Buyer's Guide
Choosing your digital signage CMS, an independent guide
VXT, Smartsign, Broadsign and Novisign. Their strengths, their limits, and which one fits your operation. We resell all four, so our recommendation isn't tied to a single platform.
≈ 12-minute readAlready have a CMS?
You don't have to switch platforms to work with us. If you already run your own CMS, we install and configure it on every screen and test it before it leaves the house, so everything works the moment it's powered on.
The short answer
No single platform does everything well
These four are the platforms our customers use most, and the ones we know best. The right choice depends on what matters most in your operation, so here is where each is at its best.
For Samsung-based, low-change operations
Easiest for staff, and runs on the Samsung screen itself with no separate player. Retail media via a Vistar integration.
For governance and EU data control
Strong central and local rights, open hardware, and hosting in the EU or on your own premises. Swedish-built.
For retail-media ambitions
Programmatic, retail media and proof-of-play built in. The most technical of the four to run day to day.
For hardware freedom
Runs on almost any device, quick to set up, with solid reporting. Lighter on programmatic and retail media.
Find your fit
How important is each of these to you?
Drag each slider from "not important" to "very important". We weigh your priorities against what each platform does well, then show the best fit and where the others fall short. The answer updates as you go.
The comparison
Side by side, by what matters
Rated on the things that decide a signage rollout, not on feature-count marketing.
| Capability | VXT | Smartsign | Broadsign | Novisign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use for store staff | Easiest | Solid | More technical | Very approachable |
| Central + local content rights | Solid | Strong | Strong | Solid |
| Use your own or existing hardware | Samsung-first | Open | Open | Most open |
| Programmatic & retail media | Via Vistar | Solid | Built in | Limited |
| Proof-of-play & reporting | Solid | Solid | Strong | Strong |
| Integrations & API | Solid | Strong | Strong | Solid |
| Stores publish their own content | Preset channels | Yes, with login | Central team only | With user roles |
| Best fit | Samsung-based, low-change ops | Governance, EU or on-prem | Retail-media ambitions | Flexible, hardware-agnostic |
We resell all four. Where a platform is weaker, we say so. The recommendation reflects your operation, not our margin.
The practical facts
The everyday details that decide deployments
Verified from each vendor's own documentation. Data location and exact behaviour can vary by plan and player, so we confirm the specifics for your setup.
| Detail | VXT | Smartsign | Broadsign | Novisign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Push new content remotely | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hosting | Cloud (Samsung) | Cloud (EU) or on-premise | Cloud (SaaS) | Cloud only (AWS) |
| EU data residency | Confirm per plan | Yes (data kept in Europe) | Confirm per plan | Not by default |
| Runs on | Samsung Tizen, Android, Windows | SoC panels, Windows, ChromeOS, Android | Windows, Android, BrightSign | Almost anything (Tizen, webOS, Android, Windows, Chrome, BrightSign, Linux) |
| Separate player needed | No, runs on the screen | No on SoC panels | Often yes | Depends on device |
| Keeps playing if network drops | Yes | Yes | Yes (up to 48h) | Yes |
Every platform caches content locally and keeps playing during an outage, so offline reliability isn't the deciding factor. Hosting, data location and hardware usually are.
The platforms
A closer look at each
Where each one earns its place, and where it doesn't.
VXT
- Based in
- South Korea (Samsung)
- Strengths
- Samsung's own cloud CMS. Runs on the Samsung screen itself with no separate player, easiest for staff, strong remote monitoring, and retail media via a Vistar integration.
- Watch-outs
- Best when your fleet is Samsung. Non-Samsung hardware works via Android or Windows but you lose the built-in advantage.
- Typical fit
- Chains standardising on Samsung screens that want a turnkey, low-maintenance setup.
Smartsign
- Based in
- Sweden
- Strengths
- Strong central and local content rights, open hardware, and a real choice of hosting: cloud inside the EU or fully on your own premises. Swedish-built, strong integrations.
- Watch-outs
- More of a signage platform than a retail-media engine, so advertising ambitions may look elsewhere.
- Typical fit
- Governed, multi-site or public-sector operations with data-residency requirements.
Broadsign
- Based in
- Canada
- Strengths
- Programmatic, retail media and proof-of-play are native, with enterprise-grade monitoring. The strongest choice if screens are part of a media strategy.
- Watch-outs
- The most technical of the four to run, and heavier than needed for simple in-store communication.
- Typical fit
- Retailers building a retail-media network or selling advertising on their screens.
Novisign
- Based in
- Israel
- Strengths
- The most hardware-agnostic of the four, running on almost any device. Quick to set up, budget-friendly, with solid proof-of-play and an open API.
- Watch-outs
- Lighter on programmatic and retail media, and cloud-only, so data-residency-strict buyers should check hosting.
- Typical fit
- Mixed-hardware estates, or teams that want to move quickly without heavy implementation.
The honest bit
Set your sights on a different CMS?
