How to restart your PixelSuite signage player
A screen that's gone blank, frozen on one slide, or is sitting on a Windows desktop is usually fixed by restarting the player behind it. It takes two minutes and any staff member can do it — as long as they restart the right box. Here's how, and how to tell when it's something we need to look at.
On this page
On this page
Your PixelSuite signage player is a small computer, about the size of a paperback, mounted behind or near the display. Everything on that screen comes from it. If the content has stopped, restarting the player is the first and usually the only thing to try.
The short version
- Check the television first. Is it on, and on the right HDMI input? That's the most common false alarm by a wide margin.
- Find the small computer behind the screen — it'll have a PixelSuite sticker on it.
- Press its power button once. If nothing happens within about ten seconds, hold the button in until the light on the front goes out.
- Wait for it to shut down, then press the power button again to start it up. Give it a few minutes to come back.
- Don't touch any cables, and don't just switch the TV off and on — that's not the same thing.
01 — DiagnoseIs it the player or the screen?
Thirty seconds of looking saves you restarting the wrong thing. What's actually on the display tells you a lot.
| What you see | What it usually means | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| "No signal" or "No source" | The TV isn't receiving anything — the player is off, asleep, or the TV is on the wrong input | Check the TV's input/source first. If it's on the right HDMI input and still says no signal, restart the player. |
| Completely black screen | Either the TV is off or the player has stopped | Confirm the TV is powered on. If it is, restart the player. |
| Frozen on one slide | The player or the signage app has locked up | Restart the player. This is the classic case. |
| A Windows desktop or a logo | The player is running but the signage software hasn't started or has quit | Restart the player. If it comes back to the same desktop, that one's for us. |
| Old content — last month's promos | The player isn't getting updates from PixelSuite, usually a network issue | Restart it once. If the content is still out of date, call us — that's not a player fault. |
| Every screen in the venue is out | Something bigger — power, network or switch | Don't work through them one by one. Call us. |
| One screen out, others fine | That one player or that one display | Restart that player. |
It's remarkable how often a "broken screen" is a television that got switched to a different HDMI input, or onto its own smart-TV home screen, by a stray remote. Cycle through the inputs with the TV remote and see if your signage reappears. If it does, you're done — nothing was broken.
02 — LocateFind the player
It's a small NUC-style computer — a compact black or grey box, roughly the size of a thick paperback — mounted behind the display or sitting on a shelf or bracket nearby. Depending on when your system was installed it will be an Intel N5105, N100 or N150 device; the model doesn't change anything you need to do.
What you're looking for:
- A PixelSuite sticker on the case
- A small rectangular computer behind or beside the screen
- A physical power button, usually with a small light on or next to it
- Power, HDMI and network cables plugged into it
If you can't find it, don't go pulling things apart or unplugging boxes to see what happens. Ring us and we'll tell you exactly where yours is — we know what's installed at your venue and where it was put.
Behind a screen you may also find a TV power brick, a network switch, a wall plate, an HDMI extender or another venue system entirely. The PixelSuite player is the one with the PixelSuite sticker and a power button. If a box has no sticker and you're not certain, leave it alone and call us.
03 — RestartRestarting the player
Locate the PixelSuite player behind the display
As above. Take the moment to see where the power button is before you press anything.
Press the power button once
A single press is enough on most players — it tells the machine to shut down properly.
If nothing happens, hold the button in
PixelSuite SignOS players need the button held down until the light on the front goes out. Keep holding — it can take several seconds. When the front light goes out, it's off. Let go.
Allow up to a minute for it to shut down
Don't rush this bit. Give it the full minute if you pressed once rather than holding.
Press the power button again to turn it back on
One press. The front light should come on.
Give it several minutes to load
The player has to start up and then launch the signage software. You may see a logo or a blank screen while it does — that's normal. Your content should then begin playing on its own, with nothing further for you to do.
The screen will be blank or showing a startup logo for a few minutes while this happens. If you're mid-event and the screens matter right now, it's worth telling staff before you start rather than fielding questions about it.
04 — Last resortIf the player isn't responding at all
If the power button does nothing — no light, no shutdown, no response to holding it in — power-cycle it at the plug:
Disconnect the power cable from the PixelSuite player
The power cable only. Nothing else. Take it out at the player end or switch it off at the outlet.
Wait at least 15 seconds
Count it out. Straight back in doesn't do the job.
Reconnect the power cable
Most PixelSuite players are set up to start themselves when power comes back, so it may boot on its own.
