Player Audio/Video/Image FAQ

Owned by BrightSign TechDocs
Last updated: Dec 06, 2024
7 min read

 

Do BrightSign players support multiple audio tracks?

Yes. All audio tracks must have the same sampling rate and bit depth if you plan to output multiple audio tracks simultaneously from either audio or video files.

You can mix multiple audio files together (for example, by adding multiple zones in BrightAuthor:connected) and send them to the same output, or output two audio streams simultaneously: one via the HDMI, and a second via the 3.5mm audio or SPDIF using an .mp3 or .wav file.

The AU335 supports up to three zones for audio. For example, you can create two analog-output zones, but one is stereo right and the other is stereo left. Or, you can create two zones where one is analog and one is HDMI.

See this FAQ to make sure your audio format is supported.

Can BrightSign players output component and composite video?

Series 2, 3, 4 and 5 BrightSign players do not support component or composite video without an external converter.

HD810 and HD1010 players come installed with YPbPr component connectors. Using a third-party VGA converter, you can also play component and composite video on other models.

There are many third-party VGA breakout cables; however, some VGA breakout cables will not work with the VGA port on a BrightSign player. You will need to ensure that the VGA converter you purchase has the same pin layout as outlined below:

 

Pin 1

Pin 2

Pin 3

 

Pin 1

Pin 2

Pin 3

Component RGB

Red

Green

Blue

Component YPbPr

Pr

Y

Pb

S-Video

C

Y

-

CVBS

-

-

CVBS

In BrightAuthor:connected or BrightAuthor, configure the output for component/composite as follows:

Component:  Select Component from the Connector type drop down menu. In the Screen resolution drop down menu, you may choose any 1080,  720, or 480 option, as well as the NTSC-COMPONENT and PAL-COMPONENT options.

S-Video or CVBS: Select HDMI from the Connector type drop down menu. In the Screen resolution drop down menu, you may choose the following options:

  • PAL-N

  • PAL-M

  • PAL-I

  • PAL-BG

  • NTSC-M-JPN

  • NTSC-

How can I check if my video/audio files are compatible with my player?

You can use MediaInfo to check if your files are compatible with a player. To do this:

  1. Download MediaInfo and install it on your system

  2. Launch MediaInfo and go to View > Select Text.

  3. Go to File > Open > File

  4. Browse to your file and click Open

Your output should be similar to this example:

General ID : 1 (0x1) Complete name : F:\FromVOBtotsfromffmpeg5.ts Format : MPEG-TS File size : 90.0 MiB Duration : 4mn 9s Overall bit rate mode : Variable Overall bit rate : 3 022 Kbps Video ID : 256 (0x100) Menu ID : 1 (0x1) Format : AVC Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec Format profile : High@L3.2 Format settings, CABAC : Yes Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames Codec ID : 27 Duration : 4mn 9s Bit rate : 2 485 Kbps Width : 720 pixels Height : 576 pixels Display aspect ratio : 16:9 Frame rate mode : Variable Standard : PAL Color space : YUV Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0 Bit depth : 8 bits Scan type : Progressive Stream size : 74.0 MiB (82%) Writing library : x264 core 142 r2431 ac76440 Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=12 / lookahead_threads=2 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=19.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / vbv_maxrate=20000 / vbv_bufsize=25000 / crf_max=0.0 / nal_hrd=none / filler=0 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00 Audio ID : 257 (0x101) Menu ID : 1 (0x1) Format : AC-3 Format/Info : Audio Coding 3 Mode extension : CM (complete main) Format settings, Endianness : Big Codec ID : 129 Duration : 4mn 9s Bit rate mode : Constant Bit rate : 384 Kbps Channel(s) : 6 channels Channel positions : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz Bit depth : 16 bits Compression mode : Lossy Stream size : 11.4 MiB (13%) Menu ID : 4096 (0x1000) Menu ID : 1 (0x1) Duration : 4mn 9s List : 256 (0x100) (AVC) / 257 (0x101) (AC-3) Service name : Service01 Service provider : FFmpeg Service type : digital television

BrightSign Support will ask you to send the above information (in the above Text View format) if you contact us and we suspect that your audio/video files are impacting your player's behavior.

When using H264 encoded video please make sure that you check the Format profile (Format profile: High@L3.2 in the above example) and that it is within the specs described on this page.

Which BrightSign players can be synchronized?

You can synchronize models from the same model family: For example, the HD1020 can be synced with the HD220, or the 4K242 with the 4K1142.

