Getting Started with Nimbus808
Creating and managing digital signage shouldn’t be complicated. With Nimbus808, you can design, publish, and manage content as easily as posting on social media. Follow the steps below to get started.
Before you begin
- A Nimbus808 account and PC or phone for the dashboard.
- A Smart TV or a TV with a compatible streaming device. A PC can also be used to deploy a screen.
- Internet access for the dashboard and display setup.
- A short message, image, or video to show on the screen.
Basic things to know
A Design is a project built in the editor. This is the canvas, its widgets, and their layout. It is autosaved continuously as a draft, and reusable across any number of displays once published.
A Display is a physical monitor or screen that shows content created in the Nimbus808 dashboard app. One player can drive multiple displays, which is many as it has display ports.
A Playlist is a schedule controlling what design plays, and when, on a Player or group of Players.
A Player is the physical device running the Nimbus808 runtime app. This includes Android TV or Amazon Fire TV right now. Coming soon: an Amazon Signage Stick and a dedicated Desktop/PC player app. A Player drives as many Displays as it has display ports.
Publish is the specific, explicit action that sends a design live to its assigned Displays. Separate from autosave, which only preserves the draft.
Deploy is the general term for getting a design onto physical displays. Broader than Publish, it covers assigning a design to displays and the overall rollout, not just the one explicit action that sends it live.
A Widget is an individual content element placed on a Design, which is text, image, video, chart, social embed, etc.
Media are images, video, and other assets uploaded to the shared library, or pulled directly from Unsplash, Pexels, Klipy, or Google Drive. They just need to be uploaded once, then are reusable across any design.
A Dataset is an uploaded or connected spreadsheet (CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets) that feeds a chart or trend widget, so it is a snapshot of the numbers at upload time, not a live feed.
Step 1 – Create an Account
Start your free 90-day trial, set up your account, and begin creating your first design.
Step 2 – Sign in to Nimbus808
After selecting Free Sign Up and registering, log into your account. Complete any account verification to reach the dashboard.
Step 3 – Create a Design
Select Designs from the dashboard side menu, then Add Design.
Enter a name for your design. You can add an optional description. Choose Blank Design to start from scratch or select a template to edit. Select Add Design to continue.
Step 4 – Add your Content
Use the editor to drag-and-drop your text, images, videos, shapes and widgets to the canvas.
For your first design, try one short headline and one image. Keep the text large enough to read from where people will view the screen.
You should set the design’s resolution to their target resolution. You can do this by clicking the Gear icon in the toolbar. It always defaults at 1920×1080 but can affect the positioning/sizing if it isn’t properly set.
Review your design before moving on. You can create more designs and playlists after your first screen is working.
Step 5 – Register your Display
In the dashboard select Displays, then Register Display. The registration screen asks for a Pairing Code and a Display Name.
Follow the pairing instructions for your display or player, then enter its code and name to connect it to your account.
You can use a web browser on a PC or a supported Smart TV. You can also download our app on Android TV or supported Fire TV Sticks.
Step 6 – Publish your Design
Return to Designs and find your design in My Designs.
Use the rocket icon to publish the design to your registered display.
Choose the intended display when prompted.
You can also hover over a design or a registered display from the dashboard and use the same button.
Check the screen to confirm the design appears and looks right.
Step 7 – Make an Update
Edit your design when you need to change its content, then publish the update to your display
Check the screen again to confirm the change.
Later, you can build playlists and schedule content.
If your design does not appear:
- Make sure the TV is on and set to the correct HDMI input if you use a separate player.
- Check the TV or player’s internet connection.
- In Displays, confirm that you registered the intended device.
- Confirm that you published the intended design for that display.
Contact us if you have questions or need assistance with Nimbus808. Our team is here to help.
