Pinnacle Systems ShowCenter - 1.0 User Guide

Pinnacle ShowCenter

explicit written permission from Pinnacle Systems GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany.

All brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

This manual is printed on chlorine-free, bleached paper using solvent-free ink. Pinnacle Systems GmbH has written this manual to the best of its knowledge,

but does not guarantee that the programs/systems will fulfill the users’ intended applications.

No warranty is made as to the specifications of features. Pinnacle Systems GmbH retains the right to make alterations to the content of

the manual without obligation to inform third parties. All quotes, sales, supply and manufacturing contracts from Pinnacle Systems

GmbH, including consulting, installation and other contractual services are subject exclusively to the General Sales and Delivery Terms of Pinnacle Systems GmbH.

Basics....................................................................................................................1

Safety information.............................................................................................1

The concept in words ........................................................................................4

The concept in pictures......................................................................................5

The components ................................................................................................6

Package contents ...............................................................................................8

System requirements .......................................................................................10

Setting up the ShowCenter system .....................................................................11

Three steps to the ShowCenter system - Overview.........................................11

Installing the software .....................................................................................12

The Quickstart Assistant .................................................................................15

Connecting devices..........................................................................................18

The ShowCenter application............................................................................... 23

Overview .........................................................................................................23

The Media Library...........................................................................................26

The Media Player ............................................................................................31

Importing media files ......................................................................................33

Organising media files.....................................................................................44

Managing playlists ..........................................................................................48

Exporting media files ......................................................................................51

The menus .......................................................................................................57

File formats......................................................................................................61

ShowCenter Server and ShowCenter Control Panel...........................................65

Setting server preferences with the ShowCenter control panel.......................65

The TV screen.....................................................................................................69

Switching on the ShowCenter Player and the TV set......................................69

The TV screen menu - Overview ....................................................................71

TV Menu - Music ............................................................................................73

TV Menu - Movies ..........................................................................................74

TV Menu - Photos ........................................................................................... 76

TV Menu - Access...........................................................................................77

TV Menu - Settings .........................................................................................78

TV Menu - Special functions ..........................................................................80

Table Of Contents

The remote control..............................................................................................83

Remote control key commands .......................................................................83

Description of the keys in detail......................................................................84

Possible causes of faults with remote control operation .................................87

Technical data.....................................................................................................89

Hardware .........................................................................................................89

Technical support................................................................................................91

Getting Technical support ...............................................................................91

License information ............................................................................................93

Pinnacle End User License Agreement ........................................................... 93

Glossary ..............................................................................................................97

Index .................................................................................................................105

Basics

Safety information

Please take note of the following information in the interests of your own safety and trouble-free operation of your equipment.

Mains cable and mains plug

Careful attention must be paid to the following points in order to avoid operational faults with the equipment and to prevent electric shock, fire and injury:

 When removing the mains cable from the socket, always pull on the plug and

never on the cable.

 Do not connect and remove the mains cable with wet hands.  Keep the mains cable away from heaters.  Never place heavy objects on the mains cable.  Never try to repair the mains cable yourself or to modify it in any way.  Clean dust, dirt etc. from the mains plug at regular intervals.  If the unit should be dropped or become damaged in any other way, switch it

off and unplug the mains cable.

 If the unit should emit smoke, unusual smells or noises, switch it off and

unplug the means cable. In such cases, please contact your dealer.

Location

Avoid setting up the unit in the following places:  Locations with direct sunlight, next to radiators or other sources of heat or in

vehicles, which are parked directly in the sun with the windows and doors closed.

 Locations with very high temperature (more than 35° C) or humidity (more

than 90%).

 Very dusty or sandy locations.  Locations subject to vibration or shock or with a sloping base, as otherwise

the components inside the unit could be damaged.

 On inflammable surfaces, such as blankets.  Keep the unit away from flower vases, bath tubs, washbasins etc. and places

exposed to rainfall. If liquid should find its way into the unit, this can lead to serious damage.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Setting up with other equipment

 Set the unit up in a horizontal position and do not place heavy objects on top

of it.

 Do not place the unit on an amplifier or other equipment that can become

hot.

Case and internal components

 Under no circumstances remove or open any part of the case and do not try to

carry out repairs yourself. All maintenance or repair work must be carried out by qualified specialists.

 Do not place fingers or objects inside the unit.

Touching the components inside the unit is dangerous and can lead to severe injury and damage to the equipment.

 Do not place any foreign objects on top of the unit.

Formation of condensation

Condensation can form inside the unit under the following conditions:

 Directly after switching on a heater in the vicinity.  In a very damp room or a room filled with water vapour.  When the unit is brought from a cold into a warm place.

Moisture inside the unit can lead to faulty operation under certain circumstances. In such a case, switch the unit off and wait for approximately 1 hour until the moisture has evaporated. Only then should you continue to use the unit.

Non-use

 Switch the unit to standby mode when it is not in use.  If the unit is not used for extended periods, then the mains plug should be

removed from the socket.

Accessories

Use only the accessories supplied or recommended in order to avoid the risk of fire and electric shock and possible interference.

Batteries

 Insert the batteries as shown in the battery compartment of the remote

control.

 Never mix old and new batteries or use batteries of different types (standard,

alkali) at the same time!

 When the batteries are flat, ensure that they are disposed of according to the

regulations and in an environmentally friendly manner.

Basics

When making use of music files, video files and digital photos, ensure that the copyrights are not infringed.

Any changes or additions, which could no longer be taken into account in the printed documentation, are described in the Read-me file on the CD-ROM supplied.

You will find the Declaration of Conformity (CE Declaration) and the "FCC Compliance Statement" for Pinnacle ShowCenter as a separate PDF file on the CD-ROM supplied.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

The concept in words

With Pinnacle ShowCenter you can manage

 music files  movie and other video files and  digital photos

from different sources, including the Internet, on your PC, view them on your TV set or play them back on your stereo system. Everything is conveniently controlled by remote control from your sofa.

Pinnacle ShowCenter is a combination of components readily found in the living room, the home PC, a remote control and a software program for managing the media.

Pinnacle ShowCenter arranges all your media in an intelligent multimedia database on your PC so that they can be quickly found and gives you access

to all these files in a simple and convenient manner.

Do you use your PC with broadband Internet access (DSL or cable modem) for downloading audio and video files and do you want to be able to arrange these and to view or play them back at any time? Do you want to archive your digital photos, videos and audio CDs and have them available at all times? Pinnacle ShowCenter is the right solution in both cases! With Pinnacle ShowCenter you can maintain order in your media collection and have your favourite movies and photos available for viewing on the TV and your favourite music available for playing back on your stereo system at any time.

With Pinnacle ShowCenter you can build up a simple system, which will allow you to keep the PC out of your living room and yet still enjoy all the advantages of modern media there.

You will find an explanation of all the necessary terms in the "Glossary" section at the end of this manual. In case of doubt, please also refer to the documentation provided with your TV set, your stereo system and your PC components.

Basics

The concept in pictures

This overview drawing gives you an example of how the system components may be arranged in the different rooms of your house:

Pinnacle ShowCenter

The components

The Pinnacle ShowCenter system consists of the following components:

Hardware

ShowCenter Player

The ShowCenter Player, together with your PC and TV set and/or your stereo system, forms a Multimedia Home Network. The ShowCenter Player

takes on the function of a network client and enables movies or photos stored on your PC to be viewed on your TV set, or music files to be played back via your stereo system.

Depending on the product version, the network can be connected with cables or can be wireless.

Remote control (infrared)

You can control the menu shown on the TV screen by means of the remote control.

Software

ShowCenter application

The ShowCenter application is installed on your PC and is used for importing music files, movies and digital photos into the continuously updated ShowCenter database and for the management and organisation of these files. If you like, you can create playlists in which you can bring together your favourite music, movies or photos arranged in accordance with your own criteria.

The media files on your PC can come from the Internet, from your audio CDs or from your digital camera, for example.

ShowCenter server

The ShowCenter server is installed on your PC and forms the connection between the ShowCenter application and the ShowCenter player. The data, which you call up from your TV screen by means of the menu and that you then want to view on the TV set or play back on the stereo system, is made available to the ShowCenter player by the server.

