Raspberry Pi

In this article, we'll get the OptiSigns player running on a Raspberry Pi and pair it with your OptiSigns account.

• Choose How to Install OptiSigns
• Use the Prebuilt SD Card Image
• Install the AppImage on Raspberry Pi OS
  • Set Up Raspberry Pi OS
  • Install FUSE
  • Download the AppImage and Run It
• Use the Player Menu
• Pair the Player with Your Account
• Choose a Video Player
• What Your Raspberry Pi Player Does
• Limitations of OptiSigns on Raspberry Pi
• More Raspberry Pi Guides
• Next Steps

The OptiSigns player runs on a Raspberry Pi and turns it into a digital signage player. We recommend a Raspberry Pi 3B+ or newer.

Choose How to Install OptiSigns

There are two ways to get OptiSigns on a Raspberry Pi:

• Use our prebuilt SD card image. OptiSigns comes already installed. This is the quickest way to set up a new Raspberry Pi.
• Install the AppImage on Raspberry Pi OS. Use this if your Raspberry Pi already runs Raspberry Pi OS.

Use the Prebuilt SD Card Image

1. Download the SD card image for your model: - Raspberry Pi 4 or older (MD5 checksum) - Raspberry Pi 5 (MD5 checksum)
2. Unzip the download. You'll need an SD card of at least 16 GB.
3. Download and install balenaEtcher.

Note: You can use Raspberry Pi Imager instead of balenaEtcher. Raspberry Pi Imager also lets you set up Wi-Fi before you flash the card.

4. Open balenaEtcher, select Flash from file and choose the OptiSigns .img file you unzipped.

5. Select Select target and choose your SD card.

6. Select Flash!.

7. Put the SD card in your Raspberry Pi, start it up and connect it to your network.

OptiSigns is already installed and opens by itself each time the Raspberry Pi starts. It shows a pairing code. Skip to Pair the Player with Your Account below.

Install the AppImage on Raspberry Pi OS

If your Raspberry Pi already runs Raspberry Pi OS with the desktop, start at Install FUSE below.

Set Up Raspberry Pi OS

1. Download Raspberry Pi OS with desktop and recommended software: - 64-bit, for Raspberry Pi 5 - 32-bit, for Raspberry Pi 4 or older

2. Flash the image to your SD card with balenaEtcher, the same way as above.

3. Start the Raspberry Pi. To connect to your network, select the network icon at the top right of the desktop.

For more help, see How To Connect To WiFi For Raspberry Pi.

Install FUSE

AppImages need FUSE to run. You need a network connection for this step.

1. Open Terminal from the taskbar.

2. Run:

sudo apt install -y fuse

Download the AppImage and Run It

1. Download the AppImage that matches your operating system: - 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS (recommended for Raspberry Pi 5): Download for ARM64 - 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS (Raspberry Pi 4 or older): Download for ARMv7

An AppImage is a single file that runs the app without installing anything, like an .exe file on Windows.

2. Open the File Manager and go to the folder you downloaded the AppImage to.

3. Right-click the AppImage and select Properties.
4. Open the Permissions tab. Set View content, Change content and Execute to Anyone, then select OK.

Tip: You can do the same thing in a terminal with chmod +x optisigns-*.AppImage.

5. Double-click the AppImage. If you're asked what to do with the file, select Execute.

The player can take a few seconds to open on a Raspberry Pi. It opens full screen and shows a pairing code. Keep it on screen; you'll need it to pair.

Use the Player Menu

Move the mouse to show three buttons at the top right of the player: Exit Fullscreen, Menu and Close. Select Menu to open the side menu.

The side menu includes:

• Orientation: rotate the content to match how the screen is mounted.
• Restart: restart the player at a set time each day.
• AutoStart: open the player when the Raspberry Pi starts. On by default.
• Fullscreen on Startup: open the player full screen. On by default.
• Advanced Options: more settings, including Video Player.

Because AutoStart is on by default, OptiSigns opens by itself the next time the Raspberry Pi starts.

Pair the Player with Your Account

1. Go to app.optisigns.com and log in. If you don't have an account yet, select Create Account. You can also log in with Google, Microsoft or Facebook.

2. On the Screens page, select Add Screen.

3. Enter the pairing code shown on the player in Pair code, then select Pair.

Note: Codes are case-sensitive, and the portal enters them in capitals. If the code on your player has lowercase letters, select Use lowercase pairing code and type it exactly as shown. If pairing fails with a case error, the portal switches this on for you, so check the code and select Pair again.

The player changes to show that it's paired.

Choose a Video Player

The player picks the video player it uses. To check or change it, open the side menu and go to Advanced Options > Video Player.

• MPV Video Player: appears when mpv is installed. To install it, run sudo apt install mpv, then restart the player.
• OMX Player with hardware acceleration: appears only when omxplayer is installed on the Raspberry Pi.

Note: On Linux, including Raspberry Pi, the player turns off graphics hardware acceleration by default. To give the Raspberry Pi's graphics more memory, see Adjust the GPU memory on the Raspberry Pi.

What Your Raspberry Pi Player Does

Once it's set up, your Raspberry Pi works as a digital signage player:

• It starts OptiSigns when it powers on.
• It resumes playing its assigned content after a power cut.
• It keeps the display from going to sleep.
• It keeps playing downloaded content, such as images, videos and documents, when the internet connection drops.

Limitations of OptiSigns on Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi runs OptiSigns well in most cases, but keep these limits in mind:

• Video decoding: Raspberry Pi 5 decodes only HEVC video in hardware. Apps such as YouTube and Vimeo use software decoding, so they play in lower quality.
• Video quality: Raspberry Pi isn't built for heavy video playback. We don't recommend videos above 1080p.

More Raspberry Pi Guides

• Install/Update OptiSigns player on RPi via script
• How to mass deploy OptiSigns on Raspberry Pi devices
• Clean install OptiSigns on Raspberry Pi/Linux

Next Steps

Your player is ready to show content. To get started:

• How to Upload & Manage Your Files/ Assets
• How to Create & Use Playlists
• Creating and Using Schedules with OptiSigns
• Set up & add a screen

If you have questions or feedback, contact our support team at support@optisigns.com.

That’s all!

OptiSigns is the leader in digital signage software. If you have any additional questions, concerns or any feedback about OptiSigns, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@optisigns.com.