Gefen EXT-DSC User Manual
www.gefen.com
EXT-DSC Users
Guide
EXT-DSC
User Manual
®
ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE
Rev X2
Technical Support:
Telephone (818) 772-9100
(800) 545-6900
Fax (818) 772-9120
Technical Support Hours:
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST Monday thru Friday PST
Write To:
Gefen LLC
c/o Customer Service
20600 Nordhoff St
Chatsworth, CA 91311
www.gefen.com
support@gefen.com
Notice
Gefen LLC reserves the right to make changes in the hard ware, packaging and
any accompanying doc u men ta tion without prior written notice.
Digital Signage Creator is a trademark of Gefen LLC
All trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
© 2010 Gefen LLC, All Rights Reserved
All trademarks are the property of their respective companies
CONTENTS
Introduction ____________________________________________________ 1
Operation Notes _________________________________________________ 2
Features _______________________________________________________ 3
Panel Layout ___________________________________________________ 4
Panel Descriptions ______________________________________________ 5
Connecting And Operating the Digital Signage Creator ________________ 6
Resetting the EXT-DSC to its Factory Defauls ________________________ 7
Accessing the EXT-DSC HTTP Server (PC) ___________________________ 8
Accessing the EXT-DSC HTTP Server (PC) ___________________________ 9
Communicating with the EXT-DSC (Mac Osx) _______________________ 10
Connecting to the EXT-DSC Content Server _________________________ 12
Automatic DHCP Confi guration ___________________________________ 13
Fixed IP Confi guration __________________________________________ 16
EXT-DSC HTTP Server __________________________________________ 17
Confi guring Display Settings _____________________________________ 19
Using A USB Drive with The EXT-DSC _____________________________ 20
Controlling User Rights _________________________________________ 22
Confi guring Network Credentials for Remote Servers ________________ 23
Using A Network Server with the EXT-DSC __________________________ 24
Content Access Modes __________________________________________ 25
Pull Mode _____________________________________________________ 26
How To Confi gure the EXT-DSC To Use the Serial Port ________________ 27
Confi guring RS-232 _____________________________________________ 28
Specifi cations _________________________________________________ 30
Warranty ______________________________________________________ 32
1
Congratulations on your purchase of the Digital Signage Creator. Your complete
satisfaction is very important to us.
Gefen
Gefen delivers innovative, progressive computer and electronics add-on solutions
that harness integration, extension, distribution and conversion technologies.
Gefen’s reliable, plug-and-play products supplement cross-platform computer
systems, professional audio/video environments and HDTV systems of all sizes
with hard-working solutions that are easy to implement and simple to operate.
The Gefen Digital Signage Creator
The Gefen Digital Signage Creator (EXT-DSC) enriches digital signage projects
with high quality video, audio, images, animations and text...all these media
types can be retrieved by EXT-DSC from local or network resources and can be
combined and rendered on any type of digital displays following specifi c graphical
layouts and time schedules.
EXT-DSC extends the basic functionalities of state of the art media players
supporting Hyper Media content. The term hypermedia is used as a logical
extension of the term hypertext, in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and
hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information.
EXT-DSC brings hypermedia content to digital displays in several ways.
How It Works
The Gefen EXT-DSC simplifi es the publishing and maintenance of your digital
signage project.
Connected to digital displays through HDMI and VGA, EXT-DSC is capable of
rendering combinations of media elements from a rich set of formats: audio,
video, vector graphics, pictures and text. EXT-DSC natively implements the open
standards required to schedule, update, stream, and animate each supported
media. Distributing content from a central location onto a specifi c display is as
easy as publishing a web page.
As a network appliance EXT-DSC offers plug & play functionalities that simplifi es
installation, remote maintenance and monitoring. From anywhere, your network
of digital displays is under control.
INTRODUCTION
2
READ THESE NOTES BEFORE INSTALLING OR
OPERATING THE DIGITAL SIGNAGE CREATOR
• This manual covers operation of the EXT-DSC hardware. Please see the
Digital Signage Director manual for software operation.
