---
title: Players
slug: fix/players
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-03-11T06:58:50.142Z
---

# Which publishing method are my players using?

See [Inherited Players](docId:4mArAZ9mF3ZEVhK-4eJPx) to find out which publishing method was used to set up your players.

# Multiple media files don't playback

If you are trying to play multiple audio and/or video files simultaneously, playback might fail if the files use differing audio sampling rates. Ensure that all audio and video files use the same audio sampling rate (for example, 44.1KHz or 48KHz).

Some player models allow **Mixed Audio PCM** or **Mixed Audio PCM / Compressed** audio settings, which allow you to mix different audio sampling rates. See [this page](docId\:a6Ali6u-szxHuansk6T3-) for more info. 

# "Please Insert Card" message

If you get this message when you boot the player:

1. Check that the card is inserted properly into the microSD card slot (you should hear a click).
2. If this is a new card, ensure that it is formatted as exFAT or FAT32.
3. Try a different brand and/or size card. We recommend using [BrightSign approved cards](https://www.brightsign.biz/digital-signage-products/accessories/sd-cards/).
4. If you are using the Standalone publishing method, verify that you published the presentation files (*autorun.brs*, *current-sync.xml*, etc.) to the root of the microSD card ("SD:\\").
5. SDXC cards do not work on HD110, HD210, HD410, HD810 or HD1010 players.
6. SDHC cards do not work on HD2000 players.

# VGA Output is discolored

A loose or damaged VGA cable or an incorrect resolution setting in the presentation can cause this. To troubleshoot:

1. Check that the VGA cable is securely fastened to the connector on the player and the display.
2. Verify that the **Screen resolution** of the presentation is set to a VGA resolution. You can set the **Screen resolution** in BrightSign Author in **Presentation > Layout Settings** and in BrightAuthor Classic in **File > Presentation Properties > Main**.
3. Test with a different VGA cable.
4. Test with a different display.
5. Test with a different player (if available).

# Player clock doesn't work

Networked BrightSign players synchronize their internal clocks with the BrightSign time server (*http\://time.bsn.cloud*) or can be configured to retrieve the time from an HTTP server during setup. If a home or small office router is being used as a switch and DHCP server and does not provide internet connectivity, it cannot determine the time and may provide an error page in response to the HTTP request. A player attempting to retrieve the time from this server will instead get an incorrect time from the redirect page. This can cause problems with schedules, events, and clock/date displays. Severe problems can occur if the router causes time to move backward on the internal player clock.

This issue may also occur with some router models when they lose internet connectivity, even if they are not being used as a network switch. If you cannot change the switch/DHCP configuration of the local network, disable the time server requests.

To do this in BrightSign Author:

1. Go to the **Admin** tab
2. Edit the existing Setup File in **Setup Library** (or create a new Setup File if you prefer)
3. Under **Network Configuration**, select **Include network configuration** and **Network Options.**
4. In the **Player** tab, remove the URL entered in the **Time server** field so that it is blank.
5. Select **Done** and **Save Setup.** Apply this Setup File to the player.

To do this in BrightAuthor Classic:

1. Go to **Tools > Setup BrightSign Unit**.
2. Locate the **Time server** field under **Network Properties**.
3. Remove the URL entered in the **Time server** field so that it is blank.
4. Specify other player settings in the **BrightSign Unit Setup** window as desired.
5. Click **Create Setup Files** to publish the files. Apply this Setup File to the player.

# Player can't get time from NTP

If your player is having trouble retrieving the time from a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server, it is likely that the firewall on the local network is blocking UDP communications. The Network Time Protocol uses UDP to communicate with time servers, and BrightSign players cannot route these requests through a proxy server like they can with HTTP/HTTPS communications. 

There are a few ways to fix this problem:

- Configure the firewall on the local network to allow NTP requests to pass through. The player will send NTP requests whether or not it is configured to use an HTTP/HTTPS proxy.
- Configure the player to use the HTTP Time Protocol (HTP), which can work through most proxies.
- Run an NTP server instance on the local network. Make sure the player is configured to use this NTP server in [BrightSign Author](docId\:gfqm5HVphjQijhZxb2NGy) or [BrightAuthor Classic](docId:1JY7zYsse5mKcZ5ZNs1Cu).

See [this page](docId\:bQlpaTl8jE-eewnT4JyRk) for more information about time servers on BrightSign players.

# Can the player connect to a wireless network?

You can connect to a wireless network using a WS105, WS104, or WS103 [wireless module](https://www.brightsign.biz/brightsign-players/accessories/).

