Control the Player using Serial/UDP commands

BrightSign players support sending and receiving unlimited Serial and UDP commands. To set up the player to receive these commands, you must define the serial/UDP strings in BrightAuthor:connected or BrightAuthor. The strings can be used to switch from one file to another, pause, resume, change volume, send output, etc.

BrightSign players also support HTTP communication over TCP through custom scripts.

UDP (Ethernet/Wireless) Commands

BrightAuthor:connected

BrightAuthor:connected UDP command use is described in the UDP Variables and Walkthrough video. Related pages include:

• UDP Input

• Presentation Settings | Variables

• See this page to set the UDP Destination Port and UDP Receiver Port.

BrightAuthor

BrightAuthor control options are described in this video. The UDP page contains related information and this page describes how to import multiple commands and filenames as a CSV.

Serial Commands

BrightSign players with a serial port support sending and receiving bytes as well as strings (see the Do BrightSign players support serial control?” FAQ for more information). When sending or receiving bytes, you must use decimal values. Many websites have tools for converting between decimal, hex, and ASCII values (see this page or this page). You can also use a standard Windows calculator (select Programmer mode in View) to convert between hex and decimal.

To send bytes from a player over the serial port, use the Send - Serial byte or Send - Serial bytes (comma separated) commands in BrightAuthor:connected (you can also use a custom script). This is the same option you would use for sending Hex or Binary values.

In BrightAuthor:connected, you must select an interactive playlist and use the commands (available under the Advanced tab of a state or event) to send a byte or bytes. The serial Protocol should be set to ASCII mode under the Presentation Settings > Interactive > Connectors tab in a presentation. 

You can also receive bytes by setting the serial Protocol to Binary mode in Presentation Settings > Interactive > Connectors in a presentation. 

Open

You can then use Serial Input events to trigger transitions and other events in an Interactive playlist. Separate the serial values with a comma within the Specify Serial Input field, for example, "31 0D" in hex would be "49,13" in decimal.

Open

Scripts

You can also control a player through a script. Brightsign Control Script points to a sample control script, which defines a fixed set of playback commands (Play, Stop, Search, Loop, Pause, Resume, etc), and a Readme. Just copy the autorun.brs script and your content to an SD card, and you're ready to send/receive commands. The script also provides feedback when a command is received, when a file is found, when a file loops, etc.