SoC, Android, BrightSign or Custom OS: A Deep Dive into Digital Signage Players

By Florent Mondoloni, Co-founder at Disign

The foundation of any digital signage deployment lies in the screens (LCD, LED, etc.), but the player is often the most underestimated yet critical component in the entire stack.

At Disign, we develop both our own digital signage software and a custom hardware stack. We're in constant communication with screen manufacturers, which gives us a front-row seat to understand the entire ecosystem. Our application runs across a wide variety of platforms, giving us deep insights into the strengths and limitations of each.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the real-world pros and cons of the main categories of players available today: SoC displays, Android-based devices, professional-grade hardware like BrightSign, and custom OS solutions like the one we’ve built at Disign. Whether you're deploying 10 screens or 10,000, choosing the right player is essential for long-term scalability, stability, and future-proofing.

1. SoC Displays: Convenience at a cost

System-on-Chip (SoC) displays promise a streamlined digital signage setup: no need for external players, fewer cables, and quicker installations. On paper, they seem ideal, displays with built-in processors and memory that can run signage apps directly. In practice, however, they come with significant technical limitations that are often hidden behind the marketing.

At Disign, we’ve extensively tested and worked with SoC platforms from major manufacturers like Samsung (Tizen) and LG (WebOS), and this section explores what you really need to know before committing to an SoC strategy.

Embedded OS and Technology Freeze: What you see is already outdated

Most professional-grade displays with SoCs are running web engines that are already 2 to 4 years behind current standards at the time of sale. This isn’t a bug, it’s how the industry operates. Manufacturers freeze internal technologies about two years before release to ensure they have enough time for development, QA, certifications, and industrialization.

Take Samsung Tizen as an example:

• As of 2025, the latest professional signage displays from Samsung are still using:
  • Tizen web engine based on Chromium v94
  • Chromium 94 was released in August 2021
  • Samsung SmartTV Web Engine Specs

That means when you buy a brand-new SoC screen in 2025, the engine that renders your content is effectively from 2021, and its web standards and performance are locked to that era.

And that’s just the beginning.

No major firmware updates: What you buy is what you keep

Unfortunately, these displays do not receive major firmware or web engine upgrades over their lifetime. The embedded OS may receive security patches, but even those are:

• Often manual
  • You may need to use a USB key
  • Or subscribe to a paid remote management platform
• Not guaranteed for the full life of the device

This creates a severe tech debt scenario. A typical commercial display may be in service for 3–5 years, but its embedded web engine will be 7–9+ years old by the time it's retired.

Try opening a modern JavaScript-heavy website on Chrome from 2016, and you’ll quickly see the problem.

Compatibility issues: Web features will break

Modern digital signage often includes:

• Embedded websites
• Live maps (e.g., Google Maps)
• Streaming platforms (YouTube, Vimeo)
• Responsive web apps
• Touch-based UIs

These rely on contemporary web standards like ES6/ES7 JavaScript, modern CSS features, WebAssembly, and hardware acceleration. Older engines like Chromium 94 start to break these experiences, either rendering poorly, lagging, or outright crashing.

If your signage strategy includes any live or web-based content, an SoC platform will limit you sooner than you think.

Performance bottlenecks: 4K Screens, 1080p Apps

Despite being advertised as 4K-capable, most SoC-based displays run signage apps in Full HD (1080p) due to:

• Limited CPU and GPU performance
• Shared memory between the OS and the application
• Thermal and power constraints

This is especially noticeable with Samsung Tizen or LG WebOS displays where HTML5 apps, videos, and animations may stutter or show visual artifacts when pushed beyond basic content.

The issue is compounded by the fixed hardware you can't swap in a more powerful player later. You're stuck with what the SoC can do.

LG WebOS: Similar story, slightly different path

LG’s WebOS signage platform follows a similar model. You can find their web engine specs here:

• WebOS Developer Specifications

It suffers from the same core problem: no major version upgrades, limited performance, and a long lifecycle for old engines.