• The Digital Signage Creator uses DHCP by default. The unit is always
reachable at http://gef-dsc-xxxxxxxxxxxx.local from Zeroconf enabled
computers on the local network (replace “x” with the MAC address of the
unit. This is located on a sticker underneath the unit.
OPERATION NOTES
3
Features
• Comprehensive software suite which includes content creation and
management features
• Built-in layout templates that quickly allows users to get a project started
• Selectable output resolutions supporting 4x3 and 16x9, 16x10 computer and
HDTV to 720p
• Supports both horizontal and vertical display types
• Direct iCal support for scheduling
• Multiple content publishing options (local and remote)
• Built-in HTTP Web server for managment from any web browser
• Natively supports multiple Web streaming formats including RSS and ASX
• Serial RS-232 port for two way control of external mice and interactive
devices
• Compact form factor for easy placement
• Internal storage: 1.5GB solid state memory
• Expandable storage capacity via USB 2.0 port. (Supports USB fl ash drive or
Hard Disk Drive)
• Only 2W of power consumed, making this a “Green” energy saving product
• Two Channel L/R Audio output
• VGA port supporting 1024x768
• HDMI port supporting 1280x720 720p
Package Includes
(1) EXT-DSC
(1) 5V DC Locking Power Supply
(1) 6 ft Locking HDMI Cable (M-M)
(1) User’s Manual
FEATURES
4
Front Panel
Back Panel
2 3 54
1
86 7 9
PANEL LAYOUT
5
1 Mini-Plug to RS-232 Serial Communications Port
This port will accept a mini-plug to RS-232 serial communications adapter for
control of external devices.
2 Ethernet Port
This port will accept a Ethernet cable for the connection to a network. Once
connected, user can control the units via the built-in WEB interface of the DSD
(Digital Signage Director) software.
3 USB A Port
This port supports USB 2.0 Hi-Speed with a bandwidth of up to 10 Mbyte/s.
This USB interface can be used to extend the local storage through memory
sticks or hard drives. The same interface can support external devices such as
touch screen controllers.
4 LED Indicator
This LED serves as an indicator for the unit’s current status. It will blink a
GREEN color every second when operation is normal. If the LED is RED or
ORANGE, this will indicate an error.
5 ON/OFF Reset Button
This button will initiate a manual reboot of the unit. Press and hold this button for
~5 seconds to initiate the reboot process.
6 5V DC Power Receptacle
This port will accept power from the included 5V DC power supply.
7 HDMI Output
This port will accept a single HDMI compliant device. This port supports both
audio and video.
8 3.5mm L/R Analog Stereo mini-jack Output
This port can be used to output audio to an external audio amplifi er/device. This
port will accept a standard 3.5mm analog stereo connector.
9 VGA Output
This port will accept a single VGA compliant device. This port supports only
video.
PANEL DESCRIPTIONS
6
How to Connect the Digital Signage Creator
1. Connect a HDMI and/or VGA compliant display device to the output port(s)
on the rear panel of the Digital Signage Creator. A single 6 foot HDMI cable
(male to male) is supplied.
2. Optionally, the user can connect an amplifi ed speaker or audio device to the
3.5mm L/R analog stereo output for external audio support.
3. Optionally, the user can utilize the mini-plug to RS-232 serial
communications port to communicate with controllable RS-232 devices.
4. Connect the EXT-DSC to the local network using the Ethernet port on the
front panel of the unit. If using this as a stand-alone solution this step is not
necessary. As a standalone unit, uploading of media must be done manually
using the integrated USB port.
5. Connect the included 5V DC power supply to the power input receptacle.
Connect the plug-end into an open wall power socket.
Initial Bootup of the Digital Signage Creator
Upon the fi rst boot up of the DSC a series Gefen splash screen should be visible
on the connected display. This initial boot-up process should take approximately
1.5 minutes. Subsequent boot-ups after the initial boot process will be reduced
in time to ~50 seconds. Once the boot-up process is complete a default logo
animation should be seen.
