After you click 'Publish', your content begins a journey from our cloud to your screen. While often quick, this process can take time.
Typically, new content will appear on your players within 5 to 15 minutes (approx). If you are publishing complex content to a large number of players, this can sometimes extend to 20-30 minutes.
This guide explains the process, the factors that affect speed, and what to do if you experience a delay.
The Journey of Your Content: From Publish to Player
To understand the timings, it helps to know the three main steps your content takes after you publish it:
☁️ Step 1: Processing in the Signagelive Cloud Our servers check your content, ensuring it's in the right format and compatible with your players. Complex content like widgets or publishing to hundreds of players at once may require more processing time.
➡️ Step 2: Delivery to the Queue Once processed, your content is placed in a queue, ready and waiting for your players to check in and retrieve it.
💻 Step 3: Player Download and Display Your player checks in with Signagelive at a set frequency. When it checks in, it sees new content is waiting, downloads it, and then displays it on screen. The speed of this final step depends entirely on your player's internet connection.
What Factors Affect Publishing Speed?
Several factors can influence the total time it takes for content to appear.
Factors within Signagelive's Control:
Content Type: Widgets and complex web content require more server-side processing than simple images or videos.
Number of Players: Publishing to a large number of players requires more verification checks.
Global Traffic: High publishing volumes across all Signagelive customers can occasionally create a brief processing queue.
Factors within Your Control:
Content Check Frequency: This setting on your player determines how often it 'asks' Signagelive for new content. A longer interval (e.g., 60 minutes) will result in a longer wait than a shorter interval (e.g., 5 minutes).
Local Network Performance: The download speed at your player's location is crucial. A slow or unstable internet connection will significantly slow down the final step of the journey.
Troubleshooting: What to Do If Content Is Taking Too Long
If your content has not appeared on screen after 20-30 minutes, follow these steps to diagnose the issue.
Step 1: Check the Network Queues
The Network Queue shows you the real-time status of your publication.
From the main menu, navigate to Reports > Network Queues.
Look for your publication in the list.
Check the Status column:
Green Tick: Signagelive has processed the content and delivered it. The delay is likely with the player's check-in or local download.
Amber Clock: Signagelive is still processing your content. Please wait a few more minutes.
Red Cross: The publication has failed. This may indicate an issue with the content itself or the targeted player.
Step 2: Check Your Player's Last Check-in Time
If the Network Queue shows a green tick, the next step is to see when your player last contacted us.
Navigate to Network > Manage.
Find your player in the list and check the "Last Checked-in" column.
If the time shown is before you published the content, it means the player has not yet checked in to receive the update.
Step 3: Check Your Player's Internet Connection
If the player has missed several check-ins, it strongly suggests a local network issue. Verify that the player is powered on and has a stable, active internet connection.