1Deploying a digital signage network typically involves connecting screens at each venue to media players that are in turn connected to the Internet or a local computer network.

2Your creative personnel, agency or marketing department creates content assets like movies, images, graphs or web pages.

3These assets are then loaded into a special digital signage Content Management System (CMS). Most commonly, the CMS is a web-based service that can be accessed using a web browser.

4Once the content assets are loaded into the CMS software, they can be scheduled into playlists -- instructions that tell each media player to show the content at a particular date and time.

5When the content is scheduled into playlists, each media player retrieves the files that it needs, usually by downloading the files as compressed data over the network (for example, the Internet).

6The media players save these files to a hard drive, and when directed by the playlist, play the content on the appropriate screens via either a direct connection, or an extender system that lets the players reach screens in remote parts of the venue.

7As each player plays the content in its playlist, it generates a compliance log that is then sent back to the CMS system to confirm that everything is working properly.