MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide Media monitors 5 & 7 operated in centrally managed mode

MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide Media monitors 5 & 7 operated in centrally managed mode 2011 MultiQ are registered trademarks or trademark applications of MultiQ International AB in various jurisdictions. All

Table of Contents Table of Contents... 2 1 Revision history... 4 2 Introduction... 5 3 Getting to know media monitor 5 & 7... 8 3.1 Unpacking... 8 3.2 Mounting... 8 3.3 Connections... 8 3.4 Hardware Installation... 9 3.4.1 Control panel buttons and LEDs... 9 3.5 Buttons... 9 4 Installation and operation... 11 4.1 Setting up your first site and unit in the management system... 11 4.2 Media monitor installation... 15 4.2.1 To calibrate the touch panel... 15 4.2.2 Basic configuration... 17 4.2.3 Flash installation... 20 4.3 To find your media monitor in the management system... 21 5 Handling content... 22 5.1 What is content?... 22 5.2 How to obtain content?... 22 5.3 Media content to be used in kiosks... 22 5.3.1 Web kiosks... 22 5.3.2 Information kiosks... 23 5.4 Preparing content files... 24 5.4.1 Preparing images... 24 5.4.2 Preparing video clips... 24 5.4.3 Converting PDFs into images before use... 25 5.4.4 Converting Flash animations into MPEG-4 (h.264) files... 25 5.4.5 Converting Power Point presentations into images or video clips... 25 5.4.6 Getting smooth transitions when playing video... 26 5.4.7 Add fade-inns and fade-outs... 26 5.4.8 To combine several video clips into one clip with the desired transitions... 26 5.5 Media spots... 27 5.6 Playlists... 28 5.7 Channels... 29 5.8 Areas... 30 6 Getting an overview of the digital signage management system... 31 MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 2

7 Uploading content and the "Import" tab... 32 7.1 The "Media" icon... 32 7.2 Uploading video clips... 34 7.3 Uploading images... 36 7.4 Uploading several files simultaneously... 39 8 Setting up a digital signage channel... 43 8.1 How to connect the channel with the media monitor... 44 9 Creating your first playlist... 46 9.1 Connecting the playlist to the channel... 48 9.2 Create your second playlist, now with video clips... 51 9.3 Playing playlists in sequence... 56 10 Scheduling... 58 10.1 Additional scheduling features... 64 11 Streaming sources as media spots... 65 11.1 Adding Live TV... 65 11.2 Adding security cameras... 69 12 Building a web kiosk... 71 12.1 Defining URL's as media spots... 71 13 Splitting the screen into several areas... 78 13.1 In store audio and using the Audio area... 78 13.2 Splitting the screen into several visual areas... 82 14 Adding a ticker... 91 14.1 Getting tickers from RSS feeds... 92 15 Setting up an Information kiosk... 98 15.1 To address the playlists using the MultiQ client API... 98 15.2 Building a dashboard to control your playlists... 101 15.3 To add the local storage dashboard to the media monitor... 105 15.4 To use a default playlist... 112 15.5 To schedule the default playlist... 114 16 Handling Sites and Scalability... 116 16.1 Using Site templates... 116 16.2 Site settings... 119 17 Appendix: Media monitor troubleshooting... 120 MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 3

1 Revision history A description of changes with revision number will be noted in the revision log below: Version Date Comments 1.00 2011-05-09 Initial version, software version 3.4 1.10 2011-08-05 Minor updates 2.0 2011-08-16 Software version 3.6 MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 4

2 Introduction The MultiQ digital signage and kiosk system combines traditional digital signage with interactive cutting edge kiosk technology. The products are designed for long lifetime, high reliability and low power consumption. Also the system has designed for scalability allowing for easy operation of a single media player or media monitor as well as large systems including thousands of media players or media monitors located at hundreds of sites. Figure 1. The media players and media monitors are controlled from a central server when operated in centrally managed mode. However they can also be operated as standalone units. The MultiQ digital signage and kiosk system consists of 6 versions of media players and media monitors. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 5

Figure 2. In the MultiQ digital signage and kiosk product range there are four versions of media monitors with integrated media players and two versions of media players that are to be connected to separate monitors. The MultiQ product range includes media player and media monitors are designed for long lifetime expectancy. The units do not include any moving mechanical parts such as fans or hard drives. Instead the low power consumption, less than 10 watts for the standalone media players and 40 watts for the media monitors with integrated media players, allow for passive cooling with no fans. Since there are no fans there will be very little accumulation of dust in the units. The power supply is a separate unit allowing for easy replacement. Flash memories are used for storing the content. Linux is used as operating system in the units. This eliminates license costs and the need for forced security updates. Finally it makes it possible to use a distribution of Linux that is especially adapted to digital signage. The Linux system does only occupy about 1 GB of the flash memory. The internal flash memory is 2 GB in media player 4 and media monitors 4 and 5. In media player 5 and media monitors 6 and 7 the memory size is 4 GB (allowing for 3 GB to be used for content). However if necessary, it is possible to connect a separate standard USB stick to extend the memory. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 6

Media players 4 and 5 are intended as separate media players to be connected to any monitor having a DVI or HDMI input. There is a special version of the separate media player that supports VGA as an alternative to DVI and HDMI. Other differences between the products are processor capability, internal memory size and flash memory size. This user manual focus on how to set up a centrally controlled system with touch panel media monitors, Media monitors 5 & 7). Also the media monitors and media players can be operated in standalone mode, i.e. with no central management server. This is also described in separate manuals: MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide Media monitors operated in standalone mode MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide Media players operated in standalone mode That can be downloaded from the MultiQ website. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 7

3 Getting to know media monitor 5 & 7 3.1 Unpacking Please make sure that the following items are included in the package and in good condition. If you find that any items damaged or missing, please contact your retailer immediately. One media monitor AC/DC adapter with 12V DC output AC power cord This user manual 3.2 Mounting Mounting and attachment hardware is not included. The monitor has a VESA 75 x 75 mm interface. Please contact your MultiQ reseller if you wish to mount your media monitor on the wall or on other kinds of stands. Mounting instructions are provided with each separate mount. 3.3 Connections The media monitor has connections for Audio (digital and analogue), LAN and USB I/O are to be found behind the lid on the back of the unit. The knob on the lid is to be turned counter clockwise to release the lid. Figure 3. Media monitor back panel connections are located behind the lid. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 8

3.4 Hardware Installation The audio outputs may be connected to analogue or digital inputs on external audio systems. The LAN port must be connected to a LAN with Internet access. During setup a USB keyboard should be connected to one of the USB ports. Do all connections before powering up by connecting the external power supply. 3.4.1 Control panel buttons and LEDs On the back of the media monitor there are three buttons and 4 LEDs. Figure 4. Media monitor control panel with operating buttons and indication LEDs. 3.5 Buttons Power on button + / buttons to adjust brightness LED indications: Power This led will be lit when the media monitor is on (Blue). Status This led indicates activities and result of activities Flashing between red and green: ongoing activity as starting up, shutting down or download in progress. Green: download succeeded Red: communication with digital signage management server failed or download failed HDD Flash memory activity (Yellow). MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 9