Basics

The ShowCenter server comprises two types of server whose settings can be checked or changed by means of the ShowCenter control:

 the streaming server, which provides the user interface for the TV set, and  the media server, which ensures access to the database, monitors folders

and, if necessary, converts the format of media files.

ShowCenter database

The ShowCenter database is used by the ShowCenter application and the server for information exchange via all media. The database holds all information concerning the storage location and the type of files and stores all available additional information (e.g. playlists). This information can thus be easily found again using the ShowCenter application and can be made available by the server for playing back on the TV set and/or stereo system.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Package contents

Before you begin installation, check that the contents of the package are complete. If a part should be missing or damaged, please refer to your dealer.

Keep the packing material in case you ever need to ship the original parts at a later date.

This is what you receive from us

Hardware

ShowCenter Player

with integral power supply

SCART cable

(Europe)

Remote control with

"Mignon 1.5 V" batteries

(R06, AA)

Video cable

(outside Europe)

Mains cable

(country specific)

SCART-VGA adapter

(only supplied with some

versions)

Ethernet cable (Length: 10 m)

Crossover cable

(Length: 5 m, depending

on model)

CD-ROM with applications,

example data and drivers

Documentation

Basics

Quick Install Guide User’s Guide

Please note that the package contents may vary from that shown here depending upon the model!

Software

The following software can be found on the CD-ROM supplied with the equipment:

 Software for Windows 2000 or Windows XP

The Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition and Windows NT operating systems are not supported by Pinnacle ShowCenter.

 ShowCenter Quickstart Assistant  ShowCenter application  ShowCenter server

Please note that the package contents may vary from that shown here depending upon the model!

In addition, you will need

 Computer  TV set and/or stereo system

Pinnacle ShowCenter

System requirements

Your system must fulfil the following requirements to enable Pinnacle ShowCenter to operate perfectly:

Computer hardware

Processor

At least Pentium ® III with 1GHz or comparable AMD processor

- recommended Pentium ® 4 with 1.8 GHz or comparable AMD processor.

Working memory

At least 256 Mbytes - recommended 512 Mbytes.

Hard disk

Hard disk with at least 5 GB free space.

Graphics adapter

DirectDraw-compatible graphics adapter (AGP graphics adapter with MPEG 2 decoding support recommended) with at least 16-bit colour depth (65536 colours) and a resolution of at least 800 x 600 pixels.

DirectDraw support: Before you can work with the application, a graphics card with completely setup DirectX 9.x must be installed. The installation program will check this and will install DirectX 9.x automatically if necessary.

Sound adapter

DirectX 9.x-compatible sound adapter.

Ethernet connection

 10BaseT - recommended 100BaseT.  A Wi-Fi access point will be required for a wireless connection.

Problems may arise with a 10BaseT Ethernet connection when streaming video files with high bandwidth. We therefore strongly recommend a 100BaseT connection, particularly when other network functions are active!

Computer software

Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 installed or Windows XP with Service Pack 1 installed.

Setting up the ShowCenter system

Three steps to the ShowCenter system Overview

This section describes the procedure for setting up the ShowCenter system in the form of an overview. Each step is explained in detail in the following chapters.

The following procedure is recommended:

1. Install the software

First install the software on your computer. The following components will be installed:

 ShowCenter Quickstart Assistant  ShowCenter application  ShowCenter server  Example files

2. Quickstart Assistant

The Quickstart Assistant will start automatically as soon as the software installation is complete. The Quickstart Assistant will help you to set up all necessary preferences for the system step-by-step.

3. Connect the equipment

Now make the connections between the ShowCenter Player and your computer and to the TV set and/or your stereo system.

Depending on the product version, the network can be connected with cables or can be wireless.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Installing the software

This section describes the installation of the ShowCenter software on your PC. In the course of the installation, the Pinnacle ShowCenter program group will be created with its sub-groups, into which all necessary software components will be copied.

You must have administrator rights in order to carry out the installation under Windows 2000 / Windows XP. You must be a member of the "main user" group or higher to be able to use the applications.

1. Insert the installation CD

Place the installation CD provided in the appropriate drive of your computer. The setup program will now start automatically or you can start autorun.exe from the CD-ROM.

The installation program will now start with the following dialog box:

Setting up the ShowCenter system

2. Choose language, click Next

Choose the required language for the installation process and the software to be installed and then click Next.

3. Click Next

Click again on Next to continue with the installation.

4. Accept the licence agreement and click Next

Please read the licence agreement carefully, confirm your agreement by choosing the appropriate option and then click Next.

5. Enter the user information and click Next

Enter the required user information and the serial number (see CD sleeve). Choose whether the application is to be available for use by all users of the computer or only by you. Then click Next.

6. Choose Setup type, click Next

Here you can choose which type of installation you want to carry out.

Complete

The program will be installed with all functions. Requires the most memory space.

Custom

You can choose the options to be installed yourself. Recommended for experienced users. Amongst other things, you can change the target path for

the folder in which the software is to be installed here. When you have made your choice, click Next.

7. Choose components, click Next

If you have chosen the custom setup, you can choose those specific components that you want to install in the following window. After you have

defined the installation, click Next.

This installation step is not necessary if you have chosen the Complete setup.

8. Start installation

The system is now ready for installation. Click the Install button to start the copying process.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

9. Desktop shortcut

If you want a shortcut on your desktop, now click Yes.

10. Restart the system

If Windows suggests restarting the system, do this now.

11. Installing third-party applications

After the system has been restarted, further programs will be installed if you have selected these as components (e.g. Acrobat ® Reader).

12. Continue with the section "Quickstart Assistant"

On completing the software installation, please continue with the section "Quickstart Assistant".

Setting up the ShowCenter system

The Quickstart Assistant

The Quickstart Assistant will start automatically as soon as the software installation is complete. The Quickstart Assistant will help you to set up all

necessary preferences for the system step-by-step. You can close the Quickstart Assistant at any time and run it again later from

the Start menu via the Pinnacle program group. Most preferences can also be set up in the ShowCenter application. To do

this, open the ShowCenter application either from the Start menu via the Pinnacle program group or by double-clicking on the desktop shortcut.

The following window will open:

The individual steps are explained here in brief. In each case, follow the instructions on the screen.

Importing the Windows Media Player database

This function is only supported from Version 9 of the Windows Media Player. If only an older version of Windows Media Player is installed, then the import function is not available.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

The Windows Media Player database on your PC is searched for information on compatible media files (music, videos, photos). In doing so, not only are the Microsoft demo files found but also other files, which may be on your computer and stored in the Windows Media Player database. All files in question will be imported into the ShowCenter database.

Importing TV recordings from a Pinnacle PCTV product

This function is only available when a Pinnacle PCTV product is installed on your PC.

TV programmes, which have been recorded with a Pinnacle PCTV product, can be imported into the ShowCenter database and you can view these on your TV set via the ShowCenter Player. A watched folder can be created for these recordings on your computer so that all recordings that are made are imported into the ShowCenter database automatically.

Importing other media files

In the step that now follows, you are asked which folders and/or hard drives on your PC should be searched for other media files. Folders to be searched can, for example, be the Windows "My Computer" folder, other folders or even complete hard drives on your computer. All files on your computer that are

found and which are compatible will be imported into the ShowCenter database.

Folders used by ShowCenter

First of all, the folders on your PC, which are to be used for music files from audio CDs and for photos from a digital camera, are defined here.

A folder is then selected, in which all converted files are to be stored. Please note that converted files use a lot of memory space, particularly when long movies are concerned.

A temporary folder for the burning of CDs/DVDs is also selected. Here, too, it should be noted that a lot of memory space is required.

Setting up the ShowCenter system

Code for restricted file access

The access to particular media files via the menu on the screen can be restricted by means of an access code. When you specify an access code, the media files concerned can only be viewed on the TV set or listened to on the stereo system by people who know this access code.

The media files, for which restricted access is to apply, are defined individually in the function area of the ShowCenter application under the Organize tab.

Note: The access code only applies for playing media via the menu on the TV screen. All files will continue to be accessible via the ShowCenter application on the PC!

