rotate the screen to portrait in the media player’s own settings after the player has started, and Use entire screen area is off, the player keeps the edges it had in landscape. Your content is then rotated, but it doesn’t fill the screen. To fix it:

Turn on Use entire screen area, in the web portal or in the player app, or
In the player app, move the red border so it covers the whole visible area

On Android devices, the player swaps the width and height by itself when the device is rotated.

If you use the Display orientation setting in the screen’s settings to show portrait content, we recommend keeping Use entire screen area on. Read more on our Portrait Orientation page.

Players that support Screen edges

Screen edges work on all our player apps:

Windows, Mac, Linux and Raspberry Pi
Android, including Amazon Fire TV, the Amazon Signage Stick and Google Chromecast
Samsung signage TVs (Tizen)
LG signage TVs (webOS)
BrightSign
Our Chrome extension
Our web player in a browser

Important notes

Screen edges are set for each screen, not for a playlist or a group. Every screen has its own edges
You don’t need to publish. When you click Save in the screen’s settings, the new edges are sent straight to the screen
In the web portal, you can only change Screen edges while the screen is online. In the player app, you can change them at any time
Only the Owner, SuperAdmin and Admin roles can open a screen’s settings in the web portal. Members can’t
Screen edges are available on all plans
The numbers are in the media player’s real screen pixels
Your playlist keeps its shape. If it doesn’t have the same shape as the area you set, part of the area stays empty
When Use entire screen area is off, your edges stay exactly as they are, even if you change the media player’s resolution or display. Check your edges again after such a change
The web portal and the player app use different names: Adjust bounds is Adjust size, and Adjust offset is Adjust position

Options

How the player uses the screen area

Think of the screen area as a rectangle on your screen. You describe it with four numbers, all in pixels:

Width and height: how big the rectangle is
Distance from the left and distance from the top: where the rectangle’s top-left corner is, counted from the top-left corner of the screen

The player fits your playlist inside the rectangle without stretching it. If the playlist and the rectangle have different shapes, part of the rectangle stays empty, on the right or at the bottom. Anything outside the rectangle stays dark.

The numbers are in the media player’s real screen pixels. For example, a Full HD picture is 1920 × 1080 pixels. On most players, you can see the resolution the player reports in the screen’s settings, on the Information tab under Resolution.

When Use entire screen area is on, the rectangle is simply the whole screen.

In the web portal (Screens → settings button → Settings tab → Screen edges)

Use entire screen area: on means the player uses the whole screen. Off lets you set the area yourself
Adjust bounds: the width (box on the right side of the picture) and height (box at the bottom) of the area, in pixels. The + and - buttons change them 1 pixel at a time and don’t go below 0
Adjust offset: the distance from the left edge (arrow pointing right) and from the top edge (arrow pointing down), in pixels
Reset edges: sets the width and height to the screen’s full resolution and both distances to 0. Only works while Use entire screen area is off
Save (at the bottom of the window): sends the new edges to the screen
Edges can only be changed while screen is online.: shown when the screen is offline

In the player app (Options → Actions → Screen edges)

Use entire screen area: turning it on also sets the edges back to the full screen
Adjust position: moves the area (distance from the left and from the top)
Adjust size: the width and height of the area
The red border: shows where the edges are
Adjust the red border so it stretches from edge to edge. and Read more…: a short tip about the red border and your TV’s overscan setting
Reset edges: sets the edges back to the full screen right away
Options (in the menu bar at the top): takes you back to the Options page

Information tab → Resolution (in the screen’s settings): the resolution the player reports
Display orientation (in the screen’s settings): see our Portrait Orientation page
Show top menu bar (in the screen’s settings under Advanced): shows the menu bar with the Options button when someone moves the mouse

FAQ

How do I set the screen edges for an LED sign?

Depending on your setup, you may need screen edges to fit your content to an LED sign or billboard. If your LED sign is 1200 × 800 pixels, create a playlist with the resolution 1200:800. Then open Screen edges in the screen’s settings, turn off Use entire screen area, and type 1200 and 800 under Adjust bounds (in the player app, it’s called Adjust size). If the LED sign doesn’t show the top-left corner of the picture, also set Adjust offset. Click Save. See “Set screen edges for an LED sign” above.

Where do I find Screen edges?