LAN Flashes when there is activity on the LAN port. Not lit: no network access Constantly lit in green: Link up at 100 Mb/s or 1000 Mb/s Flashing in green: Network activity at 100 Mb/s or 1000 Mb/s Constantly lit in red: Link up at 10 Mb/s Flashing in red: Network activity at 10 Mb/s (as when downloading content) MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 10

4 Installation and operation To be able to use a media monitor (from now on mentioned as unit ) in a centrally managed system the unit must first be defined in the central server before being installed in the field. Therefore we will start by logging in to the central server. Use the login information provided with your account. 4.1 Setting up your first site and unit in the management system When defining units in the system, it is practical to organize the media monitors into locations or sites. A site can be a, a store, an airport, gas station, a hospital or any other location. In the digital signage system the media players are organized into sites. This makes it considerably easier to keep track of each media player in the system. Therefore we start off by defining a site in the central server. First login to the web interface using the server address and password. The administrator user name is always admin. You will be asked to submit your e-mail address. Remember that only one e-mail address can be registered as administrator of the system. If you lose your password a new password can be e- mailed to the registered e-mail address. Figure 5. Start by logging in to the system. After login you will get to the Help tab that contains interesting information and links. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 11

Figure 6. The Help tab contains information and links to documentation, support and video training etc. However to add your first site the next step is to select the Sites tab. Figure 7. Next, select the Sites tab and click the Sites icon. Finally click the Add button. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 12

Figure 8. Fill out the name of the site and other details. Then click Add. Figure 9. Click Create unit to define your first media monitor. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 13

Figure 10. The unit automatically gets a unique Unit ID (=101). See to that the correct video mode is selected ( In this case SXGA Full screen landscape mode(0)) is selected then click Add. Figure 11. The first media player is now visible in the First store site. Though it has not yet reported back to the server. To set up your first media monitor you need some information. As you can see from above the unit got the Unit_Id=101 which is a unique name in the system. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 14

Figure 12. By selecting the System tab and then the Settings icon you can find the login parameters of the media monitors and media players. These parameters are needed when setting up the media monitor and need to be sent to the installer. 4.2 Media monitor installation The following section contains what is required when configuring the media monitor in the field. However, the system administrator should have a unit available when handling the system. This simplifies monitoring of the system and makes it easy to add and modify the applications that are to be used. 4.2.1 To calibrate the touch panel In media monitors 5 and 7 the touch panel needs to be calibrated at first start up. This is to ensure that a touch on the screen is detected at the correct location on the screen. During reboot of the media monitor a test pattern is shown. By touching the test pattern the calibration process will be initiated. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 15

Figure 13. The calibration process is initiated by pressing the test pattern that occurs when booting up. When calibration is done it is automatically stored in the media monitor and no further calibration is needed. Figure 14. Follow the instructions at the center of the screen to calibrate the touch panel. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 16

You can recalibrate the touch panel at any time by restarting the media monitor and pressing the text pattern as above. 4.2.2 Basic configuration At first start up the media monitor will go directly to the setup menu system after showing the test pattern. There is a virtual keyboard that can be used to configure the media monitor. This means that you do not need any tools to be able to do first time configuration. However as soon as the unit has been configured, a USB keyboard will be needed to initiate setup again. To initiate the menu system you press Ctrl+Alt+c. Figure 15. By attaching a USB keyboard and pressing Ctrl+Alt+c you initiate the setup menu system after the media monitor has been configured. The first setup menu is the monitor orientation. By pressing the centre button you can rotate the menu system to fit the orientation of the monitor. Figure 16. By pressing the centre button the configuration menu can be rotated. When the menu is correctly oriented, press the Next button. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 17

When the proper orientation of the menu system has been chosen the language setting menu will appear. By choosing the language, also the keyboard language setting is selected. Note. The setting of the orientation only affects how the setup menu is presented. The orientation of the content displayed on the screen is decided by the application in the management system. Figure 17. The language settings menu. Press the preferred language then press Next. If the unit has not been configured it will go directly to the configuration menu. Note that a media monitor that is configured to operate with a central server will need a user name and a password before displaying the configuration menu. The default user name is installer installer and the default password is pass pass. This can be changed in the central server. When in the configuration menu you will find that Managed (meaning centrally managed ) is selected by default. Now add the Unit_Id (in this case 101), the Account URL, the user name and the password for the media monitor to login to the central server. Then press the Test connection button. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 18

2011 MultiQ are registered trademarks or trademark applications of MultiQ International AB in various jurisdictions. All Figure 18. Managed control setup (you can choose to use the virtual keyboard). Figure 19. The connection test tells that the media monitor is in touch with the central server and what IP address is used. If the connection test fails you also get information about the nature of the failure. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 19

If you are successful you will get a sign on the screen telling you that the unit has received a script file and that the connection is up. It also confirms that the media monitor Unit ID is defined in the digital signage management system. If the connection test fails, start by checking the parameters once more to see that everything is correctly set. Also check the LAN cabling. When everything is working correctly you can press the Close button in the test menu and then click the Next button in the configuration menu to save the settings. Note if you need to run Flash applications the Flash player needs to be installed before leaving the setup menu system. (See section 4.2.3 Flash installation ). After the reboot the media monitor will automatically start downloading the files decided by the digital signage management system. While downloading files the Status LED will flash between red and green. However in this case no content has been assigned to the media monitor and instead there will be an IDLE screen shown on the monitor. Figure 20. If there is no content assigned to the media monitor there will be an IDLE sign on the screen. 4.2.3 Flash installation If the media monitor is to use Flash files a Flash plug in has to be installed. This is done by pressing the Plugins button in the configuration menu. Follow the instructions to install Flash. Also other plugins will become available in this menu. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 20

Figure 21. Plug-ins such as Flash are available in the Plugin menu. 4.3 To find your media monitor in the management system The media monitor is now online with the management system. In the management system you can see that the media player address the server once every 2 minutes (default value that can be changed). Figure 22. Returning to the management system you can see that the media monitor has reported back to the server. The media monitor will report back and fetch new instructions at regular intervals (default is 2 minutes). MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 21

