From Java legacy to OTA updatable, offline capable player — driving 2× customer growth in 12 months

A legacy, Java-based player used across schools and events was unstable, hard to update, and missed scheduled commercial spots. KnackForge rebuilt the stack: an Electron desktop player (Windows, Linux, macOS), a React admin console, and a Laravel API hosted on AWS. The result is deterministic ad scheduling, over-the-air (OTA) updates with simple restarts, offline playback via local caching, and a clean UX that non-technical staff can operate. Within a year of rollout, the client doubled their customer base and revenue.

Challenges

• Unreliable ad/commercial scheduling: spots fired late or were skipped.
• Instability and crashes: operators often had to reboot systems to recover.
• Upgrade friction: adding features or shipping fixes was slow and risky.
• Limited OS support: player ran only on Windows/Linux; deployments were brittle.
• Support bottleneck: Feature and configuration requests are funneled through Product Support Managers, creating delays.

The Solution

• New cross‑platform player built with Electron and a modular architecture for rapid feature additions.
• Modern admin console in React for self‑service scheduling, content control, roles & permissions, and audit history.
• Robust API using Laravel, deployed on AWS (with CDN/storage, monitoring, and centralized logging) for secure, scalable distribution.
• Deterministic scheduling with clock drift protection and retry logic to avoid missed ad breaks.
• OTA updates that download in the background and finalize on a short, automated restart; includes rollback safeguards.
• Offline playback via local caching so scheduled content plays during network disruptions.
• UX overhaul with a simple, operator-friendly interface and clear status indicators.

The Impact

• 2× growth in customers and revenue within ~12 months of the new player’s rollout.
• On‑time ad delivery through deterministic scheduling and guardrails against skips.
• Stability gains and fewer crash-related incidents reported by operators.
• Lower support load as customers self-manage content and schedules.
• Faster feature delivery via modular architecture and OTA updates.