Network connections

With the help of the Quickstart Assistant, you now configure the network connections for the ShowCenter system and connect the devices. Follow the instructions on the screen.

You should also have the section of the manual entitled "Connecting devices" to hand, which describes the procedure in pictures and in words.

Closing the Quickstart Assistant

Once you have gone through all the steps in the Quickstart Assistant, all the necessary settings for your ShowCenter system will have been made. No further settings are required.

All ShowCenter components are now ready for use and you can start viewing movies or photos on your TV set or playing music files via your stereo system immediately.

To close the Quickstart Assistant, click on the Finish button.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Connecting devices

ShowCenter Player - Front view

The following control and indicating devices are located on the front of the ShowCenter Player:

 On/Off switch  LED status indicator for "Standby" and On/Off  Infrared receiver for remote control  LED signal indicator (e.g. "New files in watched folder")

ShowCenter Player - Rear view

The connections on the rear of the ShowCenter Player are described in detail in the following steps.

1. Connecting the ShowCenter Player to a TV set

SCART output / Video and audio output

Europe: Connect the SCART output of the ShowCenter Player to a free SCART input of your TV set using the SCART cable provided. If possible, your TV's SCART connector should support RGB signals, as this transmission provides the best picture quality. You should later change over to SCART-RGB using the ShowCenter Player's Preferences menu.

Setting up the ShowCenter system

USA: Connect the"Analog Video Out" output to a suitable video input of your TV set using the video cable provided (yellow plug). Also, connect the analogue audio outputs marked "A" to the corresponding stereo audio inputs of your TV set using the stereo audio cable provided (red and white plugs).

The ShowCenter application

Overview

What the ShowCenter application does

The ShowCenter application is installed on your PC and is used for importing

 music files  movies and other video files, and  digital photos

into the continuously updated ShowCenter database and for the management and organisation of these files.

If you like, you can create playlists in which you can bring together your favourite music, movies or photos organised in accordance with your own criteria. These playlists can also be exported for the purposes of burning an audio CD, for example.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

The ShowCenter application start window

You can start the ShowCenter application either from the Start menu via the Pinnacle program group or by double-clicking on the desktop shortcut. The

following window will open:

The window is divided into the following areas:

Area 1:

The function area on the top left-hand side with the Import, Organize, Playlists and Export tabs.

Area 2:

The Media Player on the top right-hand side.

Area 3:

The Media Library in the bottom part with the Music, Movies and Photos tabs.

Menu bar:

At the top edge, you will also see the menu bar with the supporting menus File, Edit and Help.

The ShowCenter application

The window view changes depending on the choice of different functions and list types and the three areas work interactively and closely together. You will find detailed information on the individual areas in the following sections.

The Media Library and the Media Player area are explained first in order to provide the basic tools for working with the application.

The special functions, Import, Organize, Playlists and Export as well as the menus are explained in the later sections.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

The Media Library

An overview of the Media Library

Types of media

The Media Library represents the contents of the database with reference to the three different types of media, divided into the

 Music tab  Movies tab and the  Photos tab.

The Media Player

Using the Media Player and its controls

The Media Player is used for viewing the media files that are present in the database on the PC. Video files and photos are reproduced on its 16:9 screen.

Audio files are reproduced via the sound adapter and your computer's speakers. The Media Player controls are also used for this.

For better orientation, all functions are provided with a QuickInfo field, which is displayed when you move the mouse over the buttons.

Here are the controls in detail:

Play/Pause

Choose a file from the Media Library with the mouse and then click on this button. Or double-click the file in the list. The movie or the photo will now be shown on the Media Player screen and the button will change its appearance. If you click it again, playback is stopped.

You can play the previous file in the playlist by clicking this button.

You can play the next file in the playlist by clicking this button.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Shuffle

The order in which music tracks, video files or photos are played from the chosen playlist will be decided at random.

Repeat

If you activate this button while a playlist is being played, on completion, the list will be repeated until you deactivate the button by clicking it again.

Aspect ratio

You can define the aspect ratio here while a movie is being played (standard 4:3, letterbox or widescreen 16:9). Note the QuickInfo field when you move the mouse over this button. The aspect ratio chosen for the current movie is stored in the database so that it does not have to be reset the next time the movie is played. Double-clicking on the Media Player screen switches to full-screen display on the PC monitor. You can return to the ShowCenter application view by doubleclicking again.

Progress

The position of this slide control shows the time-related progress of the current audio file or movie as it is being played. You can also use it for steplessly jumping forwards and backwards within the file currently being played by dragging the slider while holding the left mouse button pressed.

Time display

Here you can see how long the audio or video file that is currently being played has already run.

Volume

You can use this control on the right-hand side of the screen area for variable adjustment of the volume by dragging it while holding the left mouse button pressed.

Mute

You can switch the sound on or off by clicking this button.

The ShowCenter application

Importing media files

Import tab - Overview

When you select the Import tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

You can import media files into the ShowCenter database from the following sources:

 Folder: From a folder on your PC.  Files: One or more files from a selected folder.  Drives: From complete hard drives in your PC.  Audio CD: From your audio CDs that you want to archive in the

ShowCenter database.

 Digital camera: Photos from your digital camera.  Watch folder: From a watched folder on your PC.

You can see the imported files in the Media Library under the tab for the appropriate media type, e.g. in the Last imported category. You can open the folder on your PC hard disk in which the files are stored by right-clicking with the mouse on the list and selecting the Show in Explorer option from the context menu.

The functions for the individual categories are described in detail in the following sections.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Import - Folder

When you select the Folder category on the Import tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Folder

With the help of the Browse button, you can specify the folder on your computer from which you want to import media files. When the selection is complete, click on the Open button. The number of selected files and the folder will now be displayed above the progress bar.

Scan subfolders

When this checkbox is activated, files from all subfolders will be imported at the same time.

In the case of photos, the names of the subfolders will be imported as the

photo album names. Movie titles will be used as the name for the collection. If a movie consists of several files, these will be grouped together in one collection.

Start

When all the settings have been made, click on the Start button. The progress bar will show 100% when the import process is complete. You will also be told how many files have been imported and how many may have been rejected because they were not available in a supported format or were already contained in the database. All imported files can now be seen in the Media Library in the bottom part of the application window under the appropriate media type and category.

The ShowCenter application

Import - Files

When you select the Files category on the Import tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Files

With the help of the Browse button, select the file(s), which you want to import into the database, from a folder on your hard disk. When the selection is complete, click on the Open button. The number of selected files and the folder will now be displayed above the progress bar.

Start

When you have made your selection, click on the Start button. The progress bar will show 100% when the import process is complete. You will

also be told how many files have been imported and how many may have been rejected because they were not available in a supported format or were already contained in the database.

All imported files can now be seen in the Media Library in the bottom part of the application window under the appropriate media type and category.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Import - Drives

When you select the Drives category on the Import tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Hard disk

Choose the drive on your computer, from which you want to import media files, with the help of the drop-down list.

Ignore 'Windows' and Ignore 'Program files'

When these two checkboxes are activated, the corresponding folders will not be scanned. This is generally sensible, as there are not normally any useful media files to be found in these folders.

In the case of photos, the names of the subfolders will be imported as the

photo album names. Movie titles will be used as the name for the collection. If a movie consists of several files, these will be grouped together in one collection.

Start

When all the settings have been made, click on the Start button. When the import process is complete, you will be shown how many files have

been imported and how many may have been rejected because they were not available in a supported format or were already contained in the database.

All imported files can now be seen in the Media Library in the bottom part of the application window under the appropriate media type and category.

The ShowCenter application

Import - Audio CD

When you select the Audio CD category on the Import tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

You can import your audio CDs into the ShowCenter database with this function. The music tracks on a CD will be read in and separated into individual MP3 files.

There may be problems importing audio CDs with copy protection!

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Inserting the CD and selecting the drive

Place the audio CD to be imported in the CD drive of your computer. If you have several CD or DVD drives in your computer, select the appropriate one from the drop-down Drive list.

The titles of the CD will now be read in and shown together with their numbers in the Track column.