5 Handling content Content management in digital signage is very much based on repetition of messages. This is due to the simple fact that there are new people coming to the location of the signs all the time. Digital signage and kiosks share the challenge of providing the right information to the right person at the right time. To achieve this we need to arrange our messages in a suitable way. 5.1 What is content? Content can be many different things. The most common kinds of content are video clips and images. However content comprise several other things such as web pages or entire websites, signals from video streamers containing live TV and streams from surveillance cameras. Other media formats such as Flash animation files and PDF documents can also be used as content in this kind of systems. The basic component in any digital signage application is a media spot. 5.2 How to obtain content? Media content once used to be quite hard and expensive to produce. However in today s world of modern media it is quite easy for anyone to produce media content at a low cost. Most companies already produce a large amount of media content that can be reused for digital signage and kiosks. And if adapted properly, existing media files can be converted into successful digital signage- and kiosk applications. There are of course lots of sources for content. Video clips originate from video cameras that today support HD formats up to 1080p at a very low cost. Video editing can be done using inexpensive software available for less than 100 pounds and up. Images are produced using digital cameras available at low prices and still providing excellent quality far exceeding the demands of digital signage. Animations and drawings are created using inexpensive software that is easy to use. By exploring what kind of media is already available in the company media archive you will probably find lots of content that can be adapted and used in a digital signage or kiosk system after some simple conversion. Digital signage and kiosks can soon be an additional publishing channel within your company or organization. 5.3 Media content to be used in kiosks Media monitors are used as either we kiosks or information kiosks. 5.3.1 Web kiosks A web kiosk is a monitor that displays web pages. The web pages can be fetched from existing web sites or be especially adapted to touch panel manoeuvring. The MultiQ media monitors can handle Flash content and also include a magnifying feature to zoom existing web pages and web elements for improved touch panel manoeuvring. If desired, complete websites can be stored locally in the media monitors allowing for fast access and making offline applications possible. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 22

Figure 23. Web kiosk rely on online content. Touch panel monitors use virtual keyboards for customer input. 5.3.2 Information kiosks Information kiosks can include online web pages just as the web kiosk. However, an information kiosk is more adapted to touch panel manoeuvring. Information kiosks have larger buttons that react on touch down rather than on release as is the case with mouse manoeuvred websites. Also, information kiosks use content that is locally stored inside the media monitor and is not to the same extent dependent on online content. This makes information kiosk quick when it comes to response and they can be made to consume a very small amount of bandwidth in the broadband connections. Finally, information kiosks can be regarded as an interactive kind of conventional digital signage where video clips, images and audio files are combined and scheduled in playlists. Interactivity is not limited to touch panel manoeuvring. Scanners, card readers and RFID tags can be used to initiate playlists to be able to show the right content to the right customer at the right time. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 23

Figure 24. Information kiosks are especially adapted to be navigated using touch panels. On top of using conventional web content, there is a need to use all kinds of media files directly in the playlists. Here are some suggestions regarding choice of media files and formats. 5.4 Preparing content files The MultiQ system supports a wide range of media formats. However in order to get optimum performance we strongly recommend the following choice of file formats. 5.4.1 Preparing images Images should be JPG or PNG. PNG give better performance. Image size must not exceed 1920x1080 pixels. Preparing images is easily done in Photoshop or other image processing software. For batch conversion of image files into desired resolution you can try the free version of Fotosizer (http://www.fotosizer.com). If you need text to be put on top of your images (that is very much what digital signage is about), you can do so in software as Photoshop or any other image editing software. 5.4.2 Preparing video clips Today video cameras produce Full HD video clips in the MPEG-4 (h.264) format directly. This is more or less the industry standard for HD. Therefore video clips from modern HD video cameras can be directly uploaded to the system. Other video clips are recommended to be converted into MPEG-4 (h.264) before use. There are lots of freeware available that do the conversion with no visible loss of quality. Video editing MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 24

software such as Pinnacle Studio and others have all export filters for MPEG-4 (h.264) up to 1080p Full HD. It is recommended to produce content in the same resolution as the resolution of the area to be used on the screen. Adapting to the native resolution of the screen always give superior results. Conversion to MPEG-4 (h.264) can be done using the Super freeware from erightsoft (http://www.erightsoft.com/super.html). YouTube video clips can be downloaded from YouTube in full HD MPEG-4 (h.264) using the YouTube download part of DVD VideoSoft Free Studio (http://dvdvideosoft.com/). All video editing software allows for adding text with your own choice of fonts and colours on top of your video clips. The media monitors are 19 SXGA monitors with a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels. I.e. that Full HD is in excess to be used in these monitors. A better choice is to use the 720p format, 1280x720 pixels. This format fits well into the width of the screen. The remaining parts of the screen can be used for other kinds of information. 5.4.3 Converting PDFs into images before use Information kiosks can be used to present content originally intended for print. Today almost all printed matter is produced as PDF documents. Taking the resolution of the monitor into account it is easy to make information kiosks where the customer can flip between pages quickly and easily. It is recommended to the convert PDFs (often multi page PDFs) to separate images and to put them into one playlist per PDF. It is possible to use single page PDFs directly as media spots in the system but converting the files to images before uploading to the system can give better performance. Always use PDFs with better resolution than is to be used on the screen (which most PDFs are since they are intended for print). Then convert the PDFs into single image files having the same resolution as the area to be used on the screen. Conversion can be done with Photoshop or by specialized software for PDF conversion such as Office Convert PDF (http://www.officeconvert.com/). 5.4.4 Converting Flash animations into MPEG-4 (h.264) files The system can use Flash animation, SWF files as media spots in playlists. However it is recommended to convert the SWFs to MPEG-4 (h.264) files before use. The reason for this is that the media players and media monitors have video hardware acceleration and the performance is much better when using video than SWF files. This also relieves the processor from handling the animation. By converting to MPEG-4 (h.264) you can run any Flash animation in 1080p Full HD. 5.4.5 Converting Power Point presentations into images or video clips Power Points are by default produced in the 4:3 aspect ratio. This does not work well with modern 16:9 aspect ratio monitors. Therefore the Power Point files need to be redesigned to the 16:9 format before being used for digital signage in widescreen monitors. An alternative is to keep the 4:3 format and to only use a part of the screen for the presentation. Then the Power Point presentation can be converted into either a sequence of JPG or PNG images or to a video clip. Converting into images is easy. Just export your Power Point presentation into images by choosing JPG or PNG as output formats. Power Point will batch convert the images into a folder. The images can then be uploaded to the MultiQ system and presented as a sequence of images in a playlist. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 25

