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Control displays with HDMI-CEC via BrightSign

We get questions all the time about how to turn a display on and off in a timed fashion. The BrightSign players have a useful function for this: they natively support HDMI CEC of countless displays. Many people know HDMI Consumer Electronics Control, abbreviated HDMI CEC, from their private lives. When a device connected to the TV via HDMI starts up, it switches the TV on at the same time. However, many digital signage displays also support CEC, which you can control with the BrightSign Player. In the following, we will show how easy it is to program a timing control of a screen in BrightAuthor.

BrightControl Commands

In BrightAuthor software you have the possibility to add additional commands to each state/slide of the presentation.

Double-click on the state to open the Media Properties. Finally, so-called entry commands can be stored under the "Advanced" tab. This is the place where the CEC function of BrightSign can be found, but BrightSign calls it "BrightControl". With the selection of the command "BrightControl" one receives additionally under the section "Command Parameters" some selection possibilities. The solution is now obvious: There is a "Display On" and a "Display Off" command.

Create presentations with On/Off

To realize the time control, one finally builds two presentations. These can contain any content or an event handler. The type of content is basically irrelevant, since only the command must be triggered.

For the "Display On" presentation, the correct command for switching on the display is stored. With the second presentation "Display Off" the other command:

Now you have two presentations, each of which sends one of the commands. For the time control you can then simply use the scheduler of BrightSign: In the morning at the desired start time schedule the presentation for switching on, in the evening the presentation for switching off. In this way, the display can be controlled exactly according to the time.

Display without HDMI CEC?

Of course, it also happens from time to time that a display has no CEC function. With professional displays, however, you can access the internal scheduler in this case. Most professional displays have an integrated scheduler in the display menu. If a projector is used, it can also be controlled via RS232 with the BrightSign Player.

Need assistance with your project?

As Distributor Plus, we are also happy to support you with your projects and provide you with a lot of expertise in addition to the right hardware. You have planned a project and need comprehensive support in planning or implementation? Our team will be happy to advise you on our range of hardware, software and services so that together we can find the ideal solution for your customers.