YouTube on digital signage screens: play a video with just its link

A YouTube video goes onto an InfoBox screen with nothing but its link. Paste the video's address into a screen or playlist, and InfoBox plays the whole video with no player controls, titles or recommendations. The slide lasts as long as the video: when it ends, the screen moves on to the next content. Nothing to download, nothing to convert.

Most companies already publish their videos on YouTube: company presentations, product videos, event recaps and campaigns. Until now the same video had to be fetched as a file and uploaded to the InfoBox media library before it could play on a screen. Now the link is enough, and the same video runs on YouTube, on the website and on the signage screen.

What the YouTube add-on does

The add-on adds a YouTube content type to the InfoBox content picker. Pick it, paste the video's address, and InfoBox fetches the video from YouTube and plays it on the screen like any other content.

• The whole video, no controls. The screen shows only the video. Player controls, the title, the channel name and the end-of-video recommendations are not shown.
• The slide lasts as long as the video. There is no duration to guess or set: the video plays from start to finish, then the screen moves to the next item in the playlist.
• Works in playlists and schedules. A YouTube slide takes weekdays and times just like images and video files. A video added to a playlist updates on every screen that uses the playlist.
• No audio. The video plays silently, like all other InfoBox video content. Videos with subtitles or on-screen text work best.

How to add a YouTube video to a screen

1. Copy the video's address. Open the video on YouTube and copy its address from the browser bar or the Share button. The video must be public or unlisted. Private videos cannot be shown, and neither can videos whose owner has disabled embedding on other sites.

2. Add it to the content. In InfoBox, open a screen or playlist, choose Add new and then YouTube under Web. Paste the address and save.

3. Publish. The video appears in the screen's content, and you publish the screen as usual. When you replace the video later, you only swap the link.

Connectivity: stream or uploaded file?

A YouTube video is streamed from YouTube's servers every time it comes up on the screen. The screen therefore has to be online, and picture quality follows the connection: on a slow line YouTube lowers the resolution. On a stable office or store network you will not notice. On a mobile connection or a busy guest network you might.

If the screen is offline, the YouTube video does not play. In that case upload the same video to InfoBox as a file: an uploaded MP4 is stored on the device and plays without a connection too.

When is a YouTube link the right choice?

Company presentations and lobby screens. The presentation video is usually on YouTube already. The same video plays on the lobby screen, and when marketing publishes a new cut, the screen gets the new link.

Stores and product videos. Manufacturers' product videos are on YouTube. A store screen can play them between offer slides without asking any supplier for files. More on placement in our guide to advertising displays.

Offices and internal communication. The CEO's quarterly update, a training video or an event recap is shared once to YouTube as an unlisted video, and the break-room screen plays it for the day. More ideas in office digital signage and what to show on a screen.

Events and campaigns. A campaign video goes out on social media and YouTube at the same time. The signage screen gets the same video by link, and when the campaign ends, the schedule takes it off the screen.

One thing to know: InfoBox adds nothing to the video, but YouTube may show ads on videos whose owner has turned monetization on. On your own channel that is your call. For other people's videos, check before putting the video on a screen.

Managing the add-on in your organization

The YouTube add-on is on by default in every InfoBox organization. An administrator can switch it off on the Add-ons page, which removes the YouTube content type from the picker for all users. That suits organizations that want only their own, pre-approved material on their screens. The add-on can be switched back on at any time.

What does the YouTube add-on cost?

Nothing extra. The add-on is included in the InfoBox Platform price of €9 per screen per month for fewer than ten screens and €7 per screen per month from ten screens, billed annually. YouTube videos, uploaded video files and the other integrations are included on every screen. Compatible devices are listed on the hardware page and the full price list on the pricing page.

Guides and support

Content types, video file formats and offline behaviour are described in the InfoBox Help Center. The other integrations, such as Canva, Power BI and Lounastaja, are collected on the features page.