BrightSign players support most commonly used wireless encryption formats: WEP (64 & 128), WPA (TKIP), and WPA2 (AES). WPA Enterprise is supported using EAP-TLS (with DER, PEM, or PKCS#12 certificates) and PEAPv0/MSCHAPv2 (with a username and passphrase). Wired authentication via 802.1x is also supported. 

See our [documentation](docId\:Ndebm_G_P6IEI3OkpSSmc) for WS105, WS104, and WS103 specs and installation instructions.

The wireless settings of a player are configured in [Network Options](docId\:gfqm5HVphjQijhZxb2NGy) in BrightSign Author or in [Unit Setup](docId\:pONeDyEXzfyG0oArUILLz) in BrightAuthor Classic / BrightSign Network (BSN).

Also, any networked model that doesn't have a wireless module can use a wireless bridge (game adapter) connected to the ethernet port. 

# Do I need to change my firewall?

Networked BrightSign players need to access certain ports and URLs. BrightSign Author desktop client access requirements are described [here](docId:6MBtfGmpjWoCqOmVC0oE5), and  BrightAuthor Classic / BrightSign Network (BSN) requirements are documented [here](docId\:okiHHduWqhkKiKIVN5vs7).

# The audio quality is poor

Poor audio quality is normally caused by a problem with the file or bad encoding.

1. Try re-encoding the audio or video, or using a different application to encode the video.
2. If you're using high bitrate video (20Mbps or more), it's possible the flash card isn't fast enough to keep up. Try encoding at a lower bitrate.
3. If you are using MPEG-2 files, open your video using the Mpeg2VCR utility, and save it. Some videos have an uneven distribution of audio and video packets in the MPEG stream. This can cause audio drop outs, hiccups, or distortion. You can download a 30-day trial of [Mpeg2VCR](https://mpeg-vcr.en.softonic.com/) from Womble.

# Power light is on but there is no display

This problem is normally caused by an incompatible video signal or a problem with the content. To debug this:

Check whether the issue is with the resolution of the presentation:

1. If you are connected using VGA, verify that the presentation is not using an HDMI-only resolution like 1920x1080.
2. If you are using HDMI/Component for output, please verify that your display is set to the correct input.
3. If the presentation is currently set for 1080p output, try different 1920x1080 settings (e.g. 1080p30), as well as 720p. 
4. If your presentation is set to 1080 at 29.97p, this mode might not be supported by your display even if it supports 1080p.
5. If you are using the VGA, try using 1024x768 first, then try other VGA resolutions.

If you still can't get the presentation to display, test whether the issue is with the video/image files in the presentation:

1. Transfer other content files that work with your player to the root folder of the microSD card (without any other presentation or content files).
2. Insert the card into the player.
3. Reboot the player.

If any red/yellow LEDs are blinking, see [this page](docId\:MWojjf3NAA1ZMiqEL8mwX) to diagnose the problem.

# 1280x800x60p video is dropping frames

According to the VESA DMT standard, the 1280x800x60p video mode should be output to monitors using a vertical frequency of 59.810Hz, which is significantly slower than the 60Hz at which your video is encoded. This difference in speeds causes the video output to run slower than the video decode at the rate of 1 frame every 5 seconds, resulting in the dropped frames seen on screen.

This discrepancy can affect other VESA modes to a lesser extent. The following modes may exhibit a dropped frame once every 8-10 seconds: 1400x1050x75p, 1440x900x60p, 1680x1050x60p, 1920x1200x60p.

Because the frequency discrepancy is part of the standard, this issue cannot be fixed. If you wish to avoid dropped frames with your video, we recommend doing one of the following:

- Downscale the video to a TV mode at 60p (e.g. set the video output to 1280x720x60p).
- Upscale the video to a TV mode at 60p (e.g. set the video output to 1920x1080x60p).
- Re-encode the video so that it uses the exact refresh rate of the VESA mode (for example, 59.810Hz for 1280x800x60p). This is the only way to fix the dropped frames problem without changing the resolution. Note that this will cause video playback to be slightly slower, so any accompanying audio will need to be matched to the new refresh rate as well.

# Red error LED flashed 10 times

LED error codes are described in each player’s Theory of Operations page (for example, [XT5 Theory of Operation](docId\:C0P32JRlwg1F2eMJIMNjf)).  A red LED flashing 10 times indicates that a runtime error has occurred in the *autorun.brs* script.

