BSN.cloud and BrightAuthor:connected FAQ

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.

No. These are separate platforms. A player can only be associated to and managed by one platform or the other.

Many of our CMS partners are already actively working on expanding the functionality of their products by taking advantage of our new BSN.cloud platform. Our platform improvements enable our CMS partners to simplify BrightSign player setup and bring new features and functionalities to their products, so we expect you will enjoy the benefits of our updated platform while using the CMS that you are familiar with.

Yes. Both BrightAuthor and BrightAuthor:connected can be installed on the same Windows PC.

No. BSN.cloud requires players to be on OS 8 (8.0.119) or newer.

The Mac or Windows BrightAuthor:connected client software will operate in all the traditional non-connected modes, such as publishing for Standalone or using Local Network. There are additional features available when BrightAuthor:connected is connected to BSN.cloud and those features will require internet connectivity.

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

Please see this article for more details.

Both the Chrome application and desktop application function using BSN.cloud identically. The main difference between the Chrome and desktop BrightAuthor:connected applications is that the Mac or PC desktop application can function locally. Using BrightAuthor:connected locally allows files and content stored on the computer's hard drive to be accessed directly through the application, while when using the BSN.cloud files and content are required to be first uploaded to the BSN.cloud before being available for use in presentation and other player content. 

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.