Using a Chromebook to run a display screen

[David44]

Does anyone use a Chromebook to run a display screen? The type of thing you might see in reception for example. We just want to have a Google Slides presentation on a loop at this stage. We don't really want the a user signed in to the Chromebook and we don't really want to touch the Chromebook once it has been set up.

 

I have created a Slides presentation, published it to the web and then using the URL that that generates added it as a kiosk app to a Chromebook. This has revealed two issues.

 

1. The URL is something like https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/jhjjghjhgj/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000. Using this URL causes the Chromebook to launch Google Slides which in turn asks the user to sign in. Once they sign in, they are not taken to the presentation anyway, they are just taken to Google Slides, it's as if they have gone to https://slides.google.com/. I assume something somewhere is hijacking the URL because it starts with docs.google.com.

 

A work around for this issue is to create a redirect URL with tinyurl.com or similar and put that URL in as the kiosk app. As the URL no longer starts with docs.google.com, the page loads and the presentation starts. All good but I'd rather a solution that didn't rely on tinyurl.com if anyone knowns how to do this properly.

 

2. Using the above workaround, the presentation plays full screen* and loops but after some amount of time, the screen goes to sleep. I can not find a setting in Google Admin that stops this from happening. It's perhaps worth mentioning that despite appearances, the presentation is not actually running in full screen mode. If I access the presentations menu, I can select 'Enter full screen' and if I select this option then the presentation goes in to full screen mode (which looks identical to how it was before) and therefore the Chromebook never sleeps.

 

For the second issue, I wonder if there is a way to make the presentation start in real full screen mode or a setting that I am missing in Google Admin Console that stops the Chromebook from sleeping.

[rogerdnixon]

We use Chromeboxes and Chrome Sign Builder - that allows you to control it and push different things to the device and so on. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-sign-builder/odjaaghiehpobimgdjjfofmablbaleem

 

You need to put the device into Kiosk mode and push the sign builder app.

[mavhc]

So the first problem is you have a url that requires sign in, but the chromebook isn't signed in.

 

Can you publish to a secret url?

[David44]

We use Chromeboxes and Chrome Sign Builder - that allows you to control it and push different things to the device and so on. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-sign-builder/odjaaghiehpobimgdjjfofmablbaleem

 

You need to put the device into Kiosk mode and push the sign builder app.

We have enough Chromebooks with broken screens and/or keyboards that we would be better off using those for signage if possible. Chrome Sign Builder looks interesting. I knew there were third-party apps that did this sort of thing but I didn't know that Google did their own. Thanks for that.

 

So the first problem is you have a url that requires sign in, but the chromebook isn't signed in.

 

Can you publish to a secret url?

 

The presentation is published to the web, anyone with the URL can view it. There is something that redirects the URL when it is used as a kiosk app on the Chromebook. As I mentioned, it works when the URL is obfuscated by tinyurl.com so it's definitely publicly accessible.

[PrimaryNetMan]

Publish the slide and make a note of the link.

 

Download Chrome Signbuilder and use it to create the schedual and download the json file

 

Make a device OU in Google Workspace. Set kiosk settings to that the Chrome Signbuilder App auto runs on device startup and upload the json file

 

Pop a manged chromebook into the OU

 

Job done

 

Have done this across a number of school, but via Chromebits, now they were perfect for this job

[David44]

I've had a look at Google Sign Builder. Am I right in thinking that you need to be a Google Admin to use this? To get the schedule to take effect, you need to add the .json file that it generates to the kiosk app. This means that the Marketing and Social Media team can't use this without the IT Team being involved in the process?

 

Has anyone done anything clever and got the json in there another way? GAM or directly accessing an API?

[slugshead]

I ended up ditching chrome sign builder, the process was just too messy to chop and change things.

 

Switched to Xibo and never looked back.

[PrimaryNetMan]

I've had a look at Google Sign Builder. Am I right in thinking that you need to be a Google Admin to use this? To get the schedule to take effect, you need to add the .json file that it generates to the kiosk app. This means that the Marketing and Social Media team can't use this without the IT Team being involved in the process?

 

Has anyone done anything clever and got the json in there another way? GAM or directly accessing an API?

 

Yes admin need to make the Admin Console changes, but the google slides file can be owned by aynone. Ours just lives on a shared drive and shared with whoever needs to make changes.

[Jcx500]

Screencloud works well for us on our chromebits

[EssentialRug]

+1 for Chromebooks/Chromebox/Chromebits and Chrome Sign Builder. Have been using it for around 4 years with no problems.

[paulkerton]

Chrome Sign Builder is the way I've always done it!

Then you just update the Slides as you go.

Paul.

[keyboards]

We used Chromebits then Chromeboxes then they got discontinued, we bought a few Chromebits off Ebay recently for £30

[Sanchez]

We've done exactly what you want to do. Chromebooks with damaged screens in kiosk mode running Chrome sign builder pointing towards Google slides which is shared with those that need to edit and update.

 

We also have other screens pointing to internal webpages with embedded content ( let's us use a Google slide presentation and have other content like the date and time)

 

Has worked flawlessly for us for years.

[DrBeaker]

I ended up ditching chrome sign builder, the process was just too messy to chop and change things.

 

Switched to Xibo and never looked back.

 

Did you go in-house Xibo or Cloud Xibo?

 

How do you publish content/who does it?