Planning signage animation frame rate

Decide whether you need video

A changing sign does not always need an animated video. A still image with a transition may communicate a notice more clearly than moving text or a repeating animation.

The included player displays JPG, PNG and WebP images. Slides crossfade by default, with a hard cut available instead. That transition is not the same as playing a frame-by-frame animation. Use video when movement within the scene matters, such as an illustrated process, a moving product detail or a short animated instruction.

For video, H.264 MP4 is the recommended starting point. The player also supports M4V and WebM files, but H.265 and VP9 playback depends on the unit. GIF does not play. Export an animated design as a supported video file rather than changing its filename extension.

Videos play muted unless sound is enabled in the settings. For content intended to remain silent, exporting without an audio track also makes the file's purpose clear.

The digital signage player guide covers the broader choice of playback workflow. The narrower question here is how much motion to put into one file.

Understand what frame rate changes

Frame rate is the number of video images presented each second. It describes the timing of the content, not the display's pixel dimensions or its panel refresh rate.

At 30 frames per second, each frame lasts about 33.3 milliseconds. At 24 frames per second, each lasts about 41.7 milliseconds. Those figures come from dividing one second by the frame rate. They describe the intended presentation interval, not a measured capability of our displays.

A higher frame rate can give moving objects smaller position changes between frames. It also asks the playback system to process more frames each second. Whether that helps depends on the movement:

• A stationary notice gains nothing from being exported as a high-frame-rate video.
• A deliberately stepped illustration may look correct at a relatively low frame rate.
• A smooth pan or scrolling line makes uneven movement easier to notice.
• A brief decorative motion may not justify making the rest of the message move.

Do not raise the export frame rate just because the setting is available. Repeating existing frames does not create new motion detail. Start with the animation's original timing and change it only for a clear reason.

The catalog does not publish a playback frame-rate ceiling. Treat export settings as candidates to check, not as a supported-performance specification.

Calculate the pixel workload

The useful starting calculation is:

Pixels per second = frame width × frame height × frames per second

This lets you compare two versions of the same animation. At unchanged dimensions, moving from 15 to 30 frames per second doubles the number of frames and pixels processed each second. At unchanged frame rate, halving both width and height reduces the pixel count to one quarter.

You can also calculate an illustrative uncompressed payload. Assuming three bytes per pixel for 24-bit RGB:

Uncompressed bytes per second = width × height × 3 × frames per second

Here, MB means one million bytes. These figures count pixel data only. They exclude additional processing and assume one particular pixel representation.

They are not the required reading speeds for an H.264 MP4 file. Compressed video does not store every frame as a complete, uncompressed RGB image. The decoder and display path can also use pixel formats different from this example.

The calculation explains why a larger frame or a higher frame rate can increase work. It does not describe the player's internal buffers, establish decoding performance or specify a suitable memory card. Raw RGB files are not a listed playback format for the included player.

Match the frame to the sign

Choose dimensions around the finished sign, not around the largest export your design software offers.

For example, the 15.6-inch display has a 1920 × 1080 panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 10.1-inch display has a 1280 × 800 panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. A video prepared for one shape may need cropping, borders or a revised composition on the other.

Matching the panel dimensions is a useful starting point for artwork, but it is not a promise that every video encoded at those dimensions will play equally well. Frame rate, encoding choices and scene complexity still matter.

Reducing video dimensions can reduce the pixel workload. It can also soften fine lettering and thin lines when the image is enlarged to fill the panel. Judge that tradeoff at the intended viewing distance, especially if the animation includes instructions.

Use the screen size and viewing distance guide for the legibility decision. Do not solve a playback problem by shrinking text until the message becomes difficult to read.

For a portrait installation, settle the orientation and composition before comparing exports. The article on preparing portrait signage images covers the layout basics; the same need to preserve readable text applies to video frames.

Budget the encoded file separately

Encoded bit rate describes how much compressed data the video uses each second. It is a different number from the uncompressed pixel payload.

As a calculation example, a video averaging 8 megabits per second uses about 1 megabyte per second, because there are eight bits in a byte. A 60-second clip at that average video bit rate contains about 60 MB of video data, before audio and container overhead. This is an arithmetic example, not a recommended export setting or a playback limit.

Two videos with identical dimensions and frame rates can have different bit rates. Detailed textures, moving backgrounds and encoding choices affect how much data is needed for a given visual result. Excessive compression may produce blocky edges or blurred lettering even when the motion timing is correct.

Keep these budgets distinct:

• Pixel workload: dimensions multiplied by frame rate.
• Compressed data rate: the encoded video bit rate.
• Storage requirement: the total sizes of the files in the playlist.

The player keeps a copy of the show in internal memory. Do not assume that removable media supplies uncompressed pixels directly to the panel during playback. A raw-pixel calculation is therefore not a direct memory-card speed requirement.

Compare exports on the intended display

A practical comparison keeps the message and animation duration unchanged while varying one setting at a time. Otherwise, it is difficult to tell which change helped.

Prepare a small set of candidate files using H.264 MP4. Keep a record of dimensions, frame rate, average bit rate and file size for each. Use clear filenames so the versions cannot be confused.

Check the complete clip, including its return to the beginning:

• Motion: Does the movement look deliberate, or does it advance in distracting jumps?
• Text: Can you read it from the intended position while the animation runs?
• Compression: Do letters and sharp edges remain clean during movement?
• Timing: Does the exported clip have the intended duration and pauses?
• Loop boundary: Is the transition from the final frame back to the first acceptable?
• Sound: Does the result remain silent as intended?

A pause at the loop boundary may be part of the artwork. Inspect the source timeline and exported file before treating it as a playback issue. Likewise, repeated frames in the source remain repeated frames after export.

Keep startup behavior separate from motion quality. A file that looks correct once opened does not by itself establish the full startup workflow. Use the offline playlist autostart setup for that job rather than changing video settings to address an unrelated configuration question.

What this page describes is how the software is designed to behave. It has been tested on the Android 12 emulator, and testing on a real unit is pending.

Choose the simplest acceptable animation

The useful target is the least demanding file that preserves the message and makes the motion look intentional. That may mean a lower frame rate, fewer moving elements, a shorter animated section or a still image with a transition.

If the animation looks rough, identify whether the problem is motion timing, compression or insufficient detail before changing settings. Raising every setting at once increases the workload without showing which change was needed.

Keep the editable source and the export settings with the final file. That gives future revisions a repeatable starting point. Frame-rate planning then becomes a controlled content decision, rather than a guess based on screen size or memory-card labeling.

Questions