Media players for every screen

What a signage player actually does

A media player is the small computer that turns a television into a digital sign. It logs into your E Display account, downloads the playlist assigned to that screen, caches the media locally, and plays it on a loop according to the schedule. It also reports back so you can see from the dashboard whether a screen is online and what it is showing right now.

The reason it matters is reliability. Consumer smart-TV apps sleep, update themselves at random, and lose their session. A dedicated player boots straight into playback after a power cut, keeps running from cache when the internet drops, and resumes syncing on its own when the connection returns. That is the difference between a screen you check every morning and one you forget about.

TX9 specifications

Setting up a player

1. 1. Power and connect. Plug the stick into a free HDMI port and power it from the screen's USB port or the included adapter, then switch the TV to that input.
2. 2. Join the network. Follow the initial setup to pick your Wi-Fi network, or use an Ethernet adapter if the location has wired networking.
3. 3. Pair the screen. The player shows a 4-digit pairing code. Enter it in your E Display account and the screen is registered to your organisation.
4. 4. Publish. Assign the screen to a group and publish. The player pulls its assigned scene automatically and starts playing, no further visit to the site required.

The full walkthrough with screenshots lives on the How It Works page. If you are comparing terminology before choosing hardware, read the e-signage guide for display types, setup, and costs. The TX9 product page covers the hardware in more detail.

Or bring your own device

If you already have hardware behind your screens, keep it. The E Display player app runs on Chrome OS, Windows, Android TV, and Raspberry Pi, and pairs with the same 4-digit code as the TX9. Licensing is identical either way at $8 per screen per month billed yearly, so bringing your own device saves the hardware cost only. Mixed fleets are fine: a Windows mini PC in the boardroom and TX9 sticks on the menu boards appear side by side in one dashboard.

Media player questions

Do I need a media player if my TV is a smart TV?

You can run E Display on an Android TV device, but a dedicated player is more dependable for commercial use. Smart TV apps sleep, apply their own updates, and can drop the session, while a signage player boots straight into playback after a power cut and keeps playing from cache if the network drops.

How much does the TX9 cost?

The TX9 is $99 on its own, and it is included free with each new yearly license activation. Shipping is free to the US and Canada on yearly and quarterly plans. Migrations from Signage Studio or the Droid Z5 are not eligible for the free player.

Can I use hardware I already own?

Yes. The E Display player app runs on Chrome OS, Windows, Android TV, and Raspberry Pi and pairs with the same 4-digit code as the TX9. Licensing is the same either way, so bringing your own device saves the hardware cost.

How do I pair a player to my account?

Connect the player to Wi-Fi and it displays a 4-digit pairing code. Enter that code in your E Display account, assign the screen to a group, and it pulls its assigned scene automatically.

Does the TX9 support portrait screens?

Yes. Orientation is set per screen in the software, so the same player can drive a landscape menu board or a portrait lobby directory without different hardware.

What happens during an internet outage?

Media and schedules are cached on the player, so playback continues uninterrupted. Once connectivity returns the player syncs any changes and reports its status back to the dashboard.