# What is a display, a device, and a panel?

Three words, three things: The **display** is the entry in the portal, the **device** is the machine behind it, and the **panel** is the hardware on the wall. Once you can tell them apart, you understand why a restart affects two outputs and why a second panel costs a second seat.

> **Type:** concept
> **For:** anyone who manages displays in the portal or reads an offer
> **Prerequisite:** none
> **Where in the portal:** **Displays** · **Devices**

## The display: the entry in the portal

A display is a unit you can play content on, as the portal manages it. Through this entry, you give it a name, assign it a program, set its orientation, and send it commands. Everything under **Displays** is an entry of this kind, each with a status and the picture currently running.

Each display takes exactly one **booked seat** in your contract. When all seats are taken, the portal rejects another pairing with **Every booked display is paired.** and offers to book an additional display.

## The device: the machine behind it

The device is the computer that produces the picture. Its **Build** is listed in the device record as **Raspberry Pi 5**, **Raspberry Pi 4**, **Linux machine**, or **Web display**. A device can drive more than one output: A Player Pro has two connectors and carries two displays, each with its own name, program, orientation, and booked seat. The **Displays on this device** card lists them as **Display 1**, **Display 2**, and so on. The **Devices** area also shows machines without a display. For those, it says **No display is attached to this device.**

## The panel: the hardware on the wall

The panel is the physical hardware: a TV, a monitor, a tablet. It is installed and switched on at the site. In the portal, all you see of it is the pairing code. The device asks the panel over the cable what it can do and reports the answer in the **What this display can do** card.

![Three display entries in the portal stand for two panels on one Player Pro and a tablet in the browser. The device is connected to both panels at once.](/docs/displays/bilder/127991b9-display-device-panel.svg)

*One display per output, one device per machine: In a workshop, two displays share a Player Pro, and the third runs as a web display on a tablet.*

## Three connection types

The **Add a display** dialog first asks: **What is this display attached to?**

| Connection type | What it is for |
|---|---|
| **Own device** | A device is connected to the panel by HDMI: Raspberry Pi 5/4 or Intel box. |
| **Web browser** | The panel shows a browser page: computer, tablet, or smart TV. |
| **Another screen on an existing device** | A device that is already running drives a second panel. |

The first two paths end with a code that you type in. The third needs none: You only choose the device and a free connector. A **Web display** is the special case — a display with no device at all, only a browser that has opened the display address.

![The first step of the Add a display dialog with the question What is this display attached to?: the connection types Own device (1), Web browser (2), and Another panel on an existing device (3), and the step bar on the left (4)](/docs/displays/bilder/1d33e647-add-display-connection-type.png)

*1 Own device · 2 Web browser · 3 Another panel on an existing device · 4 Step bar*

## What follows

- **Commands have a scope.** The **Remote** tab affects only this one display, and above it you read **These commands affect this display only.** The restart lives in the device record and reaches every panel on the machine. On a device with two outputs, the second one goes dark without warning.
- **Cleaning up has two levels.** **Remove display** takes the entry out of the fleet and frees the seat, and the machine stays in place. The actions on the **Lifecycle** card in the device record affect the machine and take all its displays along.
- **A second panel costs a second seat.** The **Add display** dialog says so beforehand: **This books one more display.**
- **A video wall is not a fourth thing.** Several displays show one surface together. Each stays its own entry with its own seat.

## Related

- [Pair a display](/docs/displays/pair-display): from the code on the panel to the display in the fleet.
- [The device record](/docs/devices/device-record): what the portal knows about the device.
- [What do you pay for: packages, seats, and add-ons?](/docs/billing/about-packages-and-seats): what a second display costs.