Build a custom digital signage system
Most Linux Format readers will have noticed an increase in the number of large-format screens in public places, displaying a range of information. This is called digital signage. In this tutorial we’ll be looking at Xibo, a flexible system that can be used to show images, videos, RSS feeds, weather data, mapping data, tables of information, websites, embedded HTML and more. We’ll show how to set up a server and client, before finally designing a layout and scheduling this content.
The system comprises a server component, which is open source, as well as a number of clients for different display types. The Windows and Linux clients are both free and open source, whereas the other platforms are paid-for, licenced clients. The server can be self-hosted, or hosting can be provided by the team themselves.
Before going any further, let’s talk about some of the terminology utilised by the system. Displays is the name of the device which runs the player software and displays the content. This could be a Windows/ Linux PC, Android device or large-screen TV running embedded software. Display groups can be used to group multiple displays and content can be scheduled to multiple devices at once. Schedules are then used to define when content should appear on Displays.
Layouts are designed by the end user to define what content should be displayed on specific areas of the display. Layouts are then split into digital signage system.
