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Documentation

Getting started

From a blank SD card to a live screen on your Xibo® network.

Prepare the SD card

XiPlay ships as a single download. Extracting it onto an SD card and inserting the card into a BrightSign® player is the whole installation. There is nothing to install on the device itself.

You'll need a class-10 (or faster) SD card of 16 GB or more, and any Windows, macOS or Linux computer with an SD-card reader. No flashing or imaging tool is needed; a plain file copy is all it takes.

  1. 1 Download the XiPlay package (.zip) from the Downloads page and verify its SHA-256 against the published value.
  2. 2 Extract the .zip and copy its contents to the root of the SD card. No Balena Etcher, no image writer.
  3. 3 Eject the card, insert it into the BrightSign® player's SD slot, and power on.
Note: Use a known-good, branded SD card. Cheap or worn cards are the most common cause of players that won't boot reliably.

First boot & activation

On first boot the player resolves its real hardware MAC address and shows an activation screen displaying that MAC (and a QR of it). This MAC is the device's identity for licensing.

Every brand-new device starts a 14-day free trial of the complete software automatically, with no card and no license required. The on-screen badge shows the days remaining.

  • The license is keyed to the real NIC MAC, so it survives reboots, card wipes and card replacements.
  • Wiping the card does not reset the trial; demo dates are anchored server-side, once per device.

Pair with your Xibo® CMS

XiPlay is a player for your existing Xibo® CMS. Point it at your Xibo® server and it registers as a display and begins pulling your content over the XMDS protocol.

  1. 1 On the player, open the configuration screen and enter your Xibo® CMS address (and CMS key / pairing code if your server requires one).
  2. 2 In Xibo®, approve the new display and assign it to a display group.
  3. 3 The player collects its layouts and schedule and starts playing your content.
Note: Content, layouts and schedules all live in your Xibo® CMS. XiPlay renders them; it does not replace your CMS.

Start your free trial

The 14-day trial unlocks the full software (video walls, interactivity, HDMI-In, HLS and every widget), exactly what a licensed device runs. There is no tier to upgrade.

When the trial ends without a license, the screen keeps displaying its last content but stops collecting new content. It never goes black. Assign a license in the portal and it resumes immediately.

Need more? Ask the team. We reply within one business day.

Ready to light up your screens?

Start a 14-day free trial: every feature, no card required.