Stratos supports a wide range of media formats for digital signage. This article lists the supported formats and any special considerations for each.
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|
| JPEG | .jpg, .jpeg | Best for photographs. Supports progressive JPEG. |
| PNG | .png | Best for graphics with transparency. Supports animated PNG. |
| GIF | .gif | Animated GIFs play as loops. Consider converting to video for better performance. |
| WebP | .webp | Modern format with better compression. Supports animation and transparency. |
| SVG | .svg | Vector graphics. Scales without quality loss. Complex SVGs may render slowly on older players. |
| BMP | .bmp | Supported but not recommended — large file sizes. |
- Use JPEG for photographs and complex images.
- Use PNG for logos, icons, and graphics with transparency.
- Use WebP when possible — smaller files, same quality.
- Keep images under 10 MB for fast loading.
- Use the target screen resolution to avoid unnecessary upscaling.
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|
| MP4 | .mp4 | H.264 video + AAC audio. Most compatible format. |
| WebM | .webm | VP8/VP9 video + Vorbis/Opus audio. Smaller files, good for web. |
| MOV | .mov | QuickTime format. May require re-encoding for some players. |
- Use MP4 with H.264 for maximum compatibility across all player devices.
- Keep videos under 200 MB for reliable playback.
- Use a resolution that matches or is close to the target screen resolution.
- Avoid interlaced video — use progressive scan.
- For looping content, ensure the video loops seamlessly (no black frames at the end).
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|
| PDF | .pdf | Rendered as static pages. Each page gets its own display duration. |
- PDFs are displayed page by page. Set a duration per page in the layout designer.
- Keep PDFs under 20 MB for fast loading.
- Use PDFs for menus, schedules, or informational posters.
The following formats are not supported for direct playback:
- Audio-only files (MP3, WAV, etc.) — Stratos is a visual signage platform.
- Font files (TTF, OTF, WOFF) — upload these on the Fonts page instead.
- HTML packages (.zip) — use the Web Widget to embed live web content.
