Install impressPlayer on a BrightSign player

impressPlayer runs on BrightSign media players (Series 4 and Series 5). Unlike a Samsung, LG or Android TV, a BrightSign player has no app store — impressPlayer is a small package of files that you copy onto the player's SD (microSD) card. Once the files are on the card and the player is switched on, it shows an activation code and you connect it just like any other screen.

The flow is the same three moves as every screen (see impressPlayer install guides): install the player → it shows a 6‑digit code → you add it in the app with that code. On BrightSign, "install" simply means copying the files onto the SD card.

Before you start

You'll need:

  • A BrightSign player — Series 5 is recommended; Series 4 also works.

  • The player's SD / microSD card and a card reader for your computer.

  • The impressPlayer package for BrightSign — download it here: brightsign.zip. It's small (about 600 KB). (If the impressBox team gave you a ready‑made card, skip Step 1.)

  • A screen connected to the player by HDMI, and a network connection — a wired Ethernet cable is easiest.

Step 1 — Put impressPlayer on the SD card

This is ordinary file‑copying, no special tools. First, download the package: brightsign.zip.

  1. Format the card (this erases everything on it): choose FAT32 for cards 32 GB or smaller, or exFAT for larger cards.

  2. Unzip the downloaded brightsign.zip file on your computer.

  3. Copy everything from the unzipped folder to the top level (the "root") of the card — the files autorun.brs, index.html, service-main.js, the main-….js bundle and build-info.json must sit directly on the card, not inside another folder.

The one mistake to avoid: if the card ends up with a single folder on it (for example brightsign/…), the player will not start. Open that folder, move everything up one level so autorun.brs is at the very top of the card, and delete the empty folder.

  1. Safely eject the card from your computer.

Step 2 — Start the player

  1. Put the SD card into the player.

  2. Connect the screen (HDMI) and the network cable, then switch the player on.

  3. Wait a minute or two for the first start. The screen shows a 6‑digit activation code and a QR code.

Leave the SD card in the player — it runs impressPlayer straight from the card.

Step 3 — Connect it in the app

  1. Note the 6‑digit code shown on the screen.

  2. In m.impressbox.eu, open the device list and choose Add new device.

  3. Enter the code. The screen comes online within a few moments and is ready for a playlist.

See Connect a new screen with its activation code for the detailed steps, then publish a playlist to the screen.

If something goes wrong

  • No code appears after a couple of minutes — check the screen is on the correct HDMI input and the player has power, then restart it. If there's still no code, the card's files are probably wrong or sitting in a sub‑folder — re‑copy them from the zip (see the warning in Step 1).

  • The code doesn't work — codes expire; restart the player to get a fresh one, and make sure it has internet (wired is the most reliable).

  • Updating later — to move the player to a newer version, format the card again and copy the new brightsign.zip package onto it (or use a card the team prepared for you).

Good to know

  • No app store: the impressPlayer package is prepared once by the impressBox team; you only copy it to the card.

  • Series 5 players are recommended; Series 4 works too.

  • Prefer a wired network connection for setup — it's the most reliable.