One HLS Stream, Every Screen — Even the Ones With No Browser
Every InfoSlides screen starts here. Your deck is rendered into a continuous HLS video stream — the same format almost every video service on the internet uses — so it plays on anything that can open an HLS URL, including hardware media players and TV hardware that cannot run a modern browser at all. It is the default mode, and for most signage — a menu, an event board, a welcome screen, anything stable between renders — it is also the right one.
The default on every plan · No credit card to start
Why Video Stream Is the Default
A screen only has to do one thing: play a URL. That is what makes video stream the safest choice for the widest range of hardware, and why it carries the whole product — upload a deck, get a stream, point any screen at it.
Plays on Anything That Speaks HLS
Smart TVs, hardware signage boxes, media players, OBS, VLC — if a device can open an .m3u8 URL, it can play an InfoSlides stream. No app, no player, no client-side logic required on the screen itself.
Works Where a Browser Can’t
Older TV hardware, embedded set-top boxes, and dedicated signage players that have never run a modern web browser still play a video stream perfectly. This is the mode with no floor on device capability.
Resilient by Design
Video streaming buffers. A momentary network drop is invisible to a viewer standing in front of the screen — the player just keeps playing what it already downloaded, exactly like any streaming video does.
Best for Content That’s Stable Between Renders
Most signage is exactly this: content that changes on a schedule, not by the second.
Menu Boards
Prices and specials that change once a day, not once a minute.
Welcome Screens & Lobby Displays
A branded welcome, room directions, or a guest information loop.
Event Boards
A day’s schedule, room assignments, or a conference agenda.
Dynamic Slides on a Refresh Schedule
Weather, news and reviews still update automatically — on a render interval measured in minutes, not the instant the source changes.
The one thing this mode can’t do
A Stream Has to Be Re-Rendered Before It Can Change
Updating a video-stream slideshow means re-rendering the slide, re-encoding it into the stream, and waiting for the player to reach that point in the loop. That is fine for content that moves slowly. It is the wrong shape for content that has to reach the screen the moment it changes — a live price update, a stock-out flag, a feed that refreshes every few seconds.
For that case, InfoSlides has a second mode: HTML playback. It cycles the same rendered slides client-side from a live manifest instead of a video, so a data change can reach the screen without waiting for a re-render. The trade is that the screen itself needs to be able to run the player — it does not play on hardware with no browser, the way a video stream does.
When your data can’t wait →Render → encode → HLS stream → plays on any screen, incl. hardware with no browser
HTML playback
Live manifest → cycled client-side → needs a screen that can run the player
Video Stream — Common Questions
Does the video stream update the instant my data changes?
No — a video stream is rendered and encoded, so a change reaches the screen after the next render cycle, not the moment the underlying data changes. Dynamic slides (weather, news, live feeds) still refresh automatically on a schedule; if you need a change to reach the screen immediately, use HTML playback mode instead.
When should I use HTML playback instead of video stream?
When the content is genuinely live — a price that changes by the minute, a stock level, a feed that pushes updates — and waiting for the next render is the actual problem you're trying to solve. Most signage isn't that; a menu, a welcome screen or an event board is stable enough that video stream is the better fit.
What can play an HLS video stream?
Almost anything: smart TVs, dedicated signage hardware, media players, OBS, VLC, and any device with an HLS-capable video pipeline — including hardware that cannot run a modern web browser at all. That's the one thing HTML playback cannot claim.
Is video stream the default for a new slideshow?
Yes. Every slideshow starts in video stream mode unless you or your workspace default switches it to HTML playback. Nothing about existing streams changes because of this option existing.
Can I switch a slideshow from video stream to HTML playback later?
Yes, per slideshow, from its settings. Switching re-renders it into the new format automatically — there's no re-upload or re-encode step to run by hand.
Does video stream support live tickers, weather and news?
Yes — dynamic slides render on a refresh schedule and are then encoded into the stream like any other slide. The distinction from HTML playback is timing, not capability: both modes can show live data, they differ in how quickly a change reaches the screen.
Point Any Screen at One Stream
Upload a deck, get an HLS link, play it anywhere — the default on every plan.
Get Started FreeData that can’t wait for a render? See HTML playback mode · Compare plans · Push live data over the API