Digital Signage Playlists and Playback

A digital signage playlist is an organised collection of content that plays on a screen in a chosen order. It can include images, videos, PDFs, and supported widgets, with individual settings for playback duration, transitions, scheduling, and expiry dates.

Rather than publishing unrelated files one at a time, playlists allow you to plan the complete viewing experience. You can balance promotions with useful information, branded content, and live updates, then reuse the playlist wherever it is relevant.

Create separate playlists when the audience or purpose genuinely differs, such as breakfast menus, reception information, staff communications, or national promotions. Clear names will also help your team find and update the right playlist later.

A playlist can bring several types of screen content together, including:

• Images and promotional artwork
• Videos
• PDFs
• Canva designs saved to your library
• News, weather, social media, clocks, and other supported widgets
• Websites and connected online content

Downloaded media and live online content behave differently if the internet connection drops, so make sure every playlist has enough locally stored content to keep the screen useful. Before publishing, check that each item suits the screen dimensions and has finished uploading or processing.

Set each duration according to how long a viewer needs to understand the message. A simple product image or short offer may only need a few seconds, while a menu, timetable, safety notice, or detailed instruction will need longer. Videos will usually play for their full duration.

Preview the complete loop from the viewer’s point of view. If an item feels rushed when you already know what it says, it will almost certainly be too quick for someone seeing it for the first time. The overall loop should also be short enough for important content to return while the viewer is still nearby.

Yes to both. Each screen can receive a playlist suited to its audience or purpose, while one playlist can also be assigned to several screens that need the same content.

For example, a reception screen can show visitor information while an employee screen displays internal updates. At the same time, a national promotion can use one shared playlist across multiple branches, making updates much easier to manage.

Use screen groups and tags when several displays share the same requirements. Create a separate playlist when the orientation, audience, language, location, or offer genuinely differs.

Yes, and it is a step worth taking. The playlist preview lets you check the order, duration, transitions, scaling, and overall flow before the content reaches your screens.

For a thorough review, watch the full loop from beginning to end and look for:

• Items that appear too quickly or remain too long
• Text that is difficult to read
• Incorrect landscape or portrait formatting
• Awkward transitions or gaps
• Outdated campaign dates
• Content that has expired or is due to expire

A preview is extremely useful, but a final check on the physical screen is still recommended. For an important rollout, publish to one test screen before updating the wider network.

When an item reaches its expiry date, it will leave the active playback sequence and the playlist will continue with the remaining valid content. This helps prevent an old promotion, event notice, or price from staying on screen after it is no longer relevant.

Expiry settings still need a little planning. Make sure the playlist will have valid content left once the campaign ends, particularly if several items expire together. A reliable evergreen item or default playlist can help prevent an unexpectedly short or empty loop.

Yes. Duplicating a playlist is a simple way to save time when you need similar content for another campaign, branch, or audience.

Rather than creating a new playlist from scratch, you can duplicate an existing one and make the necessary changes. This is particularly useful for:

• Seasonal promotions
• Regional campaigns
• Different branches or locations
• Similar content for different audiences
• Creating a new version of an existing content loop

Once duplicated, give the new playlist a clear name and review its content, playback durations, and screen assignments before publishing. The duplicated playlist can then be edited independently without changing the original.

You can update a live playlist whenever you need to! This includes:

• Adding new media
• Removing existing content
• Changing the playback order
• Adjusting display durations
• Replacing outdated promotions

Your changes will not appear on screen while you are still editing. Once everything is ready, save and republish the playlist. The updated version will then be distributed to the selected screens, and connected players will download any new media.

Before republishing an important campaign, preview the complete playlist and check which screens are currently using it.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but shorter playlists generally work better because viewers are more likely to see the full content loop.

As a practical starting point:

• Reception areas: 2-5 minutes
• Retail promotions: 3-6 minutes
• Waiting rooms: 5-10 minutes
• Corporate communications: 3-8 minutes
• Digital menu boards: Keep the loop short, with enough time for prices and options to be read comfortably

The right length depends on where the screen is positioned and how long people are likely to watch it. Someone waiting in a queue may see several minutes of content, while a shopper walking past a window may only look for a few seconds.Focus on the most important messages, avoid repeating similar content, and preview the complete loop before publishing. If viewers are unlikely to remain nearby long enough to see a key message, shorten the playlist or repeat that item more strategically.

Yes. Click on any playlist to open its overview panel on the right-hand side of the dashboard. Under Screens assigned, you can see which screens are currently using that playlist.

The panel also gives you a quick overview of the playlist’s status, client, resolution, creation date, tags, and when it was last updated. This makes it easy to check where a playlist is being used before you edit, replace, or delete it.

Yes. Imagine automatically applies smooth fade transitions between playlist items, so your content flows naturally without requiring any additional setup.

If you would like more control, you can choose separate entrance and exit transitions for each item. Available options include:

• Fade
• Slide Right
• Slide Up
• Scale
• Bounce
• Flip
• Zoom
• Snap
• Glitch
• Swipe
• Float
• None

You can also adjust the transition duration, giving you control over how quickly or gradually each item enters and leaves the screen.

Imagine checks that content has downloaded successfully before playback begins. If a file is unavailable, has been removed, or cannot be played, the player continues with the remaining items in the playlist rather than allowing the entire content loop to stop.

Imagine’s screen management tools help you identify playback or download issues, so your team can investigate and replace the affected file as quickly as possible. This helps keep your screens running while the problem is being resolved.

Yes, you can export a clear overview of your playlist showing its media items, playback durations, and other relevant attributes.

The playlist information can be:

• Downloaded
• Emailed
• Exported in CSV format

This is useful when sharing a playlist with a client or colleague, reviewing content before publication, keeping campaign records, or checking the structure and total playback of a content loop.