If you convert the Power Point presentation into a video clip you can keep all transitions and other effects that are defined in the original presentation. There are several software alternatives available to do this. One software that can be recommended is Moyea PPT to Video converter (http://www.moyeasoft.com). 5.4.6 Getting smooth transitions when playing video In digital signage things are played in loops and from separate files. When starting a new video file or when looping a playlist the video decoder needs to be re-initiated. The restart of the video decoder will cause a black screen. This may get annoying. However by clever use of content, these effects can be avoided. 5.4.7 Add fade-inns and fade-outs A way to avoid ugly transitions is to edit each video clip so that it fades in from black at the start and fades out to black at the end. This can be done easily with video editing software such as Pinnacle Studio. 5.4.8 To combine several video clips into one clip with the desired transitions Video editing software is loaded with transition and if you want to have fade-over effects or other more complex transitions it is easy to do so. By combining several video clips into one single clip you also avoid restarting the video decoder. You can also combine video clips with still images in any combination with all transitions that are supported by the video editing software. Video editing software such as Pinnacle Studio lets you add fade inns and fade outs along with any transition you like Figure 25. In video editing software such as Pinnacle Studio you can easily add fade in and fade out to black effects to avoid ugly transitions. Also, you can combine several video clips in to a sequence of clips with any selection of transitions you want. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 26

5.5 Media spots The MultiQ digital signage management system use a number of icons used for easy navigation through the process of building your applications. In the following sections you will learn the basic elements of creating your own application. A media spot may be an image, a video clip, or a link to a web page that may be available on the Internet or stored inside the media monitor. Even an IP video stream from a security camera or a live broadcasting IP stream may be regarded as a media spot. All media spots used in the digital signage system are stored in the media archive. By clicking the Media icon you get into the media archive where you can upload and define new media spots. In the media archive you can organize the spots into folders that are adapted to your projects. Figure 26. Media spots may be image and video files, local or external web hyperlinks or live IP streams. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 27

5.6 Playlists To use the media spots in our media monitors we need to organize them and to decide how they are going to be presented. In digital signage we use playlists. Playlists are looped sequences media spots. Media spots are organized into playlists. A playlist is a sequence of images, web pages and video clips or even web links or streams that are repeated continuously. Therefore a playlist can be regarded as a repeated (looped) sequence of spots. The reason why playlists are used in digital signage is that each customer stays only for a short while in the proximity of the screen. This means that there are always new people to watch the message and this result in a need for repetition. The length of a playlist may vary depending on where the monitor is located and the application. In a store people may not stay in front of a monitor for more than a few minutes while in an airport lounge they may stay for half an hour or more. These circumstances have a large impact on the choice of length of playlists. Playlists may consist of one or more media spots that are played in a loop. Figure 27. A playlist is a sequence of media spots that in most cases are played in a loop. The playlists are stored in the Playlist menu where you can create and edit the playlists as you like. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 28

5.7 Channels However you may want to use different playlists on a monitor at different times. To be able to handle multiple playlists effectively you can organize your playlists into channels. This is quite similar to how television programs are distributed in TV channels. Figure 28. The channels can be created and edited in the Channel Bank by clicking the Channels icon. Figure 29. A channel is a number of playlists that are associated with an area on a monitor. In the Channel archive you can create channels and add playlists. By editing a channel you can decide what playlists are going to be used and when they are going to be played. Just as for a TV channel you can schedule how the playlists are going to be used. Also for interactive applications the channel is the key element to organize the content. By pressing buttons on a touch panel monitor or by scanning a product that has an EAN barcode you can initiate a specific playlist to play. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 29

However, perhaps the most important thing when it comes to channels is that each change that you make in a channel will affect all media monitors that use that channel. So organizing media spots into playlists and channels is a way to handle large numbers of media monitors simultaneously. 5.8 Areas A channel may be presented as a full screen application on a monitor. However in digital signage and kiosk systems the screen is often split into areas. Then each region may present a specific channel. A screen used in split-screen mode may be regarded as a number of individual monitors each showing their own channel. Figure 30. An area on a monitor that is used to display the content of a channel. In this example there are four channels each associated with an area on the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 30

6 Getting an overview of the digital signage management system The management system is divided into five tabs. The first two tabs Import and Publish are used to upload media to the system and to arrange the media into playlists and channels. It is here that the media is updated. In the Publish tab you also find the tools to create the video modes that may be used to present one or more channels on the same screen. The third tab Sites is used to handle the media players. Here the media players are associated with the channels. The System tab includes some common settings for the system. The Help tab includes links to various resources, such as manuals, technical notes, video training and to the support page on the MultiQ website. Figure 31. The management system is divided into tabs. The Import and Publish tabs are used for everyday content management. The Sites tab is used to manage the media player infrastructure. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 31

7 Uploading content and the "Import" tab The "Import tab contains all tools required to import content to the system. In the "Import tab has four sub menus: 7.1 The "Media" icon The "Media" menu contains an archive where most of the media files and links to web pages and streams are added and stored. A common name for media files and links to web pages and streams is "media spots". User information "Logout" button Click to add sub folders Figure 32. From the start there is a folder named "Media" where you can store your media spots. However it is recommended to organize the files into sub folders. By pressing the "Add" button you can create a tree structure of subfolders that you name as you like. In the Media folder you also have the idlespot.png image that is shown if no content is assigned to an area of a media monitor. This image cannot be removed. You can replace the idlespot.png for a particular media monitor in the Idlespot tab of the media monitor. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 32

Figure 33. Name the new folder Training then clock OK. Selected folder Click to define links to web pages and streams "Delete" folder button Click to upload media files Figure 34. The next step is to upload files and to define hyperlinks as media spots. Here is an overview of the media archive controls. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 33

Media spots are added by pressing the "Upload" button for media files or the "Add URL" button to add links to web pages or streams. The media spots will be placed in the selected folder. You can move media spots between folders but a media spot can only exist in one of the folders. To upload a file to the system, click the Upload button. Click the "Browse" button to select a single file to be uploaded to the archive. Then click the "Upload" button. Figure 35. In the upload menu you can click the Upload button and then browse to the file on your computer that you wish to upload and use in the system. 7.2 Uploading video clips It is recommended to always use the mp4 (h.264) video format. The system supports other formats as MPEG-2 etc as well but using the mp4 format is the best choice from a capacity- as well as a quality point of view. When uploading is done there is a dialogue where you can get some information about the video clip (resolution, duration etc.) as well as defining how the video clip is to be displayed on the screen. Setting the parameter "Stretch to fit area" to "yes" makes the video clip to fill out the entire area regardless of the aspect ratio of the area. By setting the "Allow Ticker" to "Yes" or "No" you can decide whether a ticker is to be displayed alongside the video clip or not. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 34

1. 4. 2. Figure 36. Browse to the video clip that you want and the click Open 3. File information Specify how to display the video clip Click "Save" when you are done Figure 37. In the Upload dialog you can set certain parameters such as if to simultaneously show a ticker or the audio volume of the video clip stretch the video clip to cover the entire area. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 35

