Content builder

A content creation system comprising:

• a communication network;
• a media display device comprising:
• a first media display;
• a first processor;
• a platform abstraction layer (PAL) executable by the first processor and configured to access the first media display;
• a platform shim executable by the first processor and configured to support shim application programming interfaces (APIs) to access the first media display using the PAL;
• and
• a media player engine executable by the first processor and configured to display content on the first media display using the shim APIs;
• a content builder device in communication with the media display device over the communication network comprising:
• an authoring display monitor;
• a second processor;
• an integrated development environment executable by the second processor and configured to receive input from a user and create content to be displayed on the first media display in response to the input form the user;
• and
• a preview engine executable by the second processor and configured to emulate the media player engine of the media display device by displaying an accurate preview of the content on the authoring display monitor as the content is to be displayed on the first media display.