What about the future?

There are weak signals suggesting that commercial SoC platforms like Samsung’s Tizen might someday align more closely with Smart TV platforms, which:

• Support Apps Store
• Receive more frequent firmware and Tizen updates
• Are more consumer-oriented (and thus feature-driven)

If this happens, it could mean:

• Easier installation of signage apps via an app store
• Faster adoption of modern web engines

However, this is speculative. The professional display division and consumer Smart TV teams are still very much separate in how they build and update devices. Until there's an official convergence, you should plan with the current limitations in mind.

Summary: SoC pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Clean installation (no external player)	Web engine is 2–4 years outdated at launch
Lower upfront hardware cost	No major firmware updates or engine upgrades
Fewer components to manage	Poor long-term compatibility with modern web content
Lower power consumption	Performance bottlenecks, especially in 4K use
Good for basic content (images/videos)	Risky for interactive or dynamic applications

SoC displays can be a great way to get started quickly, with minimal setup and no need for external hardware. They offer a streamlined, plug-and-play experience that's appealing for fast deployments.

However, if you later find yourself limited by outdated embedded technologies, or if your digital signage software drops support for certain SoC platforms you can easily switch to using an external player. This flexibility allows you to preserve your investment in screens while extending capabilities, performance, and compatibility through a dedicated device.

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2. Android and its derivatives: Flexibility with caveats

Android is one of the most common platforms for digital signage today. Its open nature, wide hardware availability, and massive developer ecosystem make it appealing, but it's not without its own limitations and architectural quirks.

At Disign, we've worked extensively across the Android ecosystem from professional signage displays and tablets to Android TV boxes and even Fire OS devices. In this section, we break down the landscape of Android-based players for digital signage, highlighting key technical and operational considerations.

Android Displays: Vendor-Locked, but with some perks

Many commercial displays (e.g. from Sony, Philips, or BenQ) now come with Android embedded, either Android TV or a custom Android version tailored for signage. While the OS version is often frozen at the factory, there’s one critical advantage: Google Play Services and Chrome receive independent updates.

This means:

• Even if your device is stuck on Android 9 or Android 10...
  • You can still get Chrome engine updates via the Play Store
  • This keeps your digital signage app compatible with modern web technologies for a longer time

Unlike Tizen or WebOS, where the browser engine is fixed with the firmware, Android allows disconnected evolution between system and application layers.

However, this benefit mainly applies to applications built with web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). If your digital signage app is built entirely with native Android code (Java/Kotlin), you're still limited by the API level of the Android OS version.

At Disign, for instance, we support Android devices down to version 7 for our digital signage Android application. This gives a wide compatibility range across commercial devices, even when running older Android versions while still ensuring robustness and modern feature support when possible.

Advantages

• Access to Play Store for easy app installation and updates
• Chrome updates independent of Android version
• WebView-based apps stay modern longer
• Support for touch, sensors, and peripherals
• Easier integration with interactive signage use cases

Performance and resolution limits

That said, many Android-based devices, especially built-in SoCs in commercial displays, face hardware constraints:

• Underpowered CPUs (often mid-range ARM)
• Limited memory, shared with the OS
• Thermal throttling and no active cooling

As a result, even 4K screens often run signage apps in 1080p due to insufficient performance. This is also common in Android tablets or sticks not designed for sustained high-res rendering.

So while Android gives you better compatibility, don’t expect buttery smooth animations or ultra-HD video unless you're using a high-end external device.

Security and kiosk mode: The role of MDM

One of Android's strengths is its suitability for interactive signage: touchscreens, kiosks, tablets. But this also introduces new security risks:

• Users could exit the app
• Access system UI
• Or misuse the device if not properly locked down

To solve this, Android supports kiosk mode through MDM (Mobile Device Management) platforms.