As an alternative you can specify the aspect ratio in order to use areas on the screen that does not comply with the aspect ratio of the video clip. Figure 38. If you select not to stretch the video clip you can select the aspect ratio of the video clip manually. Note that it is essential that the media player or media monitor to be used is set for the correct aspect ratio to get this feature to work properly. Figure 39. The video clip is now visible with a thumbnail in the Video section of the Training folder of the media archive. 7.3 Uploading images Uploading images is very much the same as uploading video clips. After selecting a file an pressing the "Upload" button you get to a dialog box containing file information and a few settings. Here you can decide if to preserve the aspect ratio of the image or to stretch to fit area. Also, you can decide whether or not to display a ticker alongside the image. This is a way to switch the ticker on and off. Supported image formats are JPG, PNG, GIF and BMP. Recommended formats are JPG and PNG where PNG give better performance in critical applications. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 36

1. 4. 2. Figure 40. Browse to the desired image, select open, and the click the Upload button. 3. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 37

File information Specify how to display the image and if to use ticker or not while the image is displayed Click "Save" when you are done Figure 41. When uploading an image you can set if to maintain the aspect ratio and whether or not to use a ticker. You also get some information on image size. Figure 42. The uploaded image is now visible in the Training folder of the media archive. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 38

7.4 Uploading several files simultaneously If you need to add several files to the media archive it is practical to do this as a batch job. To use the multiple file upload tool you need to have Java installed on your computer. If you don t, installation will start automatically as you try to start the tool. Click "Multiple files" to add several files simultaneously Figure 43. Click the Upload button in the Media menu and then click the "Multiple files" button in the Upload media to folder menu. Click to browse for file to be selected Figure 44. The first step in using the multiple file upload tool is to select files for upload. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 39

Figure 45. Choose files by Shift+Click and the click the Attach button. Select all video, audio and image files that you need to use in your applications. See to that the right parameters are set. In this case we need the Allow ticker to be ticked for some of our exercises. The audio files will be used later on in our exercises. Finally click the Upload button to start the upload process. Remember not to click any other icon or tab during the upload. Doing so will cause the upload to stop. If you need to work on the system during upload, you should start another session of your web browser and login again. You can have several sessions running with the server simultaneously. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 40

Figure 46. Once all files have been selected, you start uploading the files by clicking the Upload button. Figure 47. You can see the files being uploaded. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 41

Figure 48. The files are now available in the Training folder of the media archive. Next to the previews you can find interesting information on duration of video clips, format, file sizes, bitrates and resolution. Now we have a number of images and video clips to choose from when building our fist digital signage application. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 42

8 Setting up a digital signage channel The next step is to connect the content to the media monitor. There are several ways to do this but if you intend to be able to use different playlists at different times and you want to use many media players it is practical to use channels for the content. So, we will start by defining a channel that we will connect to the full screen area on the screen. Figure 49. Select the Publish tab and then click the Channels icon. Next click the Add button. Figure 50. Name the channel Training channel and click Add. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 43

Figure 51. There is now an empty channel defined in the system. 8.1 How to connect the channel with the media monitor To connect the Training channel with the media monitor you need to select the media monitor by going to the Sites tab. Now, either go through the Sites icon or directly through the Units icon to the unit menu. Figure 52. Click Add in the Media from channels section of the menu. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 44

Figure 53. Tick the Training channel box and then click Add channel. Figure 54. The media player or media monitor is now connected to the empty Training channel From now on we can concentrate of filling the Training channel with content. The content will be playlists that contain media spots. We will be able to use different playlists on different days and at different times of the day. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 45

9 Creating your first playlist A playlist is a sequence of media spots (images or video clips so far) that are played in a looped sequence. We will start by creating a playlist named Images. Figure 55. First select the Publish tab and then click the Playlist button. Next click the Add playlist button. Figure 56. Name the playlist Images and then click the Save button. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 46

Figure 57. We now have an empty playlist named Images. Click the Add button to add some media spots. Figure 58. Now tick the boxes to the left of the previews of the images (do not tick the Loading Website image). Then click the Save button. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 47

Figure 59. You now have your first playlist. The order between images can be changed by clicking the tiny arrows to the left (or by changing the number) and the duration of each image can be changed by changing the seconds in the boxes to the right. Finally you click the Save button to start using the new settings. 9.1 Connecting the playlist to the channel To be able to see the playlist playing on the screen the final step is to add the playlist to the channel. Figure 60. Click the Channels icon in the Publish tab and then click on the Training channel name. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 48

Figure 61. Click the Add button for the Training channel. Figure 62. Tick the box for the Images playlist and then click the Save button. See to that you are in the Playlists folder. The other folders contain media spots. Media spots can be added directly to channels but this gives less flexibility and is not recommended if handling large amounts of content. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 49

2011 MultiQ are registered trademarks or trademark applications of MultiQ International AB in various jurisdictions. All Figure 63. The Images playlist is now a part of the Training channel. Figure 64. The playlist with images is now a part of the Training channel that is connected to the Primary area of the screen of the media monitor. You will soon be able to see the images on the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 50

9.2 Create your second playlist, now with video clips To be able to change in between playlists we will need a second playlist with other content. Figure 65. Select the Publish tab and then click the Playlist icon. Next click the Add Playlist button. Figure 66. Name the next playlist Movie then click Save. Figure 67. Click the Add button of the empty playlist. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 51

Figure 68. Tick the boxes for the Commercial 1.mp4, Commercial 2.mp4 and the Commercial 3.mp4 files and then click Save. Figure 69. The Movie playlist now include 3 short video clips that are played in a loop. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 52

The next step is to include the Movie playlist in the Training channel. Figure 70. Click the Channels icon and then select the training channel and click the Add button. Figure 71. Tick the box to the left of Movie and then click Save MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 53

Figure 72. The Training channel now has two playlists. However it is only the playlist that is on top that is played. Figure 73. To change playlist to be played you can move the Movie playlist to the top using the tiny arrows to the right and then click Save. The video clips are now played in sequence with smooth transitions since the video clips fade in to black and fade out from black before changing to the next clip or looping the playlist. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 54

Figure 74. The video clip is stretched to fill out the screen. Figure 75. If playing the 16:9 aspect ratio video clips on a 5:4 media monitor it can be suitable to change the parameters of the video clips to 16:9 to make the aspect ratio right on the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 55

Figure 76. Setting the aspect ratio to 16:9. 9.3 Playing playlists in sequence A common request is to be able to play playlists in sequence. This is often used when mixing local content contained in one playlist with national content contained in another playlist. To make both playlists to play in sequence you must go to the Settings menu of each playlist and set the Loop media in playlist to No. Figure 77. Go to the playlists by selecting the Publish tab and click the Playlists icon. Then click the name of the playlist to play in sequence. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 56

Figure 78. Click the Settings tab in the edit playlist menu. Figure 79. Set Loop media in playlist to No. Do the same thing for both playlists and you will see them playing in sequence. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 57

10 Scheduling Before proceeding with scheduling you should reset both playlists to Loop media in playlist to Yes. Our next task is to be able to play the playlists at different times. This is done by scheduling. Scheduling is done by selecting the channel and then setting the times when each of the playlists are allowed to be played. Figure 80. First select the Publish tab and then click on the Training channel name. Both playlists are said to be Playing meaning that it is the one of top, Movie, (provided that both playlists are looping that is currently played. Click on the text Change of the playlist on top. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 58

