What Resolution Should a Digital Signage Playlist Be?

Learn how playlist and layer resolution works in EasySignage, and why a layer size is a design canvas rather than a limit on media quality.

Does the layer size limit my media quality?

No. Layer dimensions in EasySignage act as a virtual canvas, a design reference for positioning content rather than a cap on resolution. Media always plays at its original quality, so a 4K video placed in a 1920x1080 layer still displays in full 4K if the screen and player support 4K.

That means you can lay out a playlist at a convenient size without worrying that you are downgrading your content.

 

What is the layer size actually for?

It gives you an aspect ratio guide, a blueprint for arranging content precisely. You use it to decide where things sit and how much of the screen each item takes, not to decide how sharp they look.

Because the canvas is a design tool rather than a render target, the same layout stays crisp across devices with different native resolutions.

 

Which resolution should I design at?

Pick the aspect ratio that matches your screens and design at a size you can reason about.

  • 16:9 landscape screens: 1920x1080 is the practical default
  • 9:16 portrait screens: 1080x1920
  • Unusual shapes such as stretched bar displays or a video wall: match the real pixel ratio of the finished surface so nothing is distorted

Matching the aspect ratio matters more than matching the pixel count. A layout designed at the wrong ratio leaves bars or crops content no matter how high the resolution is.

 

How should I test a layout?

Test on more than one screen before rolling it out. Text that reads fine on a monitor at arm’s length can be unreadable on a display across a lobby, and that is a design issue the canvas size will not solve.