Several digital signage solutions handle the MDM layer internally, offering a lightweight alternative to traditional, full-featured MDMs. For digital signage use cases, we often don’t need the complete range of MDM capabilities (like multi-app management, complex provisioning, etc.). A simplified approach focused on kiosk mode, app locking, and remote updates, is usually sufficient.

However, there’s a key limitation...

The AMAPI Limitation: Android TV is left behind

Google’s Android Management API (AMAPI) is now the standard for all MDM providers. It allows full remote control of Android smartphones and tablets. But:

As of the time of writing this article, AMAPI does not support Android TV.

This means:

• Android TV devices cannot be remotely locked down the same way
• Older DPC-based methods (pre-AMAPI) are now deprecated
• There is no official way to enforce kiosk mode or app whitelisting on Android TV using modern MDM

For signage deployments using interactive or public-facing Android TV devices, this is a major concern. Some MDM vendors have created proprietary solutions to simulate kiosk behavior, but results vary and often require additional setup. I can’t speak to the effectiveness of these approaches, as I haven’t personally tested them yet.

Android Boxes, Sticks, and Google TV Devices

Android’s flexibility extends beyond embedded displays. You can run digital signage on:

• Android TV boxes (e.g. Nvidia Shield, Xiaomi Mi Box)
• Google TV sticks (e.g. Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer)
• AOSP devices
• Fire OS (Fire TV stick, Amazon signage stick covered below)

Considerations

• Devices with the Play Store are preferred for easier app installs and updates
• Many cheap Android boxes run AOSP builds (no Google services), which lack Chrome updates and MDM support
• Devices should not be rooted, as this introduces security and stability issues

Connecting a Google account to install apps is often required, an operational headache at scale unless you’re using MDM.

Fire OS and Amazon signage stick

Amazon’s Fire OS is a fork of Android, used on Fire TV Sticks and Echo devices. While it doesn’t use the Play Store, Amazon maintains its own Appstore, and many digital signage apps, including Disign, are available there.

This makes Fire OS devices viable for signage, particularly in cost-sensitive deployments.

• Low cost
• Simple setup
• Disign and other apps available in Amazon Appstore

Amazon Signage Stick

Amazon has released a Signage-specific Fire TV Stick, currently available only in the US:

• Optimized for digital signage workloads
• Includes its own Amazon MDM interface
• Centralized remote management

This is a promising direction, especially for lightweight signage. But due to regional availability and lack of long-term data, it remains a niche solution for now.

Summary: Android Ecosystem Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Broad hardware availability (phones, tablets, TVs, sticks)	Many devices stuck on old Android versions
Chrome and WebView updates keep apps modern	Android TV lacks official kiosk-mode MDM support
Great for interactivity and touchscreens	Performance can vary widely between models
Good support for remote management (on phones/tablets)	Must use external MDM for robust security
Fire OS provides low-cost alternatives	Fire OS lacks Play Store and runs on Amazon’s update cycle

Final thoughts on Android

Android offers a wide spectrum of possibilities from powerful interactive kiosks with rugged tablets and MDM lockdown, to low-cost HDMI sticks that run basic content.

But its flexibility also means you must evaluate each device carefully:

• Is it using Play Store or AOSP?
• Can it be secured with kiosk mode, and is it even necessary if the screen isn’t physically accessible?
• Is its performance sufficient for your content?

If you’re not careful, Android can become just as fragmented and risky as outdated SoC platforms. But with the right setup, it remains one of the most powerful ecosystems for digital signage, especially for interactive and dynamic experiences, thanks to its accessibility and wide availability of affordable devices.

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3. Professional Players: Purpose-built hardware for stability and control

External professional players are often more powerful, offer more features, and allow easier firmware updates.

In this section, we’ll look at two main subcategories:

• Professional hardware vendors like BrightSign
• Custom players developed by digital signage software providers (like Disign)

BrightSign: Industry standard with fine-grained control

BrightSign is a well-known name in the digital signage ecosystem, offering a range of dedicated signage players. These devices are highly stable, rugged, and designed to operate 24/7 with minimal maintenance. However, they also come with a varying cost depending on the model.