Figure 81. Next you get to the scheduling menu. First there is a start and stop date between which the playlist is valid. This means that campaigns can be scheduled. In the preview you can see that the playlist is to be played always between January 1999 and January 2020. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 59

Figure 82. The Movie playlist is now set to play between 0900 and 1200 every day of the week. Click the + sign to the right of the check boxes and then enter the time you want to start and stop playing. By clicking the Refresh button you get a visual impression of the current scheduling. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 60

Figure 83. Here a second scheduling interval has been added by clicking the tiny + button. When the movie playlist is not allowed to play the media monitor will move to the next playlist and check whether this is allowed to play or not. If it should prove that there is no playlist allowed to play or if there is no content at all assigned to the media player there will be and IDLE sign shown on the screen. Figure 84. Returning to the channel playlists menu we can now see that the Movie playlist is still Valid however it is not Playing as is the case for the Images playlist. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 61

Figure 85. Here the Images playlist is scheduled to play every day between1200-1600. Figure 86. By clicking the Show channel schedule button you can get an overview of how the channel is scheduled. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 62

Figure 87. Scheduling overview. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 63

10.1 Additional scheduling features Figure 88. In this case the playlist is scheduled to play the first five minutes of every hour between 1200 and 1600 on Mondays. Specific scheduling can be added for different days of the week by adding new conditions by clicking the + button. Scheduling entries can be removed by clicking the X button to the left of the entry. Before proceeding with the exercises below you should remove all scheduling making both playlists play at all times. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 64

11 Streaming sources as media spots 11.1 Adding Live TV In many digital signage applications there is a need to add Live TV. In the MultiQ system, streaming is added by using an IP streamer streaming into the local area network. IP streamers are devices with analogue or digital inputs that provide an IP stream including the input audio and video signals. Input can be obtained from any audio or video source. Normally a digital set top box receiving terrestrial, cable TV or satellite signals can be used. By inserting the live feed into the system makes it possible to display live TV feeds in full screen format during some parts of the time. This means that you can define live events to be mixed with digital signage. Also, you can use the live feed in a selected are on the screen making it possible to mix the live feed with your own messages. The MultiQ media monitors support streaming up to 1080p Full HD signals. Note that screen resolution is limited to 1280x1024 pixels. To be able to use the stream the media player or media monitor needs to know the IP address of the streamer and to send the right request to the streamer. The later can be obtained from the manufacturer of the streamer. To add a stream we will use the Add URL button in the Media menu Figure 89. By pressing the Add URL button in the Media archive you can add hyperlinks to streams and websites. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 65

Figure 90. Add the link to the streamer in the URL box in the Stream section. If the streamer requires user name and password, this can be added as well. Click Save to confirm. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 66

Figure 91. In the next dialog box you can set the correct aspect ratio to be used. You can return to this (and other media spot menus) at any time by clicking the name of the media spot in the media archive. Figure 92. The streamer media spot is now visible in the media archive (Stream section) like any other media spot. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 67

Figure 93. Now create a playlist (same way as before) named Live_TV and add the Live TV media spot to this playlist. Note that the stream will be re-initiated at the time interval set by the Display Time. It is advisable to select a long time interval here to avoid disturbing reloading of the stream. Figure 94. Finally add the Live_TV playlist to the Training channel and move it to the top position in the channel to make it play. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 68

11.2 Adding security cameras A similar application to live TV is adding security cameras. Security cameras stream video (and audio) the same way separate streamers do. Therefore the procedure is very much the same when adding a security camera as a media spot. The MultiQ media players support security cameras streaming up to 1080p Full HD signals. Note that screen resolution is limited to 1280x1024 pixels. Figure 95. A security camera is added to the Stream section of the Add URL menu very much the same as a streamer. At the bottom of the menu there is even a possibility to add a Quad which is a mosaic of four streaming sources. This is very often used in PVM (Public View Monitor) applications. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 69

Figure 96. Parameters are set the same way as for a streamer. Figure 97. Finally the Camera media spot is put into a playlist named PVM which is added to the Training channel. If the PVM playlist is moved to the top of the channel the monitor will show the images from the camera. By scheduling or by moving the playlists to the top position in the channel we can now display images and video clips that are downloaded to the media monitor. Also, we can display live TV streams and signals from security cameras. It is also possible (although not shown here) to combine any of these media spots in a common playlist. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 70

12 Building a web kiosk A web kiosk is a touch panel monitor that displays a web site. This is a way to put a web site into a public environment. Remember that web element can be used even in non interactive applications such as using an online weather map in an area of an in-store TV channel. Figure 98. A web kiosk is used to present a website in a public environment. 12.1 Defining URL's as media spots As seen before you can define live streams from security cameras and IP streamers used for live TV purposes as media spots. However, the most common application is to add a link to a web page as a media spot. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 71

Figure 99. Click the Add URL button to define hyperlinks as media spots. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 72

Figure 100. Add a suitable description Google and the hyperlink of any website such as Google (www.google.co.uk) to the URL box. Then click the Save button at the bottom of the page. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 73

Figure 101. In the next dialog you will be able to set some interesting parameters. The most important is perhaps the possibility to zoom the web page. Web pages are intended to be used with computers that have a mouse or other pointing device. In kiosks a touch screen is often used making the hyperlinks and buttons on web pages too small. Figure 102. The Google media spot is now available in the Html section of the media archive. The final step is to create a playlist named Web_kiosk which is added to the Training channel just as for the other playlists. Here the Google media spot is added to the Web_kiosk playlist. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 74

Figure 103. In the playlist you can set the Display Time. This is the time interval at which the web page will be updated (default is 15 seconds). Figure 104. By moving the Web_kiosk playlist to the top of the channel you will have it playing on the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 75

Figure 105. To add a virtual keyboard you need to go to the Extensions tab of the media monitor and tick the box besides virtualkeyboard.xpi. Then click Save. Figure 106. In the Settings tab of the media player you select the language. The language setting decides what virtual keyboard to be used. There are virtual keyboards for UK English, French, German and the Nordic languages. English is the default language. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 76

Figure 107. The virtual keyboard appears as soon as a text box is touched. Google has an autofocus on the search text box causing it to appear immediately as the page is loaded. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 77

13 Splitting the screen into several areas So far we have only been dealing with one area on the screen, the Primary area. Figure 108. If looking closer at the media player (unit) menu we see that there is only one visual area and that is the Primary area. There is also an Audio area that can be used for in-store audio. This is a separate, invisible area that can play audio files independently from the Primary area. 13.1 In store audio and using the Audio area Before splitting the visual parts of the screen we will introduce in store audio. If you do not use the audio for other purposes, you can let the media monitor produce an in store audio channel. There are four songs that were uploaded when we used the multiple file upload tool. These are now present in the Audio section of the media archive. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 78

