Vivitek NovoDS 200 Series User Manual

Ultra-High Definition Digital Signage Player

User’s Manual

DS200 Series

Version 2.1

User’s Manual

Table of Contents

1. GETTING STARTED ............................................................................ 4

1.1 Key Features ............................................................................................. 4

1.2 Hardware setup ........................................................................................ 4

1.3 Configuring the NovoDS ............................................................................ 5

1.3.1 Display Options ...............................................................................................................5

1.3.2 Settings ............................................................................................................................6

1.3.3 Reset ................................................................................................................................7

1.4 Modes of Operation .................................................................................. 7

1.4.1 Stand-Alone Mode ..........................................................................................................7

1.4.2 Network Mode ................................................................................................................7

1.5 Software Download and Installation ......................................................... 9

2. NOVODS SOFTWARE OVERVIEW ............................................. 11

2.1 DS Playlists .............................................................................................. 11

2.2 DS Devices ............................................................................................... 11

3. DS PLAYLISTS (PLAYLIST EDITING) ....................................... 12

3.1 Terminology Definition ................................................................................ 12

3.2 Creating a Playlist ........................................................................................ 13

3.2.1 Selecting a Template .....................................................................................................13

3.2.2 Creating a Custom Template ........................................................................................14

3.2.3 Editing a Playlist ............................................................................................................16

3.2.4 Adding Content to a Playlist ..........................................................................................17

3.2.4.1 Importing from an Existing Playlist Region ........................................................................................ 17

3.2.4.2 Adding Media (Image or Video files) .................................................................................................. 18

3.2.4.3 Adding Web Page ............................................................................................................................... 20

3.2.4.4 Adding Text ........................................................................................................................................ 21

3.2.4.5 Adding an IP Stream ........................................................................................................................... 21

3.2.4.6 Adding a Twitter Feed ........................................................................................................................ 22

3.2.4.7 Adding a USB Camera Feed ................................................................................................................ 23

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3.2.4.8 Adding a Clock .................................................................................................................................... 23

3.2.4.9 Adding a 5-day Weather Report ........................................................................................................ 24

3.2.4.10 Adding Google Calendar .................................................................................................................. 25

3.2.4.11 Adding a RSS Feed ............................................................................................................................ 25

3.3 Editing Pages ............................................................................................... 26

3.3.1 Adding Pages to Playlists ...............................................................................................27

3.3.2 Managing Pages within a Playlist ..................................................................................27

3.3.3 Importing a Page from another Playlist ........................................................................28

3.4 Previewing a Playlist .................................................................................... 28

3.5 Exporting a Playlist ...................................................................................... 30

3.6 Importing a Playlist ...................................................................................... 31

3.7 Configuring Preferences .............................................................................. 31

4. DS DEVICES (DEVICE MANAGEMENT) .................................... 33

4.1 Adding a Device ........................................................................................... 33

4.1.1 Adding a Device Manually .............................................................................................33

4.1.2 Adding a Device Through Auto Discovery .....................................................................34

4.2 Editing a Device List ..................................................................................... 35

4.2.1 Device Setting ...............................................................................................................35

4.3 Creating a Group ......................................................................................... 39

4.3.1 Synchronized Playback ..................................................................................................40

4.4 Schedule ...................................................................................................... 41

4.4.1 Creating a Schedule ......................................................................................................41

4.4.2 Importing a Schedule ....................................................................................................42

4.4.3 Assigning a Schedule .....................................................................................................43

4.5 Remote Snapshot ........................................................................................ 43

4.6 Overlaying a Message .................................................................................. 44

5. NETWORK CONFIGURATION ....................................................... 46

6. DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS .............................................................. 47

7. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ......................................................... 48

