Decide Whether to Trade in a Player

Owned by BrightSign TechDocs
Last updated: Jul 11, 2024
4 min read

What do you should know if you are upgrading from …

Series 0 (HDx10 series)

  • BrightAuthor 3.x/earlier presentations designed for Series 0 players (HDx10 series) are not supported by BrightAuthor version 4.0 or newer.

  • Series 0 players cannot be in the same BrightSign Network Group as Series 2 or newer players.

Series 1 and earlier

  • BrightSign Network Web UI presentations targeting Series 1 and Series 0 players are not compatible with Series 2 or newer players.

Series 2 and earlier

  • Your existing full-size SD cards will not fit in newer players – you need to purchase micro SD cards – if you are currently using a micro SD card in a full-size adapter, you can just remove the micro SD card from the adapter to use in newer players.

  • Internal micro SD storage is not supported on newer players, but you can use the micro SD card in the external micro SD slot in newer players.

  • GPIO connections now use a Phoenix style connector instead of DA15 connector.

  • Serial connections now use a 3.5mm jack instead of a DE9 (sometimes incorrectly referred to as DB9) connector.

  • Analog video output is not supported on newer players – you will need to get a self-powered HDMI to analog video converter if you require analog (CVBS/composite, S-Video, or Component) video output

  • SPDIF output on newer models is Mini-TOSlink (3.5mm) rather than standard TOSlink and the SPDIF and Analog stereo output share a common 3.5mm TRS jack, so you cannot use both SPDIF and analog audio outputs simultaneously (unless someone finds/makes a breakout adapter – but we’re not aware of any)

  • Some newer models use Type C USB jacks in place of or in addition to Type A jacks – check the model specifications to determine whether your peripherals will requires a USB A to USB C adapter.

  • BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected do not support Series 2 or older players with the exception of 4Kx42 models which are supported with BrightSign OS 8.0.119 or newer installed. If moving from BrightSign Network to BSN.cloud, be sure to upgrade all affected players to models and firmware/OS versions that are compatible with BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected.

Series 3 and earlier

  • Internal mSATA M.2 storage is not supported on newer players – you will need to get NVMe M.2 storage if you want to use internal M.2 storage on newer players

  • VC-1 (WMV), H.263, VP8, MPEG-1, and MPEG-4 Part 2 (MPEG-2 in MPEG-4 container) video CODECs are no longer supported on Series 4 or newer players.

  • When encoding the display output for streaming, only one video decoder is supported (only one video can play when streaming) on Series 4 players, and streaming encoding is not available at all on Series 5 players.

Series 4 and earlier

  • If you are authoring with BrightAuthor, you must update to BrightAuthor 5.x or change over to BrightAuthor:connected for assured compatibility with newer players (note that full player functionality may not be available in BrightAuthor 5.x, so changing to BrightAuthor:connected is preferred).

  • The AU335 audio-only player is not supported by any version of BrightAuthor or BrightSign Network (it is by BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected) and does not support video-related BrightScript function calls.

  • Full functionality of newer players in BrightSign Network is not available for Web UI presentations.

  • Functionality of newer players using BrightSign Network is limited by classic BrightAuthor’s limited support for them.

  • You must update to BrightSign OS 8.0.119 or newer to use BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected (note the previously-stated incompatibility for non-4K Series 2 players and older models). If moving from BrightSign Network to BSN.cloud, be sure to upgrade all affected players to models and firmware/OS versions that are compatible with BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected.

  • Power connectors on newer players are not the same as previous models. Do not attempt to reuse existing power supplies, BrightSign or otherwise.

  • PoE (Power over Ethernet) support and usage limitations vary by model – please verify the selected model supports the PoE type you plan to use (Type I or Type II/PoE+) and verify any functionality/usage limitations with PoE applied (for example, WiFi is disabled when PoE is in use).

  • Existing WiFi modules (WA100, WS103, WD104) are not compatible with newer players – if you require WiFi support, be sure to order the appropriate WiFi module for your selected model(s).

  • Some models/revisions of players use TTL signal levels for 3.5mm serial connections whereas others use RS-232 signal levels for 3.5mm serial connections – you should test your serial devices for compatibility when upgrading player hardware.

  • Interlaced output (1920x1080x60i, 1280x720x50i, 720x480x59.94i, 720x576x50i, etc) is not supported on newer players. If your hardware requires a interlaced video signal, you should not upgrade to Series 5, or you will need to install a signal converter that can convert the player’s progressive output to interlaced for your other hardware.

  • Dolby Vision is not supported on newer players. If you require Dolby Vision support, you should not upgrade to Series 5.

  • Streaming Encoding (roMediaStreamer) is not yet supported on newer players. If your solution is using the player for streaming encoding or transcoding, you should not upgrade to Series 5.

  • HDCP-protected HDMI input is not yet supported on newer players. This should be added in a future OS/firmware update. If your solution is using HDMI Input on a Series 4 or earlier model player (XD1132, 4K1142, XT1143, XT1144 models) and the input is protected by HDCP (usually the case for satellite/cable tuner boxes and media players like Apple TV), you should not upgrade to Series 5 yet.

  • Portrait video support and limitations vary by model – please check portrait support details for the selected model

 

Â