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Guide

Playlists

A playlist is “what to show, in what order, for how long.” Schedules decide “where and when.” Here’s how to build playlists that work hard for you.

Basics

A playlist holds an ordered list of content items (images, videos, web URLs, Smart Displays, integration outputs). On a screen, a playlist plays its items in order and loops.

Playlists by themselves don't play on any device. You assign them to devices through schedules. One playlist can be in many schedules; one schedule can include many playlists.

Manual vs Dynamic playlists

Two flavors. Pick based on how the content changes over time.

Manual

You hand-pick exactly which items appear and in what order. Drag to reorder. Best for “Sunday Lobby”-style curated rotations where you want full control.

Dynamic

The playlist auto-populates from a folder or tag filter. New uploads matching the filter appear automatically; deleted ones disappear. Best for:

  • A folder per ministry — staff drop in slides, screens update automatically.
  • Tag-based rotations like tag:announcement — once tagged, content joins the rotation.
  • Integration-fed content — e.g., Canva designs imported to a folder show on screens without anyone editing the playlist.

Creating a Playlist

  1. Open the Playlists page in the web admin.
  2. Click + New Playlist.
  3. Give it a name (e.g., “Sunday Lobby”, “Children's Wing”).
  4. Choose Manual or Dynamic. For dynamic, pick the folder and/or tags that should feed it.
  5. Set the default seconds per slide and a transition (crossfade is the safe default).
  6. Add items, save.

The Playlist Editor

Two panels side by side.

  • Available Content (left) — the same content you see on the Content page, filterable by folder and tag.
  • Playlist (right) — the items currently in this playlist, in order.

Click + on any item in the left panel to add it. Drag items in the right panel to reorder. Click an item in the right panel to open per-item options (timing, scheduling, filters).

You can upload new content directly from the editor — uploads land in the playlist's default folder (set under the playlist's settings).

Per-Item Options

Each item in a playlist can override the playlist-level defaults. Three options worth knowing about:

Per-item timing

Override the default seconds-per-slide on a single item. Useful when one big announcement should linger 30 seconds while the rest cycle at 10.

Date scheduling

Set starts_at and/or ends_at on an item. The item appears on screens only between those dates. Drop in next month's announcement today — it stays hidden until its start date, then expires on its end date automatically.

Location and group filters

Restrict an item to specific locations or device groups. The same playlist plays on every screen, but each screen only renders the items targeted at it. This is the secret weapon — see the Multi-Location trick below.

Playback Settings

These apply to the whole playlist. Edit them from the playlist settings panel.

  • Seconds per Slide — how long each item displays before advancing. Items can override this individually.
  • Transition — crossfade (smooth), cut (instant), or slide between items.
  • Auto-play — on by default. Turn off when the schedule is in Kiosk mode and a remote should control advancement.
  • Shuffle — randomize the play order each loop.
  • Sync Playback — synchronize all devices showing this playlist so they display the same slide at the same time. Useful for multi-screen video walls and twin lobby TVs that should match.

One playlist, different content per location

This is the move that saves the most clicking. Don't build one playlist per campus or per ministry — build one playlist and use per-item filters.

Worked example: a single “Sunday Announcements” playlist.

  • This week's sermon series graphic — no filter, plays everywhere.
  • Children's check-in reminder — filter: Children's Wing only.
  • Weather closing notice — filter: Main Campus only.
  • Construction parking map — filter: South Campus only.

When a device renders the playlist, it silently skips items that don't match its location or group. You maintain one playlist, every screen gets exactly the right content, and there's no duplication to keep in sync.

Pairs well with dynamic playlists. Tag uploads with the campus they apply to, build a dynamic playlist filtered by tag, and use location filters on the rare cross-campus item. Anyone with upload rights can publish without touching a playlist.

Cover image

Upload a cover image to identify the playlist visually. Recommended size: 1920×1080 (16:9).

This image shows as the playlist's thumbnail in the admin and as the row thumbnail when a schedule is in Kiosk mode — the playlist becomes a row in the Netflix-style menu and the cover is the row art.

Connecting Playlists to Schedules

A finished playlist doesn't play anywhere until you assign it through a schedule. Open Schedules → + New Schedule, pick the playlist, pick the target devices/groups/locations, optionally set a time window, and save.

Full schedule details: Schedules guide →

Stuck?

Email hello@displaycache.com and we'll help.