This article will go through how to add general News apps using ScreenCloud to your digital screens. Please note, our new ScreenCloud Studio (New Version - 2019 ) platform has a combined "News App". This is separate from ScreenCloud Signage (Old Version - 2015) which the apps can be accessed separately from the Signage App Store.
Table of contents:
1. Select and install a News app
6. Add your News app to a playlist
1. Select and install a News app
Please note, you can apply the steps below while setting up the following apps in Signage:
For this example, we'll walk through how to set up the BBC News app.
1.1. Log into your ScreenCloud account and visit the "App Store".
1.2. From the App Store, search for "BBC News" and hover over the app. Click on "Add This App" to prompt the app instance settings menu.
2. Choose your news type
Next, you’ll need to choose which type of news headline you’d like to display. The options are:
- World
- News Front Page (i.e. the latest headlines)
- UK
- England
- Northern Island
- Scotland
- Wales
- Business
- Politics
- Health
- Education
- Science/Nature
- Technology
- Entertainment
- Have Your Say
- Magazine
3. Choose your settings
In the settings panel you will need to choose your settings for the below options:
- Next post delay (seconds) - this is how long you want to show each piece of news for
- Enrich RSS data using Embedly - this gives you the option to enhance your updates with other images or media items available
- Design - here you have the default option which is our latest design (as shown below) or the original option
- Image blending - here you can choose "full", "medium" or "none" to choose how far to blend the image with the headline
4. Choose your theme
With the BBC News app in this example, you can choose which theme to use to display the headlines on your digital screens.
The preset options include the default or “light” theme which is BBC branded:
A dark theme:
You can also create a custom theme made up of your company branding or chosen colors:
To create a custom theme check out our guide on how to use the App Theme Editor. Once you have set up a custom theme you will see this in the theme dropdown within the BBC News app settings, and other news apps while setting them up with ScreenCloud.
You can also set the duration of seconds that each headline will show for within your display before it moves onto the next one.
5. Preview your results
Once you have chosen your theme, you’ll have the opportunity to preview what the headlines will look like before they get added to a playlist.
Click “Preview App” and a small pop-up will show you an example of what your selected theme and type of news will look like.
6. Add the News app to your playlist
Once you’re happy with your how your headlines look you can add them to a playlist.
Select “Add App” and choose a name for it (for example, “BBC News - World - Office”). This will help you to spot it later if you’re adding more than one news source to your content library.
Next, go to “Playlists” and drag and drop this from the app selection bar on the right-hand side to the playlist of your choosing.
To change how long you want to show news headlines for, change the number in the duration column which will initially be set as 2.00 for two minutes.
7. Frequently asked questions
Can I add more than one set of headlines to my display?
Yes, you can add as many sets of News app instances to your playlists as you like. Simply repeat the process, choosing which app and headlines you would like for each. Just ensure that you name each set with something different so you can easily spot them in your content library later on.
How often does the app update with new headlines?
The News apps available are ScreenCloud syndicated by RSS so new headlines appear as they are added by the source site. For example, if BBC News added five new stories onto their site connected to a category you've selected to display on-screen then these new headlines will display on your screens automatically.
Can I use news apps in landscape or portrait mode?
Yes, the News apps are compatible with both portrait and landscape screens.
Is the combined News App available in ScreenCloud Signage?
The combined version of the News App is only available on ScreenCloud Studio (New Platform - 2019). To learn more about the key differences between the platforms, please visit our ScreenCloud Studio and Signage comparison guide here.
If you have any additional questions on adding News apps into ScreenCloud Signage, or any other questions or feedback about ScreenCloud, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@screencloud.com or give us a call at our toll-free support line at +18885575335.
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