Content Comparison

BrightAuthor:connected is free to use, just like BrightAuthor, and a Control Cloud subscription is free on all connected players. The full feature set of Content Cloud is the same price as a BrightSign Network subscription, $99 per player per year.

These were built to address many pain-points that BrightSign and our CMS partners face. We simplified device deployment, network and player management, and delivered remote diagnostics, and we are making this functionality available to everyone. In addition, by using a more modern architecture, we’re able to provide a unified experience for BrightSign products on Mac and Windows, as well as through a Chrome web browser.

We are currently in the process of updating our security documentation for BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected.

Both the Chrome web (bsn.cloud) and desktop applications use BSN.cloud identically. However, the desktop application can function locally, so (BrightAuthor:connected) applications offer similar functionality with the key difference being that the desktop application is able to access files and content stored on the computer's hard drive can be accessed directly through the application. When using the Chrome local computer whereas the web application cannot. With the web application, files and content must first be uploaded to the BSN.cloud before they can be used in presentations. 

No. A BSN.cloud Content Cloud account is required to host Dynamic Playlists. However, you can get similar functionality with a self-hosted Media RSS (MRSS) feed, which can work with any player that has an internet connection. See this FAQ for more details.

Yes. The Control Cloud, which is included with all BrightSign players running OS 8 and higher, is a free subscription service that grants access to real-time basic health information of connected players through BrightAuthor:connected. The Content Cloud also allows for basic system diagnostics. Other features of the Control Cloud include B-Deploy, OS updates, and remote reboots. 

You can select the temperature icon on the Dashboard to see a graphic representation of player health (see this page), or enable Event, Playback, State, Diagnostic, or Variable logging in Setup > Player Settings > Logging. You can also set the log upload frequency in this location.