Get titles

You will need an active Internet connection to use this function!

The names and titles of all known audio CDs are stored in an Internet database. With the Get titles function, you can import this information for the current CD into the ShowCenter database. When you click this button, the system will search on the Internet for the data, which will normally be displayed immediately as follows.

If you are unable to establish an Internet connection or if your CD is not included in the Internet database, you can also enter the song title, artist and album names manually. To do this, click with the left mouse button on the appropriate fields.

You can also play individual song titles from the CD by double-clicking on the song title with the left mouse button. The CD playback is shown by means of a special graphics display in the Media Player.

The ShowCenter application

In the Start column, you will see a selection box for each song title. You can now select individual titles or all titles for importing by clicking with the mouse.

Tip: If you want to select all song titles at once, click with the right mouse button on the title of the Start column and choose Select all from the context menu.

Start

When all settings have been made, click on the Start button. You will see a progress bar for each song title during the import process.

The lower progress bar will show 100% when all the selected titles have been imported.

You will now be able to see the song titles imported from your audio CD in the Media Library under the Music tab, e.g. in the Last imported category.

If you have not defined a different folder for this purpose under Preferences in the File menu or in the Quickstart Assistant, the imported audio files will be stored by default in the ...\My Computer\My Music folder on the hard disk of your PC.

A dedicated subfolder with the name of the album/artist will be created for each audio CD imported.

Eject CD from drive

You can eject the CD from the drive by clicking on this button.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Import - Digital camera

Only cameras with WIA driver are supported at the present time. As only Windows XP supports WIA, this function is not available under Windows 2000.

When you select the Digital camera category on the Import tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Camera

If you want to import photos into the ShowCenter database directly from a digital camera, choose the appropriate camera from the drop-down Camera list.

If you connect a new camera to your PC while the application is active, click on the Refresh button so that this will be displayed in the drop-down list.

Album

Now specify the name of the album.

Remove after import

If you activate this checkbox, the photo files will be deleted from the camera memory after they have been imported.

The ShowCenter application

Start

When all the settings have been made, click on the Start button. The progress bar will show 100% when the import process is complete.

You will now be able to see the imported files in the Media Library under the Photos tab, e.g. in the Last imported category.

If you have not defined a different folder for this purpose under Preferences in the File menu or in the Quickstart Assistant, the imported photo files will be stored by default in the ...\My Computer\My Pictures folder on the hard disk of your PC.

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Import - Watched folder

When you select the Watch folder category on the Import tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Here, you can specify/create any number of folders on your PC as watched folders. Each time the ShowCenter Server is started, it will check these folders

for new files and will cause them to be automatically imported into the ShowCenter database. This will also take place when the ShowCenter application is not active. You can allocate your own names to the watched files and you will see all of them in the clearly arranged list in the right-hand part of the window.

Create new watched folder

Click on this button to specify/create a new watched folder. Either choose an already existing folder on your hard disk and confirm with OK,

or create a completely new folder by means of the Create button and then confirm with OK.

Newly added watched files are initially active by default. In order to deactivate a watched file, click on the checkmark in the first column of the list.

The converted files folder cannot be specified as a watched folder!

The ShowCenter application

Options for watched folders

If you click with the mouse on the last column in the list of watched folders, you can choose further options from a menu for each watched folder:

Subfolder

When this option is activated, all subfolders will also be watched. In the case of photos, the names of the subfolders will be imported as the

photo album names. Movie titles will be used as the name for the collection. If a movie consists of several files, these will be grouped together in one collection.

Delete watched folder

Click on this button to delete a watched folder from the database.

The folder will only be deleted from the database and will still be present on the hard disk of your PC. To make it visible in the database again, you must specify it as a watched folder once more.

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Organising media files

Organisational file tags

The three different types of media (music, videos, photos) that you can manage with the ShowCenter application, have different organisational tags. These sorting criteria define a hierarchy within the files of a media type.

Organisational tags are exclusive tags, i.e. if a music file is assigned to the "Pop" music genre, it cannot belong to the "Classic" genre at the same time.

Tags for digital photos - Examples

Photo album Photo

My wedding At the registry office

My wedding In the church

My wedding In the restaurant

The ShowCenter application

User-defined file tags (keywords)

User-defined tags (keywords) can be assigned in addition to the organisational tags.

These are so-called non-exclusive tags, on the basis of which the media files can be sorted.

Assigning a keyword - Example

You can create the keyword "My wedding", for example, and assign this to all associated media files. At a later date, you can then easily filter out the files, which belong to "My wedding", from the overall contents of the Media Library, based on this keyword.

Assigning several keywords - Example

Several keywords can be associated with one and the same file. In this way, you can assign an additional keyword or several additional keywords to some of the files that are already associated with the keyword "My wedding". For example, "At the registry office", "In the church" or "In the restaurant".

Show keywords

You can activate the display of the keywords in the Library view from the menu by right-clicking in the browser.

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Organize tab - Overview

When you select the Organize tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

The Organize function will help you to change sort criteria or tags for your media files or to add new ones.

Defining a new keyword

On the left-hand side, you can assign keywords to the media files in the ShowCenter database, which you can later use as search criteria in order to find particular files quickly. Several keywords can also be assigned to one and the same file.

Mark one or more files in the Media Library list and click on the to create a new keyword for the selected files.

Deleting a keyword

Mark the keyword that is to be deleted from the database and then click on the

button.

Field and Value - Changing organisational tags

button

When an entry in the Media Library list has been marked, you will see the corresponding value for each field. By double-clicking with the mouse, you will have access to the individual values and will be able to edit these.

For some organisational tags, such as musical genre for example, suggestions are made for common descriptions (Pop, Rock, Classic), even when no files in this category have been imported as yet. Click once on the entry.

The ShowCenter application

When you have finished editing the values for an entry in the list, click on the

button to transfer the values to the database. The changes will now be

shown accordingly in the Media Library.

Note: If tags that are associated with metadata (such as MP3 tags, for example) are changed, then these changes will also be made in the appropriate file!

Undo button

You can undo changes that have been made previously by means of this button. This is only possible, however, before pressing the

Rotate clockwise/anticlockwise (for photos)

When you select a photo in the Media Library, it will be displayed in the Media Player. You can rotate the image with these two buttons.

Next click on the will be taken into account when the photo is displayed on the TV set.

Restricted access

The Restricted Access value for any required media file can be set to Yes or No by clicking with the mouse.

If you have set the value for a file to Yes, then this file can only be viewed on the TV set/played back on the stereo system if the correct access code has first been entered via the TV menu.

The standard setting for newly imported files is always No.

button to store the rotation in the database. The rotation

button.

Note: The access code is only applicable for replaying media via the menu on the TV screen. All files will continue to be accessible via the ShowCenter application on the PC!

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Managing playlists

Playlists tab - Overview

When you select the Playlists tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

At this point, you can create personal playlists, in which you can bring together your favourite music, movies or photos sorted in accordance with your own criteria.

Only media of one type can be brought together within a playlist. You therefore create playlists for music, movies or photos. It is not possible to mix these media in one playlist.

Schedule of playlists

All existing playlists are displayed in the left-hand area.

Contents of the individual playlists

The contents of the individual playlists are displayed in the right-hand area. If a playlist is selected in the left-hand area, you will see the details of the media files belonging to this playlist in the right-hand area.

Creating and editing playlists

The ShowCenter application

Creating a new playlist

Click on the In the list on the left is an input field that, as standard, is called Playlist. This

field becomes accessible by double-clicking and you can enter the required name for the new playlist.

Now assemble the media files that are to belong to this playlist. To do this, choose one or more files from the Media Library in the database and drag these up into the right-hand area using the mouse.

Instead of working with the mouse, you can also use the

Sorting the contents of the playlist

Mark the file, which is to be moved to a different place in the playlist, and drag this with the mouse to the required position. As an alternative, you can work

with the two buttons

Deleting playlists or contents

When you want to delete a playlist or a file from the playlist, mark this with the

button when you want to create a new playlist.

button.

and .

mouse and then click on the

button.

