Getting Started: The Four Simple Steps of NowSignage

Starting your journey with NowSignage is simple and straightforward! Once you create your account, you’ll be ready to upload content, organise it into playlists, schedule when it will be displayed, and assign it to your screens.

To login to your NowSignage account, visit:

https://secure.nowsignage.com/

Table of Contents:

Click on any of the following links to quickly navigate to that section.

1. Add Content

2. Create a Playlist

3. Create a Schedule

4. Assign Content to a Screen

🔔 Important: Please make sure to follow these steps carefully to prevent any error messages from occurring. 🔔

Step 1. How To Upload Images and Videos

Uploading Images/Videos

All your photos and videos are securely stored on NowSignage cloud-based servers and can be easily accessed under the Content tab within your project.

To upload new photos and videos, follow these steps:

Click on the Content tab located in the left sidebar to access the asset library, where you can find all of your uploaded content conveniently organised.
Drag and drop your files into the designated upload area.
Alternatively, click on ‘+Add New’ and select ‘Upload Asset’ to open the upload popup.
Once you upload your files, they will be processed in the background. You can leave the page, and the upload will continue.

Please Note:

Video files are processed using AWS MediaConvert.
Larger files or more complex codecs (e.g., VP8, VP9, H265) may take longer to process.
Processing times can vary depending on demand.
File Name Limit: Ensure file names are 60 characters or fewer. Files exceeding this limit will trigger an error.

Caution:

Asset Dimension Guidance:

Please make sure that all content assets meet the specifications set by NowSignage for optimal performance and display quality.

Click the link for more information:

Step 2. How To Create A Playlist

Playlists allow you to control the sequence and duration of your assets.

To create a playlist, follow these steps:

Navigate to the Playlists section in the left panel.
Click on ‘+ADD PLAYLIST’ in the top-right to create a new playlist.
Name your playlist (e.g., Master) and click ‘Submit.’
Once created, the playlist menu will display to begin adding content into it.

To add Content assets to your playlist

Use the dropdown filter (by asset type, name, or tag) to find your content.
Click ‘Add’ next to the asset to open the play options.
Adjust the duration for each asset. By default, images will display for 15 seconds, while videos will play their full length.
Select the 'Shown from' and 'Removed at' if adding an asset for a set duration.
Click ‘Add to Playlist’ to include the asset.
Once items are added, you can reorder your playlist by dragging and dropping items.
Use the pencil icon to edit an asset, or the bin icon to remove it.

In addition to images and videos, you can also incorporate other asset types into your playlist, including IPTV streams, webpages, and YouTube content.

Click the link for more information:

Step 3. How To Add A Schedule to a Screen

To create a schedule:

Click the ‘schedules’ tab located on the left sidebar.
Click ‘Create Add new+’ and then select 'Add Schedule' from the option list.
Give your schedule a name and click Create.

To add a time slot:

Click '+Add time slot'.
Select the required playlist from the 'Playlist' dropdown menu.
Select the time and days you want the playlist to play. e.g. for 24/7 playback, select 00:00-00:00 along with 'select all' for the days of the week.
Click 'Create time slot' to save.

Step 4. How To Assign Content to a Screen

Create and activate screens:

Create Your Screen:

Navigate to the Screens tab and click Add Screen+.
Enter a name and specify the screen’s location for easy identification.
Select a schedule for the screen and click ‘Create Screen.’

Activate Your Screen:

After creation, the screen menu will display. Click ‘Activate’
Click 'Activate license and show pin' to apply a licence, and a unique PIN will be generated and assigned to the screen.

If no licenses are available, please check your emails to see if you have received your license pack. If not, please contact your reseller along with orders@nowsignage.com to resolve.

For more information on activating licenses, please refer to our guide, How to Activate a License.

Screen Status:

When on your NowSignage screens dashboard within your project, you will see an overview of the total number of screens you have as well as the live status of each of those screens.

There are five status indicators:

Online (Green): The screen is live, has power, and the internet connection is good, and the NowSignage app is currently running on your screen.
Intermittent (Amber): The screen's internet connection is poor, dropping in and out of your network. If not rectified, the screen will likely drop into offline mode.
Offline (Red): This means the hardware has either lost internet connectivity or lost power/switched off. If your screen has power, it may be playing in offline mode. Also, if the NowSignage app has been exited on the device, it will also show an offline status.
Never Connected: This indicates that the screen is new and has not yet been activated or had a license applied. Additionally, a screen that is not connected or activated will not have a PIN assigned to it.

Offline mode activates when the screen disconnects from the NowSignage application due to an Internet outage. Content will continue to display from the cache, but new content will not update until a stable connection is re-established.

A small grey Wi-Fi icon is displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen to indicate offline mode.

Next: For more information on the NowSignage platform, see the following guidance: Getting Started