EasySignage - MRSS Integration Guide

What is MRSS?

MRSS stands for Media RSS, an extension of the standard RSS format specifically designed to deliver multimedia content like images and videos.
It’s widely used for automatically updating playlists and digital signage screens with dynamic content pulled from external feeds.

Why Use MRSS in EasySignage?

With MRSS, you can automate the content updates of your screens by pointing them to an external feed. No need to manually upload or rearrange files — changes in the feed are reflected on your screens automatically.

Perfect for:

Retail promotions
News and announcements
Menu boards
Dynamic image or video campaigns

How to Use MRSS in EasySignage

Open the management console.
Select the playlist and then the layer where you want to add the MRSS file.
If the layer has no media, the apps dialogue will open automatically. Otherwise, click on Add New.
You can find MRSS under General Apps, Video Apps, and News Apps.
Click on MRSS to proceed.
Enter the URL of the MRSS file.
Choose how many media items you want to display by selecting a media count.
Select the media type from the dropdown list. You can choose to display images, videos, or both.
Click “Save” to apply your changes.

Feed Requirements

Your MRSS file must be:

Hosted on a valid HTTPS server
Or returned as the response from an API call

Example of MRSS Format:

<rss xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Media RSS</title>
    <description>Media RSS Feed</description>
    <item>
      <title>Image 1</title>
      <media:content
        url="https://your-domain.com/path/image1.jpg"
        type="image/jpeg"
        medium="image"
        key_change="hash1"
        duration="10"/>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Video 1</title>
      <media:content
        url="https://your-domain.com/path/video1.mp4"
        type="video/mp4"
        medium="video"
        key_change="hash2"
        duration="10"/>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

Download feed file example: https://files.cloud-digitalsignage.com/mrss/mrss-feed.xml

MRSS XML Field Guide

Understanding the various fields in your MRSS feed is crucial for ensuring that your media is updated correctly on your screens.
Below is a detailed guide for each field and attribute:

Root and Structure

Field	Required	Description
`<rss>`	✅	Root element of the feed. Must include `xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"` and `version="2.0"`.
`<channel>`	✅	Contains metadata about the feed and the list of media items.
`<title>`	✅	Title of the channel or item (used for identification, not necessarily displayed on screen).
`<description>`	✅	Description of the feed or item content.

`<item>` (Repeated per media entry)

Each <item> represents a piece of media content (image or video).

Field	Required	Description
`<title>`	✅	Title of the media item. Useful for internal reference and organization.
`<media:content>`	✅	Contains details about the media file. Must include essential attributes like URL, type, and medium.

`<media:content>` Attributes

Attribute	Required	Description
`url`	✅	Direct link to the media file (must be HTTPS). Example: `https://yourdomain.com/media/image.jpg`.
`type`	✅	The MIME type of the file. Examples: `image/jpeg` for images, `video/mp4` for videos.
`medium`	✅	Specifies the type of media, either `image` or `video`. This helps the system correctly process and display the file.
`duration`	✅	Duration (in seconds) for which the media is displayed or played.
`key_change`	❌ (Recommended)	A unique identifier (e.g., an MD5 hash) of the media file. Changing this value forces the system to update the file even if the URL remains unchanged.

Example Entry

<item>
  <title>Video 1</title>
  <media:content
    url="https://yourdomain.com/media/video1.mp4"
    type="video/mp4"
    medium="video"
    duration="15"
    key_change="abc123xyz456def789"/>
</item>

This entry plays video1.mp4 for 15 seconds and will only trigger a re-download if either the URL or key_change attribute changes.

How Updates Work

URL or key_change field must be modified to detect a change.
If no changes are detected, the system will skip re-downloading to conserve bandwidth.
The key_change attribute should be updated with a new unique string (like an MD5 hash) when the media file changes, even if the URL remains the same.

Update Frequency

Feeds are checked every 15 minutes
Only active playlists assigned to online players will trigger update checks
If a player is offline, no updates will be pushed
When the player comes back online, it may take up to 15 minutes to refresh the content

Media Storage

All media files from the MRSS feed are downloaded to our cloud storage
Files are then synced to your player for reliable offline playback

Supported Media Types

Images: image/jpeg, image/png
Videos: video/mp4, video/webm

Each <media:content> must include:

url (link to the file)
type (MIME type)
medium (either image or video)
duration (in seconds)
key_change (optional but recommended)

Tips

Keep your MRSS feed lightweight and quick to load.
Host your media files on a reliable CDN or cloud server.
Always update the key_change value to force updates when the media content changes, even if the URL remains unchanged.

If you have questions or need help setting up your feed, feel free to contact EasySignage support.

MRSS Integration