Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product 3.2 Focus
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Firefly SC and MZ Media Players V ersion 3.2 User Manual.
T rademarks The Focus Enhancement s, Visual Circuit s, and Firefly logos are registered trademarks in the United S ta tes and other countries. All other product s, services or comp any nam es mentioned her ein are claimed as trademarks and tra de names by their respective companies.
i Firefly Safety Requirement s IMPORT ANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS: The following safety instructions apply to the V isual Cir cuits Firefly: 1. Read and follow all warning notices and instructions marked on the product or included in this manual.
ii POWER AND GROUND REQUIREMENTS: Determine that the cumulative pow er requirements of the Firefly plus other equipment in th e rack do not overload the supply circuit s and/or wiring.
iii User Manual Regulatory Document ation Class A S t atement F C C P a r t 1 5 ( E N 6 1 0 0 0 - 3 - 2 ) This equipment has been tested an d found to comply with the limits for a Clas s A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 (EN6 1000-3- 2) of the FCC Rules.
iv Operat ion is subje ct to the following two co nditions: 1. This device may not cause harmful interference. 2. This device must accept any interference that may cause undesired operation. Industry Canada This Clas s A digital apparatus me ets all requirem ents of the Canadian Interfer ence-Causing Equipment Reg ulations.
v Class A W arning (EN55024, EN55022) In a domestic environment this p roduct may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to t ake adequate measu res. W ARNING Failure to prov ide adequate surg e protection may cause dama ge to the Firefly .
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vii C ONTENTS Welcome to Firefly SC ™ and MZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Quick Start Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Before You Start, You Will Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Installation Sequence .
viii Contents Reviewing, Previewin g and Deleting Firefly Media . . . . . . . . . . 31 Reviewing Media and Storage Usage on the Firefl y . . . . . 31 Previewing Vi deos and Graphic Overl ays on the Firefly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ix Contents USB Devices Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 USB Network Sett ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Multicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
x Contents Diagnostic Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 DTDs (Document Type Definition) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Log Default Playlist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
xi Contents Insufficient Disk Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Forgot Name, Password, IP ...??? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Preventing Cabling and Connection Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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1 W ELCOME TO F IREFLY SC ™ AND MZ Thank you for purchasing the Firefly SC ™ or the Firefly MZ ™ . The Firefly SC and MZ are the media players developed specifically for A/V professionals; combining the ease and familiarity, flexibility and control of a disk-based, MPEG-2 decoder.
W elcome to Fir efly SC ™ and MZ 2 Document ation Conventions The Firefly SC and MZ are single-channel devices that share many features and capabilities. Because of these similarities, this manual, in general, does not differentia te between these two players and simply calls them either the Fi refly or the player.
3 Q UICK S T ART P LUG AND P LAY The Firefly is a single-channel output device that is simple to con- figure and can reside on a network or stand alone. Befor e Y ou S tart, Y ou W ill Need Have the following items ready be fore installing the Firefl y MZ Media Player .
Quick S tart Plug an d Play 4 Installation Sequence 1. Install Firefly on network. a. Connect you r video and audio cables to the back of the Firefly . b. Connect the video and audio cables from the Firefly to the inputs on the monito r and audio component.
Quick S tart Plug and Play 5 Inst all the Firefly 1. Attach the video cables to the Firefly . ❏ For Composite monitors: Connect a BNC-ended composite cable (not inc luded ) to the composite connector on the back of the Firefly .
Quick S tart Plug an d Play 6 2. Attach the audio cables to the Firefly . ❏ For an unbalanced audio connection use audio cables with stranded wire ends and connect to terminal 1 (Left +), terminal 4 (Right +), and te rminals 2 an d 4 (designated grounds).
Quick S tart Plug and Play 7 Configure for Network Often, the Firefly TCP/IP defaul t s must change to accommodate the network where it will reside. Th e best method is to attach a computer to the media p layer .
Quick S tart Plug an d Play 8 Changing TCP/IP Settings Firefly default TCP/IP settings: S tatic IP Address: 10.0.1 .1 Login (case sensit ive): firefly Password: 123456 There are two methods for initially changi ng the Firefly TCP/IP settings: W ebV iew and serial commands.
