Troubleshooting Guide

Player Won't Connect

If your player shows as offline in the dashboard:

1. 1Verify the player has internet connectivity (try opening a website)
2. 2Check that ports 443 and 8443 are not blocked by your firewall
3. 3Restart the SPARC player application
4. 4If using WiFi, try switching to a wired Ethernet connection
5. 5Re-run the activation process if the player was recently reset

Content Not Updating

When changes made in the dashboard don't appear on displays:

1. 1Check that you clicked 'Publish' after making changes
2. 2Verify the player shows as 'Online' in the dashboard
3. 3Check available storage on the player device
4. 4Wait 60 seconds for content to download and cache
5. 5Force a content refresh from the player's device menu

Video Playback Issues

If videos stutter, skip, or don't play at all:

Codec Compatibility

SPARC supports H.264 and H.265 video codecs. We recommend H.264 for maximum compatibility. Videos encoded with other codecs may need transcoding.

Resolution and Bitrate

Match your video resolution to your display. A 4K video on a 1080p display wastes bandwidth and processing power. Keep bitrates under 25Mbps for smooth playback on most hardware.

Sync Issues

When displays in a sync group aren't aligned:

1. 1Verify all players are on the same network segment
2. 2Check network latency between players (should be under 5ms)
3. 3Ensure all players have downloaded the same content version
4. 4Restart all players in the sync group simultaneously
5. 5Contact support if issues persist - we can analyze sync logs