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How to set up a digital signage player with Xibo CMS

5-minute setup — Download a bootable image, flash it to USB/SD, boot, enter your CMS URL. Your signage display is ready. No Linux knowledge required.

Digital signage doesn't have to be expensive. With xiboplayer and a spare PC or Raspberry Pi, you can set up a professional signage display in minutes — completely free.

What you need

Hardware

A PC, Raspberry Pi 3/4/5, or any Linux machine with an HDMI output.

Display

Any screen — TV, monitor, or commercial signage display.

Xibo CMS

A running Xibo CMS instance (self-hosted or cloud). Get one here.

Network

Internet for initial setup. The player works offline after the first sync.

Option 1: Bootable image (fastest)

Recommended for beginners — No Linux experience needed. Flash, boot, configure.
  1. 💿 Download the latest kiosk image for your hardware
  2. 🔥 Flash it to a USB drive or SD card with Balena Etcher
  3. 🚀 Boot from the drive
  4. 🔧 The setup wizard asks for your CMS URL and key
  5. ✅ Authorize the display in your CMS
  6. 🎬 Content starts playing automatically

The kiosk image includes everything: operating system, signage player, health monitoring, and auto-updates.

Option 2: Install on existing Linux

For servers and machines already running Fedora or Debian/Ubuntu.

Fedora

sudo dnf install xiboplayer-release
sudo dnf install xiboplayer-electron  # or xiboplayer-chromium

Debian / Raspberry Pi OS

curl -fsSL https://dl.xiboplayer.org/deb/DEB-GPG-KEY-xiboplayer | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/xiboplayer.asc > /dev/null
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/xiboplayer.asc] https://dl.xiboplayer.org/deb/debian/trixie ./" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xiboplayer.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install xiboplayer-chromium

Option 3: Browser-based (no install)

Open any modern browser and navigate to your CMS player URL. Instant signage — zero install on the display.

This requires a Xibo CMS with the PWA player module installed. If you're running the Xibo Docker install, the PWA player is served at https://your-cms-url/player/pwa/. The browser connects to the CMS, downloads content, and plays it with full offline support via service workers.

Requires our CMS patch — the PWA player uses a REST API v2 module that extends the standard Xibo CMS. See the SDK deployment guide for setup instructions.

Which player should I choose?

Electron

Self-contained desktop app. Best for dedicated signage PCs. ~5% CPU, includes its own browser.

Chromium

Uses system browser. Best for Raspberry Pi and lightweight deployments. ~5% CPU, minimal footprint.

PWA

Browser-based. Best for quick demos and situations where you can't install software.

Kiosk Image

Complete OS image. Best for zero-touch deployment — flash and forget.

All players share the same rendering engine and support 53+ features: video, images, tickers, web pages, PDF, HLS streaming, multi-display sync, proof of play, and more.

Next steps