Figure 109. The next step is to create a playlist that is named Music1 and to select the four songs to be a part of the playlist. The previously uploaded songs are to be found in the Audio section of the Training folder. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 79

Figure 110. There are only four songs in the Music_1 playlist but there can be hundreds of them. To create a useful in-store audio service we need to be able to shuffle the songs to make more variation. Figure 111. To create a useful in-store audio service we need to be able to shuffle the songs to make more variation. In the Settings tab of the playlist you can set the Shuffle media in playlist to Yes. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 80

Figure 112. To use the playlist we need a channel called In Store Audio. However, this channel should be connected to the Audio area on the media monitor. Figure 113. Add the In Store Audio channel to the Audio area on the media monitor. You will now have an in-store audio service added to the media player. You can schedule different playlists to be used at different times just as for video clips. Note that if you are playing video clips containing audio at the same time as content in the audio area, the audio channels will get mixed to one common audio. Therefore you should avoid video clips with audio when using the audio area. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 81

13.2 Splitting the screen into several visual areas The audio area can to some extent seem to be a bit abstract. However more evident is the split of the visual screen into areas that can be measured in pixels. To split the screen we need to create a custom video mode for the media player. Figure 114. Select the Publish tab and then click the Modes icon. Figure 115. Click the Open mode editor button. Java needs to be installed on your computer to run the mode editor. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 82

Figure 116. In the mode editor, select the correct resolution of the screen (in this case SXGA 1280x1024 pixels). In this example we will use the landscape orientation of the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 83

Figure 117. Click the Area button and then drag the area across the screen to get an area with 1280x720 pixels in the upper part of the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 84

Figure 118. Next, select the Ticker button and drag the ticker across the screen and use its maximum height, 96 pixels. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 85

Figure 119. Finally add an area, 1280x208 pixels that cover the remaining part of the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 86

Figure 120. Name the mode Split and then click the Save icon to the upper left. Note that you can change the background and foreground colours of the ticker along with its speed. It is advisable to change from 6 to 4. Close the window by clicking the upper right corner of the screen. Figure 121. Click the Back button to leave the mode editor. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 87

Figure 122. After you have closed the mode editor you will find the new custom video mode. The next step is to change your media monitor into the custom video mode. To do this, go to the Settings menu of the media player. Figure 123. Go to your media player by selecting the Sites tab and the Units icon. Then click the media player name. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 88

Figure 124. Select the new custom Split video mode from the drop down menu in the Settings tab of the media player, then scroll to and click the Save button at the bottom of the page. The unit will now reboot. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 89

Figure 125. After rebooting the screen will be split into three areas. Here the Images playlist is played in the top area, Area0. The areas with no content show and Idle sign. Figure 126. Also in the unit menu you can see that the previous Primary tab has now been renamed Area0 and contains the content that previously covered the entire screen. A new area, Area1 has been added along with a ticker area. Also we still have the Audio area. We have our first split screen application up and running. Next is to fill the new areas. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 90

14 Adding a ticker To add a ticker is simple. Figure 127. The easiest way is to directly input a text that is to be displayed as a ticker. Figure 128. Soon the ticker will be running across the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 91

The more advanced way is to either store a ticker in the Ticker archive or to define a link to an RSS feed in the archive. 14.1 Getting tickers from RSS feeds A popular way of getting ticker content is to use RSS feeds. RSS feeds are widely available on the Internet and cover most areas of interest when it comes to dynamically updated content. Start by searching for suitable RSS feeds using Google. Just enter RSS and a name of a newspaper, a broadcaster or any other organization and you will soon get to the right pages to find RSS feeds. Figure 129. Print RSS plus some associated broadcaster or area of interest into Google and make a search. When you have found a list of interesting RSS feeds, click one of preference and you will get to a page that looks like the one in figure 12.4. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 92

Figure 130. Choose a feed of interest. Copy the link in the address field. This link can be used in the digital signage system as a source of information for the RSS feed. The next few pages show how to use an RSS feed as a source of information for a ticker. Figure 131. The link to the RSS feed can be used as an external link for ticker in the digital signage system. The link used here is: http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/science_and_environment/rss.xml. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 93

Figure 132. In the Ticker Bank you can store a number of links to RSS feeds. Click Add to store more feeds. Figure 133. In the Ticker Bank Add ticker to ticker bank menu you add a description along with the link that you copied from your web browser. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 94

Figure 134. The BBC Science RSS feed is now available in the ticker archive. Figure 135. Tick Ticker from source and select the ticker source you want. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 95

Figure 136. After a few minutes the text will be available in the Ticker Bank, and on the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 96

Figure 137. After a while the RSS-ticker will appear on the screen. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 97

15 Setting up an Information kiosk An Information kiosk is an interactive application that primarily uses information that is stored in the media monitor. The basic idea is to use buttons instead of scheduling to decide what playlist to be used. This way the customer can decide what to watch on the screen. It s all about showing the right message to the right person at the right time. As an alternative or complement to using a touch panel monitor for manoeuvring, a scanner can be used to initiate the playlists by reading the EAN code and initiating a playlist having the same name as the EAN code. The playlist can contain information related to the product having that particular EAN code. 15.1 To address the playlists using the MultiQ client API The API is really very simple. By connecting your computer to the same LAN as the media player you will be able to control it from outside using your web browser. To understand the API you need to make some preparations. First go to the Status tab of your media player to check out the IP address of the unit. Figure 138. In the Status tab of your media player you can find its IP address. Note that the serial number of the unit is the same as the MAC address of the unit. This means that all units report their serial numbers back to the system making it easy to know where each unit is without checking it on site. You can also see what software version is in use. The next thing you need to do is to allow the media player or media monitor to be accessed from the outside. There is a web server in each unit making it possible to communicate using a web browser. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 98

Figure 139. To be able to address the media monitor web server from outside you need to tick the box Enable remote access to web server and click Save. After doing this the unit will reboot. Now start your web browser. You should use Mozilla Firefox. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 99

Figure 140. Add the IP address of your media monitor followed by /multiq/, and you should come to the page shown above. Next click the example.html hyperlink. Figure 141. By inserting Area0 into the AreaName box and then the name of a playlist (as Images ) you can address a playlist. You can also move between the spots of a playlist by clicking the next and the previous hyperlinks. If you click the Select button and copy the hyperlink that is marked you can paste it into a web browser address field and use the web browser to control the media monitor. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 100