Quick S tart Plug and Play 9 Restarting the Firefly is only necessary when updating the netwo rk settings in a D HCP environm ent, i. e. going from S tatic to DHCP mode, changing the Host Name, and so on.
Quick S tart Plug an d Play 10 Inst all Media Messenger Install Visual Circuit’s Media Messenger software from the Media Messenger C D by follow ing the online screens an d prompts .
Quick S tart Plug and Play 11 Configure FTP Setup on-board Fir efly FTP Server • Configure Firefly properties. • Configure Firefly FTP server . Configur e Firefly Pr operties 1. Open the Main window of Media Messenger . 2. Right-click in the Firefly object in the Network Pane and display Player drop down menu.
Quick S tart Plug an d Play 12 Configuring the Fir efly FTP Server 1. Click on Settings in the Main Menu list and select FTP Server Setup. 2. Fill in the FTP Site Information Fields. a. IP Address/Hostname. Network Administrator provid es the IP Address and Hostname of the FTP server .
Quick S tart Plug and Play 13 How T o Create a Basic Playlist Playing media on Firefly requires 1. That the MPEG videos reside o n the Firefly . 2. That a valid playlist resides on the Firefly . There are seve ral methods for creating a layout and playlist for the Firefly.
Quick S tart Plug an d Play 14 Publish Vi a F T P 1. Open W ebV iew , click on System Settings, and select Network. Confirm that the network and security settings are correct. 2. Return to the Media M essenger main workspace. 3. Select the target player or player group in the Network Pane.
Quick S tart Plug and Play 15 6. Select the Upload Option: a. a specific play er , b. a group of players, c. all players, 7. Click Begin Update b u tton. When the upload completes, clo se the Up date Control window . The Firefly MZ loads immediately and begins playin g back the playlist.
Quick S tart Plug an d Play 16 V ia CD/DVD Another method of transporting pl aylists, schedules, and media files is to create a media update disc.This process crea tes the content image of an autorun disc (CD/DVD). Media Messenge r does not burn a CD or DVD.
Quick S tart Plug and Play 17 Sof tware Up dating Visual Circuits is continuously looking for ways to improve and expand its features and product p e rforman ce. We provide a variety of simple methods to keep y our Firefly updated with the latest software for your application.
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19 E NCODING R EQUIREMENT S AND R ECOMMENDATIONS In order to ensure proper play back on the Firefly, the MPEG content must be encoded following a particular set of encoding requirements.
Encoding Requirements and Recommendations 20 Encoding Recommendations 1. Resolution: 720 X 480 or 704 X 480 in NTSC; 704 X 576 in PA L . 2. Closed GOP (Group of Pictures) with an “I-frame” every 15 frames is recommended. 3. The recommended audio bit rate is 384kbps and a sampling rate of 48khz.
Encoding Requir em ents and Recomm endations 21 7. When enco ding files, anno tate and store notes on the audio levels of both the source tape an d input settings of the encoder . It will then be possible to veri fy audio levels of later encoding sessions.
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23 W EB V IEW The WebView interface allows you to access a Firefly over a network using only a conv entional web browser. No special software is required. WebView is compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer ™ 5.5 and h igher. While WebView may work with other web browsers, Visual Circuits cannot guarantee full compatibility.
W EB V IEW 24 S tep 2: Determine the Address of the Fir efly Once proper network connections are confirmed on both the Firefly and the web brows er computer, you will need to know the IP address or DNS name (if your network has a DNS server) of the Firefly.
W EB V IEW 25 S tep 4: Enter Y our User Name and Password All Firefly’s ship from the factory with a default user name of “firefly” and d efault password “123 456”. If you h ave not yet changed tho se defaults, you shou ld enter them at this time.
W EB V IEW 26 Using the W ebV iew Interface Once you h ave logged on to the WebVie w Interface, you r browser will go to the “Media Transfer” pa ge as the default starting point ( page 27 ). Along the left side of the page are the navigation buttons used to access different pages in the WebView interface.
W EB V IEW 27 T ransferring Media From this page you can transfer media from your computer or network to the Firefly. Up to six media files can be transferred at once by simply specifying the files to be transferred in each of the Media 1 through Med ia 6 boxes.
