Our history
Fourteen years of engineering behind every screen
impressBox was not assembled from someone else’s software. Our engineers have built the platform since 2012: the CMS, the device gateway and the players for every screen we support. The numbers on this page come from our version control, not from a slide.
impressBox in numbers
- first line of the platform’s code
- 2012
- of continuous development
- 14 years
- screens running on impressBox today
- 5,000+
- player platforms from one codebase
- 7
- versioned releases of the device gateway since 2018
- 340+
- engineers have contributed
- 30+
Development timeline
From one screen for a bank to a platform that runs retail media networks, chains and airports.
2007
The first screen
A single digital signage installation for a Lithuanian bank, showing currency exchange rates. The practical need behind it became the idea for a platform.
2012
The first line of code
The first commit of what is still the core of the impressBox content management system: a web application with administration and user permissions built in from day one.
2013
Content management for screens
The first templates and playlists, then menu boards, LED and audio within the same year. Two engineers who joined that year still develop the platform today.
2014
The architecture, in one month
In October we started the player for Raspberry Pi devices, the device gateway that sits between the CMS and the screens, and the messaging between them. CMS → gateway → player is still the backbone of the system: we have changed languages, servers and devices since, not the architecture.
2015
impressBox becomes a company
Dėžutė, UAB is registered in Vilnius. Players learn to keep playing without internet, to follow schedules and to report statistics, and the first automated builds run.
2016
Built to be repeatable
The CMS and the gateway move to containers with continuous integration, so every change is built and tested the same way. The team grows.
2017
Running fleets, not single screens
Secure remote access to every device, watchdogs, Wi-Fi configuration, kiosk and touch modes, and monitoring dashboards for the whole fleet. The first prototype of a cross-platform player.
2018
Releases with version numbers
From February every gateway release is versioned (more than 340 since). In March we start the cross-platform player that runs on today’s screens. Screenshots from the CMS and touch screens follow.
2019
Measuring audiences
Anonymous audience analytics on the player, and the first projects for retail chains and restaurant menu boards.
2020
Cloud-native
The CMS moves to Kubernetes, and device statistics move to a time-series database built for millions of data points.
2021
One player for every screen
The new player ships on LG webOS (March), Samsung Tizen (April) and Android (July), and TV apps talk to the same gateway in real time. In-store audio becomes its own product, and with IKI we launch the screen.club retail media network.
2022
Old screens and Linux fleets
Support for older Samsung Orsay displays, Linux players managed as a fleet, and a new React interface for the CMS.
2023
One protocol everywhere
The CMS, the gateway and every player move to one real-time messaging protocol, and Raspberry Pi joins the new player.
2024
A new generation in the team
Four engineers join. Downloads and offline logic move into the gateway, and work on peer-to-peer content delivery between screens begins.
2025
An AI assistant for our users
An AI assistant inside the CMS lets users manage content and screens in plain language. Canva integration, kiosk mode and versioned CMS releases follow.
2026
Player 2.0 and the AI agent everywhere
Player 2.0 runs from one codebase on Android, Linux, browsers, LG webOS, Samsung Tizen, Samsung Orsay and BrightSign, with network diagnostics from the CMS. The AI agent reaches WhatsApp, Slack and any MCP-compatible AI client, video conversion moves to GPUs, and invidis names impressBox a Rising Star & Disruptor – Nordics.
What has not changed since 2014
CMS
Content, templates, playlists, schedules, users and permissions. Since 2012.
Device gateway
Talks to every screen in real time: status, statistics, commands and content delivery. Since 2014.
Players
Keep playing offline, synchronise, report and accept remote diagnostics, on seven platforms. Since 2014.
The players changed language and the servers changed place, but the three parts and the boundaries between them are the ones we drew in October 2014. That is why a screen installed years ago still receives updates today.
Questions about how impressBox is built
Is impressBox built in-house?
Yes. The CMS, the device gateway and the players on every platform are developed by our own engineering team in Vilnius, since 2012. We do not resell or rebrand another vendor’s software.
How long has impressBox been running in production?
Our first screen went live in 2007 and the platform’s code dates back to 2012. Today impressBox runs more than 5,000 screens, including the screen.club retail media network in IKI supermarkets. See our customers.
Will screens installed years ago keep getting updates?
Yes. The three parts of the platform have kept the same boundaries since 2014, so players installed years ago still receive updates. Samsung Orsay displays from 2012–2014 run impressBox today.
Which screens does the platform support?
One player codebase runs on Android, Linux (Raspberry Pi, x86 and ARM boards), browsers, LG webOS, Samsung Tizen, older Samsung Orsay displays and BrightSign. See supported hardware.
See fourteen years of work on your own screens
Book a demo and we show the platform on the screens you already have.