15.2 Building a dashboard to control your playlists Figure 142. An information kiosk has an extremely quick response and is adapted especially for touch panel maneouvering. The buttons react when someone is pressing a button (not on release as is the case in web pages when using a mouse for maneouvering). Also, the button changes appearance as it is depressed and there might also be a clicking sound effect to give a more evident response. Information kiosks can be built in several ways. In this example we will use the 1280x 208 pixel area at the bottom of the screen to add a dashboard containing buttons to address the playlists that have been made above. The dashboard is based on images and you can make it look any way you like. There is a background image on top of which there are images that are used as buttons. For each button there is one image representing the button in its non-pressed state and one representing the button in its depressed state. In the depressed state the file name is extended by _inv. By using the PNG file format (that allows for transparency) you can let the buttons have any visual shape you like. In this example the corners of the buttons are rounded. Each button image has the correct size in pixels (here 170x102 pixels). The best way to build a dashboard is to make the design (in its final proportions in pixels) using a suitable software such as Photoshop or Illustrator. Then you will be able to know the final result right from the start. By using an image including the buttons you will be able to find the coordinates of the upper left corners of the buttons in relation to the upper left corner of the dashboard. This can be done in any image editing software (even in Microsoft Paint). MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 101

Figure 143. The dashboard consists of a background image Dashboard_background.png and 14 images showing the buttons when in the button up and button down positions. Button images showing buttons in their down position have an extension _inv. Figure 144. The location of the buttons are calculated in pixels in relation to the upper left corner of the area. In the training files there is a completed dashboard that can be directly uploaded and used with the previously made application. The Dashboard.zip folder contains a folder named Dashboard which is to be stored in the media monitor. Basically the folder contains a webpage, index.html using the background an button images. The images are stored in the images folder. The index.html file includes a number of id s that has the same names as the playlists used above; Images, Movie, Web_kiosk, Live_TV and PVM. The Id s are used to send commands to a PHP script that sends the API commands to the media player. In this exercise you do not need to dig deeper into the web page and the PHP script but there is a separate document describing how to build more advanced multi level dashboard applications. In the Dashboard website there is also a click.waw file that is used to provide a clicking sound when a button is pressed. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 102

The Dashboard folder contains a website that is to be stored in the media player itself. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 103

Figure 145. Here is the code of the index.html web page. Here the same Id s as the names of the playlists should be used along with the coordinates of the upper left corners of the button images in relation to the upper left corner of the dashboard. In the fifth line of the code there is a reference to the background image of the dashboard. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 104

15.3 To add the local storage dashboard to the media monitor We will now add the Dashboard to the lower area Area1 of the media monitor. To add the Dashboard to the media monitor it needs to be zipped. This is easy to do by rightclicking on the folder containing the dashboard files and selecting Send To => Compressed (zipped) Folder. Figure 146. To compress a folder containing a web document, right click on the folder and then select Send To Compressed (zipped) Folder. The zipped web document can be added to the system the same way as any other media file. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 105

Figure 147. Just as for any other media file, select Upload. 1. 4. 2. 3. Figure 148. Browse to the Dashboard.zip file on your computer, select the file and finally press the Upload button. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 106

Figure 149. Next is the Dashboard.zip configuration that looks the same as for other kinds of media spots. Figure 150. The Dashboard.zip is now available as a web spot in the media archive. The final step is to add the Dashboard.zip media spot to Area1. In order to be able to use our media player in a large scale system, all media must be stored in channels. Therefore we add a new channel to the system that is called Dashboard channel. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 107

Figure 151. Click the Add button in the Channels menu of the Publish tab. Figure 152. Add the Dashboard channel. Figure 153. Next click the Add button in the Dashboard channel to add the Dashboard media spot. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 108

Figure 154. Tick the box to the left of the Dashboard.zip local storage media spot and then click Save. Figure 155. The Dashboard media spot is now a part of the Dashboard channel. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 109

Figure 156. The final step is to connect the Dashboard channel to Area1 in the media player. Click Add in the Media from Channels portion of the Area1 menu. Figure 157. Add the Dashboard channel to Area1. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 110

Figure 158. The Dashbaord is now up and running. Figure 159. You can now try the buttons and move in between the playlists. You can also move between the media spots within the playlists. Selecting a button with just one file or link will make the content to reload. Note. If a new local storage file is uploaded to the system using the same name, the old local storage file will be updated. However to remove a local storage file completely you need to go to the Local Storage Files section of the Extensions menu in the Import tab to have it removed. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 111

Figure 160. If a local storage file is to be removed completely, you need to go to the Local Storage Files section of the Extensions menu of the Import tab to do so. Any website can be stored in the media player the same way as described in this section, it doesn t matter whether the website contains just one or hundreds of pages. 15.4 To use a default playlist In most kiosk application you want the media monitor to revert to a default playlist if no button has been touched for a certain amount of time. The default playlist can be regarded as a kind of screen saver. By default, the playlist on top in the channel is the default playlist. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 112

Figure 161. In this case the Movie playlist is on top (and it is scheduled to play at all times) and consequently the media monitor will revert to the Movie playlist if no button has been touched for a certain amount of time. The time that has to elapse before reverting to the default playlist is set in the Settings menu in the System tab. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 113

Figure 162. The media monitor will revert to the default playlist when the Interactive Timeout Goto Default Playlist interval has elapsed. When a playlist is selected the media monitor will stay on the first spot for an additional time that is equal to the Interactive Button Pause Time. 15.5 To schedule the default playlist The playlist placed on top in a channel is by default the default playlist to which the media monitor will revert when the interactive timeout period has elapsed. However there is a way to override this and allow for different default playlists to be used at different times. This is a way to combine interactivity and scheduling. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 114

1. 2. 3. 5. 4. 6. Figure 163. By selecting the Default Playlist tab for a channel you can determine what playlist should be used as default during a specific period. This is a way to schedule what playlist should be used as screensaver during this period. You can create as many entries as you like. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 115

16 Handling Sites and Scalability There are useful features when handling many sites. 16.1 Using Site templates The most important feature is the Site template feature. By creating a template from an existing site you can easily create an unlimited number of similar sites. Figure 164. Click the Add button in the Site templates portion of the Sites menu. Figure 165. Create a site template from the previously created site. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 116

Figure 166. There is now a site template named Store model 1 in the Site templates section of the Sites menu. Click Add in the Sites in system section of the Sites menu. Figure 167. Click the Add button in the Sites menu of the Sites tab to add a new site. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 117

Figure 168. Name the new site Second store and select Store Model 1 as template to be used. Then click Add. Figure 169. There is now a second store. Unit Id s have increased by 100 (201 instead of 101). You can have up to 99 media player in each store when you use this feature. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 118

16.2 Site settings Figure 170. In the Site menu you can set display intervals to automatically make your monitor go to Stand by mode when not in use. This preserves energy as well as the display panels. Also you can select when to allow download to the media players. Some retail chains do not allow download on their existing broadband connection during business hours. MultiQ DSMS 3.6 User Guide, Media monitors operated in centrally managed mode, Version 2, 16/08/2011 119