W EB V IEW 28 If you cannot remember the names and locations of the files you wish to transfer, simply click th e Browse button to th e right of the box you wish to fill in . This will bring up a window that allows you to search your hard drive(s) and netwo rk for the desired file.
W EB V IEW 29 When WebView begins tra nsferring the se lected files, an animated sequence of flashing circles will appear over the Visual Circuits logo in the lower left portion of the page to let you know that the transfer is in progress.
W EB V IEW 30 W ebview Software Update To update yo ur Firefly using the Media Transfer-Firefly Update method, simply browse your PC for the .upd file you may ha ve obtained from the Visual Circuits web site or CD ROM. Now select “Firefly Update”.
W EB V IEW 31 Reviewing, Pr eviewing and Deleting Firefly Media Within the WebView Media Review page, you will be able to review media and storage usage on the Fire fly, preview video and graphic overlay media on the Firefly an d delete media from t he Firefly.
W EB V IEW 32 In addition, you will be able review the current storage status of the Firefly by observing the current “Used” space and “Free” space displayed in the upper left por tion of the Media Review window.
W EB V IEW 33 Figur e 7. Media Review Page (Graphic Overlay) Deleting Media fr om the Fire fly 1. Select the proper file type tab (video, overlay , playlist or schedule) at the top.
W EB V IEW 34 Figur e 8. Media Review Page (Deleting Multiple Files) WARNING Y ou may delete any or all media files from the Firefly in this fashi on. This includes files that may be in use by the current pl aylist. If you delete a file that is currently playing, it will be allowed to finish playing befo re the file is ac tually re moved.
W EB V IEW 35 Using the Playlist Editor Within the Playlist Editor, you will be able to arrang e videos o n the Firefly into a playlist. A playlist is essentially a group of videos arranged in a particular playback sequen ce. A playlist can be use d for immediate playback or saved on the Firefly for fu ture playback.
W EB V IEW 36 Cr eating a New Playlist The process for creating a new playlist may be started in one of two ways; by choo sing “New Play list” from the “Playlist” drop down menu or b y clicking on th e “New” button in the lower right corner.
W EB V IEW 37 Moving V ideos Within a Playlist While you are creating or modifying a playlist, yo u may find yourself wantin g to modify the ord er of the videos. To move a video up (towards the beginnin g) in a playlist: 1. Select the video (from the V ideo list) you would like to move.
W EB V IEW 38 There are two ways you can add a graphic overlay to a video. The first method is as follows: 1. Click on the video within the playlist that you would like the overlay to associate with. 2. Locate and then click on your desired graphic overlay from the Firefly Media list.
W EB V IEW 39 W orking W i th Graphic Overlays in a Playlist As previously not ed, graphic ov erlays exist in a playlist as attributes of sp ecific video entri es. The only image types that are compatible with Firefly are .b mp, .jpg, .gif, .tga or .png.
W EB V IEW 40 The process for altering the characteristics of a specific graphic overlay is as follows: (Skip steps 1 and 2 if you have already selected a graphic overlay and are w ithin the Gr aphic Overlay Properti es page).
W EB V IEW 41 5. If desired, adjust the rat e (in seconds) at which you would like the graphic overlay to fade in and/or out on the screen. 6. If desired, select the position on the screen where you would like to have the graphic overlay located (example: left bottom).
W EB V IEW 42 Adding Scr olling T ext to a Playlist The process for adding scrolling text to a playlist is basically the same as the process of adding video files. The one significant difference, however, is that scrolling text i s always linked to a particular video.
W EB V IEW 43 W orking W i th Scr olling T ext in a Playlist As previously noted, scrolling text exist in a playlist as attributes of specific video entries. Figur e 1 1. Scrolling T e xt Properties Page The process for altering the characteri stics of a specific text file is as follows.
W EB V IEW 44 3. Reverse - When Reverse is selected to the on position, the T ext assumes the position of Background & visa versa. Entering your own RGB values for the background feature only works with 8 bit bitmap graphics less than or equal to 720x4 80 resolution.
