Project Profile · Facility Automation & IT Infrastructure
Automated Digital Signage System: Self-Hosted Content Network for 24 Displays at Christ Fellowship
Christ Fellowship runs 24 55-inch TVs as digital signage throughout its McKinney, Texas campus. When the signage vendor moved to a $9.99-per-month, per-screen subscription — nearly $2,900 a year with no end date — Qualtx Technology designed a self-hosted replacement: an internal IIS server, a SharePoint folder for every screen, and a custom-built Raspberry Pi signage controller for about $100 a unit. Staff can just drag files into a folder; the subscription is gone for good.
Project Overview
The Automated Digital Signage System is a self-hosted content distribution platform that drives 24 55-inch displays around Christ Fellowship's building — lobbies, hallways, and common areas — without a per-screen subscription fee. Every screen has its own SharePoint folder. Staff drag images or short videos into that folder, and the system builds a content feed and publishes it to the screen automatically, typically within 5 to 10 minutes.
Qualtx Technology handled the complete solution: the internal IIS server and content-generation scripts, the per-screen SharePoint folder structure, a custom-engineered Raspberry Pi signage controller as a low-cost alternative to commercial hardware, and scheduled automation that swaps signage content automatically around building rentals.
The Requirement
Christ Fellowship's 24 digital signs had been running on commercial signage controllers costing roughly $500 each to purchase outright. The vendor then moved to a subscription model priced at $9.99 per controller per month — about $240 a month, or nearly $2,900 a year, across 24 screens, with no way to opt out short of replacing the fleet. Christ Fellowship asked Qualtx Technology whether the recurring cost could be eliminated without giving up the ease of updating content that non-technical staff had come to rely on.
System Architecture
Qualtx Technology built the replacement around infrastructure the church already runs internally — an IIS web server and SharePoint — plus a low-cost signage controller engineered in-house:
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Content Intake | One SharePoint folder per screen — staff drag in images and short videos, no software to install |
| Feed Generation | Scheduled scripts scan each folder and rebuild a Media RSS (MRSS) content feed for that screen |
| Feed Hosting | Internal Microsoft IIS server — one feed URL per display, no external hosting or licensing |
| Display Hardware (existing) | Commercial BrightSign signage players already deployed, reading the feed unmodified |
| Display Hardware (new build) | Custom Raspberry Pi 4 controller running Chromium in kiosk mode — about $100 per unit versus roughly $500 for a commercial controller |
| Refresh Cycle | Feed rebuilt and re-polled every 5 minutes; new content live on screen within 5–10 minutes |
| Scheduled Content Swaps | Script-driven calendar logic swaps the active content set for building-rental days with no manual steps |
| Cost Model | Fully self-hosted — no per-screen subscription, no recurring licensing fee |
How It Works
Updating a screen never touches a signage controller directly — staff only interact with a folder:
- Drop content in: A staff member drags an image or short video into the SharePoint folder assigned to a specific screen.
- Generate the feed: A scheduled script scans that folder and rebuilds an MRSS content feed listing the current media for that screen.
- Publish internally: The feed is published to the church's own IIS web server, one address per display.
- Display and refresh: Each screen's controller — a BrightSign player or a Qualtx-built Raspberry Pi unit — polls its feed roughly every 5 minutes and rebuilds its on-screen slideshow automatically.
- Go live: New content typically appears on the physical TV within 5 to 10 minutes of being dropped into the folder, with no reboot and no manual push from IT.
A separate scheduling layer runs on top of that same content pipeline for building rentals. When an outside group — for example, a Saturday renter — uses the facility, scripts on the IIS server automatically switch the active signage set to that group's content, then switch back to Christ Fellowship's own signage ahead of Sunday services. No one has to remember to change it manually in either direction.
In the Building
Each screen pulls from its own folder and feed independently, so displays next to each other can show completely different content at the same time — without anyone having to coordinate what plays where.
Why It Matters
- Eliminates the $9.99-per-screen monthly subscription entirely — roughly $240 a month, nearly $2,900 a year, saved indefinitely across 24 displays.
- New or replacement signage controllers cost about $100 to build in-house, versus roughly $500 to buy a comparable commercial unit.
- Non-technical staff update any screen by dragging files into a folder they already know how to use — no new software, login, or training.
- Building-rental signage changes itself on schedule, so the right branding is always on screen for whoever is using the building that day.
- Existing commercial BrightSign hardware keeps working unmodified, so the church's prior hardware investment isn't stranded by the change.
- Adding another screen means adding another folder and feed — the architecture scales without adding recurring cost per screen.
Scope of Work
Qualtx Technology delivered a complete, self-hosted signage platform:
- Internal IIS server design and configuration for content feed hosting
- Per-screen SharePoint folder structure mapped one-to-one with each of the 24 displays
- Automation scripts that generate and publish each screen's content feed from its folder
- Custom-engineered Raspberry Pi digital signage controller (hardware build, OS configuration, and kiosk-mode software) as a low-cost alternative to commercial units
- Scheduled automation for rental-based signage rotation, keyed to the building's rental calendar
- Staff-facing documentation for non-technical content updates
- Ongoing support as the display fleet grows
About Qualtx Technology
Qualtx Technology has been providing turnkey automated control solutions for the semiconductor and nanotechnology industries since 1997. Over nearly three decades, Qualtx has delivered control systems and retrofits for a wide range of clients, including AMD, the US Navy, NASA's JPL, NIST, MIT, Texas Instruments, Raytheon, Micron Technology, Cornell, Northeastern University, the University of Texas, Lockheed Martin, Microchip, and Leonardo DRS. That same automation and scripting discipline extends naturally to IT infrastructure and facility technology projects like this one, where reliability and ease of use for non-technical staff matter just as much as they do on a production process tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the digital signage system do?
It automatically publishes images and video to 24 55-inch TVs around Christ Fellowship's building. Staff drag content into a shared folder for each screen, and the system builds a slideshow feed and pushes it to that screen — with no subscription service, no per-screen software license, and no IT ticket required.
How do staff update what's on a screen?
They drag image or video files into that screen's folder in SharePoint. There is nothing to install and nothing to configure. The new content appears on the actual TV within 5 to 10 minutes.
How much money did this save compared to the subscription service?
The signage vendor Christ Fellowship was using moved to a $9.99-per-month, per-controller subscription. Across 24 screens that is roughly $240 a month, or nearly $2,900 a year, indefinitely. Qualtx Technology's self-hosted replacement carries no recurring subscription fee at all. On the hardware side, Qualtx Technology also engineered a Raspberry Pi-based signage controller for about $100 per unit, versus roughly $500 to purchase a comparable commercial controller.
What hardware runs the signage network?
Existing commercial BrightSign signage players continue to run unmodified, alongside a custom Raspberry Pi 4 controller that Qualtx Technology designed as a lower-cost option for new and replacement screens. Both read the same style of content feed from the internal IIS server, so either device can drive any screen.
Does the signage change automatically for building rentals?
Yes. Scheduled scripts on the IIS server automatically swap in the appropriate signage content set based on who is using the building that day — for example, switching to a Saturday renter's branding for their event and switching back to Christ Fellowship's own signage before Sunday services, with no manual intervention.
Who built the digital signage system?
Qualtx Technology, Inc., a Plano, Texas-based automation integrator, designed and deployed the IIS server, content automation scripts, and Raspberry Pi signage controller for Christ Fellowship's McKinney, Texas campus.