Use case fit

BrightSign devices are especially suited for:

• Museums
• Airports
• Complex integrations (e.g. with sensors or custom hardware)

How it works

Each BrightSign player runs BrightScript, a scripting language specific to the platform. But for signage software vendors, there's no need to code manually in BrightScript. Instead, most vendors (including Disign) integrate directly via BrightSign’s partner program or by deploying an autorun.zip package containing (URL):

• autorun.brs (BrightScript main entry)
• Application assets
• Runtime logic, web-based player

Once deployed, you can now manage the display using the digital signage CMS of your choice.

Firmware Management

One important point: BrightSign players do not automatically update their firmware.

• Firmware updates must be manually triggered via BSN Cloud
• This provides full control, but also means:
  • There’s a risk of mismatch between firmware version and the application
  • Older firmware = older web engine (outdated Chromium)

If you're using BrightSign as a web-based player, this can create compatibility issues over time. It’s essential to regularly check firmware changelogs and align it with your application's technology stack.

Performance variability

BrightSign offers a wide range of models, from budget-friendly players with basic specs to high-end ones capable of multi-zone 4K playback and sensor integrations.

• Entry-level models may struggle with modern JS-heavy applications or 4K rendering
• High-end models can support interactivity, 4K60...

Always match your application’s resource requirements (memory, rendering, video decoding) with the exact BrightSign model to avoid bottlenecks.

Extensibility with Nexmosphere

A unique advantage of BrightSign players is their compatibility with Nexmosphere sensors for:

• Presence detection
• Touchless interaction
• Light or motion-triggered events

This makes BrightSign particularly powerful for experiential signage, where automation and context-aware content are needed.

Players designed by Software Vendors

Some digital signage platforms (like Disign) have chosen to go a step further by developing their own custom hardware and operating system, often built on devices like the Raspberry Pi, but not limited to them.

At Disign, we’ve engineered a Raspberry Pi–based player for digital signage, paired with our own in-house operating system: Disign OS.

Why build a dedicated OS for digital signage and the application?

General-purpose OSes like Raspberry Pi OS, Debian, or Ubuntu are not well-suited for embedded digital signage environments:

• Use traditional package managers like apt, which are not atomic
• Heavyweight desktop environments introduce risk (e.g. desktop UI showing up on screen in crash scenarios)
• No built-in kiosk mode
• Firmware and app updates are risky and hard to automate

Disign OS addresses these limitations:

• Built as an embedded IoT system with no GUI stack
• Uses atomic updates with an A/B partition strategy
• Designed for OTA (Over-the-Air) updates
• Firmware and app are updated in a robust transaction
• Memory and performance optimized specifically for signage

Continuous evolution and feature access

Because we control both the hardware image and the application runtime:

• We can support newer web technologies faster
• We’re not constrained by frozen browsers like on Tizen or outdated firmware like on BrightSign
• We can implement low-level features that generic platforms can’t

Even on the same Raspberry Pi hardware, the system architecture makes a huge difference. A dedicated embedded OS ensures long-term support and predictable performance.

Professional players give you the building blocks for a robust, future-proof digital signage infrastructure.

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Most digital signage solutions today, including Disign, are agnostic to underlying technologies. Whether you're deploying on modern SoC-based displays, Android tablets, BrightSign players, or older screens with unusual resolutions, an external player will almost always make it work.

That’s one of the key benefits of using a standalone media player: it abstracts away the hardware limitations and ensures consistency, compatibility, and flexibility across a wide range of displays.

At Disign, we've designed our software and custom OS to support this philosophy, giving you the freedom to scale, update, and adapt your signage infrastructure without being locked into a specific hardware vendor or OS.

Want to experience this flexibility for yourself?
Feel free to explore Disign our digital signage solution CMS built for modern deployments. Try it, test it, and see what a fully adaptable signage platform can do.