If your system did not have the behavior described above you may have a
defective unit. Before contacting Gefen, make sure that the digital displays are
functional and that the right input has been selected (some displays have multiple
inputs and you may need to manually select the right one). Also check that the
push button is not pressed by external elements. If the set-up appears correct,
try to power down and up the EXT-DSC unit by unplugging and plugging in the
power again. If this does not correct the errors send a message describing what
you observe to support@Gefen.com
CONNECTING AND OPERATING THE DIGITAL SIGNAGE CREATOR
7
RESETTING THE EXT-DSC TO ITS FACTORY DEFAULTS
Resetting the EXT-DSC to its factory default settings
WARNING: The following procedure will delete all the content and confi gurations
on the EXT-DSC unit.
To reinitialize the EXT-DSC unit to its factory default settings do the following:
1. Unplug the power connector from the unit.
2. Push and hold the blue button on the front panel.
3. While continuing to hold the blue button, reconnect the power cable.
4. Continue to hold the push button for at least 8 seconds.
5. Release the push button.
6. The EXT-DSC unit will now boot in the factory default mode and will have
the default IP setting (DHCP).
Accessing the EXT-DSC HTTP Server (PC)
This tutorial explains how to access, for the fi rst time, the EXT-DSC unit from a
PC using the Ethernet interface. This procedure is required to access the EXTDSC administration HTTP server or to publish content on a EXT-DSC unit.
NOTE: This procedure applies only if you have not modifi ed the default network
confi guration of the EXT-DSC unit. See Reset to Factory default to make sure
that your EXT-DSC has the default network confi guration.
Requirements:
► One of the following confi gurations
• PC with 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface and an Ethernet cable.
• PC with 10/100 Ethernet interface and an Ethernet crossover cable.
• PC with 10/100 Ethernet interface, a switch and 2 Ethernet cables.
► One EXT-DSC unit
Guide:
1. Connect the PC, through the switch depending on the chosen setup, to the
EXT-DSC unit following one of the above schemes.
2. Power up the PC and switch (if applicable).
3. Power up the EXT-DSC unit. (Note that the EXT-DSC unit does not need to
8
ACCESSING THE EXT-DSC HTTP SERVER (PC)
be connected to a display: allow about 1 minute for the EXT-DSC to boot up,
you will see the green light blinking once per second).
4. Confi gure the network on your PC.
You need to confi gure your PC to have the following network confi guration:
► A static address assigned by your network administrator. This must be
on the same subnet as the EXT-DSC unit.
► A IP address automatically assigned by a DHCP server located on the
same network as the EXT-DSC unit.
5. Validate that the above steps are successful:
a. Make sure that the EXT-DSC has completed the booting phase: allow
about 1 minute from the EXT-DSC power up. If you have connected the
EXT-DSC to a display you should see the default animated logo.
b. Check that the LED is blinking green once per second. If this is not the
case go to the troubleshooting section at the end of this guide.
c. Open a Web Browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox...) and type into the
location bar at the top:
http://gef-dsc-XXXXXXXXXXXX.local
Please replace the 12 X’s with the MAC address (without colons) of the
EXT-DSC unit. This is located on a sticker on the underside of the unit.
6. The browser should connect to the EXT-DSC HTTP server and display the
following page:
9
ACCESSING THE EXT-DSC HTTP SERVER (PC)
7. Congratulations. You can now explore the HTTP server of your EXTDSC unit. Through this web interface you can administrate the unit and in
particular confi gure its network properties and video resolutions.
Troubleshooting
If you have not been able to connect to your EXT-DSC unit, please read the
following suggestions before contacting the Gefen support team.
1. Double check that you have correctly written the right address on your web
browser.
2. Check the LED on you EXT-DSC unit.
c. If the led is blinking fast (several times per second) from green to red.
Your EXT-DSC is in recovery mode. In this case, unplug and power
up again the EXT-DSC unit. Wait about 1 minute. If the EXT-DSC unit
remains in recovery mode contact support.
4. It may happen that your EXT-DSC unit has already been confi gured and
does not have the default setting to use DHCP. In this case you should reinitialize the unit to its factory default. Note that all the content stored on the
EXT-DSC unit will be deleted. Follow the instructions reported in Reset to
Factory default.
5. Double check the connectivity in your setup (cables, connectors, switches...).
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