How to Choose Digital Signage Software: A 10-Point Checklist
Choosing digital signage software is a longer-term decision than buying a screen. A screen is easy to replace; the dashboard where your content, schedules and team habits live is not. This article lists the 10 questions to ask every product before you buy. For each point we explain what to look for and where OmrarCast stands today.
In short: Digital signage software is the program that manages images and videos on your screens over the internet from one dashboard. When you choose, look for: support for your own screens, playback that continues when the internet drops, scheduling by time of day, managing many screens at once, a proof-of-play report, clear pricing, a free trial and clarity about who runs the company.
Write down what you need first
Before looking at any product, note how many screens you will have, their make and model and who will update the content. These answers decide which points below are deal-breakers. For a single-site cafe, reporting matters less than playback surviving an outage.
The 10-point checklist
1. Does it work on your screens?
Do not rely on "works on any screen" alone; ask which device types it has really been tested on. Testing on your own screen during a trial is the most reliable way. OmrarCast runs its own app on Samsung commercial displays, and opens in the web browser on LG webOS, Android TV and boxes, Amazon Fire TV, computers, tablets and phones. Details: supported devices.
2. What does the screen show when the internet drops?
The router will go down one day. Does the software download content to the device and store it, or does it fetch everything from the internet each time? In OmrarCast, the screen keeps its latest playlist and media on the device. If the connection drops the loop keeps running, and when it returns the screen picks up your changes by itself.
3. How flexible is scheduling?
Changes through the day, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, need time windows. Weekday and weekend rules, start and end dates and windows that run past midnight (22:00 to 03:00) are common needs too. OmrarCast supports all of these; see the features page.
4. Can you manage many screens in one move?
A small gap that is trivial on two screens becomes half an hour a day across ten. Look for screen groups and bulk actions such as assigning one playlist to several screens.
5. Which media types and formats are supported?
If a video from your agency will not play on your screen, the problem is the software. OmrarCast accepts JPG, PNG, WebP and GIF images and MP4, WebM and MOV videos, and converts videos that screens cannot play. It has no design tool: you create the artwork in a tool like Canva and upload it.
6. Is there a proof-of-play report?
If you run campaigns for advertisers or brand partners, you need a record of which content played on which screen and how many times. OmrarCast shows the report in the dashboard and exports it as CSV.
7. How does it handle team access?
The person who manages content and the person who only watches should not have the same permissions. OmrarCast has editor and viewer roles, and important actions are written to an audit log.
8. Is the pricing transparent?
Check whether pricing is per screen or per package, and whether there are setup fees, feature locks or items that grow as you add screens. Work out the difference between yearly and monthly billing. In OmrarCast a screen costs $120 per year, or $14 per month if you pay monthly, and every feature is included on every screen. Paying yearly is about 29 percent cheaper than monthly. Taxes are shown separately at checkout. The pricing page has a calculator.
9. What do the trial and support offer?
You need to try the product without a credit card, for long enough and on enough screens. OmrarCast offers 30 days with every feature on up to 2 screens, with no credit card, plus remote setup help in English and Turkish.
10. Who runs the software and where is the data?
The company registration, address and contact details should be stated clearly, and the site should show where servers are located, a privacy policy and refund terms. OmrarCast is run by OMRAR SOFTWARE LTD, based in London, with servers in Germany. The details are on the about page.
Summary table
| Question | Why it matters | OmrarCast |
|---|---|---|
| Device support | The wrong device means the wrong investment | Own app on Samsung; in the browser on LG, Android TV, Fire TV, computers and tablets |
| Offline playback | No blank screen during an outage | Yes |
| Scheduling | Menu and campaign automation | Days, times, date ranges |
| Bulk management | Saves time | Groups, bulk actions, remote commands |
| Proof of play | Evidence for campaigns | Dashboard and CSV |
| Design tool | Expectation of ready-made templates | None; you prepare the artwork yourself |
| API | Integration with your own software | Coming soon |
| Pricing | Predictable cost | $120 per screen per year, $14 per month |
Be careful with free programs
Free plans often limit screens, storage, support or features. Get the limits in writing and work out what you will pay when your screen count grows.
Conclusion
For a solid choice, write down what you need first, ask the 10 questions in order and finish by testing on your own screen. For examples by industry, see restaurant menu boards and retail advertising screens; for the basic concepts, read what is digital signage. You can start a 30-day free trial of OmrarCast and check every point on this list on your own screens.