NovaStar ViPlex Express Software User Manual

NovaStar ViPlex Express Software

Specifications

• Product Name: ViPlex Express
• Manufacturer: Novastar
• Website: www.novastar.tech
• Operating System Compatibility: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or later
• CPU Requirement: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
• RAM: 4 GB minimum
• Hard Drive Space: 60 GB

Product Usage Instructions

Software Introduction
ViPlex Express offers two working modes:

• Professional Solution Editing: Edit solutions with various contents and complex schedules.
• All-round Control: In async mode, control multimedia players with features like brightness adjustment, time synchronization, font management, and more.

Getting Started
Preparing a PC
Ensure your PC meets the following minimum requirements:

• OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i5
• RAM: 4 GB
• HDD: 60 GB

Installing Software

1. Ensure Framework 4.6.x and Visual C++ 2017 runtime components are installed.
2. Download the installer from here.
3. Double click the installer and follow the installation wizard.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Where can I download the software?
A: You can download the software from the official website at http://www.en.vnnox.com/download

 Software Introduction

ViPlex Express is a display content publishing management system for PC, which is installed in the Windows operating system and allows you to edit solutions and play the solutions on LCD or LED displays. In async mode, ViPlex Express is also used to control multimedia players. This document introduces you to the functions and operations in studio mode.
ViPlex Express is part of the cloud solution. On the startup page of studio mode, clicking Cloud Platform on the left menu allows you to view the related information.

Two Working Modes
ViPlex Express has two working modes and you can switch to your desired mode based on the application scenario.

• Studio Mode
  When a solution is being played in ViPlex Express, the solution is also played synchronously on the display. This mode is applicable to synchronous playback.
  The playback window is on the extended display. You can use the screen monitoring function to view the playback on your primary monitor.

• Async Mode
  ViPlex Express sends solutions to multimedia players. The solutions will be stored in the multimedia players and played according to their playback plans. This mode is applicable to the scenario when multimedia players load displays.

Professional Solution Editing
ViPlex Express is designed with a professional solution editing function allowing you to edit solutions with various contents and complex schedules as required.

• Multiple pages
  A solution can be added with multiple pages that are played in order from top to bottom.

• Flexible layout
  You can use a system template or customize a template when adding a page. In a template, you can set the number, coordinates, width, and height of windows based on your needs.

• A variety of media
  On a page, you can add general windows, cut-to-display window, Office documents, images, videos, GIF, text, colorful text, digital clocks, analog clocks, timers, weather, RSS, streaming media, web pages, and cut-to-display window.

• Multiple properties
  Every type of media has multiple properties that can satisfy your needs and present a variety of solutions. Scheduling as you wish
  You can set a period and cycle for each page to play. The schedules of a page can be batch applied to other pages. If the periods of several pages overlap, the pages will be played in order from top to bottom

• Quick preview
  Clicking the preview button allows you to preview the current page. The preview window refreshes immediately when you move on to another page.

• All-round Control
  In async mode, ViPlex Express enables you to fully control multimedia players, such as brightness adjustment, time synchronization, font management, terminal upgrade, video source switching, screen status control, play log query, network configuration, RF management, and standalone playback.

Getting Started

Preparing a PC
Minimum requirements

• OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
• CPU: i5
• RAM: 4 GB
• HDD: 60 GB

Installing Software
Prerequisites

• Framework 4.6.x is installed.
• The official version of Visual C++ 2017 runtime components are installed.
• The installation package of ViPlex Express is obtained.

Where to Obtain
http://www.en.vnnox.com/download

Installing Software
Double click the installer to install ViPlex Express by following the wizard.

Checking PC Configuration Options
To ensure stable playback, please check the Windows configuration options shown in Table 2-1. If a configuration option does not conform to the target status, please change it. This chapter takes Windows 10 as an example.

Table 2-1 Configuration options

l Allow program connection

Conforms to any of the above statuses.

Turn off screen| Never
Sleep| Never
Scaling size| 100%
Multiple displays| Duplicate these displays
UAC| Never notify
Antimalware Service Executable| Disabled
Superfetch| Manual

Windows Automatic Update

1. Step 1 Click on the Windows Start menu.
2. Step 2 Choose Update & Security.
3. Step 3 On the Windows Update page, click Advanced options.
4. Step 4 Check whether Windows automatic update is turned off.

