What's a playlist (and when to use one)
How playlists work, what makes them different from individual slides, and when to reach for one.
Introduction
A playlist (FI: Soittolista) is a reusable container of slides. You build it once and then assign it to one or more screens. The same playlist can play on a single lobby display or simultaneously across every restaurant location. Updates you make to the playlist propagate to every screen that uses it.
Slides vs playlists
Two different things, often confused:
- A slide is a single content item: image, video, PDF, web page (Website), Google Slides content, or even a whole playlist embedded as a slide on a screen.
- A playlist is a named collection of slides. It has its own schedule, permissions, and assigned screens.
- Slides live INSIDE either a screen or a playlist. A screen can contain a mix of individual slides and playlists.
When to use a playlist
Reach for a playlist when:
- Same content on multiple screens. Build the content once, assign the playlist to all the screens that need it.
- Reusable campaign content. A weekly promotion that plays in different locations.
- Centralized content management. Edit one playlist and the update pushes to every screen automatically.
- Composing larger flows. A screen can mix several playlists with individual slides, so themed playlists become the building blocks of a screen's full loop.
When NOT to use a playlist
Skip the playlist when:
- Just one screen, one-off content. Adding slides directly to the screen is faster.
- Different content per screen. Don't try to use playlists to give different teams access to different content. That's what permissions are for, set on each playlist or media folder.
A common misconception: groups are NOT for content
Screen Groups (FI: Näyttöryhmät) are about user permissions, not content. Groups grant a set of users access to a set of screens at once. They do not broadcast the same content to all screens in the group. If you want shared content across screens, use a playlist.
Warning
If you find yourself building one Screen Group per piece of content, that's a sign you should be using a playlist instead. Groups stay static; playlists grow with your content needs.
How playlists, slides, and screens fit together
The relationships at a glance:
- A screen has 0 or more slides.
- A slide on a screen can BE a playlist (playlists embed on screens, not inside other playlists).
- A playlist has 0 or more slides of its own.
- A playlist can be assigned to many screens.
- A screen can contain many playlists, mixed with individual slides.
What's next
Continue with:
- Creating and editing a playlist
- Assigning playlists to screens
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