The short version
What is digital signage?
Digital signage is a screen in a shared space that shows content you control from software: a menu above a counter, a directory in a lobby, a campaign in a store window, a safety board on a warehouse floor. Change it once in a browser and every screen updates. That's the whole idea.
Written by the CrownTV team, which has deployed 10,000+ of these screens since 2012. Questions? (347) 410-6890
The four parts
1. The display. A commercial screen, not a TV. Indoors that's usually 500 nits and rated for long daily hours. In a window it's 2,500 to 3,500 nits so it stays readable in sunlight. Samsung's QM-series indoor and OM-series window panels are what we install most.
2. The media player. A small computer behind the screen that downloads content and plays it, even if the internet drops for a while.
3. The software (CMS). Where you upload content, schedule it by time of day, group screens by location and decide who can edit what. CrownTV's is the Dashboard.
4. The install. Mount, power, network, cable management, testing. The part most people underestimate, and the part that decides whether the row of screens looks level.
Where businesses use it
| Setting | What's on the screen | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant counter | Menu and prices by daypart | Pressed Juicery: five 43" screens per store |
| Store window | Campaigns readable from the sidewalk | CBD Kratom: one 3,500-nit portrait screen in each of 55+ storefronts |
| Retail floor | Brand video, promotions | L'Occitane: 3×3 and 2×2 video walls |
| Showroom | Product launch | Herman Miller Park Avenue: a 75" portrait screen |
| Office | News, KPIs, emergency alerts | See corporate signage |
| Lobby | Welcome, directory, wayfinding | See lobby displays |
What it costs
Three ways to buy it, from cheapest to most complete:
- Software only on screens you own: roughly $8 to $30 per screen per month on self-serve plans; CrownTV's is $20.
- Hardware yourself plus an installer: a commercial 55-inch panel alone is around $1,200, plus mount, player and labor.
- Turnkey: $2,950 (32-inch) to $9,950 (98-inch) per screen with CrownTV, everything included for year one.
Do you need it?
If your information changes more than once a month, or you have more than one location, probably. If you'd print one poster a year, probably not.
CrownTV's longer guide, digital signage explained, covers software, hardware and use cases in more depth. When you're ready to compare vendors, read how to choose a digital signage company.
Common questions
Digital signage basics
What is digital signage?
Digital signage is a commercial screen in a public or shared space that shows content managed from software, usually over the internet, such as a menu board, a lobby directory, a store window campaign or a KPI board on a factory floor, all updated from one login. Four parts make it work: the display, a media player, content management software and the install.
How does digital signage work?
Digital signage works in a simple loop: you upload or edit content in a browser-based CMS, schedule it for certain screens and times, and a media player at each screen downloads it over the internet, caches it and plays it on a commercial display until the next change. Change a price once and every screen in the group updates. Pressed Juicery publishes menu changes to every store this way.
What are some examples of digital signage?
Common examples of digital signage are menu boards above a restaurant counter, campaign screens in a store window, video walls on a retail floor, welcome screens and directories in a lobby, and news, KPI and safety boards on office and factory floors. Real ones we've installed: five 43-inch menu screens per Pressed Juicery store, a portrait screen in each of CBD Kratom's 55+ windows and a 75-inch portrait screen for Herman Miller's Park Avenue launch.
How is digital signage different from a TV?
A TV is built for a living room: a few hours a day, about 350 nits, a warranty that excludes business use. A commercial signage display is rated for long daily hours, has no front buttons or logo, and comes with a commercial warranty. Window displays run at 2,500 to 3,500 nits.
How much is digital signage?
Digital signage costs anywhere from about $8 a month per screen for self-serve software on a screen you already own to $2,950 to $9,950 per screen for a fully installed commercial display with a media player, mount and a year of software from CrownTV. Video walls start around $16,000.
What are the requirements for digital signage?
Digital signage needs a commercial display, a media player (built in or a separate box like the CrownTV player), a power outlet and an internet connection at each screen, plus software to schedule the content and a wall or stand that can hold the mount. Ethernet is more reliable than Wi-Fi, and the player caches content so a short outage doesn't blank the screen.
What is a digital signage player?
A digital signage player is the small computer behind or inside the screen that downloads your content from the software, stores it and plays it on schedule, so the screen keeps running even if the internet drops for a while. Some displays have one built in, which is fine for one or two screens. For chains and anything business-critical, a dedicated player like the CrownTV player is more reliable and easier to replace.
What is a digital signage CMS?
A digital signage CMS, or content management system, is the software where you upload content, build playlists, schedule them by time of day, group screens by location and decide who can edit what, and it's what most people mean by digital signage software. CrownTV's is the Dashboard, browser-based with live device status and an emergency override, at $20 per screen per month after year one. Self-serve CMS plans run about $8 to $30.
What is digital signage content?
Digital signage content is whatever plays on the screens, such as menus and prices, promotions, welcome messages, directories, company news, live KPI dashboards, emergency alerts or brand video, built for the screen's real shape and resolution and scheduled so the right message shows at the right time. You can build it yourself in the Dashboard with templates, or we design a custom template for $575 with 3 revisions.
What is a digital signage system or solution?
A digital signage system, or a digital signage solution when one vendor sells it as a package, is the full set of parts working together: commercial displays, media players, content management software, the install and the support that keeps the screens running after day one. CrownTV sells it turnkey from $2,950 per screen installed. You can also assemble it yourself from a software plan, commercial screens and a local installer.
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Ask us what you'd need
Describe the space and what you want people to see. We'll tell you how many screens, what size, and what it costs, or that you don't need any.
(347) 410-6890Or call. You can also use the full quote form on crowntv-us.com if you want to attach floor plans.
- You send the basics: locations, screens, timeline.
- Within 2 business hours, a priced scope per screen comes back.
- Once the invoice is paid, most sites are installed in 5 to 7 business days.