User’s Manual

Component

Function

1

RJ45 Port

Ethernet connection

2

USB Port

USB mouse/keyboard and USB thumb drive

3

HDMI Port

Display output

4

DC 5V Power Jack

Power input

5

microSD Card Slot

microSD card for additional storage

6

Kensington® Security Slot

Secure lock

5 4 3 1 2

6

1. Getting Started

1.1 Key Features

NovoDS is an easy-to-manage digital signage solution for creating dynamic multimedia content for

a variety of large-scale corporate and educational applications. Designed with a user-friendly

interface, the NovoDS allows users to generate signage content without the need of any

programming skills. Its features include

 Support 4K display resolution;  Built-in WiFi and built-in internal storage  Intuitive playlist creation;  Scheduled playback;  Network-based management;  Remote monitoring

1.2 Hardware setup

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Device Configuration buttons

Click this button to start playing the upcoming playlist immediately

Click this button to start playing the built-in “Demo” playlist immediately

Network connection information

1.3 Configuring the NovoDS

There are several buttons available at NovoDS’ home-screen for device configuration, such as

display resolution, WiFi settings, etc. The following figure illustrates the key functionalities and

Information shown on the home-screen after power-up.

1.3.1 Display Options

Button “Display” allows you to select the proper display resolution through tab “Resolution”, and

to resize the display output dimension through tab “Scaling”. It is worth mentioning that

unsupported display resolutions will become inactive. For example, if you connect a non-4K

monitor to NovoDS, the “4K” resolution will be greyed out, as shown in the figure below. “HDMI-

CEC” tab allows you to enable/disable HDMI-CEC feature. Once it is enabled, you can use TV

remote control to control NovoDS device as well.

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1.3.2 Settings

There are several actions you can take under button “Settings”.

(1) “Screen Orientation” – Configure the display output in “Landscape” or “Portrait” mode (2) “Auto-Play Setup” – Configure auto-playback after device’s boot-up and upon microSD card

insertion.

(3) “Settings Protection” – Lock or unlock device settings with a password. (4) “Firmware Upgrade” – Check for firmware upgrade from our Internet server. (5) “General Settings” – Set regional language, date & time, etc.

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1.3.3 Reset

Click on button “Reset” to restart the NovoDS device.

1.4 Modes of Operation

Users can manage content via two ways,

(1) Stand-Alone mode (by using a microSD card) (2) Network mode (via the network)

1.4.1 Stand-Alone Mode

Stand-alone mode is simple plug-and-play operation and requires no direct management of the

NovoDS device, which is suitable for single-device deployment.

To run NovoDS in Stand-Alone mode:

a. Create the desired playlist on your computer using the NovoDS software (See section 3.1 ). b. Save and export the playlist to a microSD card (See section

c. 3.5 Exporting a Playlist ). d. Launch the NovoDS device. e. Optionally, disable WiFi function through button “WiFi” at NovoDS’ home-screen. f. Insert the microSD card into the NovoDS device. Then, the device will start playback

automatically.

1.4.2 Network Mode

Network mode allows users to synchronize playlists to multiple devices from a computer via WiFi

or Ethernet connection.

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To run NovoDS in Network mode:

a. Power on your NovoDS devices. b. You have a choice of using Ethernet or WiFi.

 To use Ethernet, simply plug in an Ethernet cable.  To use WiFi connection, the configuration will take a few more steps, described as

follows.

i. Click on button “WiFi” in NovoDS’ home-screen

ii. Select “Connect to Wi-Fi” and

then click on button “Configure”.

This will bring you to a WiFi

configuration page, where you

can select the desired WiFi

network. You may require to

enter network credentials when

necessary.

iii. Once this is completed successfully, the

network SSID and IP address will be

displayed in the top-right corner of the

screen.

c. Connect your PC to the same network (Ethernet or WiFi) as the one used by your NovoDS

devices.

d. From this point onwards, you can use NovoDS software on your computer to manage your

NovoDS devices.

