Installing a ChromeOS Player

Traditionally, you were able to install the NoviSign app from the Chrome Web Store. Now you cannot do that anymore since the Chrome Web Store for apps (unlike Chrome browser extensions) is actually R.I.P.

The Chrome OS world has been through many changes in the last few years. It looks like Google is moving into Android, that means the Chrome OS devices (some of them) already run Android apps from the Google Play store. This way doesn’t work in NoviSign yet. Hence the only way (and right way) to run NoviSign’s digital signage app over a Chrome OS device is using our webapp or as we call it: HTML player app (which was specifically adjusted for Chrome OS).

You can run NoviSign app (https://app.novisign.com/wplayer) within a Chrome browser on a Chrome device in desktop mode (which is irrelevant, since in digital signage you want it to run 24/7 and not to start the app every morning; this is the 3rd and most simple way in this post to run the app), but kiosk mode is better (kiosk mode in digital signage means that the device is locked and dedicated to play a single app).

For doing that, you will need to put your Chrome device in a managed state (provisioned) by Google Device Management Console (which requires you to purchase a Google Chrome license for each device).

1. For choosing the HTML player app as the kiosk app, click the yellow round button that looks like a globe (its tooltip text reads “Add by URL”).
2. Type the URL https://app.novisign.com/wplayer
3. Press “Save” in the window.
4. Press “Agree”. It will be added. On the right you can change settings for this kiosk app.
5. Make sure the app is set to “Installed” as the “Auto-launch app”.
6. Press the “Save” button on the top right corner of the screen.

1. After a reboot the Chrome device will end up showing the entrance screen of the NoviSign HTML player app.
2. Check the “Auto Start” checkbox.
3. In the Login option (in the top right), login to your user account. Then choose a screen from your account.
4. Press the “Play” button.
5. The playback will start running.
6. After one cycle of content, stop the playback by pressing the Esc key.
7. Access the Settings page by clicking the cog icon in the top right corner.
8. Go to the “Notifications” menu and change the “Enable Notifications” to off.
9. Exit the settings.
10. Press the “Play” button again.

As for February 2024, the below list of known issues: all works, except the following documented issues:

• Synchronization feature – doesn’t work.
• YouTube widget cannot work together with another video widget.
• Touch widget works, but touch properties (of other widgets) do not work.
• Ustream widget – doesn’t work.
• FTP widget – doesn’t work.
• Ad widget – doesn’t work.
• Ability to show/skip incomplete creatives/slides – no option for that in the app’s settings.
• Show case (screen saver) mode – no option for that in the app’s settings.
• Launch 3rd party app on touch – no option for that in the app’s settings.
• Launch 3rd party app on swipe – no option for that in the app’s settings.
• Playlist update timing (when to stop a running playlist when an update finished downloading in the background) – no option for that in the app’s settings.
• Auto scroll for webpage widget – no option for that in the app’s settings.