Digital signage from the Mac you already own.
A Mac mini behind a screen is a quiet, dependable signage player. SignageStack runs in its browser, so there is nothing to install — four macOS settings turn it into a screen that runs by itself.
Why a Mac makes a good player
On a Mac, the player is the web player in a browser window. What the Mac adds is hardware that is quiet, cool and runs for years — and a system that can be told to look after itself.
Nothing to install
Open the player in Chrome or Safari and the Mac is a signage player. Close the window and it is a Mac again. There is no driver, no agent and no installer to keep up to date.
Plays offline
The browser caches every item in the playlist before it is needed, and the playlist itself is stored locally. If the network drops, the screen keeps playing what it has.
Keeps the screen awake
The player asks the browser to hold the display on, and asks again whenever the browser lets go, so a screen saver does not take over mid-loop.
Always the current version
There is nothing to update. The player is current every time it loads, on every Mac at once.
Pairing a Mac
Open the player
Go to player.signagestack.com in Chrome or Safari. It shows a six-character pairing code.
Pair it
In the dashboard, choose Add screen, type the code, name the screen and give it a playlist.
Keep the address
After pairing, the address bar holds this screen's own link. Make it the page the browser opens at login, then press Control-Command-F for full screen.
What the Mac needs
Any Mac that runs a current browser will play a playlist. A Mac mini is the usual choice: small enough to mount behind a screen, and like every desktop Mac it can switch itself back on after a power cut.
- A current version of Chrome or Safari
- An HDMI, USB-C or Thunderbolt connection to the display
- Wired ethernet where you can, 5 GHz Wi-Fi where you cannot
- Outbound HTTPS to the internet; no open ports, no VPN
- A user account that can log in by itself
Four macOS settings for a screen nobody touches
They are all in System Settings. Once they are set, the Mac comes back from a power cut to a playing screen without anyone at the keyboard.
Log in automatically
Users & Groups → Automatically log in as. macOS offers it only while FileVault is off, so decide which matters more on a Mac whose only job is a screen.
Open the player at login
Add the browser under General → Login Items, and have it open the screen's address: in Chrome, Settings → On startup → Open a specific page.
Never sleep
Under Lock Screen, set the display never to turn off and the screen saver never to start. Under Energy, stop the Mac from sleeping on its own when the display is off.
Start after a power failure
On a Mac mini or iMac, turn on Start up automatically after a power failure, under Energy. With automatic login and the login item, power coming back is all the screen needs.
Mac questions
No — on a Mac the player runs in the browser, and the settings above make it behave like a dedicated player. There is nothing to install and nothing to update.
Either. Both cache the playlist for offline playback and keep the screen awake. Chrome is the simpler one to make open a specific page at startup, which is why the steps above use it.
Browsers mute video on a page nobody has clicked. Click the player once and sound comes through until the page reloads. For a screen nobody touches, allow it for good: in Safari, Settings → Websites → Auto-Play → Allow All Auto-Play for the player.
It can, if the screen is a second display: put the player full-screen on that display and work on the other. But a Mac somebody uses is a Mac somebody will eventually close the window on — for a screen that has to stay up, give it a Mac of its own.
Other ways to run a screen
- AndroidOne APK for TV boxes, sticks, displays and tablets — kiosk mode, autostart and updates it installs itself.
- WindowsAn app for the PC behind the screen: full-screen, started with Windows, restarted if it freezes, and updated by itself.
- BrowserNothing to install: open the web player in any current browser, pair it, and it plays — offline too.
- What hardware to buyWhat to look for in a box or a display, and what is not worth paying for.
From the blog
- Digital signage player: the five kinds and the specs that matterWhat a digital signage player does, the five kinds (box, stick, computer, built-in, browser), the specs that matter and what to avoid buying.
- How to set up digital signage: from a blank TV to a playing screenEight steps from a blank TV to a screen that runs itself: pick the display and player, install, pair with a code, build a playlist, set hours, test.
- Digital signage display vs TV: when a consumer TV is enoughWhat a commercial display does that a consumer TV does not: hours, brightness, warranty, power and portrait. And when the TV you have is fine.
Three steps between a blank TV and a live one.
No server to run, no licence per seat, nothing to install on your network. A display, a power socket and an internet connection.