Digital Signage Media Guide | Azimos Labs, LLC

How it works

Your folder, your screens

Each screen (an NVIDIA SHIELD TV or a Raspberry Pi) checks your folder on a schedule the screen's owner sets. It connects only to the web address built into the screen, only over HTTPS, and downloads only the files that changed since the last check. Nothing else is contacted: no analytics, no tracking, no other servers.

What your folder controls

The look (logo, background colour) and the playlist: which slides, in what order, for how long, and how each one comes in.

What it can never change

The admin PIN, kiosk lock and update schedule. The screen's owner sets those separately; a change on the website cannot touch them.

Checks on every file

Each file must be what its name says (a PDF must really be a PDF), and stay inside the size limits. Anything else is refused.

When something is wrong

A missing file or a mistake in config.json never blanks a screen: it keeps its last good copy and raises an alert for the owner.

Step 1

Prepare your files

PDF slides

Export from PowerPoint, Google Slides or Canva as PDF. Landscape 16:9 pages (13.33 x 7.5 in). Each page is one slide. Embed the fonts when you export.

Images

PNG, JPG or WebP, 1920 x 1080 (3840 x 2160 for a 4K screen). Up to 40 megapixels and 16,384 pixels on a side.

File names

Letters, digits, . _ -, no spaces, up to 4 folders deep. media/fall-sale.pdf works, media/Fall Sale.pdf does not.

Limits

300 MB per file, 3 GB for all files together, up to 500 playlist items.

Your folder

your-site/
  config.json          the playlist (below)
  brand/logo.png       shown for a few seconds when a screen starts
  media/slide1.pdf
  media/new-arrivals.jpg
  media/slide2.pdf
  media/hours.pdf

How a slide meets the screen: fit

"contain" Available
The whole slide in its own shape, with bars where the shapes differ. The default.

"cover" Available
Fills the screen in its own shape; the edges that do not fit are cut off.

"fill" Next update
Stretched to the whole screen; the shape changes to fit.

Step 2

How long each slide stays up

Set a time for every slide in defaults, then give any item its own. A PDF item shows each of its pages for that item's time. The playlist loops forever.

seconds

Time on screen, 2 to 3600 seconds. Default 10.

transition_ms

How long the transition takes, 0 to 5000 milliseconds. Default 800.

pages

Which PDF pages: "all", or pages and ranges such as "1-3,5".

splash_seconds

Your logo when a screen starts, 0 to 30 seconds (0: no logo). Default 4.

Step 3

How each slide comes in

A transition is how an item comes onto the screen. Set one for everything in defaults, or per item. Each preview below runs from a slide into a video frame at 1 second. Available works on your screens today; Next update arrives with the next app update. Heavy ones (3D) are best on a SHIELD TV; on a Raspberry Pi playing video, stay with light and medium.

Cuts and fades

The quiet ones. Readable on any screen, lightest on the hardware.

None transition: A straight cut, no motion. — **None**Available

A straight cut, no motion.

`"transition": "none"`light

Fade transition: Cross-fade: the new item fades in over the old one. — **Fade**Available

Cross-fade: the new item fades in over the old one.

`"transition": "fade"`light

Fade through black transition: The old item fades to black, then the new one fades up. Calm, good before a video. — **Fade through black**Next update

The old item fades to black, then the new one fades up. Calm, good before a video.

`"transition": "fade_black"`light

Fade through white transition: Like fade through black, through a white flash instead. Bright, upbeat. — **Fade through white**Next update

Like fade through black, through a white flash instead. Bright, upbeat.

`"transition": "fade_white"`light

Pushes, covers and reveals

Movement with a direction. One value per direction: _left, _right, _up, _down.

Slide (push left) transition: The new item pushes the old one out to the left. Same as slide_left. — **Slide (push left)**Available

The new item pushes the old one out to the left. Same as slide_left.

`"transition": "slide"`light

Push right transition: The new item comes in from the left and pushes the old one right. — **Push right**Next update

The new item comes in from the left and pushes the old one right.

`"transition": "slide_right"`light

Push up transition: The new item rises from the bottom and pushes the old one up. — **Push up**Next update

The new item rises from the bottom and pushes the old one up.

`"transition": "slide_up"`light

Push down transition: The new item drops in from the top and pushes the old one down. — **Push down**Next update

The new item drops in from the top and pushes the old one down.

`"transition": "slide_down"`light

Cover left transition: The new item slides over the old one from the right; the old one stays still. Also cover_right, cover_up, cover_down. — **Cover left**Next update

The new item slides over the old one from the right; the old one stays still. Also cover_right, cover_up, cover_down.

`"transition": "cover_left"`light

Reveal left transition: The old item slides away to the left and uncovers the new one. Also reveal_right, reveal_up, reveal_down. — **Reveal left**Next update

The old item slides away to the left and uncovers the new one. Also reveal_right, reveal_up, reveal_down.

`"transition": "reveal_left"`light

Wipes and shapes

A hard edge or shape uncovers the next item. Directions as above for wipes.

