1. What is the benefit of using screen operating hours?
Screen Operating Hours is used for scheduling days and times for your screens to display their content. This allows organizations to set the time your screens should be on, and outside of these hours, the screens go dark and become inactive. The screens are still considered "Live" and online/connected in your ScreenCloud account ready to display content at your next scheduled time, but functions to keep your digital screens inactive outside of your operating hours.
In simple terms, Sleep Mode is a feature where the device remains connected but the display screen remains blank, ensuring it is ready for the next active window.
This is useful for:
Easily coordinating operating hours for your screens
Managing screen time hours for any office, location, and timezone
Scheduling screens for any days during the week to turn inactive and sleep
Saving energy and resources as a low power mode for digital screens connected- Optimizing energy efficiency by reducing power consumption during inactive hours
You can use this feature to set operating hours specific to your Spaces managed in ScreenCloud. For example, if you have two office locations in different timezones (e.g. New York, USA, and California, USA) you can manage the operating hours independently using the spaces created for them in your account.
Operating Hours does not power off the device running the ScreenCloud player, but simply causes the player to go black and stop showing any content. To learn which devices are able to power a device off and on with ScreenCloud, please see here.
2. How can I schedule operating hours for my screens?
There are three ways you can set operating hours for your digital screens using this feature.
2.1. Space operating hours for teams and locations
You can set operating hours specific to the Spaces (i.e. teams) in your ScreenCloud account.
2.1.1. Get started by visiting your Account Settings in the lower left-hand corner of your ScreenCloud account.
2.1.2. From the settings navigation, select Spaces.
2.1.3. Select any space from your list of managed spaces. Click on the Settings option that appears in the pop-up window.
2.1.4. You'll see an option for Operating Hours, click on the gear icon to the right.
2.1.5. Once you've accessed the operating hours menu, click the toggle next to Enable Operating Hours to activate the feature.
2.1.6. Next, review the days of the week and set the times you'd like for the operating hours to be set.
Please note, that this feature only sets operating hours for the specific space you're editing. This will not set operating hours for every Space across your ScreenCloud account if you're managing multiple teams, each Space requires the feature to be activated if you'd like to use it.
2.1.7. Once you're finished, click Save and you'll be asked to confirm the operating hours activated for your Space.
2.1.8. Select Set Operating Hours from the pop-up window and now all of your screens in this space will run on the schedule set.
Please note, that all of your screens in the space will default to Use Space's hours under the Operating Hours setting from your Screens section.
2.2. Always on
You can set this for screens to always stay on, regardless of running content.
2.2.1. Visit your Screens section and click on any screen.
2.2.2. While viewing a screen, visit your screen settings from the right-hand navigation to find the Operating Hours option. Click on the drop-down menu to switch the screen to Always On. This will set the screen to always stay on and no longer sync with the operating hours set up for your Space.
2.3. Custom operating hours for a screen
You can set custom hours for any screen you'd like directly.
2.3.1. Visit your Screens section and click on any screen.
2.3.2. While viewing a screen, visit your screen settings from the right-hand navigation to find the Operating Hours option. Click on the drop-down menu to switch the screen to Custom. This will prompt a pop-up window for you to set specific days and times of operating hours for the screen.
2.3.3. Next, review the days of the week and set the times you'd like for the operating hours to be set. Once you're done setting your schedule, click on the Apply button and confirm your operating hours by selecting Set Operating Hours for your screen.
2.3.4. Please note, when operating hours are activated you will receive a message on your screens that is using the feature that is in Sleep Mode. This message is to confirm that your screen is running on the operating hours' setup and will not display content outside of the selected timeframes.
Sleep Mode Example
Operating Hours Activated Example
3. Frequently asked questions
How do I fix a screen not turning off or that's out of sync with the operating hour schedule? ScreenCloud works by syncing with the timezone and date you have set up on the device that you're using for digital signage. For example, if you're on GMT and set up schedules in your ScreenCloud account based on this, then your Amazon Fire TV Stick that is running the ScreenCloud app must be on the GMT timezone in order to sync properly. We recommend checking your timezone/date settings both on the device you're using to display signage and in the Screens section of your account. From here, you can adjust your "Time Zone" settings accordingly to run your content properly on the screen. Additionally, ensure that AM/PM settings in your operating hours configuration align with your intended schedule; incorrect settings might cause unexpected behaviors during content display.
How do Daylight Savings and other time changes affect operating hours? When daylight saving time passes and regional times are adjusted, this can affect the timing of your schedules or content displaying properly for signage. Please review your timezone/date settings on the device you're using as the time shift can cause your operation hours to sync incorrectly. Another potential issue could be screens entering Sleep Mode during active hours if the schedule was improperly set. Verify the operating hours for the specific day and correct misaligned settings.
What if operation hours are not activated for a certain day? If you activate operating hours for space or screen, any day left inactive will keep the screen remaining asleep until the next scheduled day has been reached. If content is not displaying despite the screen being operational, check that the scheduled content is set to match the defined operating hours. Adjust the content timing if needed to resolve this issue.
How can I turn off operating hours?
You can turn your operating hours from Space or Screen settings. For example, if you'd like to turn off or make changes to operating hours for your Los Angeles, CA, USA location, visit "Settings" while editing the space. If you'd like to turn it off for a screen, visit your "Screens" and switch the drop-down menu to "Always on".
Why can’t I apply Operating Hours to all screens in a Space where I have Manager Group and Role access?
Managers don’t have permission to apply Operating Hours to all screens in a Space. However, you can set Operating Hours individually for each screen you have access to. Only Owner and Admin users can apply Operating Hours settings across all screens in a Space.