Common Terms Explained

New to digital advertising? Here's a plain-language guide to the terms you'll see on RedSquare.

RedSquare Terms

Dashboard — Your home page after you log in. Advertisers see My campaigns; screen owners see their screens, a calendar of what's booked, and their earnings.

Pairing code — The short code the Screen Player shows on a TV that isn't set up yet. You type it (or scan the QR next to it) at redsquare.app/add-screen to connect that TV to your screen. The TV also shows a short Device ID, so you can check you're connecting the right one.

Play — One showing of an ad, start to finish, counted by the TV. Screen owners set a price per 10-second play. An image stays on screen for 20 seconds by default — two 10-second units — and a video or an animated GIF plays for its own length.

Segment — A block of hours on one day that you book plays in. One booking can hold several segments.

Standard and Premium — A Standard booking buys a number of plays in the hours you pick, and your ad takes turns with other ads. A Premium booking buys an exclusive window: only your ad plays, back to back.

Booking (campaign) — Your ad on one screen, for the plays and hours you picked. Each one has its own page showing what ran, what you paid and any refunds.

Surge — A multiplier a screen owner sets on some hours, so they cost more (or less) than the screen's usual price.

Verified location — A green badge on a screen whose owner proved, standing at the screen, that it is where the listing says.

House content — What a TV shows between booked ads: the owner's own images and videos, and RedSquare's "This screen is for rent" card.

Proof of play — The record of which plays ran, and when, as reported by the TV itself. Advertisers see it on each campaign's page; owners see it for each screen at /my-screens/:id/report.

Tech Terms Made Simple

QR Code — A square-shaped barcode that you can scan with your phone camera. It works like a clickable link, but in the real world. Point your phone at it and it takes you to a website or app.

Upload — Sending a file (like a photo or video) from your phone or computer to a website. It's the opposite of downloading.

Resolution — How sharp and detailed an image or video looks. Higher resolution = clearer picture. "Full HD" (1920x1080) is the standard for most TVs.

File Size (MB) — How much space a file takes up. A regular photo is about 2-5 MB. A 30-second phone video is often 30-50 MB. MB stands for megabytes. RedSquare takes files up to 100 MB.

Dongle — A small device (about the size of a USB stick) that plugs into your TV to add features — like a Fire TV Stick or a Roku Streaming Stick.

Streaming — Playing video or audio over the internet in real time, instead of downloading the whole file first.

Heartbeat — A small "I'm on" signal the Screen Player sends about once a minute. It's how your dashboard knows the TV is on.

Bandwidth — How fast your internet connection can send and receive data. If your internet is slow (low bandwidth), videos may buffer or stutter.