Short answer: Your Smart TV works great as the display for DSID — but DSID itself runs on the BrightSign media player, not on the TV. There is no DSID app that installs onto a Smart TV.
What Is a "Smart TV," Exactly?
A Smart TV is a television with a built-in operating system — think of it like a smartphone that also happens to be a big screen. That built-in OS is what lets you download apps like Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube directly onto the TV without any extra device.
However, Smart TVs also have HDMI input ports, just like any regular TV. When you plug something into one of those HDMI ports — a cable box, a laptop, a game console, or in this case, a BrightSign media player — the TV essentially acts as a monitor, displaying whatever that device is sending to it.
DSID works by connecting a BrightSign media player to your TV via HDMI. The BrightSign is a small, dedicated device that handles all of the heavy lifting: loading your content loop, staying synced to your DSID account, and pushing the presentation to the screen.
Your TV, whether it's a Smart TV or a basic display, simply receives that signal through its HDMI input and shows it. The "smart" features built into your TV are not used by DSID and are not needed.
In short: DSID works with Smart TVs — it just doesn't run on them. Why Doesn't DSID Have a Smart TV App?
This is a common question. DSID is built on the BrightSign platform, which is the industry-leading hardware and software ecosystem for professional digital signage. BrightSign devices are purpose-built for 24/7 commercial display use — they're fanless, solid-state, and designed for the kind of long-term, always-on reliability that a practice environment demands.
Smart TVs, by contrast, are built for home entertainment. Their operating systems (such as Roku TV, webOS, Tizen, Android TV, and Fire TV OS) vary widely by manufacturer and model, change frequently with updates, and were not designed with commercial signage in mind. Building and maintaining a DSID app across every Smart TV platform would require significant ongoing development and would introduce reliability risks that a healthcare setting cannot afford.
By committing to BrightSign, DSID is able to deliver a stable, consistent experience across every installation — regardless of what TV brand or model you choose to use as the display.
Can Smart TV Apps (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) Run at the Same Time as DSID?
This comes up often, particularly for waiting rooms where a practice wants to offer entertaining content alongside their own messaging.
The important thing to understand is that your TV can only do one thing at a time. When your TV's HDMI input is active and displaying content from the BrightSign player, the TV's Smart OS is essentially in the background — it's not running apps, and there's no way to layer a Netflix stream on top of, or next to, the DSID presentation coming through the HDMI port. These are two separate, incompatible video sources that the TV must choose between.
Think of it this way: when you're watching a cable box through HDMI, your TV's built-in streaming apps don't appear on screen at the same time. The same applies here. DSID via BrightSign is that external HDMI source.
So How Can I Show Streaming Content Alongside DSID?
This is actually possible, just not through the TV's own Smart features. Certain BrightSign device models include an HDMI input port in addition to the standard HDMI output. This allows you to connect an external streaming device — such as a Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV Stick — directly into the BrightSign player.
The BrightSign then takes the signal from that streaming device and incorporates it into the presentation as a dedicated zone or partition on the screen. The result: your DSID content (practice messaging, patient education, branding) displays in one area of the screen, while a live streaming service like Netflix plays in another — all from a single screen, cleanly managed through the BrightSign player.
This is called passthrough video, and it's the supported way to combine streaming entertainment with your DSID presentation.
PLEASE NOTE, Passthrough video requires a compatible BrightSign model with an HDMI input port. Not all BrightSign hardware includes this feature. Contact DSID support to confirm whether your current device supports it or to discuss an upgrade.
ALSO CONSIDER, by placing your practice messaging alongside content that is designed to entertain, the messages you want your patients to see are now competing with whatever entertainment you're passing through into the presentation. You are effectively asking your viewers to choose between your own messaging and a streaming service. This has been shown to lessen the effectiveness of practice relevant messaging. More content on the screen can also be overwhelming for viewers and cause them to tune out immediately, thus not looking at anything. Of course, if entertaining your patients and viewers is your primary goal, it does work well.
Reach out to the DSID support team — we're happy to help you figure out the right setup for your practice.