W EB V IEW 45 Playing a Playlist Quickly If you are browsing thro ugh your playlists and find on e you would like to play right away, simply c lick the “Play” button, which is located in the lower right portio n of the Playlist Editor screen.
W EB V IEW 46 Using the Schedule Editor Within the Schedule Editor, there are two separate pages: the Playlist Events Editor and the Video Dates Editor. Within the Playlist Events Editor you will be able to work with playback schedules. A schedule is a group of one or more playlist events.
W EB V IEW 47 Cr eating a New Schedule The process for creating a new schedule may be started in one of two ways; by choosing “New Schedul e” from the Schedule drop down menu or b y clicking on th e “New” button in the lower right corner.
W EB V IEW 48 Ta b l e 1 . Event Property Field Examples Adding an Event to a Schedule To add an event to a schedule: 1. Edit the event properties as described below . a. Playlist Name: Choose a playlist from the “Select a Playlist” drop down m enu.
W EB V IEW 49 Figur e 14. Days of the W eek Dialog Box Click on which da ys of the week you would like the playlist to play on. A “checked” box indicates the day is selected and an “unchecked” box indicates the day is not selected. If you would like to clear all of the day selecti ons, click the Reset button.
W EB V IEW 50 2. Once you have finished editing the schedule, you may save your changes by following th e instructions found in Saving a Schedule on page 52 . Deleting an Event from a Schedule To delete an event from a schedule, use the following steps: 1.
W EB V IEW 51 Figur e 15. Days of the W eek Dialog Box Click on which da ys of the week you would like the playlist to play on. A “checked” box indicates the day is selected and an “unchecked” box indicates the day is not selected. If you would like to clear all of the day selecti ons, click the Reset button.
W EB V IEW 52 2. Once you have finished editing the schedule, you may save your changes by following the Saving a Schedule instruct ions found below . Saving a Schedule Once you have finished editing a schedule, you may save changes on the Firefly by clicking either the “Save” or “Save As” buttons at the bottom of the screen.
W EB V IEW 53 Additional Saving and Loading Methods Beyond the stan dard saving and loadin g methods directly to and from the Firefly, there are two local options available to you.
W EB V IEW 54 Figur e 18. Save As Local Dialog Box 3. T ype in your desired name for the sch edule file and click the “Save” butto n. When saving a schedule locally , you must add the schedule file extension “.fsc” to the en d of all file names.
W EB V IEW 55 Figur e 19. Load Local Browse Dialog Box 2. Click the “Browse” button. The following Choose File dialog box will appear: Figur e 20. Load Local Save As Dialog Box 3. Locate your desired schedule file (.fsc). Once found, high light it and click the “Open” button.
W EB V IEW 56 You will be returned to the Schedule Editor main screen. The schedule you just loaded will be open on your screen, ready for modifications if desired. Assigning Dates for V i deo Playback The Video Dates Editor allows you to designate the actual date(s) a particular video is allowed to play .
W EB V IEW 57 Depending on your ap plication, you may have a need for using any or all of the three previously men tioned date rules. The table below provides some “real world” exam ples for using the Vide o Dates Editor. Ta b l e 2 . Vide o Date Rule Examples To add a date rule for a vi deo, use the following steps: 1.
W EB V IEW 58 To delete a date rule for a video, use the following steps: 1. (From the Schedule Editor main screen) Select the V ideo Dates Editor from the drop down me nu. Th e V ideo Dates Edito r screen will be displayed. 2. Locate the video (under V ideo Name) you would like to delete the date rule for .
W EB V IEW 59 Using the Player Contr ol Panel The Player Control panel mirrors the basic functionality of the Firefly remote control. You will be able to Play, Pause and Stop the currently playing file (display ed on the output window ).
W EB V IEW 60 Diagnostics The Diagnostics pages display a nu mber of statistics about what the Firefly is doing at a fairly technical level. The information found within these pages can serve as a tool to help the Visual Circuits technical support team wo rk with you over the ph one in the event that you are experiencing problems.
W EB V IEW 61 Figur e 23. Diagnostics - General Page Diagnostics - General Player version :Disp lays the version of the Firefly (incorporating both hardware and software). Currently loaded schedule :Displays the file name of the currently loaded schedule (if app licable) on the system.
