Bullhorn Analytics Gamification - Supported Hardware

This article contains information on the supported and recommended hardware to ensure that you get the best experience from Bullhorn Analytics Gamification. Following these recommendations will allow Gamification features to run reliably with little (ideally no) intervention from your IT support team, and will significantly enhance the experience of using it across the business.

Failure to follow the advice in this guide may lead to a negative experience, requiring more frequent technical maintenance (refreshing the browser, restarting the machine, deal flashes failing to play, etc.). In the most severe cases, using unsupported hardware may prevent Gamification from running at all, and the Bullhorn Analytics team will be unable to resolve the issue.

Supported Hardware For Analytics Gamification

For each TV running Gamification you should use one of the following connected to the internet via a wired connection:

A desktop computer
A mini desktop computer (e.g. Mac Mini)
A laptop

An alternative would be an HDMI splitter/matrix to allow one computer source to drive multiple monitors.

All hardware should be directly connected to the TV via HDMI cable and have the recommended specifications listed below.

Recommended Hardware Specifications

Your hardware should be able to install a full version of a supported web browser (Chrome/Edge) and the browser must be kept up-to-date.
Each display that the computer is driving should have a dedicated graphics card/chip (it doesn’t have to be the latest generation - typically, being able to play YouTube without stuttering is sufficient).
- If using an HDMI splitter/matrix, only one graphics card/chip is required per source.
You should have a reliable internet connection that does not drop data/connectivity throughout the day.
To ensure maximum performance and the lowest maintenance overhead, we recommend that very little other than Gamification runs on these computers.

Unsupported Hardware for Analytics Gamification

For the avoidance of doubt, the following hardware is not supported for the running of Bullhorn Analytics Gamification:

Stick PC, e.g. Intel Stick: Even with larger amounts of RAM (e.g. 4Gb), the processor and graphics card can often be overwhelmed over time and require more browser refreshes, system reboots, experience video stutter, and sometimes fail to receive deal flash notifications.
Chromebit: Even with larger amounts of RAM (e.g. 2Gb), the processor and graphics card can often be overwhelmed over time and require more browser refreshes, system reboots, experience video stutter, and sometimes fail to receive deal flash notifications.
Chromecast and other cast-based hardware options: When the signal drops, they often fail to recover properly, leaving the screen blank / waiting for a connection. Unless using dedicated hardware for casting that meets the recommended specifications, this solution often also encounter similar issues to Stick PCs and Chromebits.
Firestick: The memory, processor and graphics card are often overwhelmed even with simple Gamification channels. Deal flashes are often missed. Video content regularly stutters.
Native TV Browsers: Manufacturers often leave out important parts of the JavaScript language required for Gamification to run properly, as they put in low-power CPU and GPU chips that typically run poorly, if they work at all. Generally, manufacturers are very slow to release JavaScript updates required to run Gamification, and updates to keep the browsers in line with security best practices which Bullhorn Analytics see as mandatory to protect your data. As you are not in control of the browser vendor/version and are using an unsupported browser, any updates Bullhorn Analytics or the vendors make may stop Gamification working with no notice and with no way for Bullhorn Analytics to remediate.