These four are the platforms our customers use most, so they are the ones we know best. If you have chosen a different CMS, our dedicated support team gets to know that platform and helps you judge whether it truly solves your needs, and we set it up on your screens before they ship. Independence has to cut both ways to mean anything.
PRIME®
Whichever CMS you choose, PRIME keeps it running
PRIME is our own operations layer, and it sits above any of these platforms. One place to see every screen across every location, report faults from the store, track SLAs and pull documented CO2 savings, whichever CMS is behind the glass.
Fault reporting from each store · Live status and SLA overview · All installations and contracts in one view · Documented Scope 3 CO2
Read more about PRIMEStill not sure which one fits?
Book a 20-minute call. We'll talk through your operation, not our catalogue.
LCDMEDIA resells VXT, Smartsign, Broadsign and Novisign, and recommends based on fit. Prefer your own CMS? We set that up too.
Buyer's Guide
Choosing your digital signage CMS
VXT, Smartsign, Broadsign and Novisign. Their strengths, their limits, and which one fits your operation. We resell all four, so our recommendation isn't tied to a single platform.
≈ 12-minute readAlready have a CMS?
You don't have to switch platforms to work with us. If you already run your own CMS, we install and configure it on every screen and test it before it leaves the house, so it works the moment it's powered on.
The short answer
No single platform does everything well
These four are the platforms our customers use most, and the ones we know best. The right choice depends on what matters most in your operation.
For Samsung-based, low-change ops
Easiest for staff, runs on the Samsung screen itself. Retail media via Vistar.
For governance and EU data control
Strong central and local rights, open hardware, EU or on-premise hosting. Swedish-built.
For retail-media ambitions
Programmatic, retail media and proof-of-play built in. The most technical to run.
For hardware freedom
Runs on almost any device, quick to set up, solid reporting. Lighter on programmatic.
Find your fit
How important is each of these to you?
Drag each slider from "not important" to "very important". We weigh your priorities against what each platform does well, then show the best fit and where the others fall short.
The comparison
Each platform, by what matters
VXT
- Based in
- South Korea (Samsung)
- Strengths
- Samsung's own cloud CMS. Runs on the Samsung screen with no separate player, easiest for staff, strong monitoring, retail media via Vistar.
- Watch-outs
- Best when your fleet is Samsung. Non-Samsung hardware works via Android or Windows but loses the built-in edge.
- Typical fit
- Chains standardising on Samsung screens that want a turnkey setup.
Smartsign
- Based in
- Sweden
- Strengths
- Strong central and local rights, open hardware, and hosting in the EU or fully on-premise. Swedish-built, strong integrations.
- Watch-outs
- More a signage platform than a retail-media engine, so advertising ambitions may look elsewhere.
- Typical fit
- Governed, multi-site or public-sector operations with data-residency needs.
Broadsign
- Based in
- Canada
- Strengths
- Programmatic, retail media and proof-of-play are native, with enterprise-grade monitoring. Strongest if screens are part of a media strategy.
- Watch-outs
- The most technical of the four to run, and heavier than needed for simple in-store use.
- Typical fit
- Retailers building a retail-media network or selling ad space on screens.
Novisign
- Based in
- Israel
- Strengths
- The most hardware-agnostic of the four, running on almost any device. Quick to set up, budget-friendly, solid proof-of-play and open API.
- Watch-outs
- Lighter on programmatic and retail media, and cloud-only, so data-residency-strict buyers should check hosting.
- Typical fit
- Mixed-hardware estates, or teams that want to move fast without heavy implementation.
We resell all four. Where a platform is weaker, we say so. The recommendation reflects your operation, not our margin.
The practical facts
The everyday details
Verified from each vendor's documentation. Data location and exact behaviour can vary by plan and player, so we confirm specifics for your setup.
Push new content remotely
Hosting
EU data residency
Runs on
Keeps playing if network drops
Every platform caches content locally and keeps playing during an outage, so offline isn't the deciding factor. Hosting, data location and hardware usually are.
The honest bit
Set your sights on a different CMS?
These four are the platforms our customers use most, so they are the ones we know best. If you have chosen a different CMS, our dedicated support team gets to know that platform and helps you judge whether it truly solves your needs, and we set it up on your screens before they ship. Independence has to cut both ways to mean anything.
PRIME®
Whichever CMS you choose, PRIME keeps it running
PRIME is our own operations layer, and it sits above any of these platforms. One place to see every screen, report faults from the store, track SLAs and pull documented CO2 savings, whichever CMS is behind the glass.
Fault reporting from stores · Live status and SLA overview · Installations and contracts in one view · Documented Scope 3 CO2
Read more about PRIMEStill not sure which one fits?
Book a 20-minute call. We'll talk through your operation, not our catalogue.
LCDMEDIA resells VXT, Smartsign, Broadsign and Novisign, and recommends based on fit. Prefer your own CMS? We set that up too.