W EB V IEW 62 Figur e 24. Diagnostics - V ideo Page Diagnostics - V i deo Horizontal Size :Defines the horizontal r esolution of the currently playing MPEG file in pixels. Vertical Size :Defines the vertical reso lution of the currently playing MPEG file in pixels.
W EB V IEW 63 Timeco de :Displays the current timecod e within the playing MPEG file offset so that all files start at 00:00:00. File Type :Displays the type of MPEG file being played on the channel.
W EB V IEW 64 Figur e 25. Diagnostics - Playback Page Diagnostics - Playback Interrupts :Displays the number of in terrupts that have bee n received from the MPEG decoder. AV Syncs :Displays the number of times the audio or video streams had to be adjusted t o maintain proper synchr onization.
W EB V IEW 65 Audio Data :Displ ays the amount of da ta currently in the MP EG decoder’s audio data buffer. Raw Data : Bytes of MPEG data in RAM. Disk Underflow :Displays the nu mber of disk unde rflows that have occurred.
W EB V IEW 66 Figur e 26. Diagnostics - Loggin g Page (Run log) Once in the Run logfile viewer , th e video playback data will be listed with one v ideo per line and wil l be sorted by playback time (using Firefly’ s internal 24-hour clock).
W EB V IEW 67 Diagnostic Logs Diagnostic logs can be used to view a record of all media update transactions and any system errors on a Firefly. Information contained in th e diagnostic log include: ❏ FTP/DVD Updating data: T racks date, time of connection/ disconnection, errors- yes/no, files, sizes, percent transferred and FTP permission errors.
W EB V IEW 68 Figur e 27. Diagnostics - Lo gging Page (Diagnos tic log) Once in the Diagnosti c logfi le viewer , the data will be listed with one diagnostic event per line and will be sorted by playback time (using Firefly’ s internal 24-hour clock).
W EB V IEW 69 System Settings Within the System Settings me nu, the following options are availab le: General Settings Figur e 28. Settings-General Site ID The Site ID uniquely identifies th e Firefly as it updates via FTP. It is also used for Media Messenger software to enable automated management of co ntent, playlists & schedu le updates.
W EB V IEW 70 Ti me Zone Allows you to select the appropriate time zone (measured in hours and minutes plus or minus Green wich Mean Time) for where the Firefly is being used. Ve r s i o n This is where to reference the software version for technical support purposes or verifying version change following a “software update”.
W EB V IEW 71 V i deo Settings Figur e 29. Settings-V ideo Channel 1 Video Selects the standard for video output: ❏ NTSC (USA) ❏ P AL (European) ❏ 480p ❏ 576p ❏ 720p ❏ 1080i ❏ NTSC Cropped ❏ P AL Cropped Interleave Mode When change frame size, select whether to use interleaving or not and the typ e.
W EB V IEW 72 ❏ Bob (Bob and W eave) Display Mode ❏ 720 x 480 ❏ 720 x 560 ❏ 640 x 480 ❏ 800 x 600 ❏ 840 x 480 ❏ 1024 x 768 ❏ 1024 x 852 Channel 1 Video Out Selects the type of video ou tput: Composite/S-video or Component. Composite and S-Video signals can be used simultan eously.
W EB V IEW 73 Audio Settings Figur e 30. Settings-Audio Vo l u m e This setting allows you to set th e volume level for audio pl ayed back on the Firefly. The default volume setting is 10 on the 0 -20 scale. Audio Output Firefly gives you sev eral audio output op tions depending o n the configuration you use (see Table 3 on page 74 ).
W EB V IEW 74 Ta b l e 3 . Firefly Audio Configurations Firefly Dolby Digital D/A decoding is only available when using the optional Dolby Digital Software Upgrade (config #4).
W EB V IEW 75 Contro l Settings Figur e 31. Settings-Control Accept TCP/IP In conjunction with RS232 serial co mmunication, TCP/IP allows the user to remotely operate th e Firefly by sending operation commands through a network or locally using an ext ernal PC or show controller (see External Control Commands on page 119 ).