Script errors can be caused by a problem with the content or a bug in the autorun script. To troubleshoot the problem:

1. Confirm that the Read-Only tab on the microSD card is not in the locked position.
2. If the player is running an older version of BrightSignOS, download and install the current version from the [Downloads](http://www.brightsign.biz/downloads/overview/) page. You can determine the current version of BrightSignOS by powering up the player without a storage device. The OS version will be displayed on the screen.
3. If you are using BrightSign Author or BrightAuthor Classic to publish presentations, download and install the current version from the [Downloads](http://www.brightsign.biz/downloads/overview/) page.
4. Verify that the microSD card is formatted correctly. See [this page](docId\:mGdEFc6YvkIbeiUxH9J1O) for more details.
5. If you are using the older *autoplay.bsp* or *autoplay.csv* format, an old autorun file or errors in the playlists can cause this error. 

# Red error LED flashed three times

This indicates one of two common errors, depending on whether the player is set up for BrightSign Network (BSN) or not:

**BrightSign Network (BSN)**

The player is trying to enter recovery mode. When you use a player with a BSN account, recovery information is stored in the registry to allow the player to fix itself in case of file system errors. The player will enter recovery mode if any of the following occurs:

- The storage device (e.g., microSD card) becomes corrupted.
- The player is booted up with no storage device (e.g., microSD card).
- The storage device has content, but no presentation script (i.e., *autorun.brs*).

If you wish to continue using BSN with the player, the player must contain a microSD card or other storage device and have a valid Internet connection. It will then automatically recover and download the presentation for its assigned group the next time it boots up.

If you do not want the player to enter recovery mode anymore, you will need to permanently remove the recovery settings from the player (including all BSN settings). To do this, either:

- Download the *registry-clean.zip* file below. Copy the *autroun.brs* file from the *.zip* folder onto the root folder of the SD card, insert the microSD card into the player, and power it up.
- Perform the Device Setup process again using BrightAuthor Classic. Set up the player for Standalone, Local File Network, or Simple File Network publishing.  

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**Other Configurations**

The player is indicating that there is no presentation script (i.e., *autorun.brs* file) on the microSD card or other attached storage device. You will see this error code if you power up the player without a storage device, or if the storage device does not contain an *autorun.brs* file or content files in its *root folder*.

To fix this issue, publish a presentation from BrightAuthor Classic to the *root folder* of the storage device, insert it into the player, and reboot the player. Alternatively, you can include a set of content files in the *root folder* of the storage device--the player will display them as a simple looping playlist.

:::hint{type="info"}
Information about interpreting error LEDs on players is available in [here](docId\:MWojjf3NAA1ZMiqEL8mwX).
:::

# Ethernet link isn’t stable when using XD5/XD6 & Cisco Catalyst Switch

If your XD5/XD6 player is connected to power with the power adapter and plugged into ethernet in a PoE-enabled port, and either doesn’t link to the network or links briefly and then drops off, this may be an issue with the Cisco Catalyst Switch.

First, ensure that your player can get/maintain the link by plugging the player directly into the ethernet port on laptop or plugging ethernet from the player into a dumb switch or hub, and plugging that into the PoE switch. If your player can link to the network this way, try the following fixes:

1. Disable PoE on the port the player was using
2. Plug the player into a non-PoE switch
3. Remove the player’s dedicated power, and use PoE for power

# EAP-TLS is Failing on BOS 9.1 Players

Players running BOS 9.1 may fail 802.1X EAP-TLS authentication while other players on the same network using the same certificate configuration continue to work. This commonly affects deployments where a player has been upgraded from BOS 9.0 to 9.1, or where a new Series 6 player (Series 6 runs BOS 9.1 and later) has been added alongside older players.

BOS 9.1 replaced GnuTLS with OpenSSL, which enforces stricter certificate validation. Configurations that GnuTLS silently accepted, like an incorrect file in the CA Certificate field, will be rejected by OpenSSL. In this particular example, the field must contain only the root CA and optionally intermediate CA certificate(s) that signed the RADIUS server certificate, not the player's client certificate. A Windows certificate store export bundles all of these into a single PEM file, and it is easy to use the wrong one. OpenSSL will reject the handshake if the certificate chain contains a self-signed certificate or an unrecognized CA. To resolve this problem, provide a clean PEM file containing only the CA certificate(s) and redeploy it to the player (in BrightSign Author, use the **Select Additional CA Certificate** as shown below).

::Image[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/0prk6SO2dy9LdU77jB8D1/b6pPCdrMqbfl19-X2bwDR_image-20260710-001625.png" size="60" isUploading="false" width="849" height="856" darkWidth="849" darkHeight="856" showCaption="false"}