One of the additional features that makes Retriever Digital Signage such a flexible and powerful tool is its ability to support both landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) viewing options through adjustable orientation angles. This allows you to match your screen’s physical setup with the correct digital orientation, ensuring your content always appears correctly on any display.
How to Change a Device’s Orientation Angle
- Go to the “Devices” tab and select the device you want to change.
- Under “Orientation”, select the orientation you want.
- 0 degrees — the display is right side up. No rotation is required.
- 90 degrees — the display is rotated 90° clockwise, so rotate the content counter-clockwise to compensate.
- 180 degrees — the display is upside down, so rotate the content to compensate.
- 270 degrees — the display is rotated 270° clockwise (90° counter-clockwise), so rotate the the content to compensate.
- After making the selection, scroll to the bottom and click the “Save Changes” button to apply the change. The device should update within about a minute.
| TV Rotation | Orientation Setting |
|---|---|
| TV is right side up | 0 degrees |
| TV is rotated 90° clockwise | 90 degrees |
| TV is upside down | 180 degrees |
| TV is rotated 90° counter-clockwise | 270 degrees |
How to Change Your Display Resolution
The default resolution is perfect in most cases, but if you need to adjust it, just follow these steps to customize your display resolution and make sure your content looks its best on your TV. In general, use higher resolutions for larger displays and lower resolutions for smaller displays.
- Go to the “Devices” tab and select the device you want to change.
- Under “Device Resolution”, turn on the toggle to “Use Custom Resolution.”
- Select the ”Custom Resolution” you want.
- 4K (3840×2160)
- 1440p (2560×1440)
- 1080p (1920×1080) — This is the default.
- 720p (1280×720)
- 480p (854×480)
- After making the selection, scroll to the bottom and click the “Save Changes” button to apply the change.
How to Change the Orientation View When Editing Slides
With Retriever, you can have the same content — even the same playlist — playing on both vertical and horizontal displays. When you want to preview how your content will look at a different orientation, just follow these steps.
- Go to the “Playlists” tab and select the playlist you want to view.
- In the top bar (below the playlist name) click the option labeled “Orientation” and select the option. The option will either be “Change to portrait” or “Change to landscape”.
- Once you have changed your orientation, all slide thumbnails will be in that orientation. Also, when you edit or preview a slide in the slide designer, it will be in that orientation.
Preview Only
It is important to note that changing the orientation in this way will only affect the way your slides appear when editing and previewing them. In order to change the way they appear on your TV, you will need to change your device’s orientation angle.
Tips for Optimizing Media Content
- If you are using full-screen images or videos, make sure the aspect ratio matches the orientation you have selected. See the table of aspect ratios and pixel dimensions for reference.
- The Retriever templates will scale images and videos automatically. However, if your display is set at a lower resolution, you may want to export them at a smaller pixel dimension. For example, if your TV is set at 1920 × 1080, it would be better to use videos at that resolutions instead of 4K.
- Preview content after adjustments to confirm it fills the frame properly.
Aspect Ratio and Pixel Dimensions
The aspect ratio of most displays is 16:9, but it is possible to have a display that is different. But don’t worry! Retriever’s digital signage templates have been designed to work at unusual aspect ratios as well as normal ones. If you have a display that is an unusual aspect ratio, just follow the manufacturer’s information on aspect ratio and pixel dimensions for best results with full-screen content.
| Orientation | Aspect Ratio | Pixel Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| TV mounted horizontally (0° or 180°) | 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 |
| TV mounted vertically (90° or 270°) | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