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Special features for slide shows

There are two special features with playlists made up from photos ("slide shows"):

1. Click in the last column of an entry to change the time for which the photo is displayed. If you select Manual here, then the system will not move on automatically to the next photo. To change the display time for all photos simultaneously, first click with the right mouse button and then choose Select all from the menu. By left-clicking on the display time of any entry, you can then specify the display time for all photos.

2. The last entry in the slide show is called Audio. You can choose a music playlist here by clicking with the mouse. This will then be played back with your photos on the ShowCenter Player.

Playback via the Media Player

Double-click on an entry in the playlist in order to play this back using the Media Player. When playing is complete, the system will automatically continue by playing the following entry. The Media Player functions Forwards, Backwards, Shuffle and Repeat are also available. When playing back a slide show using the Media Player, only photos will be displayed and any music playlist that may have been selected will not be played.

The ShowCenter application

Exporting media files

Export tab - Overview

When you select the Export tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Here, you can export copies of media files from your ShowCenter playlists

 into a new folder on your hard disk,  into a Winamp playlist,  onto a CD burner/DVD burner.

The functions for the individual categories are described in detail in the following sections.

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Exporting to a folder

When you select the Folder category on the Export tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Here, you can export the contents of a playlist into a new folder on your hard disk. When you do this, copies of the media files are created.

Playlist

Choose a playlist from the drop-down menu.

Folder

With the help of the Browse button on the right-hand side, select a folder into which the chosen playlist is to be exported.

Create subfolders

If you activate this check box, subfolders will be created corresponding to the sort criteria for the original files to be exported (e.g. Artist, Album, Photo album).

If not all tabs are available for a particular file, a subfolder with the name Unknown will be created.

Note: This function is not active when exporting video playlists!

The ShowCenter application

Create a Winamp playlist

If you activate this checkbox, in addition to exporting the chosen playlist to a folder, a Winamp-compatible playlist will be created.

Start

When you have made all the settings, click on Start. The progress bar will show 100% when the export is complete. You will also be told how many files have been exported.

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Exporting to a Winamp Playlist

When you select the Playlist category on the Export tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Here you can export a ShowCenter playlist to a Winamp playlist. This refers to the actual memory location for your media files.

Playlist

Choose the playlist to be exported from the drop-down menu.

File

With the help of the Browse button on the right-hand side, select the file into which the chosen playlist is to be exported and enter the required filename.

Start

When you have made all the settings, click on Start.

The ShowCenter application

Exporting to a burner

When you select the Burner category on the Export tab in the function area, the window is made up as follows:

Here, you can export a playlist for the purposes of burning a CD or a DVD.

Playlist

Choose the playlist to be exported from the drop-down menu.

Disc type

Appropriate output formats are offered depending on the type of media files contained in the playlist. Choose the required one from the drop-down list.

Music

Audio CD: An audio CD will be burnt, which you can play on your stereo system or CD player. MP3 files are automatically decoded for this purpose.

MP3 Data CD/DVD: The system will burn a CD or DVD with MP3 files. To do this, all music tracks in the playlist must have been converted to MP3 format.

Data CD/DVD: The system will burn a CD with the original music files (MP3, WMA or WAV). If converted versions are available, these will not be used.

Movies

VCD (VideoCD), SVCD (SuperVideoCD) and DVD formats will be offered depending upon the format of the media files and the availability of converted copies. In any case, Data CD/DVD can be selected, in which case the media files will be burnt in original format.

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Photos

Photos are also burnt to a Data CD/DVD, in which case the original media files are used.

Recorder

Select the required recorder (burner) and click on Start. The progress bar will show 100% when the burning process is complete.

The CD/DVD burner in the ShowCenter application is optimised for rapid and easy burning. It is not able to create menus on DVDs or to spread long files/playlists over several discs. For more demanding burner tasks, we recommend Pinnacle INSTANT CD/DVD.

The ShowCenter application

The menus

The File menu

In the File menu you will find the following options:

New Playlist from Selection

If you have marked one or more files in the Media Library and then choose this option, a new playlist will be created from the marked files.

An input box appears on the left-hand side of the Media Library with a standard name in which you can enter the required name of the new playlist.

Further details on this topic are described in the section Creating and editing playlists.

Play selection

Select one or more files in the Media Library and then choose this option. The selection will now be played/displayed on the MediaPlayer.

Preferences

This option gives you access to a dialog box in which you can set all the preferences necessary for the ShowCenter application:

Audio CD Import

 Format (quality and bit rate)  Speed

General

 Language  Settings for file conversion  Skin selection  Entry of access code (PIN code) for restricted file access  Definition of the folders for audio, video and photo files as well as for

temporary files

Playback

 Settings for playback: device and buffer memory

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Key commands

When this menu option is selected, a dialog box opens in which you can create, edit and delete user-defined key commands and macros.

Quit

You can close the ShowCenter application with this option.

The ShowCenter application

The Edit menu

In the Edit menu you will find the following options:

Cut

Mark the text passages to be moved, select Cut from the menu, click on the point where the text passages are to be inserted and then select Paste from the menu. The text passages will be removed from the original position and inserted at the new position.

Copy

Mark the text passages to be copied, select Copy from the menu, click on the point where the text passages are to be inserted and then select Paste from the menu. The text passages will remain in the original position and, in addition, will be inserted at the new position.

Paste

With this command, you can insert text passages at a new position, which you have cut or copied from elsewhere by means of the Cut and Copy commands respectively.

Delete

Mark the required files and select this option from the menu to permanently delete the files.

Select All

With this option, you can select all the files in an active area at one go (e.g. Media Library list).

Select None

With this option, you can remove the marking from files in an active area (e.g. Media Library list).

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Select Invert

With this option, you can either mark all the files in an active area at one go (e.g. Media Library list) or remove marking that already exists.

Browse

With this option, you jump to the Media Library browser. Further details on this topic are described in the appropriate section.

The ShowCenter application

File formats

File formats supported

The ShowCenter system supports several media file formats "straight out of the box", but not all those that are to be found on the market. Files that are initially incompatible are still imported into the ShowCenter database, however, as they are automatically converted to a compatible format in the background and then stored on your PC's hard drive. The original files are also retained and are visible in the database.

Audio file formats supported

 MP3  WMA

Files that are not originally available in MP3 are converted to MP3.

Video file formats supported

 MPEG 1  MPEG 2  DivX ™ AVI (Version 4 or 5) [simple profile]  XviD AVI [simple profile]  DV AVI  WMV

The DV AVI and WMV formats are converted. The target format can be specified under Preferences in the File menu.

Photo formats supported

 JPG  PNG  GIF

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File conversion

The ShowCenter Player can only play back a few music and video formats directly. Others, such as Windows Media Audio (WMA) or DV AVI video clips, must first be converted into a format known to the ShowCenter Player. This is controlled by the ShowCenter application, but also takes place in

the Media Server when the application is closed. When this happens, a converted copy is created - the original file is not changed.

You specify which formats are to be automatically converted after importing and also define the target format under Preferences in the ShowCenter application. As standard, music files are automatically converted. On the other hand, video files are only converted when you initiate this by selecting the file in the Media Library, then clicking with the right mouse button and choosing "Convert to ..." in the menu.

Converted files are stored in the location, which you have specified in the Quickstart Assistant. This location can also be changed under Preferences in

the ShowCenter application. Please note that the conversion, especially of video files, can take up a large amount of space.

File status

In the Media Library, different details concerning the individual files are shown in the list on the right-hand side for each type of media. In the first column, you will see a description of the conversion status for each file.

The ShowCenter application

Each file in a selected category can have the following file status (recognisable by the symbol):

The file is not ready for playing/displaying on the TV set or stereo system. It must be converted first.

The file is in the waiting list for conversion and is not ready for playing/displaying on the TV set or stereo system.

The file is currently being converted and is not ready for playing/displaying on the TV set or stereo system.

An error has occurred during conversion of this file. Examples of this could be an unknown codec or no memory space.

If there is no symbol in the file status column, then the file is ready for playing/displaying on the TV set or stereo system.

