S-Play Programmer

Build your complete S-Play light shows offline — on Mac or Windows.
Upload to one device or many when you’re ready.
No internet connection, no hardware needed to get started.

✓ Free    ✓ No license required    ✓ Auto-updates built in

SKU: 70100

Program your light show anywhere.

If you already use the S-Play smart light show controller, you already know this software. S-Play Programmer is the desktop version of the same interface: the same cue types, the same playlist builder, the same scheduling and trigger options, plus one addition. Composition Cues is a shader-based animation type exclusive to the desktop software, not available in the browser interface.

The key difference is that you can now build your complete show without needing to be connected to your S-Play hardware. Work from the office, at home, in a hotel room on-site before the hardware arrives. When you’re ready, connect to the same network as your S-Play and upload in one click. Or export a show file and upload it manually at any time.

Designed for integrators, programmers and anyone managing multiple S-Play installations, the software lets you deploy one show to many devices simultaneously, saving significant time on multi-site or large venue setups.

S-Play Programmer uses the same interface layout as the S-Play browser UI with the same cue editor, the same playlist builder, the same scheduling panel. If you or your team already know how to use the S-Play web interface, there is no learning curve. You can open the software and start programming immediately.

This also means any show file you create in the software is fully compatible with the S-Play hardware, with no conversion or reformatting required.

The browser-based S-Play interface requires a connection to your S-Play hardware on the same local network. S-Play Programmer removes that dependency entirely. You can build, edit and save your full show with no internet connection and no S-Play hardware present.

Ideal for:

  • Pre-programming shows before a site visit
  • Working remotely or during travel
  • Preparing multiple shows simultaneously across different projects

Once connected to a local network, S-Play Programmer auto-discovers all S-Play devices on the network. You can deploy your show to a single unit or push it to multiple devices simultaneously, which is useful for large venues, multi-zone installations, or managing a fleet of S-Play units across a campus or facility.

You can also extract an existing show from any connected S-Play back into the software, make edits, and redeploy.

  • Live network deploy to up to 250 S-Play devices
  • Extract & edit existing shows from hardware
  • Export .bak file for manual offline upload

When connected to your S-Play over a local network, you can toggle live preview at any point during programming. This sends the current cue output to your connected fixtures in real time, so you can verify the effect on your actual hardware before committing.

Live preview works across up to 250 S-Play devices simultaneously, making it practical for large multi-device setups where visual consistency matters.

The full S-Play programming feature set is available in the desktop software. Create up to 200 cues across four types (Static, Dynamic, Effect and Composition) and arrange them into playlists with fade times, looping and priority settings.

Composition Cues are a cue type exclusive to S-Play Programmer and do not exist in the S-Play browser interface. They use shader-based animations to generate complex visual effects: select a layout, pick a shader, set your duration and the software bakes the result into a standard cue file.

The hardware receives and plays back Composition Cues identically to any other cue type, so end users see no difference. The benefit is entirely in the creation process.

  • Dynamic Cue (browser): you must record in real time; 1 hour of content takes 1 hour to record
  • Composition Cue (software): bake rendering completes in seconds regardless of duration

This makes Composition Cues particularly valuable for long-running installations where generative or animated content needs to cover hours of continuous output.

Software Exclusive

Composition Cues

Using shaders and fixture layouts, they generate complex animated effects in seconds rather than the minutes or hours real-time recording would take. Only available in S-Play Programmer; this feature doesn’t exist in the browser interface.

How It Works

  1. Create a fixture layout (Grid, Linear, Circle or Draw)
  2. Select a shader preset and adjust colour/speed/intensity
  3. Set duration and frame rate (20–60 FPS)
  4. Click Bake, and the content renders in seconds and is saved to your show

Available shader presets — select, customise, bake.

System Requirements

Windows

MINIMUMRECOMMENDED
OSWindows 8Windows 10 / 11
CPUQuad-core 1.8 GHzQuad-core 2.5 GHz
RAM4 GB8 GB
StorageHDDSSD

masOS

MINIMUMRECOMMENDED
OSMacOS 10.12MacOS 10.14 (Mojave) and above
CPUQuad-core 1.8 GHzQuad-core 2.5 GHz
RAM4 GB8 GB
StorageHDDSSD

Hardware compatibility: S-Play Programmer Software works exclusively with the ENTTEC S-Play SP1-1. A LAN connection is required for Preview, Deploy and Extract functions. The software itself does not output DMX — all output occurs through connected S-Play hardware.

Resources

Available for Windows and macOS, free with no license required. Updates are delivered automatically through the software.

Download for Windows
Download for Mac

S-PLAY Programmer User Manual

Related Products

Check out other ENTTEC software

Explore the full range
of ENTTEC products