If it doesn't start by itself, press the power button once
Then give it several minutes to load as before.
Most players are configured to restart automatically after a power outage or when power is restored — so after a blackout or an electrical shutdown, the screens should come back by themselves. If they haven't after ten minutes or so, work through this page.
05 — ImportantPlease don't do these
Fine to do
- Check and change the TV's input with the remote
- Press the player's power button
- Hold the power button until the front light goes out
- Unplug and reconnect the player's power cable
- Turn the television itself off and on
- Ring us at any point
Please don't
- Disconnect or rearrange the HDMI, network or USB cables
- Swap cables between screens to "test" them
- Unplug other boxes to see what they do
- Plug a keyboard in and try to fix Windows
- Assume turning the TV off and on restarts the player — it doesn't
- Move or unmount the player
- Repeat the restart more than twice
The cable one matters most. HDMI, network and USB connections are set up per screen, and a swapped or reseated cable is a genuinely awkward fault to diagnose remotely — it turns a two-minute phone call into a site visit. If a cable looks loose, tell us rather than pushing it in.
And the television is not the player. Switching the screen off at the wall or with the remote does nothing to the computer feeding it. If your content is frozen, the TV can be turned off and on all day and the same frozen image will still be there when it comes back.
06 — EscalateWhen to call us
Get in touch — support@cyberry.com.au or 1300 755 242 — if:
- The player won't power on at all after a power-cycle
- It stays on a Windows screen or a logo and the signage never appears
- The content hasn't come back after several minutes
- It comes good and then keeps dropping out — a repeat fault needs looking at properly
- Several screens are affected at once
- The screens work but the content is out of date
- You can't find the player, or you're not sure which box is which
What to have ready
Thirty seconds of detail often means we can fix it remotely instead of booking a visit:
| Which screen | Where it is — "the one above the bar", "front entrance", "the TAB wall" |
| What's on it now | Black, "no signal", a frozen slide, a Windows desktop, old content |
| When it started | And whether anything else happened around then — a blackout, an electrician on site, a new TV |
| What you've tried | Checked the TV input, pressed the power button, power-cycled it |
| Other screens | Are the rest fine, or are they all out? |
Most PixelSuite players can be reached remotely, so we can often look at it while you're on the phone — provided the venue network is up.
07 — QuestionsQuick answers
Will restarting the player lose our content or schedules?
No. Your playlists and schedules live in PixelSuite, not on the player. A restart just makes the player fetch and play them again.
Can I restart it during trading?
Yes. That screen will be blank for a few minutes while it comes back, and nothing else is affected. If it's a big night and the screen matters right then, let the duty manager know first.
How often should it need restarting?
Rarely — a well-behaved player runs for months. If you're restarting the same screen regularly, stop doing that and tell us; something underneath needs fixing and we'd rather sort the cause.
The screens went out with the power. Do I need to do anything?
Usually not. Most players are set to start themselves when power is restored. Give it ten minutes after the power's back, then work through this page if the content hasn't returned.
Can I just leave it and let you fix it?
Of course — ring us. But a restart takes two minutes and fixes the large majority of these, so it's worth a try first if you've got a spare moment. Nothing on this page can break anything.
08 — Print thisPut this near the screens
Print it, laminate it, and put it in the duty manager's folder or on the back of the office door. This is the one that saves you a phone call at 6pm on a Friday.
Signage screen not working? — quick card
Cyberry Know-How · cyberry.com.au/know-how
1 · Check the obvious
- Is the TV switched on?
- Is it on the right HDMI input? Cycle the inputs
- Are the other screens working?
2 · Restart the player
- Find the small box with the PixelSuite sticker
- Press the power button once
- Nothing? Hold it in until the front light goes out
- Wait up to a minute for it to shut down
- Press the power button again
- Wait several minutes — content restarts by itself
3 · Still nothing?
- Unplug the player's POWER cable only
- Wait 15 seconds
- Plug it back in
- Press power once if it doesn't start itself
Never
- Don't touch HDMI, network or USB cables
- Don't swap cables between screens
- Turning the TV off and on is NOT restarting the player
Last reviewed 25 July 2026. Written for PixelSuite players as we install them. Hardware generations differ — if the box behind your screen doesn't match what's described here, or you're not sure which one it is, ring us before pressing anything rather than guessing.
Screens still not right?
That's what support is for.
Ring 1300 755 242 or email us. Most PixelSuite players can be reached remotely, so there's a good chance we can sort it without anyone coming out.