Conversion functions

Right-clicking on a file in the list will open the context menu and you can choose between the following options:

Convert to

The selected file will be converted. This may also be appropriate, for example, when the file is already compatible with the ShowCenter system but is to be converted to a special format for a CD or DVD. The target format is likewise chosen via the context menu.

For movies, the following formats are available:

VCD ("VideoCD")

The movie is compressed to one-quarter of the size (352x240 or 288) in accordance with MPEG 1. The overall data rate is 1.15 Mbit/sec. One CD (650Mbyte) therefore holds a good hour of picture and sound. However, the video quality is rather low but in return a VCD the can be played by most DVD players.

SVCD ("SuperVideoCD")

The movie is compressed in MPEG 2 format with full vertical resolution but with the horizontal resolution reduced to 2/3. The data rate is 2.5 Mbit/sec and one CD holds barely half an hour of picture and sound, but the video quality is considerably better than with VCD. However, only some DVD players will accept the SVCD format.

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DVD LongPlay

Here, the movie is compressed in MPEG 2 format with half horizontal resolution and full vertical resolution. The data rate is 3.5 Mbit/sec, resulting in very good video quality. DVD LongPlay can be burnt on DVDs and nearly all DVD players will accept this format. It is also well suited for converting a movie with high data rate to a lower data rate, which is suitable for wireless networks.

DVD

The video is compressed with full resolution in accordance with MPEG 2. The data rate is 6 Mbit/sec, which results in excellent video quality but which is too high for transmission by wireless networks. Conversion to the DVD format is therefore only sensible for cable-based 100 Mbit/sec networks or for burning a DVD, which can then be played on nearly all DVD players.

For all formats, the sound is always compressed in the "MPEG 1 layer 2" format (stereo).

When you use a wireless network connection to the ShowCenter Player, then the maximum data rate for transmission is approximately 4 Mbit/sec. This is no problem for music and photos, but movies with data rates higher than 4 Mbit/sec cannot be played without jumping. In such cases, the movies concerned should be converted, the best quality being achieved with the DVD LongPlay format.

Delete converted file

All converted files present will be deleted.

Cancel conversion

A conversion that is already running will be cancelled.

ShowCenter Server and ShowCenter Control Panel

Setting server preferences with the ShowCenter control panel

The server settings can be checked or modified using the ShowCenter control panel. You can start the ShowCenter control panel either from the Start menu

via the Pinnacle program group or by clicking with the mouse on the icon in the information area of the task bar.

Media Server settings

The Media Server safeguards access to the database and makes data available via the ShowCenter Player, which you want to call up on your TV

screen by means of the menu and then view on the TV or play back on the stereo system.

The Media Server also undertakes the monitoring of the specified folders as well as converting the format of media files, which cannot be played in their original form on the ShowCenter Player. These are converted to a suitable format in the background and can then be played or viewed.

In order to view the Media Server settings, click on the appropriate button in the ShowCenter control panel.

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Start / Stop

Conversion can take a lot of computer power and thus interfere with your work on the PC. If this should be the case, conversion can be stopped by means of this button and resumed later by clicking again. However, this will cause the current conversion to be lost and it will be started again from the beginning.

With this button, you confirm the current settings and the window will close.

Quit

With this button, you can shut down the ShowCenter control panel and the window will close.

Streaming Server settings

The Streaming Server provides the data for the TV user interface in the form of HTML/PHP pages. These enable you to navigate by means of the remote control to musical tracks, movies and photos in your database that you want to play back or view.

In order to view the Streaming Server settings, click on the appropriate button in the ShowCenter control panel.

Network interface settings

If you have several options for setting up a network connection in your system, choose the connection to which the ShowCenter Player is connected here. The associated IP address will be displayed.

ShowCenter Server and ShowCenter Control Panel

Start / Stop

You can activate or deactivate the Streaming Server by means of this button. The selected network connection will be set up or switched off. It may be necessary to switch the Streaming Server off and on again if you make changes to your network configuration.

With this button, you confirm the current settings and the window will close.

Quit

With this button, you can shut down the ShowCenter control panel and the window will close.

The TV screen

Switching on the ShowCenter Player and the TV set

When the ShowCenter Player is switched on, the ShowCenter logo will appear on the TV screen first of all and then, after a few seconds, the server selection menu.

The ShowCenter Player now automatically detects all the available server PCs on the network. These are PCs on which the ShowCenter software has

been installed and on which the ShowCenter Server is active. After a few seconds, these will be displayed on the right-hand side and marked by means of a green tick. Select one of the servers with the cursor keys and press OK to establish a connection to this PC.

Server PCs, which are not currently active, are indicated by a red prohibition symbol. In general, it will not be possible to establish a connection

to these PCs.

If no server PC is displayed even after waiting for some time, then please first check the network connection between the ShowCenter Player and the PC. Ensure that the ShowCenter software is installed on the PC and that the ShowCenter control is running. Finally, check whether the correct network

Pinnacle ShowCenter

adapter has been selected in the ShowCenter control. If you are using a wireless network, then please check the settings for SSID and WEP encryption (see Chapter "Setting up the ShowCenter system - Connecting devices").

If the server PC is not detected

The ShowCenter Player detects server PCs using the "Universal Plug & Play" protocol. Many network routers or switches block this protocol. In such cases, it will be necessary to set up the server PC manually. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Open the ShowCenter control panel on the server PC and note the IP address, which is shown in the Streaming Server area. The IP address consists of four numbers separated by decimal points, for example "169.123.17.5".

2. Select the Add Server icon on the ShowCenter Player and press OK. On the following page, enter any name and then the IP address that you have noted. Tip: You can switch between lowercase letters, uppercase letters and numbers/characters by means of the C/N button.

3. In the first instance, leave the Always connect to this server option deactivated.

4. Select Save with the cursor keys and press OK. Then select Back to return to the server selection menu.

5. Here, you will now see the server PC that has just been set up. Select it and press OK, even if the prohibition symbol is visible. The connection to the server PC will now be established.

Further options in the server selection menu

Superfluous servers can be removed from the list with Delete Server, for example if the name of your PC has been changed. With Edit Server, you can first select a server PC, the IP address of which can then be edited. The Always connect to this server option, which is available here, has the effect of making the ShowCenter Player automatically connect to this server when it is switched on.

If you have activated the "Always connect to this server" option, you can still open the server selection menu by pressing the "A" button on the remote control. However, this will only work in menus, which do not assign alternative functions to the "A" button.

When a connection has been established to a server PC, the menu will appear on the TV screen after a short time. This is described in detail in the following sections.

The TV screen

The TV screen menu - Overview

When the computer, the TV set and the ShowCenter Player are switched on and a connection has been established to a server PC, the following menu will appear on the TV screen after a short time:

On the left-hand side, you will see the media types and some special functions. On the right-hand side the corresponding list of contents will appear depending upon the media type selected. The media types are distinguished from one another by different colours.

The entry screen is always set to New Media and shows a list of the ten media last imported on the right-hand side. This can be a mixture of music, movies and photos.

If new files have been imported into a watched folder since you last opened this screen, this will be shown by means of an indicator next to the "New media" button.

You can actuate the menu and choose which media you want to view with the remote control.

You will find out more about the menu structure for the individual media types and about Settings and Special functions in the following sections.

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If you should have any questions...

If you should have any questions while using the menu, you can open the interactive Help for the TV menu with this button on the remote control. An appropriate movie will be shown on your TV screen depending upon which type of media you have currently selected.

TV Menu - Music

The TV screen

The Music start menu is divided into the following categories:  New Music:

The music files last imported are displayed in the format "Artist-Album". All titles on the album will be displayed if you press OK on the remote control.

 Playlists:

A list of all playlists that have been created are displayed. If you select a playlist and then press OK, all titles of this playlist will be displayed.

 Genre:

A list of the different music genres is displayed. You can jump to a list of the appropriate artists by selecting a genre and pressing OK.

 Artist:

A list of artists is displayed. You can jump to the list of albums by pressing OK.

 Album:

A list of albums is displayed. You can jump to the title selection list by pressing OK.

 Song Title:

All titles in the database are displayed. You can play a selected song by pressing OK.