However, you cannot synchronize models from different model families: For example, the XD230 cannot be synced with the XD232 or HD220.

Players must be synchronized over an Ethernet connection (not WiFI). You can synchronize two units by connecting them directly to each other using a standard Ethernet cable; for any larger deployments, you will need LAN infrastructure.

See this page for more information on synchronization.

How can I reduce the latency of streaming playback?

The low_latency parameter for RTSP streams, on BOS version 6.2 and above, lets you achieve a much lower streaming latency than normal, but at reduced maximum bitrates (for example, rtsp://example/media.amp?low_latency). This option is ideal for IP camera streams on the local network.

Do BrightSign players support Genlock?

Genlock (frame-accurate VSync) is available with BrightSign OS version 7.0 and is automatically integrated in all BrightWall™ and Enhanced Synchronization presentations as of BrightAuthor version 4.7.1.x or later.

The current version of BrightAuthor:connected doesn't support BrightWall™, but does support Enhanced Synchronization. BrightAuthor versions 3.8.0.x or later support BrightWall™ BrightAuthor:connected and BrightAuthor can be used and installed on the same computer. 

Note that synchronization is not supported over wireless connections.

Do BrightSign players support USB audio?

You must use a plugin or script to play USB audio with BrightSign players. Digital audio output is supported over HDMI and SPDIF.

Do BrightSign players support closed captioning/subtitles?

Yes, you can use any of the following methods:

  • If your video content has caption information encoded in it, you can display that caption using HTML. No extra plugin or scripting is required. Non-HTML video players support this also, but a plugin is required to turn on the feature. Once it is turned on, you can display the caption information that is embedded in the video.

  • BrightSign players can display closed-captioning streams from video through HTML <video> elements, as well as the roVideoPlayer BrightScript method.

  • You can display subtitles using the Subtitles Widget plugin for BrightAuthor:connected/BrightAuthor. This plugin uses text from a .txt file to display subtitles at specified time codes.

  • You can use the caption plugin below to display captions inside a video rather than using a separate SRT file. The closed captions must be in one of the following formats:

    • CEA-708

    • CEA-608

    • DVB in BrightAuthor:connected

 

What is the smallest video size supported by BrightSign players?

BrightSign players do not support videos that have a width or height less than 64 pixels. However, a video can be scaled down beyond this limit by making the BrightAuthor:connected or BrightAuthor zone or HTML video element containing the video smaller than 64x64. To get the desired downscaling behavior, ensure that the View Mode of the zone is not set to Fill Screen and Centered, or that the <video> element does not have an object-fit=cover attribute. 

How accurate is synchronization?

Using the BrightWall or Enhanced Synchronization features, players stay synchronized within a few milliseconds (i.e. video and images remain frame-accurate among screens). See this FAQ to determine which synchronization option is best for your needs.

The current version of BrightAuthor:connected doesn't support BrightWall™, but does support Enhanced Synchronization. BrightAuthor versions 3.8.0.x or later support BrightWall™ . BrightAuthor:connected and BrightAuthor can be used and installed on the same computer. 

See this page for more information.

What Adobe Media Encoder export settings should I use?

BrightSign recommends that you encode the video using the hardware encoder, rather than software encoder (note that hardware encoding in Adobe Media Encoder doesn’t support interlaced output). To do this:

  1. Add the video file to the Queue.

  2. Select the video file in the panel to open Export Settings.

  3. In Export Settings, go to Video > Basic Video Settings > Field Order.

  4. Uncheck Field Order and set it to Progressive. Note that Encoded Settings must be set to Hardware Encoding to do this.

Other Adobe Media Encoder settings that work for Series 2 and later players are:

  • Frame Rate: 25

  • Aspect: Based On Source

  • TV Standard: Based On Source

  • Profile: Main

  • Level: 4.1

  • Bitrate Encoding: VBR, 2 pass

  • Target and Maximum Bitrate: 12 (bitrates above 12Mbps generate files that may contain peaks above 25Mbps, which affects playback synchronization accuracy on video wall presentations across multiple players).

  • Time Interpolation: Frame Sampling

What is the best way to resize images for playback?

There are many applications and utilities that are available for editing and converting images. VSO Image Resizer, for example, does batch conversions.

See this page for information on supported image resolutions for your player. You can increase the maximum allowed width of images by sacrificing height, or increase the maximum width/height by reducing the bpp value. For example, you could use a 4096x640x32bpp or a 4096x1280x16bpp image on non-4K players.