EZSignage User Manual

Revision: 2

Management of a solution as flexible as EZSignage requires a powerful CMS (Content Management System) to control the core concepts. The EZSignage CMS is packed full of features to help you get the very best out of the EZSignage solution.

This User Manual covers the core concepts and CMS features and starts with a "Tour" to further explain what EZSignage can actually do...

Welcome to the Tour!

EZSignage is a flexible and powerful application with a core ethos in Digital Signage for all, regardless of skill or technological knowledge.

The software itself center's on 5 core concepts:

  1. Users
  2. Displays
  3. Layouts
  4. Media
  5. Scheduling

Using these 5 concepts we can sum up what EZSignage can do in a simple sentence;

"EZSignage enables a User to upload Media and arrange it in a Layout which is then Scheduled to one or more authorised Displays".

EZSignage has many more features to take advantage of which are covered within this User Manual, but to get started let's take a quick look at the main 5.

Users

Users are the people that have access to the CMS and are identified by a Username and Password to grant access.

EZSignage supports 3 User types, User Groups as well as multi-level Permissions to all parts and items stored within the CMS.

For a corporate environment EZSignage can also integrate with SAML identity providers such as Active Directory via ADFS.

Displays

Displays represent the hardware connected to the TV/Projector/Tablet that is displaying the Scheduled end content. Each Display is uniquely identified in the CMS so that every Display can have its own content, Layout designs and Schedules set with uniquely identified reporting statistics available.

Layouts

Layouts are the complete design that is seen on the screen. Layouts are made up of Regions which allows you to split the screen/position how you choose, with each Region containing its own Playlist/Timeline to which Media Widgets are assigned. A Layout will remain on screen until all Regions have finished playing their assigned content through once, then an entirely fresh Scheduled Layout can be loaded that has different positioning/sizing of Regions and different Playlists/Timelines.

This flexibility drives the dynamic nature of a EZSignage display screen.

Media

Media content is at the core of the EZSignage solution and has many different types which can be generally split into two categories:

File-based media - uploaded and stored in the Library, for example, image and video files.

Layout based media - does not have an associated file and is configured directly on a Layout; RSS feeds and free Text

EZSignage uses powerful Widgets which allow you to show your content as well as integrating dynamic third-party information from a variety of sources.

Scheduling

Scheduling is highly flexible and supports Schedules to single Displays as well as to Display Groups. Each Display will check for new Scheduled content periodically, and download Scheduled Items in advance of playback. Default Layouts are shown on Displays when nothing else is Scheduled.