In the web portal: go to Screens, click the settings button (the gear icon) next to your screen, and scroll to the bottom of the Settings tab. In the player app: open Options and click Screen edges under Actions.

Do I need to set Screen edges at all?

Usually not. Most screens have Use entire screen area turned on, so the player uses the whole screen. You only need Screen edges if your content is cut off, if you use an LED sign or billboard, or if you want your content in a specific part of the screen.

What does Use entire screen area do?

It makes the player use the whole screen, whatever its resolution. In landscape, your playlist is centered. If the screen size changes, the player follows it by itself. Turn it off when you want to set the width, height and position yourself.

The edges of my content are cut off on my TV. What do I do?

Your TV probably zooms in on the picture (overscan). Look in the TV’s picture settings for a picture size setting, often called Screen Fit, Just Scan or Full Pixel, and choose the one that shows the whole picture. If that doesn’t help, open Screen edges in the player app and make the red border fit inside the visible screen. See “Fix content that’s cut off on a TV” above.

Why is there an empty strip on the right or at the bottom of my screen?

Your playlist keeps its shape when it’s fitted into the area you set. If the playlist and the area have different shapes, part of the area stays empty. Make the area the same shape as your playlist, or turn on Use entire screen area so the player centers the playlist on the screen.

Why is everything in Screen edges grayed out?

Either the screen is offline, or Use entire screen area is on. When the screen is offline, you’ll see Edges can only be changed while screen is online. Make sure the player is running and connected, then close and open the settings window again. When Use entire screen area is on, turn it off to set your own edges.

I can’t find the settings button next to my screen. Why?

Only the Owner, SuperAdmin and Admin roles can open a screen’s settings. If you’re a member of the team, ask an admin or the owner to change the screen edges for you, or set them in the player app on the media player.

Do I need to publish after changing Screen edges?

No. Screen edges are sent to the screen when you click Save in the screen’s settings. In the player app, they’re saved right away. You only need to publish when you change a playlist or a group.

Can I change Screen edges when my screen is offline?

Not in the web portal. The screen must be online. You can always change them in the player app on the media player, even without an Internet connection.

Why are the names different in the player app and in the web portal?

They’re the same settings with different names. Adjust bounds in the web portal is Adjust size in the player app, and Adjust offset is Adjust position.

Which box is the width, and which is the height?

Under Adjust bounds, the box on the right side of the screen picture is the width, and the box at the bottom is the height. Under Adjust offset, the box with the arrow pointing right is the distance from the left, and the box with the arrow pointing down is the distance from the top.

What’s the difference between Reset edges and Use entire screen area?

Reset edges fills in the full screen size once, with both distances at 0, and you can keep adjusting from there. Use entire screen area makes the player use the whole screen all the time, and it follows the screen size if it changes.

What is the red border in the player app?

It shows the edges of the area the player uses. Move it and change its size until it runs exactly along the edges you want, for example the visible edges of your TV or the edges of your LED sign.

Why can’t I type the numbers in the player app on my Amazon Fire TV?

On Amazon Fire TV, the number boxes can’t be used. Use the + and - buttons with the remote instead, or type the numbers in the web portal.

I changed my media player’s resolution and now my content doesn’t fit. Why?

When Use entire screen area is off, the player keeps the edges you set, even when the resolution changes. Turn on Use entire screen area, or set new edges that match the new resolution.

The content is not aligned after I rotated my screen to portrait. What do I do?

If you started the player app before you rotated the screen to portrait in the media player’s settings, the content is rotated but doesn’t fill the screen. This happens because the player still uses the edges it had in landscape. Turn on Use entire screen area in the screen’s settings, or open Options in the player app, click Screen edges and move the red border so it covers the whole visible area.

Can I use different screen edges for different playlists?

No. Screen edges belong to the screen, so they’re the same for everything that plays on it. To fit different content, create your playlists in the shape of the area.

Do I need a Pro or Ultimate plan for Screen edges?

No. Screen edges are available on all plans.

Which players support Screen edges?

All our player apps: Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Android (including Amazon Fire TV, the Amazon Signage Stick and Google Chromecast), Samsung and LG signage TVs, BrightSign, our Chrome extension and our web player.

I changed the edges in the player app. Will I see that in the web portal?

Yes, once the player is online it sends the new edges to our server. Close and open the screen’s settings in the web portal to see them.

Screen Edges