WiFi Hotspot

NovoDS can function as a WiFi hotspot which can be

convenient for small-scale deployment or product

evaluation. To connect via Hotspot Mode:

a. In the WiFi configuration screen, select

“Enable Wi-Fi Hotspot” and then click on

button “Apply”

User’s Manual

IMPORTANT: To enable successful operation of a NovoDS device, specific TCP and UDP ports should not be blocked by your network’s firewall. If you are operating behind a network firewall ensure that the TCP and UDP ports used by NovoDS are open. For details on the ports used by NovoDS see Section 5.Error! Reference source not found.. For nformation on how to open specific ports, consult your router’s user’s manual.

b. An IP address and its SSID will be displayed for the

NovoDS device in the top-right corner. (In the figure

below, the IP address is 192.168.43.1 and the SSID is

“NVC_61961.”)

c. Now you can connect your computer to this WiFi Hotspot and start managing this NovoDS

device.

To test the connection

We can use “Preview” feature to test the network

connection.

a. Open NovoDS software and select a playlist b. Click on “Preview” tab on the left pane, and then,

enter the corresponding IP address of the

NovoDS device.

c. Click on button “Connect” to connect to the

device. If the network configuration is done

properly, the connection will be established

successfully.

1.5 Software Download and Installation

NovoDS comes with playlist editing and device management software available for both Windows

and Mac computers. Please go to the Vivitek website (http://www.vivitekcorp.com) to download

the latest version.

User’s Manual

2. NovoDS Software Overview

There are two tabs available in the software, DS Playlists and DS Devices.

2.1 DS Playlists

This tab allows users to create and organize playlists for your digital signage, including

 Creating a Playlist  Selecting or customizing a template  Placing and editing your content  Testing your Playlist  Setting user preferences, including language and playlist path

2.2 DS Devices

This tab enables users to control and manage NovoDS devices over the network. Key features

include

 Adding/Deleting NovoDS devices  Grouping multiple devices, and synchronizing their playback  Setting a specific playlist for a device or group  Setting a schedule for different devices or groups  Monitoring playback status of each NovoDS device

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Playlist

. . . .

Page

= + +

Template AttributeContent

3. DS Playlists (Playlist Editing)

3.1 Terminology Definition

“Playlist” is the key concept in NovoDS software. Before we describe how to create a playlist, let’s

start with some terminology definitions.

 Playlist: a multi-media content package designed to be played on NovoDS devices,

consisting of one or multiple pages.

 Page: a screen layout that is filled with content.  Template: a screen layout that consists of one or multiple “regions”, and, can be applied to

any “page”.

 Content: resources that can be placed in a “page”, including text, images, music/audio,

video, web pages, video streaming over IP, Twitter and RSS feeds, as well as weather, clock

and Google Calendar.

 Attribute: mainly refers to associated playback characteristics such as duration, rendering

effect, etc.

The following figure illustrates their relationship.

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3.2 Creating a Playlist

3.2.1 Selecting a Template

NovoDS has 40 built-in templates in both landscape and portrait orientation.

a. To select a template, open the DS Playlists tab and select the +Playlist button from the Edit

Playlist screen. You will be given the option of creating a custom configuration or choosing

one of the 40 built-in templates.

b. Check ‘Landscape’ or ‘Portrait’ to match your screen orientation. Then select a template

from by clicking on the desired one.

a. Click on button “Create” to create this playlist. b. Click on button “Cancel” to discard the playlist creation.

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On the right side of the window,

 You can adjust display resolution  You can find out each region’s geometry by

mouse-over.

3.2.2 Creating a Custom Template

You also have the option of creating your own display configuration for your playlist.

a. Open the DS Playlists tab and select the +Playlist button from the Edit Playlist screen.

b. Click on “Customize” and then “Template Editor” to open an editor dialog.

c. The editor dialog shows a table grid, which will be used to defined regions within this

customized template. You can adjust its column and row numbers through the two spinners

User’s Manual

at the top-left corner. You also can change your desired resolution at the bottom-left

corner.

d. Left-click your mouse and drag over grids to form the regions you desire.

Vivitek NovoDS 200 Series User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual