You can connect to Vistar’s ad server by using our custom solution, which is a URL that can be scheduled in Broadsign Administrator as a web redirect ad copy. This solution requests ads, receives ads, and reports back proof of plays (PoPs). This article walks through the steps to schedule the URL for your Broadsign players.
The following diagram shows a simplified version of a Broadsign web redirect integration.
Complete the following procedures for the Broadsign web redirect integration:
The following information is collected during the onboarding process with Vistar:
- What are the Broadsign Player IDs or Frame IDs?
- Player ID is used for a single player powering a single screen
- Frame ID is used for a single player powering multiple screens
- What are the acceptable file types (for example: jpg, png, mp4)?
- What are the supported width and height of creatives?
- What is the duration for the Vistar spot?
- *Vistar only supports a single spot duration, requiring all static and video creatives to have the same duration*
- Do the venues support audio?
- Do you have an approved test creative that is the same aspect ratio as your test screen?
- What Broadsign player version are you using? Note that it must be at least 10.5+.
- How many spots are in a standard loop and how long is each spot?
- How frequently is the asset scheduled per loop?
- How is your internet connectivity? WiFi connection? Wireless? 3G?
- How often is the asset scheduled to play? Once per loop? More frequently?
Vistar configures the web redirect URL in the backend based on the required information you provided. Vistar sends the web redirect URL to your team to have it scheduled in Broadsign.
Your player must be online in order to configure the Broadsign Administrator. In the HTML tab in the Broadsign Administrator (Configuration Profile Properties > Products > HTML), the following settings must be enabled with the corresponding variable name (if applicable).
If these settings are not enabled, the Vistar spot does not play.
| Setting | Variable name |
| Allow local URLs | n/a |
| Append Resource Id | com.broadsign.suite.bsp.resource_id |
| Pre-Buffer Content | n/a |
Your Broadsign account must use Chromium as the browser to display HTML5 content. If Chromium is not the default browser, the player cannot function properly. Select the HTML tab in the Configuration Profile Properties player and ensure that Chromium is selected for Browser Support. See the following image to ensure that the administrator is configured correctly.
For more information about the HTML tab in the Broadsign Administrator, see the Products section in Broadsign’s documentation.
After your asset is running, Vistar can proceed with the Initial Integration Test. Complete the following procedure to schedule the web redirect URL.
Follow the steps outlined in the Add a Web Redirect Ad Copy tab in Web Redirect Ad Copy (in Broadsign’s documentation) to add Vistar’s web redirect URL. Then work with Vistar to run the Certification Test.