Wipe left transition: A hard edge sweeps right to left, uncovering the new item. Also wipe_right, wipe_up, wipe_down. — **Wipe left**Next update

A hard edge sweeps right to left, uncovering the new item. Also wipe_right, wipe_up, wipe_down.

`"transition": "wipe_left"`medium

Wipe up transition: The edge sweeps from the bottom up. — **Wipe up**Next update

The edge sweeps from the bottom up.

`"transition": "wipe_up"`medium

IrisNext update

A circle opens from the centre. Good for a logo.

"transition": "iris"medium

Split transition: The new item opens from a line down the middle, like doors. — **Split**Next update

The new item opens from a line down the middle, like doors.

`"transition": "split"`medium

Blinds transition: Horizontal slats open together, like window blinds. — **Blinds**Next update

Horizontal slats open together, like window blinds.

`"transition": "blinds"`medium

Zooms

Scale changes. zoom and kenburns are on the screens now.

Zoom transition: The new item fades in while growing slightly (92% to 100%). — **Zoom**Available

The new item fades in while growing slightly (92% to 100%).

`"transition": "zoom"`light

Zoom inNext update

The new item grows from the centre, from half size. Strong for a logo.

"transition": "zoom_in"light

Zoom out transition: The old item grows past the screen and fades away, uncovering the new one. — **Zoom out**Next update

The old item grows past the screen and fades away, uncovering the new one.

`"transition": "zoom_out"`light

Ken Burns transition: Fades in, then drifts and zooms slowly the whole time it is on screen. Brings still slides to life; on a video it only fades. — **Ken Burns**Available

Fades in, then drifts and zooms slowly the whole time it is on screen. Brings still slides to life; on a video it only fades.

`"transition": "kenburns"`medium

3D

The screen turns in space. Best kept for the Shield.

Flip transition: The screen turns over like a card, the new item on its back. — **Flip**Next update

The screen turns over like a card, the new item on its back.

`"transition": "flip"`heavy

Cube transition: The two items sit on the sides of a turning cube. — **Cube**Next update

The two items sit on the sides of a turning cube.

`"transition": "cube"`heavy

Step 4

A complete config.json

This file works on your screens today. Copy it, change the file names to yours, and save it as config.json in the top of your folder. The whole file is one { ... }, with straight quotes and commas between items (the last item has none).

{
  "format": 1,
  "branding": {
    "logo": "brand/logo.png",
    "splash_seconds": 4,
    "background": "#000000"
  },
  "defaults": {
    "seconds": 10,
    "transition": "fade",
    "transition_ms": 800,
    "fit": "contain"
  },
  "playlist": [
    { "pdf": "media/slide1.pdf", "pages": "all", "seconds": 12, "transition": "slide" },
    { "image": "media/new-arrivals.jpg", "fit": "cover", "seconds": 15, "transition": "kenburns" },
    { "pdf": "media/slide2.pdf", "pages": "1-3,5", "transition": "zoom" },
    { "image": "brand/logo.png", "seconds": 5, "transition": "fade", "transition_ms": 1200 },
    { "pdf": "media/hours.pdf", "pages": "1", "seconds": 8, "transition": "none" }
  ]
}

What each line does

Key	Where	What it does
`format`	top	Always `1` for now. Required.
`logo`	branding	Image shown when a screen starts. Optional.
`splash_seconds`	branding	How long the logo shows, 0 to 30.
`background`	branding	Colour of the bars around a `contain` slide, like `#000000`.
`seconds`	defaults, item	Time on screen, 2 to 3600.
`transition`	defaults, item	How the item comes in (Step 3).
`transition_ms`	defaults, item	Transition length, 0 to 5000 ms.
`fit`	defaults, item	`contain` or `cover` (Step 1).
`playlist`	top	The items in order, 1 to 500. Required.
`pdf` / `image`	item	The file, relative to your folder. Exactly one per item.
`pages`	item (PDF)	`"all"` or pages like `"1-3,5"`.

Step 5

Updating your screens

Upload new or changed slides first.
Upload config.json last, so a screen never reads a playlist that names a file not there yet.
Screens pick it up at their next check. Your screen administrator can also start a check right away from the screen's admin menu.
Remove old files from the folder once no playlist uses them.

Next update

Coming next: video

Videos join the same playlist, in any order: slide1.pdf, a video, slide2.pdf, another video, your logo. Each video plays to its end, can repeat, and plays its sound unless you turn it off. The new transitions above, "fill", a different time for single PDF pages, and a "random" transition come with it. Best video format for every screen: MP4, H.265 (HEVC), 1920 x 1080, 30 frames per second.

{ "video": "media/video1.mp4", "audio": false, "transition": "fade_black" },
{ "pdf": "media/slide2.pdf", "pages": "1-3", "page_seconds": { "2": 20 } },
{ "video": "media/video2.mp4", "plays": 2, "transition": "iris" }

Not for use yet: today's screens refuse a playlist with video items and keep showing their last good playlist.