# OptiSigns Feature Replication — Build Plan

## What OptiSigns Costs You
| Plan | Price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| **Standard** | $10/mo | Unlimited screens |
| **Pro** | $15/mo | Unlimited screens |
| **Pro Plus** | $30/mo | Unlimited screens |
| Add-on: Video Wall | $25/mo extra | |
| Add-on: Background Music | $15/mo extra | |

## Feature Comparison — OptiSigns vs Our Build

### Tier 1 — MVP (Phase 1, ~2 weeks)
| Feature | OptiSigns | Our Build |
|---|---|---|
| Upload images + videos | ✅ | ✅ |
| Playlist (ordered sequence) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Playlist (shuffle mode) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Multi-tenant customers | ✅ | ✅ |
| Unlimited devices per customer | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pi registration via code | ❌ (Fire TV/Android) | ✅ (custom) |
| Fullscreen kiosk playback | ✅ | ✅ |
| Device identification overlay | ❌ | ✅ (planned) |
| **Monthly cost** | **$10-$30** | **$0 (on your infra)** |

### Tier 2 — Parity (Phase 2, ~1 week)
| Feature | OptiSigns | Our Build |
|---|---|---|
| Content scheduling (time-based) | ✅ | ⬜ |
| Multi-user per tenant | ✅ | ⬜ |
| Thumbnail preview in CMS | ✅ | ⬜ |
| Drag-drop reorder playlist | ✅ | ⬜ |
| Device auto-update on content change | ✅ | ⬜ |
| **Monthly cost** | **$15** | **$0** |

### Tier 3 — Surpass (Phase 3, ~1 week)
| Feature | OptiSigns | Our Build |
|---|---|---|
| API for remote control | ✅ | ✅ (built-in) |
| Custom branding (no OptiSigns logo) | ❌ ($30 plan) | ✅ (ours) |
| Device identification (Ctrl+I) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Sho'Nuff integration (text-to-broadcast) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Dark ops-portal theme | ❌ | ✅ |
| **Monthly cost** | **$30** | **$0** |

## Phase 1 — Feature Descriptions (MVP)

### Content Management
- Upload images (.jpg, .png, .webp) and videos (.mp4, .mov, .webm)
- View in grid with thumbnails
- Delete content
- per-tenant content library (customers only see their own)

### Playlist Builder
- Create playlist → name it → drag items into order
- Toggle shuffle mode (ordered vs random loop)
- Assign playlist to one or multiple devices
- Auto-play from first item when assigned

### Device Management
- See all devices per customer with status (Online/Offline)
- View device details: name, serial, IP, model, last seen, current playlist
- Assign playlist to device
- Remote identify (triggers overlay on screen)
- Registration code generator

### Pi Player
- Chromium fullscreen kiosk mode
- Polls API every 60s for playlist
- Preloads next media while current plays
- Loops playlist (ordered or shuffled)
- Hidden identify overlay (Ctrl+I × 3)
- Auto-updates when playlist changes (no reboot needed)

### Registration Flow
1. Customer portal generates registration code → displays as QR + text
2. Pi boots → runs registration script
3. Script calls API with code + serial
4. Server registers device under customer tenant
5. Pi receives token + device ID
6. Pi starts polling immediately

## What OptiSigns Does That We WON'T Build (save $30/mo)

| Feature | Why Skip |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365/Google Workspace integration | Not relevant for signage |
| Power BI / Salesforce dashboard display | Overkill for restaurant menus |
| Interactive experiences (touch) | Not needed for basic signage |
| Video wall (multi-screen sync) | Rare use case, future |
| Background music licensing | Legal/complex, separate project |
| Wireless presentation (AeriCast) | Different product entirely |
| Enterprise SSO/SAML | Not needed yet |

## Savings
| Service | Cost | After Cancel |
|---|---|---|
| **OptiSigns** | ~$15-30/mo | **$0** 🎉 |
| **Your infra** | $0 (already running) | $0 |
| **Net savings** | **~$180-360/yr** | |

## What You're Really Paying For
OptiSigns is $10-30/mo for something you can run on a $5/mo netcup VPS with Pis you already have. The only value they add is the player app and the CMS UI — both of which we build once and own forever.

Cancel OptiSigns as soon as Phase 1 is live. Want me to start building Phase 1 after Cartagena?