Tips for Fast Support Response and Solutions

Owned by BrightSign TechDocs
Last updated: Sept 30, 2024
6 min read

At BrightSign, the primary method of receiving free support is by submitting a support ticket online. The more information you provide up-front when creating a support ticket, the fewer follow-up questions will be needed, and the quicker your problem can be resolved.

We also have a priority phone support service which ensures that you receive a call back from our support team within a certain number of business hours or days. This an additional feature and does not replace our free support option. Contact BrightSign Sales for details. 

Essential Information

Without this information, we can’t help you and your initial reply will just be questions. Links in this section will open in a new window so you can get more information while reading.

  1. The player model number, which can be found on the:

    1. Label on the player's box or the label on the bottom of the player

    2. Information screen output when the player is booted up without storage

    3. Info tab of the player's Diagnostic Web Server

    4. The unique identifier listed on BrightSignNetwork.com (if the player is using BSN)

    5. If you are not sure what the model is, leave it blank. It's better to know this than give you advice that is incorrect or does not apply.

  2. A detailed description of your problem:

    • Good: "My XD232 was fine, then I published a new presentation from BrightAuthor 4.7.2.5 and now it no longer displays anything. The red Error light is not blinking, and the player is not rebooting. It is just displaying black."

    • Bad: "I have a problem with my XD232."
      We know what model you have, but nothing about the problem you're having.  There is no way we can solve your problem without asking more questions first.

    • Worse: "Call me at 408 555 1212." We do have phone support options available (see this page), but even for phone support, it is still essential for us to know what your problem is about so we can get the appropriate resource(s) to speak with you.

What To Do

  1. Include as much information about what you're using as you have available.

    • Player model. To get this, check the label under the player, or the information screen it displayed when powered up without storage installed, the Diagnostic Web Server Info tab, or the unique identifier listed on BrightSignNetwork.com (if the player is using BrightSign Network).

    • Player firmware version. To get this, check the information screen it displayed when powered up without storage installed, the Diagnostic Web Server Info tab, or the firmware version listed on BrightSignNetwork.com (if the player is using BSN), or in the Network section of BrightAuthor:connected, if you are using BrightAuthor:connected and logged into BSN.cloud.

    • Player serial number. Check the label under the player, the information screen it displayed when powered up without storage installed, the Diagnostic Web Server Info tab, or the Unique identifier listed on BrightSignNetwork.com (if the player is using BrightSign Network), or in the Network section of BrightAuthor:connected if you are using BrightAuthor:connected and logged into BSN.cloud

    • If you are using one of the BrightSign CMS services, specify whether you are using BrightSign Network or BSN.cloud - they are not the same!

      • If you are using BrightSign Network, what is your BrightSign Network network/account name?

      • If you are using BSN.cloud, what is your BSN.cloud network/account name?

    • If you're using a third-party CMS system like Appspace, Signagelive, Tightrope Carousel, etc - check with their support first. Most times issues with third-party CMS systems are not hardware problems with the player, and the CMS provider knows how their system works the best. If you have contacted their support and they referred you to us, please indicate that.

    • If you're having a display issue, what is the manufacturer and model of the connected display?

    • If you're having a storage issue, what is the manufacturer and model of the storage card being used?

    • Are you using Power Over Ethernet?  If so, is it PoE Type I, or PoE Type II (aka PoE+)?

  2. If this request is a follow-up or in reference to an existing support ticket, provide the support ticket number. This is especially important when submitting files or other assets via separate email so we can merge the information into the relevant ticket.

  3. Be certain about the information you provide. If you don't know the exact model number or firmware version of the player, that's fine. Don't select a random model or firmware version in the ticket properties if you're not sure, as incorrect information can lead us in the wrong direction and waste time.

  4. Describe the problem you're having in detail.  Don't make general statements like "it's not working" or "it's broken" - be specific about what isn't working or broken.  The more details you provide upfront, the fewer questions we'll need to ask and the faster we can reach a resolution.

    • Bad: Player won't work.

    • So-so: The player isn't showing output

    • Good: The player isn't showing output and the Err light is blinking

    • Better: The player isn't showing output and the Err light is blinking 10 times, pausing, then blinking 10 times again.

    • Best: The player was fine after I configured it, but after publishing my presentation, the player isn't showing output and the Err light is blinking 10 times, pausing, then blinking 10 times again.

  5. Include available diagnostic information if possible.  The system log from the player's Diagnostic Web Server at http://REPLACE_WITH_IP_ADDRESS_OF_PLAYER/index.html Log tab is a valuable tool for us.  Download it and attach it to your support request if you can.

  6. If your problem is related to a presentation you are publishing, including a download link to a zip of the exported presentation will help us identify issues in your presentation or media more quickly.
    The Export option is in the File menu of BrightAuthor or the BrightAuthor:connected desktop application. Be sure to export to a separate folder and zip the folder into a single file and send a link to that. It takes extra time for us to download individual files.

  7. If you have attempted your own troubleshooting, tell us what troubleshooting steps you have taken in detail. For example, if your player won't power up and you have tested it with a known-good power supply from a working unit of the same model, please tell us this. Knowing what tests you have already done and what their results were will let us jump straight to advanced troubleshooting or an RMA rather than spending time having you repeat tests that you have already done.

What to Avoid

  1. Don't assume we know who you are, what equipment you have, or what you're trying to do.  Your salesperson may very well know what you've been doing or have going, but we usually do not, and even if you do have ongoing communication with support, the agent who picks up your ticket may not be privy to the information shared previously.

  2. Be careful not to get stuck in the mechanics of how you think thing should work.
    Tell us what you're trying to accomplish and we may have a better solution to recommend.
    For example, if you need to play a video and trigger sending various commands during the video playback, it will be much more helpful to describe this need rather than asking us, "How do I add more than one Timeout event to a video?" because you can't add more than one Timeout event.
    Knowing what you want to accomplish would let us respond immediately with, "Use the Video Timecode event, you can trigger commands at specific times" as the best solution for this task.

  3. Avoid using relative terms like "the latest" or "the newest" - these things can change quickly.  Be exact.

    • Bad: I'm using the latest software

    • So-so: I'm using BrightAuthor:connected

    • Good: I'm using BrightAuthor:connected 1.6.40

    • Best: I'm using BrightAuthor:connected 1.6.40 on Windows 10 Pro

  4. Don't confuse BrightAuthor and BrightAuthor:connected - they are different applications that are not interchangeable, please be sure of which one you're using.

  5. Try not to combine multiple unrelated problems into the same ticket.  While we will do our best to address your issues, having a "laundry list" in one ticket increases the chances that we'll accidentally miss addressing one of the points or get confused.
    Of course if there are multiple problems with the same unit or presentation, that's perfectly fine to keep together as they're related and may even influence each other.

  6. Be wary of irrelevant comparisons. Different devices have different capabilities, just as your PC might be able to play things your smartphone cannot, what plays on a PC often doesn't bear much relevance to what can play on the BrightSign player.

    • This is especially true for HTML sites which often rely on near-limitless CPU and memory resources of a computer, whereas the BrightSign player is an appliance platform.

    • Using a computer as a "sanity check" is a reasonable thing, however.  If something doesn't display on your PC, it is highly unlikely that it will play on the BrightSign player, but the reverse does not hold true - it playing on a PC doesn't say much about whether it will play on the BrightSign player.

  7. Please don't just enter contact information with "call me" or "I need help" without giving us more information.  We don't honestly know if we can help without knowing what the problem is, and if you pay for a callback we automatically get notified.