Firewall

1. Step 1 Click on the Windows Start menu.
2. Step 2 Choose Update & Security.
3. Step 3 Select Windows Security.
4. Step 4 Click Open Windows Defender Security Center.
5. Step 5 Check whether the firewall is turned off. If the firewall needs to be turned on, check whether the connection is allowed.
   For the method to allow program connection, see 7.1 How to set the inbound firewall rules?

Screen off and Sleep

1. Step 1 Click on the Windows Start menu.
2. Step 2 Choose System.
3. Step 3 Choose Power & sleep.
4. Step 4 Check whether all the four configuration options are set to Never.

Scaling Size and Multiple Displays

1. Step 1 Click on the Windows Start menu.
2. Step 2 Choose System.
3. Step 3 Check whether the scaling size is 100% and the option of multiple displays is set to Duplicate these displays.
   Note: When multiple monitors are connected, the configuration option for multiple displays will appear.

UAC

1. Step 1 Click on the Windows Start menu.
2. Step 2 Type “User Accounts” in the search box and select Change User Account Control Settings.
3. Step 3 Check whether UAC is set to Never notify.

Antimalware Service Executable

1. Step 1 Press Win+R buttons to open the Run window.
2. Step 2 Type gpedit.msc command and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor dialog box.
3. Step 3 Expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus.
4. Step 4 Click Real-time Protection.
5. Step 5 Check whether the status of Turn on process scanning whenever real-time protection is enabled is Disabled.

Superfetch

1. Step 1 Press Win+R buttons to open the Run window
2. Step 2 Type services.msc command and press Enter to open the Services dialog box.
3. Step 3 Check whether the startup type of Superfetch is Manual.

Connecting to Displays

1. Connection 1
   The PC with ViPlex Express installed is connected to a sending card and serves as a video source for the LED display. Figure 2-8 uses the MCTRL4K sending device as an example.

2. Connection 2
   The PC with ViPlex Express installed is connected to an LCD and serves as a video source for the LCD.

Selecting Working Mode
First Installation
After ViPlex Express is first installed, a Select Mode dialog box appears when you open ViPlex Express. Select Studio Mode and click Open.

Other Situations

If you have installed ViPlex Express or selected a working mode before, the dialog box shown in Figure 2-9 will not appear. If ViPlex Express is in async mode by default after opened, switch to studio mode by following the steps below:

In the top-right corner , choose > Working Mode > Studio Mode and click OK. ViPlex Express will be in studio mode after restarted.

Creating Solutions
After updated, the solution data in async mode will be synchronized to studio mode.

1. Step 1 After you select studio mode, the startup page of studio mode is displayed.

2. Step 2 Click and select Regular Screen or Ultra-Long Screen.
   Select Regular Screen to access the solution editing page.
   On the solution editing page, choose Playback Window > Playback Window Settings from the menu bar and set the coordinates, width, and height of the playback window and select an option of keeping the window on top. If Same as desktop is selected, the size of the playback window will be the same as the size of your deskto p. Select Ultra-Long Screen to open the Solution Information dialog box, as shown in Figure 2-1.

3. Step 3 Set the solution information and click OK.

4. Step 4 After the solution editing is done, click Save.

5. Step 5 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click to preview the Beginner’s Guide, and then click Get Started.

6. Step 6 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click to preview the current page.
   When the preview window is opened, you can also select other pages to preview. If you make changes to the current page, click Refresh at the top right to refresh the preview window.

7. Step 7 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click View Schedule to view the schedule of each page in the solution.

Playing Solutions

1. Step 1 On the solution editing page, click at the upper right to play a solution.
2. Step 2 The solution editing page is not displayed and a playback control bar appears.

 Solution Management

Creating Solutions

1. Step 1 After you select studio mode, the startup page of studio mode is displayed.
   • You can create solutions for regular screens (hereinafter referred to as “regular-screen solutions”) and solutions for ultra-long screens (hereinafter referred to as “ultra-long-screen solutions”.
   • After updated, the solution data in async mode will be synchronized to studio mode.

