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Adding custom delays via Device Properties

  • September 30, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 42 views
Explorer
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I have 3 screens next to each other playing the same channel. Is there a way to add a delay to each one so they are not showing the same content at the same time. i.e. Each slide is live for 8 seconds, TV 1 on 0 delay; TV 2 on 8sec delay; TV 3 on a 16sec delay. 

If this is possible, can you share the Device Properties, Value, and Type I should use? 

    2 replies

    Dawn Wayland
    Employee
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    ​@UI Health  thanks for sharing your question about staggering playback across your three screens. I understand you’d like the same content to play with offsets of 0, 8, and 16 seconds.

    Appspace supports synchronized playback, but those settings are intended to keep screens in sync rather than stagger playback. There isn’t a per-device playback delay property for setting those offsets. Synchronized playback can also behave differently than expected depending on the setup.

    As a workaround, you can create a staggered effect by using three separate playlist channels with the same slides in different starting positions.

    Here’s how to set up the workaround:

    1. Create three playlist channels. Add the same slides to each channel and set each slide’s duration to 8 seconds in its Playout Properties.

    2. Rotate the slide order. For example, with three slides:

    Screen Channel Slide order
    TV 1 Channel A Slide 1 → Slide 2 → Slide 3
    TV 2 Channel B Slide 3 → Slide 1 → Slide 2
    TV 3 Channel C Slide 2 → Slide 3 → Slide 1

    1. Assign the corresponding channel to each screen. Keep the slide durations and total playlist length the same across all three channels.

    If the playlists start together, this arrangement produces the visual effect of TV 2 being one slide behind TV 1 and TV 3 being two slides behind.

    No Device Property, Value, or Type is required for this workaround. It changes the content order rather than applying a playback delay, so it does not guarantee precise 8- and 16-second offsets if the players start at different times or drift apart.

    I’ve also reached out to colleagues to see if they know of any other workarounds and will share any additional options they suggest.

    Dawn Wayland, Community Manager
      lordtrackball
      Explorer
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      As the suggestion above, this idea requires a little more administrative overhead, but it ensures your players are linked, and content should all change simultaneously.

      Make a big channel with multiple feeds within it.

      You have 3 displays, so the easiest way may be to make a big presentation with 4 quadrants.

      Then, using the tiling device properties, assign each display a separate quadrant.

      Should look something like this:

      Display 1 Display 2
      Display 3 N/A

       

      The rest depends on how you make your content.

      If you create your content outside of Appspace, you can just upload 1 big image.

      If you’re using cards within Appspace, you can assign the media in separate orders to each playlist.
      Of course you still have to change the content in 3 different places...

      Also don’t forget to synchronize the 3 players together so the slides change together.

       

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