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TV Menu - Movies

The Movies start menu is divided into the following categories:  New Movies:

The last movies imported are displayed together with their titles. The currently selected movie will be played when you press OK on the remote control.

 Playlists:

A list is displayed of all playlists that have been created. If you select a playlist and then press OK, all movies in this playlist will be displayed.

 Genre:

A list of the different movie genres is displayed. You can jump to a list of the appropriate movies by selecting a genre and pressing OK.

 All Movies:

All movies in the database are displayed. You can play a selected movie by pressing OK.

The TV screen

Switching to full-screen mode

When a movie is selected for playing, it will appear in a preview window at the bottom left of your TV screen. To switch to full-screen mode, press the Full-Screen button on the remote control.

In the case of movies, the name of the collection is shown in each case. As a result, movies, which consist of several files, are automatically grouped together and the files played one after the other. You can switch between the individual tracks while the movie is being played by using the "Next track" and "Previous track" buttons on the remote control.

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TV Menu - Photos

The Photos start menu is divided into the following categories:  New Photos:

The photos last imported are displayed as a photo album list. A slide show will be displayed when you select a photo album with the remote control and press OK.

 Slideshows:

A list is displayed of all slide shows that have been created. If you select a side show and then press OK, the side show will be displayed on the screen.

 Photo Albums:

A list of all available photo albums is displayed. You can display a photo album as a slide show by pressing OK.

Switching to full-screen mode

When a photo is selected for display, it will appear in a preview window at the bottom left of your TV screen. To switch to full-screen mode, press the Full-Screen button on the remote control.

TV Menu - Access

The TV screen

If you have safeguarded your media files with an access code (PIN code) and the appropriate setting in the ShowCenter application and you now want full access to all data, proceed as follows:

First click on Locks, enter your PIN code and then press OK. You will now have unrestricted access to all media.

To restrict access once more, press OK.

The media files, to which restricted access is to apply, are defined individually in the function area of the ShowCenter application under the Organize tab.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

TV Menu - Settings

The following settings can be made on this screen:  Language:

Choose the required language for the TV menu and then press the OK button on the remote control.

 Video Output:

Select the required video output (e.g. Scart, Component)

 Movie Display:

The movie being played back can be adjusted to suit your TV screen, displayed in full-screen mode or in its original format.

 Screen Saver:

Choose a time period after which the screensaver on your TV should be activated when no controls are operated.

 Reload Firmware:

The ShowCenter Player firmware is reloaded with the help of this option. This should only be carried out as part of a software update.

The TV screen

A - Server

Pressing this button on the remote control will bring you to the server selection function. Select the computer/server from which media are to be transferred to the TV.

B - Advanced

Pressing this button on the remote control will bring you to the Firmware Settings page. Settings for the network configuration, for example, can be made here.

C - Screen Adjust

By pressing this button on the remote control, you can adjust the position of the picture on the menu screens. To do this, press the cursor keys and then OK to save the position. This option does not affect the playing of movies and photos.

Please note that the three buttons A, B and C have different functions dependent upon the type of media and category selected. These are shown in each case at the bottom left-hand edge of the screen. See also the section entitled "TV Menu - Special functions".

Pinnacle ShowCenter

TV Menu - Special functions

The three buttons A, B and C in the TV Menu, and also the corresponding buttons on the remote control, have different functions depending upon the type of media and category selected. These are shown in each case at the bottom right-hand edge of the screen. The appropriate function is carried out when a button is pressed.

A - Play All

All media that are currently shown on the right-hand side are played one after the other.

B - Shuffle & Play

The order of the media that are currently shown on the right-hand side is first mixed and the media are then played back.

C - Search

If you select this function, a text input field will appear, as can be seen in the following example:

The TV screen

Enter any search term here and then choose OK. The media, which could then be associated with the search term, will now be displayed in the list on the righthand side.

The remote control

Remote control key commands

You will find an overview of the individual functions of the ShowCenter remote control in the following drawing:

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Description of the keys in detail

Your ShowCenter remote control enables you to call up the many functions of your ShowCenter application from the comfort of your TV chair or sofa. To enable you to better understand the functions of the individual buttons, these are described in detail below:

On/Off

You can switch the ShowCenter Player on and off with this button.

Sound On/Off

You can switch the sound on and off with this button.

Open Music/ Movies/ Photo start menu,

open summary page

With these buttons, you can open the music, movies or photo start menus or the summary page from where you can make a more detailed selection of the functions you require.

Change video outputs

You can switch between the individual video outputs by means of this button. The video output selected at any time will be shown on the screen. If you cannot see a picture on the screen, press the "Change video outputs" button until a picture is displayed.

Full-screen

With this button, you can enlarge the preview window that appears when you start to play a movie or display a photo to the full size of your screen or switch it back to a preview window again.

Various functions

These buttons have different functions depending upon the type of media and category selected. These are shown in each case at the bottom right-hand edge of the screen. The appropriate function is carried out when a button is pressed.

The remote control

Help

You can call up the interactive Help for the TV menu with this button. An appropriate movie will be shown on your TV screen depending upon which type of media you have currently selected.

Cursor keys (Up, Down, Left, Right)

With these keys, you can navigate within a window in order to select a function. You can tell which function has been selected by the background highlighted in colour.

Confirm

You start the function that you have selected by means of this button.

Window selection back

You can change to the menu that was previously displayed by means of this button.

Selection page up, Selection page down

With these buttons, you can page up and down in a selection box, which exceeds the size of a window (recognisable by the arrows above and below the selection box), whereby the whole list of contents will become visible.

Change selection

With this button, you can jump from one selection box to the next selection box on the same page. The currently selected box can be recognised by the background highlighted in colour.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Input keys, Caps Lock/NUM (C/N) key,

Delete key (DEL)

You can enter letters and numbers using the input keys. In doing so, you have various options. Either press a key repeatedly until the required number or required letter appears in the order shown on the key inscription (similar to using a mobile phone) or use the Caps Lock/NUM key (C/N). Depending upon how often you press the C/N key, lowercase letters, uppercase letters or numbers only will be available. You can delete the last letter entered or the last number entered by means of the "Delete entry" (DEL) key.

Play/Pause, Stop

You can start the movie that you have selected by means of the Play/Pause button. If the button is pressed during playback, the movie will be paused; pressing the button again will resume playback without interruption. The movie is stopped by pressing the Stop button during playback.

Fast forward, Fast rewind, Next track,

Previous track

You can forward wind or rewind a movie to any point you require by means of the Fast forward/Fast rewind buttons. You can jump within the elements of a playlist, slide show or collection using the Next track/Previous track buttons.

The remote control

Possible causes of faults with remote control operation

If your ShowCenter remote control does not work as expected, please check the following points:

 Are you pointing the remote control directly at the receiver?

The angle with the receiver should be a maximum of 30°.

 Is it possible that the distance between the remote control and the receiver is

too great? The remote control has a range of approximately 5 metres.

 Is there a free line of sight between the remote control and the receiver?

 Are the remote control batteries fitted correctly and not flat?

Technical data

Hardware

Mains connection

 Multi-voltage - for power supply with automatic voltage changeover (100 -

230 V / 50 - 60 Hz / 15 W).

Audio and video outputs

 SCART (Europe) with FBAS and RGB support  Colour Component Video, 3 x Cinch  Composite Video (Cinch)  S-Video (Mini DIN)  2x Stereo audio (each 2x Cinch)

- one for connecting to the TV set and one for connecting to the stereo system

 Digital audio outputs: Toslink and S/PDIF

Ethernet connection

 10/100BaseT

Expansion slot

 PCMCIA slot for a wireless network expansion module and memory

expansion module

Only for the 802.11b Wi-Fi PCMCIA card recognised by Pinnacle! Please look in the compatibility list on the Internet under www.pinnaclesys.com for upto-date information.

Processor

 Standard processor with MPEG/MP3 hardware decoder: Sigma Designs

RealImage EM 8551.

Technical support

Getting Technical support

If problems should occur with your Pinnacle Systems product, please check first that the latest version of the software has been installed on your computer system.

Pinnacle Systems provides a free, round-the-clock service, which enables users to rectify problems themselves. You will be able to find answers to your questions seven days a week, right around the clock.