Creating a Regular-Screen Solution
Related Information

• A regular-screen solution contains one or more pages and each page contains one or more media items.
• The pages of a solution are played in order from top to bottom.

Operating Procedure
Before you create a solution, get the screen resolution in advance.

1. Step 1 Click and select Regular Screen from the drop-down menu.
   • When you access the studio mode for the first time to create a regular-screen solution, you are prompted to setB the playback window, as shown in Figure 3-1.
     The playback window and screen must be consistent in resolution.

In other situations, the solution editing page is displayed when you access the studio mode to create a regular-screen solution, as shown in Figure 3-2.
You can resize and reposition the playback window and choose to show or hide the playback window. For details, see 4 Playback Management.

The description of the solution editing page is shown in Table 3-1.

Notes
When you add an Excel file, the number of rows of the Excel file must be less than or equal to 600 and the total width of the columns must be less than or equal to the width of an A4 landscape paper. It is recommended that you set the page layout of the Excel file to A4 landscape.

• Users can set the text color and merge the cells in the Excel file to be imported. Other properties of the cells in the Excel file currently cannot be displayed. Please scan the Feedback QR code in the navigation bar to give feedback if needed.
• A valid URL is required when you add RSS, streaming media, or web page media.
• When you add weather media, the screen must be connected to the Internet so that it can obtain real-time weather information.
• For the limitations on cut-to-display windows, see 7.4 Limitations on Cut-to-Display Windows for Regular Screens.
• Step 2 After the solution editing is done, click Save.
• Step 3 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click to preview the Beginner’s Guide, and then click Get Started.
• Step 4 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click to preview the current page.
• When the preview window is opened, you can also select other pages to preview. If you make changes to the current page, click Refresh at the top right to refresh the preview window.
• Step 5 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click View Schedule to view the schedule of each page in the solution.

Creating an Ultra-Long-Screen Solution

1. Step 1 Click and select Ultra-Long Screen from the drop-down menu.
   The Solution Information dialog box appears.

2. Step 2 Set a name, resolution, direction and the number of parts for the solution, then click OK.

   • The resolution of the solution must be consistent with the configured screen width and height.
   • Set the direction according to the actual situation, For an ultra-wide screen, select Horizontal, while for an ultratall screen, select Vertical.
   •  The number of parts is calculated according to the actual screen width and height and the configured screenwidth and height.

3. Step 3 Edit the solution on the solution editing page, as shown in Figure 3-2.

   • In the page media editing area, the page is displayed based on the actual screen resolution and boundaries appear according to the number of parts.
   • Only images, text and colorful text can be placed across the boundary.

4. Step 4 After the solution editing is done, click Save.

5. Step 5 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click to preview the Beginner’s Guide, and then click Get Started.

6. Step 6 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click to preview the current page.

7. When the preview window is opened, you can also select other pages to preview. If you make changes to the current page, click Refresh at the top right to refresh the preview window.

8. Step 7 (Optional) At the upper right of the page, click View Schedule to view the schedule of each page in the solution.

Note

• Ultra-long-screen solutions do not support synchronous playback.
• To ensure smooth playback, playing videos and text simultaneously is not recommended.

Playing Solutions
On the top right of the page, click to play a solution. The solution editing page is not displayed and a playback control bar is displayed.

Screen Monitoring
If you have an extended display connected and the solution is played on that display, click on the playback control bar to monitor on the main display the image currently being played.

Playback Management

Setting Playback Window
On the menu bar of the solution editing page, choose Playback Window > Playback Window Settings. Set the coordinates, width, and height of the playback window and select an option of keeping the window on top. If Same as desktop is selected, the size of the playback window will be the same as the size of your desktop.

Showing and Hiding Playback Window

• When the playback window is shown, choose Playback Window > Hide Playback Window on the menu bar to hide the playback window.
• When the playback window is hidden, choose Playback Window > Show Playback Window on the menu bar to show the playback window.

The default shortcut of showing and hiding playback window is Ctrl+H. You can change it in Preferences.

Play Logs

Searching for Play Logs

1. Step 1 On the solution editing page, select Play logs on the menu bar.

2. Step 2 Set the date range and click Query.
   Querying play logs of the current day is not supported.

3. Step 3 In the displayed query result list, click the date to view the general information and details of the play logs.

