Digital Signage Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms used in digital signage, DOOH advertising and display hardware.
CPM (cost per mille)
- CPM is the price an advertiser pays for one thousand ad impressions. In DOOH it is calculated from the estimated audience that sees a screen while the ad plays.
Dayparting
- Dayparting is scheduling different content for different parts of the day, such as a breakfast menu in the morning and a lunch menu from noon. In Pixelplay it is done with schedules that have a time window and repeat on chosen days.
Digital notice board
- A digital notice board (or electronic notice board) is a screen that shows notices, announcements and alerts instead of paper. Notices are managed from software, so every board can be updated remotely and notices can start and expire on a schedule.
Digital signage
- Digital signage is the use of screens — TVs, LED walls, kiosks or projectors — to show content that is managed and updated remotely, such as ads, menus, announcements or wayfinding.
Digital signage CMS
- A digital signage CMS (content management system) is the software used to upload content, arrange it into playlists, schedule it and send it to remote screens, and to monitor that those screens are online and playing. Pixelplay is a cloud digital signage CMS. Pixelplay digital signage CMS →
DOOH (digital out-of-home)
- DOOH is advertising shown on digital screens in public places — malls, airports, transit, roadside billboards and stores. It is digital signage whose airtime is sold to advertisers. DOOH advertising software →
E-signage
- E-signage (electronic signage) is another name for digital signage: displays that show content managed from software rather than printed signs. The terms are used interchangeably.
HDMI-CEC
- HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) is a feature of the HDMI standard that lets a connected device send commands such as power on, standby or input switching to a display. Support varies by TV model and manufacturer.
Heartbeat
- A heartbeat is a small status message a signage player sends to its CMS at a fixed interval to show that it is alive. Pixelplay players send one every minute; a screen that stops sending them is marked offline after three minutes.
Impression
- An impression is one view of an ad. In DOOH, impressions are estimated from the audience exposed to a screen while the ad plays, and form the basis of CPM pricing.
Kiosk mode
- Kiosk mode locks a device to a single app that runs full screen, so viewers cannot exit it or open other apps. Signage players use it to stay on screen around the clock.
LED pixel pitch
- Pixel pitch is the distance in millimetres between the centres of two adjacent LED pixels (for example P2.5 = 2.5 mm). A smaller pitch gives a sharper image at close viewing distances; a larger pitch suits screens viewed from further away.
Loop
- A loop is the full playlist cycle a screen repeats. Its length determines how often each item comes back on screen — a 60-second loop with a 10-second ad shows that ad six times a minute.
MDM (mobile device management)
- MDM is software for managing a fleet of devices centrally — enrolling them, pushing apps and settings, and locking them down. It is used to manage large numbers of Android-based signage players.
Media player (signage player)
- A signage media player is the device or app that downloads content from the CMS and plays it on a screen. It can be a dedicated box, a stick such as a Fire TV, a PC, or an app built into a smart display. Compatible devices →
Multi-zone layout
- A multi-zone layout splits one screen into regions that play different content at the same time — for example a video, a news ticker and a clock. Pixelplay calls these canvas layouts.
Narrowcasting
- Narrowcasting is showing content on screens aimed at a specific audience in a specific place — a shop, waiting room or office — rather than broadcasting to everyone. In Europe the word is often used to mean digital signage.
Nits
- Nits (candela per square metre) measure screen brightness. Indoor displays are typically 300–700 nits; screens in shop windows or outdoors need well over 1,500 nits to stay readable in daylight.
Offline playback
- Offline playback means a signage player keeps playing during an internet outage because it has already downloaded and cached its scheduled content. Pixelplay players play from local storage and catch up with changes when they reconnect.
Operating hours
- Operating hours are the times a screen should be showing content. Outside them the player blanks the display. In Pixelplay they are set per screen for weekdays and weekends, in the screen’s own timezone.
Pairing code
- A pairing code is a short one-time code a new player shows on screen so it can be linked to an account in the CMS. Pixelplay uses a 6-character code that expires after a few minutes. How to pair a screen →
Playlist
- A playlist is an ordered list of content items — images, videos, web pages — with a display duration for each, played in sequence on a screen.
Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH)
- Programmatic DOOH is buying and selling digital out-of-home ad space automatically through software platforms, with targeting and pricing decided per placement rather than by manual insertion orders.
Proof of play (PoP)
- Proof of play is the record of what a screen actually played and when, used to verify that scheduled content and paid ads really ran. Pixelplay logs each play with its scheduled and actual start and end time, the screen, and any skip or interruption.
Retail media network
- A retail media network is a retailer selling advertising space on its own channels — including in-store screens — to brands, typically the brands whose products it sells. Retail media network software →
SSO (single sign-on)
- Single sign-on lets people log in with their organisation’s identity provider instead of a separate password, so access is managed centrally. Pixelplay offers SSO on request for Enterprise contracts.
Types of digital signage
- Common types of digital signage include digital menu boards, retail and window displays, corporate and internal communication screens, digital notice boards, wayfinding and directory screens, LED video walls, interactive kiosks and DOOH advertising screens. Examples range from a single TV in a café to thousands of screens across a retail chain.
Video wall
- A video wall is several displays or LED panels combined to show one large image or synchronised content. It is driven by a controller or player that maps content across the panels. LED video wall software →