ScreenCloud Software Development
$1500-3000 USD
Paid on delivery
Below is an overview of how you can build a **digital signage system**—similar in concept to ScreenCloud—that allows restaurants and other businesses (or your own team) to remotely manage and display content (images, videos, menus, prices, ads) on screens located in various places. We’ll break it down into key components, approaches, and technical considerations.
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## 1. High-Level System Architecture
1. **Cloud-Based Management Platform (CMS)**
- A web-based dashboard (for restaurants, your company’s internal users, etc.) to upload designs, videos, text, and schedule content for specific screens or groups of screens.
- A backend server (API) to store and manage all the content, user information, screen configurations, etc.
2. **Player/Client Application** (running on the physical screen or device)
- This app is installed on the screen (if it’s an Android/Smart TV or an Android box) or runs on a small external media player (e.g., a Raspberry Pi, an Android stick, or a Windows mini PC) connected to a normal digital screen via HDMI.
- The player app periodically checks the cloud CMS for new content, downloads it (if necessary), and then displays it according to a schedule or rotation.
3. **Communication & Synchronization**
- Each screen or player has a unique ID (or is part of a group).
- The screens regularly communicate with the CMS to get updates on what content to show.
- The CMS can push or notify screens when new content is available (via WebSockets or polling).
4. **Monitoring & Reporting**
- You (or a restaurant manager) can see which screens are online, what content is currently playing, how many impressions, etc.
- Logs for troubleshooting or analytics (e.g., “Screen #12 in Mall A has been offline since 10:23 PM”).
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## 2. Content Management Workflow
1. **Upload / Creation**
- A restaurant logs into its dashboard.
- They upload a design (image, video) or create a new menu layout (e.g., name, price, discount/bundle info).
- They can preview it directly in the CMS.
2. **Scheduling & Targeting**
- They select which screen(s) or region(s) this content should be shown on (e.g., “All screens in Downtown Area” or a specific device ID).
- They set a schedule: for example, show from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM or for the entire day or for a week.
3. **Publishing**
- The CMS publishes the content to the relevant screen(s).
- The player application on each screen receives the update, downloads the new content, and updates the playback playlist.
4. **Playback & Rotation**
- The player cycles through the assigned content—images, videos, or even live web pages—and displays them according to the schedule or rotation rules (e.g., 10 seconds per item, or a specific start/end time).
5. **Updates & Changes**
- If the restaurant wants to change a price, they simply edit it in the dashboard.
- The updated content is automatically pushed to the screens.
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## 3. Handling Different Types of Screens
### A. Android-Based Screens (Smart Displays, TVs, or Android Boxes)
1. **Install a “Signage Player” App**
- Develop an Android application that runs in fullscreen (kiosk mode) and communicates with your CMS.
- The app can be built in Java or Kotlin, or even React Native/Flutter if you prefer cross-platform.
- The app regularly checks an API endpoint to fetch content data (images, videos, or web URLs).
2. **Displaying Web Content**
- The signage player can use a `WebView` to display dynamic or interactive web pages (for instance, a dynamic menu that updates automatically).
- Alternatively, you can download videos/images to local storage and render them in a loop.
3. **Internet Connectivity**
- Each screen needs either Wi-Fi or Ethernet to connect to your server.
- If connectivity is lost, the signage player should keep displaying the last-downloaded content.
4. **Advantages**
- Quick to deploy if the screen already has Android built-in.
- Easy to update the app via standard Android distribution methods.
### B. Normal Digital Screens (with no built-in OS)
1. **External Media Player**
- Use a small device (Android TV box, Raspberry Pi, or Windows mini-PC) that plugs into the screen via HDMI.
- Your signage player software runs on this device.
- The screen just acts as a monitor.
2. **Playback Software Options**
- **Raspberry Pi**: You can write a small Linux program (e.g., in Python or Node.js + Electron, or a custom kiosk browser) that auto-starts and displays your content in fullscreen.
- **Windows Mini-PC**: You can develop a Windows .NET or Electron-based app that auto-starts on boot.
3. **Advantages**
- More flexibility in choosing hardware.
- If a screen fails, you can just swap the media player or vice versa.
- Lower cost for certain setups (e.g., cheap Raspberry Pi or Android stick).
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## 4. Technical Components & Considerations
Below is a more detailed look at each layer of your solution:
### A. Backend / Cloud Server
- **API & Database**
- A REST or GraphQL API to handle:
- Authentication (for restaurants / your internal users).
- CRUD operations for content (upload, edit, delete).
- Assigning content to screens or groups.
- Scheduling rules.
- Gathering status reports from each screen.
- A database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, etc.) to store user info, content metadata, screen IDs, scheduling data.
- **File Storage**
- Store media files (images/videos) on a service like Amazon S3 or a self-hosted storage solution.
- Provide secure URLs for the player apps to download the content.
- **Real-Time Updates**
- Use WebSockets, MQTT, or server-sent events to push immediate updates (“new campaign available”) to screens.
- Alternatively, use polling if real-time is not a priority.
- **Authentication & Permissions**
- Multiple roles: Restaurant manager can only see their screens; your internal staff can see all screens in the network.
- Use OAuth or token-based auth (JWT) in your API for secure communication.
### B. Frontend Dashboard
- **Tech Stack**
- Popular choices: React, Angular, Vue, or even a server-rendered framework.
- This dashboard is where users log in, upload media, design layouts, set schedules, etc.
- **Features**
- **Menu Editor**: Restaurant user can add items, prices, promotions, etc.
- **Drag & Drop Layout** (optional advanced feature): Let them visually design how the content appears on the screen.
- **Scheduling & Calendar UI**: Users can set specific times/dates for content playback.
- **Live Preview**: Optionally show what the screen will look like right now or in an upcoming slot.
### C. Player App (on the Screen)
- **Core Functions**
- Periodically (or via push) fetch the current playlist.
- Download new content or load web URLs.
- Render content in fullscreen.
- Report back “heartbeat” to the server (online status, last content displayed, etc.).
- **Offline Handling**
- Cache media locally so if the internet goes down, the last known playlist continues to play.
- Retry mechanism for uploading logs once back online.
PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENT
Project ID: #38999799
About the project
30 freelancers are bidding on average $2487 for this job
I understand the need for a digital signage system similar to ScreenCloud, allowing businesses to manage and display content on screens remotely. My experience in web and mobile development, particularly in the areas o More
I can develop a digital signage system with a cloud-based CMS to manage and schedule content remotely. The player app will run on Android-based screens or media players, with offline support and real-time updates. I wi More
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Dear Client, I am excited about the opportunity to work on your ScreenCloud Software Development project. With over 6 years of experience in Android and iOS Development, I am confident in my ability to deliver a high- More
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