You will find this technical support at:

http://www.pinnaclesys.com

Click on Support and select your product from the product list. Select your product again in the Interactive Support category and you will then be able to choose from the following support options:

1. Frequently asked questions.

This is the best way of obtaining answers to your questions. Here you will find hundreds of technical problems and their solutions sorted by subject areas. These are shown in the order of the 20 most frequently read questions. In addition, you can also sort the documents according to problem categories. To do this, use the pull-down Category menu.

Please use the search function to obtain answers to special questions.

2. Ask a question and receive an answer.

Simply enter your question or the symptoms of your problem and you will obtain a list of the most obvious solutions. If you do not obtain a satisfactory solution, please rephrase your question. For example, instead of "I get error messages" you could enter "I get error messages when installing the software".

Instead of entering a specific question, you can select one of the main functions listed for your product or a general subject area from the pull-down Category list. The ten most frequently asked questions and the appropriate solutions in the category that you have selected will then be displayed.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

3. E-mail support.

If you are unable to find an answer to your questions with the help of our web site, Pinnacle Systems also offers technical support by e-mail. E-mails will be answered as quickly as possible. Please use the Ask a Question box for this purpose. Before the e-mail is submitted, five solutions to your problem will be suggested. Please read these carefully, as more than 70% of customers find suitable answers in these proposed solutions.

4. Discussion forum.

More than 100,000 registered users make use of this free service. Visit the Pinnacle Systems online discussion forum to see whether your question has already been asked and a suitable answer found. To use the service, ask your question in the discussion forum and you will receive help from Pinnacle Systems or other users.

A search function is provided in the discussion forum. If you enter "poor picture", for example, contributions on this subject will be displayed.

When you make use of Pinnacle Systems technical support, you should have all the technical information on your computer configuration ready to hand.

License information

Pinnacle End User License Agreement

This End User License Agreement (“License”) is a legal agreement between you and Pinnacle Systems (“Pinnacle”) regarding Pinnacle’s software and the accompanying documentation (collectively, the “Software”). CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING LICENSE. USING THIS SOFTWARE INDICATES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS LICENSE. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT OR UNDERSTAND THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE, YOU SHOULD NOT INSTALL THE SOFTWARE AND PROMPTLY RETURN THIS PRODUCT TO YOUR VALUE-ADDED RESELLER.

1. License Grant. Subject to the restrictions set forth below, this License grants you a non-exclusive, perpetual license to (a) install the Software on only one computer; (b) use or authorize use of the Software on only one computer; (c) make one copy of the Software, in machine-readable form, solely for backup purposes; provided you include all copyright and other proprietary rights notices on the copy and (d) transfer the Software and this License to another party if the other party agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this License. If you transfer the Software, you must at the same time either transfer all copies to the same party or destroy any copies not transferred. If you transfer possession of any copy of the Software to another party, your License is automatically terminated.

2. License Restrictions. You may not, or allow any third party to, (a) rent, lease, sell, loan or otherwise transfer the Software or any of your rights and obligations under this License; (b) install the Software on a network for use by multiple users, unless each user has purchased a license; (c) reverse-engineer, decompile or disassemble the Software or hardware in whole or in part; (d) remove or destroy any copyright notices or other proprietary markings of the Software or any third-party software; (e) modify or adapt the Software, merge the Software into another program or create derivative works based on the Software; (f) make copies of or distribute, for profit or otherwise, the Software, except as expressly provided above; (g) make any alteration, modification, connection, disconnection, improvement or adjustment of any kind to or use the Software except as explicitly contemplated in the enclosed documentation and in this License and (h) sublicense, transfer or assign this License or any of the rights and obligations granted under this License, except as explicitly contemplated in this License. Any purported transfer or assignment will be void.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

3. Export Restrictions. The export and re-export of Pinnacle software products are controlled by the United States Export Administration Regulations and such software may not be exported or re-exported to any country to which the United States embargoes goods. In addition, Pinnacle software may not be distributed to persons on the Table of Denial Orders, the Entity List, or the List of Specially Designated Nationals. By downloading or using a Pinnacle software product you are certifying that you are not a national of any country to which the United States embargoes goods and that you are not a person on the Table of Denial Orders, the Entity List, or the List of Specially Designated Nationals.

4. Ownership. The license granted hereunder does not constitute a transfer or sale of ownership rights in or to the Software. Except for the license rights granted above, Pinnacle retains all right title and interest in and to the Software including all intellectual property rights therein. The Software is protected by applicable intellectual property laws, including United States copyright laws and international treaties.

5. Third Party Proprietary Property. This Software may contain the proprietary property of others, which has been licensed to Pinnacle, your use of the Software is expressly conditioned on your agreement not to remove any copyright notices or other proprietary markings of the third party software.

6. Security. You acknowledge and agree that in order to protect the integrity of certain third party content, Pinnacle and/or its licensors may provide for Software security related updates that will be automatically downloaded and installed on your computer. Such security related updates may impair the Software (and any other software on your computer which specifically depends on the Software) including disabling your ability to copy and/or play "secure" content, i.e. content protected by digital rights management. In such an event, Pinnacle and/or its licensors shall use reasonable efforts to promptly post notices on Pinnacle’s web site explaining the security update and providing instructions to end-users for obtaining new versions or further updates of the Software that restore access to secure content and related features.

7. Term and Termination. This License shall be effective upon installation of the Software and shall terminate upon the earlier of (a) your failure to comply with any term of this License; (b) return, destruction or deletion of all copies of the Software in your possession or (c) transfer of the Software and this License to another party in accordance with Section 1(d). Pinnacle’s rights and your obligations shall survive termination of this License.

8. Limited Warranty. Pinnacle warrants to the original licensee that the Software, as delivered, will perform in accordance with the accompanying documentation for a period of 30 days from the date of the original purchase (“Limited Warranty”). Pinnacle’s entire liability and your exclusive remedy for breach of the preceding Limited Warranty shall be, at Pinnacle’s sole option, repair or replacement of the Software that does not meet the warranty set forth

License information

herein and that is returned to Pinnacle. This limited warranty shall be void if failure of the Software has resulted from any accident, abuse, misuse or misapplication by you. Any replacement Software will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or 30 days, whichever is longer.

9. NO OTHER WARRANTIES. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH ABOVE, THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. YOU ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PINNACLE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. LICENSOR DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE.

10. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. YOU AGREE THAT IN NO EVENT WILL PINNACLE BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, EVEN IF PINNACLE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL PINNACLE’S LIABILITY EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE FEES PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE. Some states/jurisdictions do not allow the limitation or exclusion of incidental or consequential damages in certain circumstances, so the above limitations may not apply in some circumstances.

11. General. This License is governed by the laws of the State of California and by the federal laws of the United States, without reference to conflict of laws principles. The federal and state courts within the County of Santa Clara, California shall have excusive jurisdiction to adjudicate any dispute arising out of this License and you hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction of the federal and state courts within the County of Santa Clara, California. This License is the entire agreement between you and Pinnacle and supersedes any other communication with respect to the Software. No modification of or amendment to this License will be effective unless in writing signed by both parties. If any provision of this License is held invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this License will continue in full force and effect.

Pinnacle Systems ShowCenter - 1.0 User Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Table Of Contents

Basics

Safety information

The concept in words

The concept in pictures

The components

Package contents

System requirements

Setting up the ShowCenter system

Installing the software

The Quickstart Assistant

Connecting devices

The ShowCenter application

Overview

The Media Library

The Media Player

Importing media files

Organising media files

Managing playlists

Exporting media files

The menus

File formats

ShowCenter Server and ShowCenter Control Panel

Setting server preferences with the ShowCenter control panel

The TV screen

Switching on the ShowCenter Player and the TV set

The TV screen menu - Overview

TV Menu - Music

TV Menu - Movies

TV Menu - Photos

TV Menu - Access

TV Menu - Settings

TV Menu - Special functions

The remote control

Remote control key commands

Description of the keys in detail

Possible causes of faults with remote control operation

Technical data

Hardware

Technical support

Getting Technical support

License information

Pinnacle End User License Agreement