W EB V IEW 76 Auto Play Upon initial start up, Firefly will begin playing the latest l oaded playlist/schedule automatically. Follo wing start up, if you choose to begin playba ck manually vi a External commands, you can default this option to “Off” to deactivate automatic playback.
W EB V IEW 77 Network Settings Figur e 32. Settings-Network Host Name Choose a unique name that iden tifies each Firefly unit on the network..
W EB V IEW 78 Mode DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protoc ol) - A TCP/IP service protocol that offers dyn amic leased configuration of host IP addresses and distributes other configuration parameters to eligible network clients.
W EB V IEW 79 Netmask Specify a range that falls on subnet boundaries. Most TCP/IP networks use subnets in order to manage routed IP addresses. For the range specified in From and T o, W indows 2000 calculates the closest matching subnet. The range of a ddresses in the closest matching subnet may exceed the range specified.
W EB V IEW 80 FTP Proxy IP Enter the address for the proxy, in IP format. FTP Proxy Port The number of the port to be us ed to access the FTP proxy server. Contact you system administ rator for this information. HTTP Proxy T ype Select the type of HTTP prox y best suited for application.
W EB V IEW 81 SNMP Netmask Designates the Netmas k informati on for the system(s) that will be able to monitor and co ntrol the Firefly. So for the individual example above y ou would set, (Ex. 1- 255.255.255 .255) and for the range exampl e above (Ex.
W EB V IEW 82 Logging Settings Figur e 33. Settings-Logging Run Log Allows you turn to “On” or “Off” the ru n log. The run log provides a record of which v ideos played (with wh ich graphic overlays, if applicable), starting at what da tes/times, playing back what percentage of the vid eo and for how long.
W EB V IEW 83 ❏ Sto rage Cleanup data: Records what media have been deleted by the automatic storag e cleanup routine, including file names, sizes and dates. ❏ Missing Elements Log: Re cords a ll missing media referenced by an active playlis t or schedule, including date, time and file element.
W EB V IEW 84 Max Log MBs Allows you to set a value (i n megabytes) for the maximum size a log file is able to reach. The de fault value is 10 MB. You may want to keep this value relatively small if you wish to maintain a large amount of free space for videos and graphic overlays.
W EB V IEW 85 W ebV iew Settings Figur e 34. Settings-Logging We bVi ew Enable This feature gives the user access to Firefly over a network using a conventional web browser (see WebView on page 23 ). File Acce ss Enable/Disable - Accesses the Firefl y directly with an FTP client.
W EB V IEW 86 Password Enter at least 6 (but no more than 15) alphanumeric characters. This field is case sensitive. WARNING It is strongly recommended to change the use r name and password from their original default values for system security .
W EB V IEW 87 FTP Auto-Update Settings Figur e 35. FTP Auto-Update Settings Screen FTP IP Address Enter the FTP server IP Address here. FTP Port Allows you to enter the port for the FTP server. If left blank during an update, this field will conti nue to show a blank value, and FTP will use port 21.
W EB V IEW 88 Directory It is advised that you leave this blank and use the home directory of your FTP account to place your me dia, playlists, schedules and/or updates folders. In the case where you are using multiple Firefly’s with different content for each unit, single and or multiple directories can come in handy.
W EB V IEW 89 HTTP Auto-Update Settings Figur e 36. Settings-HTTP Auto Update HTTP Address Enter the HTTP server IP Address here. HTTP Port Allows you to enter the port fo r the HTTP server. If left blank during an update, th is field will continu e to show a blank value, and HTTP will use po rt 80.
W EB V IEW 90 Up date Interval Allows you to schedule HTTP updates every 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4 or 12 hours, 1 day or at a fi xed time. Fixed Up date Ti me Allows you to set an actual fixed time (on an hourly basi s) for an HTTP update (Example: 14:00).
W EB V IEW 91 USB Devices Figur e 37. Settings-USB Devices.
W EB V IEW 92 USB Devices Settings Figur e 38. Settings-USB Modem Enable Dialup If dialup is required. Phone Number Username Enter the USB server username here. Leave this blank if no username is present. Password Enter the password required for access to the USB server.
W EB V IEW 93 Gateway A service that allows Firefly to connect to other se rvers. Creating a gateway also allows client comput ers running only Microsoft client software to access serve r resources through the gateway. See your Network Administrator fo r further information.
