Offline Mode

Overview

HipDeck is designed to keep your screens running during temporary internet outages whenever possible.

When a player loses its internet connection, locally cached content can continue to display. However, some content types require an active internet connection and may not be available while offline.

What Works Offline

The following content typically continues to function while offline after it has been downloaded to the player:

• Images
• Text
• Shapes
• Layouts
• Fonts that have already been downloaded
• Slide transitions

Video Playback

Video playback during an internet outage depends on the size of the video.

• Videos smaller than 25 MB are downloaded to the device and continue playing while offline.
• Videos larger than 25 MB are streamed from HipDeck’s CDN and require an active internet connection. If connectivity is lost, these videos may not play until the device reconnects.

If offline reliability is important, we recommend compressing videos to under 25 MB whenever possible.

What Requires an Internet Connection

The following features require an active internet connection:

• Videos larger than 25 MB
• RSS feeds
• Embedded websites
• Live web content
• Streaming media
• Dynamic widgets that retrieve online information
• publishing new playlist changes

Best Practices

For the best offline experience:

• Keep important videos under 25 MB.
• Publish all playlist changes before disconnecting a player.
• Give the player time to download any new assets after publishing. See Upload Your Assets for details.
• Use locally cached images whenever possible instead of live web content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my screen go blank if the internet goes down?

Not necessarily. Images, text, layouts, and other downloaded assets continue to display. However, streamed content such as videos larger than 25 MB or live web content may stop working until the internet connection is restored.

Can I publish updates while the player is offline?

No. The player must reconnect before it can receive newly published content.

Why don’t larger videos work offline?

To keep storage usage reasonable and reduce download times, HipDeck streams videos larger than 25 MB directly from our content delivery network (CDN). These videos require an internet connection during playback.

How can I make sure my playlist works offline?

Use locally cached content whenever possible, keep videos under 25 MB, and avoid relying on live web-based elements.