Real Time Events (RTEs) in Signagelive are a powerful feature that allows your digital signage screens to become more interactive and integrated with their environment. Essentially, an RTE enables your Signagelive players to send an outbound message to another software or hardware system whenever a specific action or "event" occurs on the player.
Real-Time Events (RTEs) from Signagelive provide the ability to send outbound messages from your supported BrightSign, ChromeOS and PC appliances to a software system (HTTP), a hardware system (RS232) or a hardware system over the network (TCP) when a preset event occurs.
Think of it as your digital signage "talking" to other systems. Instead of just displaying content, your screens can actively participate in a larger ecosystem, creating more dynamic and responsive experiences.
These "events" can be triggered by various content playback states, including when:
An asset (image, video, etc.) downloads to the player.
An asset starts playing on the screen.
An asset finishes playing on the screen.
An asset is removed from the player.
RTEs are configured directly within the Signagelive user interface, providing a flexible way to connect your digital signage content with the physical or digital world around it.
Examples of When You Might Use an RTE
Real Time Events (RTEs) open possibilities for creating immersive and responsive digital signage experiences. Here are some practical examples:
Interactive Lighting or Ambience: Imagine a scenario where a specific video about a product starts playing. An RTE could be configured to send a message to a lighting system, automatically changing the room's lighting to match the mood or colour scheme of the video. When the video ends, the lights could revert to their default.
Audience Engagement and Data Collection: If you have a sensor that detects when someone walks past your screen, an RTE could be triggered when a specific advertisement begins to play. This could send impression data back to an analytics system, giving insights into how often a particular ad was viewed in conjunction with a physical presence.
Dynamic Content Chaining (Advanced): While Signagelive's scheduling is robust, RTEs can enable even more complex content flows. For instance, if a livestream asset reaches its "Validity" end date/time and is removed from the player, an RTE could be set up to send a message that triggers an entirely different schedule to begin playing – perhaps a "Welcome to our new Dealership" video, ensuring a seamless transition.
Integrating with Queue Management Systems: An RTE could be sent when a "Now Serving" screen updates, prompting an external audio system to announce the next customer's number.
These are just a few examples; the potential for integration is extensive, limited only by the capabilities of the systems you wish to connect. Signagelive also provides templates for 'out-of-the-box' integrations with partners. (To learn more about these, please get in touch with your Signagelive Account Manager or our Support Team.)
Where Can an RTE Be Used in Your Signagelive Network?
One of the strengths of Real Time Events (RTEs) is their flexibility in application across your network. You can set up Real Time Events at different levels of your Signagelive solution, allowing for granular control:
The hierarchy for Real Time Events (RTEs) configuration is:
Level | Impact | Use Case |
Network Level | RTEs configured here will apply to all players and all media assets across your entire Signagelive network. | Ideal for network-wide actions, such as sending a general heartbeat signal from all players or logging all asset playback events across your entire fleet. |
Player Level | RTEs configured on a specific player will apply to all media assets published to that particular player. | This is useful for player-specific integrations, such as a player in a retail store who needs to send data to the store's local analytics system for every asset it plays. |
Media Asset Level | RTEs configured directly on a media asset will only trigger when that specific media asset (e.g., a particular video or image) performs the defined event. | This is perfect for highly specific actions, like the "Green Video Plays > Turn RGB Lighting Green" example, where the action is tied directly to the content being displayed. |
You can also combine these levels, creating a sophisticated web of triggered actions.
The appeal of Real Time Events (RTEs) lies in their design: the media players themselves don't need to "understand" the nature of the integration. They simply respond to a configured event by sending an outbound message. This means your players don't require complex updates or specific configurations beyond supporting Real Time Events (RTEs), which simplifies deployment and management.
Please Note
Only Administrators have the permissions to create and configure Real Time Events. Standard Users can select and apply existing RTEs, but cannot create new ones.