4. Step 4 (Optional) Click Back to go back to the query result list.

Exporting Play Logs

1. Step 1 On the solution editing page, select Play logs on the menu bar.

2. Step 2 Set the date range and click Query.
   Querying play logs of the current day is not supported.

3. Step 3 Select the logs you want to export and click Export.

4. Step 4 In the displayed dialog box, set the export path and format

5. Step 5 Click OK.

System Settings

To enter system settings, click in the top-right corner of the startup page or solution editing page in studio mode.

Switching Language
Choose > Language and select the target language from the submenu.

Switching Working Mode
Choose > Working Mode > Async Mode to switch to the async mode.

Setting Preferences
Choose > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box.

• Starting Playback
  Select Start playback and the software will automatically play the last played solution when Windows starts.

• Setting Shortcut of Showing and Hiding Playback Window Select a letter from the drop-down list. The selected letter and Ctrl constitute the shortcut of showing and hiding the playback window.

• Viewing User Manual
  Choose > User Manual to view the user manual of this software.
  You can also click User Manual on the left menu on the startup page in studio mode.

• Checking for Updates
  Choose > Check for Updates. In the displayed dialog box, check whether a software update is available. If there is an update available, click Download to start the online update.

•  Feedback
  Choose > Feedback. In the displayed dialog box, scan the code with your WeChat to follow the official account of NovaStar Cloud Service or send your feedback to the email address provided.

• Viewing Software Information
  Choose > About. In the displayed dialog box, view the software related information.

FAQs

How to set the inbound firewall rules?

1. Step 1 Click on the Windows Start menu.
2. Step 2 Choose Update & Security.
3. Step 3 Choose Windows Security.
4. Step 4 Click Open Windows Defender Security Center.
5. Step 5 Click Firewall & network protection.
6. Step 6 Click Advanced Settings and then click Yes to open the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security dialog box.
7. Step 7 Click Inbound Rules.
8. Step 8 On the right of the page, click New Rule to open the New Inbound Rule Wizard dialog box.
9. Step 9 Select Program and click Next.
10. Step 10 Click Browse, select Proto.exe from the local PC, and then click Next.
11. Step 11 Select Allow the connection and click Next.
12. Step 12 Select Domain, Private, and Public and click Next.
13. Step 13 Enter a name and click Finish.

What video formats are supported in studio mode?
The following video formats are supported in studio mode:

• .3g2, .3gp, .3gp2, .3gpp, .amv, .asf, .avi, .bik, .bin, .divx, .drc, .dv, .f4v, .flv, .gvi, .gxf, .iso, .m1v,
• .m2v, .m2t, .m2ts, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mp2, .mp4, .mp4v, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpeg1, .mpeg2, .mpeg4,
• .mpg, .mpv2, .mts, .mxf, .mxg, .nsv, .nuv, .ogg, .ogm, .ogv, .ps, .rec, .rm, .rmvb, .rpl, .thp, *.tod,
• .ts, .tts, .txd, .vob, .vro, .webm, .wm, .wmv, .wtv, .xesc
• AVI only supports the following video coding formats: MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264, DivX 4/5/6,
• XviD, SV1, 3ivX D4, H.264/MPEG-4 AVCMKV, AMR, WebM, WMV, MP3. For instance, AVI videos in DX50 and MP4V formats cannot be played.
• When a video format is not supported, you are advised to convert the video to MP4 format with a professional video format conversion software.

Limitations on Playback Parameters for Ultra-long Screens

Table 7-1 Media playback parameter description

played simultaneously: (Choose one from the following 4 options)
| l 4K x 1
| l 1080P x 2
| l 720P x 4
| l (480×50) x 6
Other Media| None

Limitations on Cut-to-Display Windows for Regular Screens
Table 7-2 Limitations on the playback of cut-to-display windows

Recommended screen resolution

(width × height)

| 4096 × 288 pixels| 1920 × 1080 pixels
Number of parts| Cut horizontally: Actual screen width/Playback window width ≤8 Cut vertically: Actual screen height/Playback window height ≤8

References

• en.vnnox.com/download

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