IOTA World – Digital Signage

TEST

IOTA World – Signage Settings

1. Prayer announcement times

Set the time you want each announcement to play (for example the jamat time). Tick “On” to enable it. The enabled times also appear in the strip at the bottom of the timetable. Each recording is optional – if none is uploaded the computer voice is used. A recording of a real person is strongly recommended.

Test the real schedule:

2. Announcement: voice, loudness and alert

Default recording (used for any prayer without its own): Upload

Alert blinking on the prayer screen Times to repeat each announcement (1–5) Pause between repeats (seconds) Keep reminder on screen at least (seconds) Volume Loudness boost (recordings only) Soft bell before the announcement

Computer voice (fallback): used only when no recording exists for that prayer.

Voice Speed Pitch

English spoken text (use {prayer} and {note}) Urdu spoken text (use {prayer}) – spoken after the English one

Urdu: many TV browsers have no Urdu voice. For reliable Urdu and English put recordings in the site’s audio folder named zuhr-en.mp3, zuhr-ur.mp3, asr-en.mp3 … (or default-en.mp3, default-ur.mp3). They are used automatically and played English first, then Urdu.

Voices marked “needs internet” (for example Microsoft “Online (Natural)” in Edge, or Google voices in Chrome) sound more human but stop working offline. If one fails, the page automatically falls back to an offline voice. The blink is a smooth fade between white and red, never faster than once per second.

3. Display and class colors

Screen shows Upload master-plan image Title Day / date banner Note at the bottom Text size Rows per page Seconds per page Rotate pages automatically Replace logo (optional)

Class colors, sections and rooms are set in the next block, “3b. Classes, sections and rooms”.

3b. Classes, sections and rooms

In the timetable you only type the section (for example A7). The class (XII) and the color come from this list, so each group of students has its own color on screen and in the legend. A combined section such as A1+A3 uses its first section.

Floors and rooms (used by the room grid): one floor per line, like 1st Floor = R1, R2

4. Intermission slides (logo and notices)

Every so often the timetable fades out and a full-screen slide show appears: the animated IOTA World logo, then your notices, then it fades back to the timetable. It never interrupts a prayer announcement. If you uploaded a logo under Display, that logo is used instead of the built-in one.

Show intermission slides Show every (seconds) Include the logo slide Show red line at the bottom of slides Logo slide length (seconds) Each notice length (seconds)

Notices – short messages shown large on screen. Tick “On” to include one.

5. Edit timetable

Changes save automatically. Time format: 2:15-3:10. Times without AM/PM are read as PM (type 9:00am for mornings). Rows with the same time are grouped together on screen. Use “Break” rows for Zuhr/Asr/Maghrib/Isha breaks. The class and color are filled in automatically from the section (see 3b), so leave the Class column empty.

Type	Time	Class	Section	Subject	Teacher	Room	Note / break text

6. Subject and teacher names

Type short codes in the timetable and they are shown in full on the screen. One per line, like CS = Computer Science.

Subjects Teachers (e.g. MAI = Sir Example)

0. Publish to the TV and daily master plan

Daily master plan: pick the date, then upload a CSV (columns: Type, Time, Section, Subject, Teacher, Room, Note; Type is Class or Break). On that date the TV switches to it automatically, then returns to the normal timetable. Excel: File → Save As → CSV. Optional first lines: #day,TUESDAY | 14 OCT and #note,Sir Haris is absent.

Upload master plan CSVDownload template

Publish: sends everything to GitHub; TVs pick it up within 2 minutes. The token is stored only in this browser.

0b. Photo of master plan, toppers video, voice recordings

Master plan by photo: pick the date, then upload a straight, clear photo or screenshot. With an Anthropic key below, the photo is read automatically into the timetable (highlighting and blurring work). Without a key, the photo itself is shown full screen on that day. Use “Preview” to check, then Publish to TV.

Upload master plan photo

Slideshow items: add pictures (JPG/PNG, you can pick many at once, they play in file-name order) and/or MP4 videos (under 25 MB). Pictures work on every TV browser; videos may not. Ticked items play in the order shown. Nothing is overwritten. Click Publish to TV when done.

+ Add video or pictures Play these in the slideshow

Seconds per picture Azan at prayer time Office screen shows Default animation Picture fit

Voice recordings (best quality): upload one MP3 per prayer and language. Use “default” to cover every prayer.

Upload MP3

7. Backup

Settings live in this browser on this laptop. Export a backup now and then. (Uploaded images and recordings are not part of the backup – keep the original files.)

Import settings

8. Startup steps and limitations

Keep this file in a fixed place, e.g. C:\IOTA\iota-signage.html, and open it in Chrome or Edge (normal window, not Private/Incognito).
Connect the HDMI cable, press Windows + P and choose Duplicate or Extend (drag the window to the LED if extended).
Click Enable audio once after every time the page is opened or reloaded. Browsers block sound until someone clicks the page. Check that the chip at the top right says “Audio ready”.
Click Fullscreen (or press F11). The buttons hide after 5 seconds; move the mouse to bring them back.
Set Windows volume and the HDMI/speaker volume to a loud level and press Test announcement.
Keep the laptop awake: Settings → System → Power & battery → Screen and sleep → set everything to Never while plugged in. Also set “When I close the lid” to Do nothing (Control Panel → Power Options). Keep the charger connected. Turn on Focus assist / Do not disturb so pop-ups never appear on the LED.
Optional – skip the “Enable audio” click for recordings: create a shortcut to Chrome or Edge with this target, adding the page address at the end: chrome.exe --autoplay-policy=no-user-gesture-required --start-fullscreen "file:///C:/IOTA/iota-signage.html" (use msedge.exe for Edge). The computer voice may still need one click.

Limitations

The page must stay open, visible and the laptop awake. If the laptop sleeps through a scheduled time by more than 2 minutes, that announcement is skipped (it will not play late).
Each announcement plays once per day per scheduled time, even if the page is reloaded. Use “Clear today’s log” to repeat during testing. Keep only one tab open.
The computer’s clock decides the time. The built-in browser voice is not a real human voice – upload a recording for the best result.
Everything (settings, image, recordings) is stored in this browser profile. Clearing browsing data erases it. Use the same browser each time.
No automatic prayer-time calculation and no ERP link: times and timetable are entered by hand. The day banner does not change by itself.
Intermission slides wait while Settings is open and are cancelled instantly when a prayer announcement starts.
Fonts are the ones installed in Windows (Bahnschrift and Segoe UI on Windows 10/11); nothing is downloaded.
“Keep screen awake” is requested from the browser when supported, but Windows power settings are the reliable fix.

Keep-awake request: checking…

IOTA World Signage

Press OK / Enter to start

Starts full screen and turns the sound on