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Stratos Stratos Help Center

Player Troubleshooting

Player Troubleshooting

When a player isn’t behaving as expected, this guide helps you diagnose and fix the issue. Start with the symptoms below and follow the troubleshooting steps.

Screen Shows as Offline

Section titled “Screen Shows as Offline”

Step 1: Check the Last Check-in Time

Section titled “Step 1: Check the Last Check-in Time”

If the last check-in was recent (within the polling interval), the screen may just be between check-ins. Wait a minute and refresh.

Step 2: Verify Network Connectivity

Section titled “Step 2: Verify Network Connectivity”

The player must be able to reach your Stratos URL. On the player device:

  1. Open a terminal or SSH into the device.
  2. Run curl -I https://your-stratos-url (replace with your actual URL).
  3. If the request fails, the player has a network issue.

Step 3: Restart the Player

Section titled “Step 3: Restart the Player”

Right-click the screen row → Restart Player. This restarts the player application without rebooting the device.

Step 4: Reboot the Device

Section titled “Step 4: Reboot the Device”

If restarting the player doesn’t help, right-click → Reboot Display. This power-cycles the entire device.

Step 5: Check Physical Connections

Section titled “Step 5: Check Physical Connections”

If the device doesn’t come back online after a reboot:

  • Verify the power cable is connected.
  • Check the network cable or Wi-Fi connection.
  • Ensure the display is powered on.

Content Not Updating

Section titled “Content Not Updating”

Collect Now

Section titled “Collect Now”

Right-click the screen → Collect Now. This forces an immediate check-in and pulls any pending content changes.

Check the Schedule

Section titled “Check the Schedule”

Verify that a schedule is active for the screen at the current time:

  1. Open the screen’s detail page.
  2. Check the Active Schedule section.
  3. If no schedule is active, the screen plays its default layout.

Clear the Cache

Section titled “Clear the Cache”

If content is stale, the player’s cache may be serving outdated files:

  1. Access the player’s configuration page.
  2. Click Clear Cache.
  3. The player re-downloads all content on the next check-in.

Playback Issues

Section titled “Playback Issues”

Blank Screen

Section titled “Blank Screen”
  • Verify a layout is assigned (default layout or active schedule).
  • Check that the layout has content in its regions.
  • Request a screenshot to see what the player is rendering.

Distorted or Wrong Resolution

Section titled “Distorted or Wrong Resolution”
  • Check the player’s output resolution matches the display’s native resolution.
  • Verify the orientation setting (landscape vs. portrait).

Video Not Playing

Section titled “Video Not Playing”
  • Ensure the video format is supported (MP4/H.264 is most compatible).
  • Check that the video file is in the player’s cache.
  • Try a Collect Now to re-download the content.

Audio Issues

Section titled “Audio Issues”
  • Stratos is primarily a visual platform. Audio plays only if the display has speakers.
  • Check the player’s audio output settings.
  • Verify the video file has an audio track.

Player Logs

Section titled “Player Logs”

Player logs are the best source of diagnostic information. To access logs:

  1. Go to the screen’s detail page.
  2. Click the Faults tab.
  3. Review recent error entries.

For deeper troubleshooting, set the player’s log level to Debug in the player configuration and review the local log files.

When to Contact Support

Section titled “When to Contact Support”

Contact support if:

  • The device doesn’t come online after a reboot and network verification.
  • Content consistently fails to play despite correct configuration.
  • You suspect a hardware issue with the player device.
Section titled “Related”