Barcelona | SignageOS is arriving to ISE 2026 with a message that will force many in the industry to rethink long-held assumptions. The Prague-based tech stack specialist, long known as the middleware layer between CMS platforms and the fragmented world of SoC signage hardware, is expanding its scope. With Supra, a new bi-directional streaming-based delivery platform, SignageOS provides an alternative to how content is distributed and rendered across today’s heterogeneous digital signage networks.
ISE 2026: SignageOS Breaks the Rules of Digital Signage
For two decades, the digital signage sector has observed a clear rule: streaming and signage are different worlds. IPTV delivers video; signage delivers managed, CMS-controlled content. But as networks grow more mixed and technical limitations of embedded platforms persist, the industry is searching for alternatives. The diversity of operating systems, inconsistent SoC generations, varying Chromium engine versions, and platform dependent resolution limits increasingly complicate content playout. Many networks that looked perfectly homogeneous on paper a decade ago have evolved into patchwork systems – and operators are paying the price in complexity.
A fully-encrypted streaming solution
This is precisely the environment in which Supra is designed to operate. In an interview with invidis ahead of the show, SignageOS CEO Stan Richter and CPO Lukas Danek described Supra as an edge-based, encrypted streaming solution that bypasses traditional platform limitations. Instead of relying on the SoC’s native browser or a local media player, Supra streams content – fully encrypted – from an edge server directly to any endpoint, regardless of operating system, SoC chipset, or CMS. Unlike IPTV-style approaches, the system supports bidirectional communication, preserving the interactive capabilities required for modern in-store retail media, QSR, and service environments.
Typical deployment scenarios include quick service restaurants with many screens and order kiosks, or retail media networks where operators need consistent playback across an inherently inconsistent hardware estate. The magic lies in SignageOS’ proprietary, patent-pending protocol, which can even stream Android apps to platforms that could never natively run them. For the first time, a CMS can deploy complex, app-based experiences across an entire fleet without worrying about local OS or browser limitations.
Bypassing content and resolution costraints
End-to-end encryption ensures secure communication between the edge server and the display. Because playout is decoupled from local Chromium versions, long-standing issues such as outdated browser engines or limited codec support effectively disappear. Even resolution constraints can be bypassed: Supra can stream UHD content to devices whose native SoC supports only FullHD, opening new creative possibilities on older hardware.
The system is also engineered to address everyday operational challenges, from color discrepancies across different display lines to proof of play requirements that must stand up to the scrutiny of retail media advertisers.
Taking the pain out of brownfield projects
SignageOS has been quietly testing Supra with selected customers behind closed doors, but ISE 2026 marks the first public presentation. Stan Richter summarizes the ambition in one sentence: “We want to take the pain out of brownfield networks. With Supra, we remove all the hassle of SoC limitations – we can make every hardware shine.” The signage tech stack company sees Supra not as a departure from its current mission but as a logical extension: removing friction, reducing integration effort, and enabling CMS providers and integrators to build experiences without worrying about platform fragmentation.
Importantly, SignageOS will not sell server hardware. Supra runs on standard Linux-based server infrastructure, staying true to the company’s identity as a pure software provider. “We remain a software company,” Lukas Danek emphasizes. “Supra will accelerate SoC adoption because we take the pain out of SoC-based signage. And any web app can run on signage with Supra. That is the future of signage.”