W EB V IEW 94 USB Network Settings Figur e 39. Settings USB Network Mode Type of network being accessed: Dynamic or Static. IP Address A 32-bit address used to identify a node on an IP internetwork. Each node on the IP internetwork must be assigned a unique IP address, which is made up of a network identifier and a host identifier.
W EB V IEW 95 Most TCP/IP networks use subnets in order to manage routed IP addresses. For the range specified in From and T o, W indows 2000 calculates the closest matching subnet. The range of a ddresses in the closest matching subnet may exceed the range specified.
W EB V IEW 96 Multicast Figur e 40. Settings-Multicast Multicasting is an optio nal feature enabled by a software upgrade. If your Firefly does not have the optiona l Multicasting feature (menu items are “grayed out”) and your application requires it, contact a Visual Circuit s representative at 1-800-250-5533.
W EB V IEW 97 Channel Like presets, you can assign a Channel number for each “Listen” configuration. This allows you to easily recall up to 99 Chann els of Listen Address & Port combinations. Listen Address The IP address that the multicast client will listen on.
W EB V IEW 98 Reserves MBs Allows you to allocate a fixed amou nt of Firefly’s int e rnal storage space for receiving a multicast updat e. To de termine this value, you will need to estimate the larg est multicast update you will ever receive (example: 1000 MBs).
W EB V IEW 99 Advanced Settings Figur e 41. Settings-Advanced Audio/V ideo Sync Turns audio/vi deo synchroniza tion on and off. Turning the audio to video sync hronization or “lip sy nc” off, some times eliminates stuttering video playb ack. This may however result in poor au dio to video synchroni zation.
W EB V IEW 100 If you are in “Schedule Mode”, if a new playlist has the same filename as a playlist already on the system, then any empty channels on the new playlist w ill utilize the channels from the original playlist.
101 N ETWORKING Overview Firefly players can be deployed as a network of media playback nodes. Because Firefly can be p laced on a network, standard network setup (i.e. establishing a Username, IP configuration, etc.) is fully supported. Fire fly comes standard with fully integrated FTP functionality.
Networking 102 Media Messenger ™ Sof tware Visual Circuits Media Messenger ™ software (sold separately) combined with Firefly Media Player c reates a simple, yet powerful, end-to-end solution for the dist ribution and utilization of high- quality digital media.
103 U P DATING V IDEO P LAYBACK Firefly players can be up dated in a variety of wa ys using a couple different interfaces. These updating processes include both automatic (minimal intera ction) and manual methods.
Updating V ideo Pla yback 104 (LAN). Often LAN connections have access to the internet, but be sure to check with a ne tworking specialist for information on setting up an account if internet a ccess is required to reach the FTP server. Often internet acces s from a LAN requires the use of a proxy server and fire wall permissions.
Updating V ideo Playback 105 This person does not ne ed to be familiar with how the network is maintained technically, or how the Firefly nodes are s erviced and maintained.
Updating V ideo Pla yback 106 FTP Update Pr ocess When an FTP update is initiated on the Firefly , either by selecting Update Now or by a regular update interval or fixed time trigger , the Firefly will try to establish co mmunications with the specified FTP site.
Updating V ideo Playback 107 FTP Updating Order The Firefly system will look for an update file following a specific order. It will proceed sequentially through th is order until it finds a matching file and will then proceed to the When moving font files (.
Updating V ideo Pla yback 108 System Update Check After Firefly has finished its update ro utine it will search the /updates directory under the ho me directory of the F TP site for any valid software updates. If it finds a file in this directory with the extension “.
Updating V ideo Playback 109 Overview Each Firefly on yo ur network must have a uniqu e serial number. This serial number will be used to identify the individual Firefly during a multicast update to ensure that the proper media goes to the correct player.
Updating V ideo Pla yback 110 Script Last Mode: In Script Last Mode, individ ual files can be sent to the Firefly. Any content will be stored on the system (unless none of its files are on the system). Any .tar/.fpl sent w ill be processed and played as long as it has at least one content file on the Firefly.
Updating V ideo Playback 111 System Settings for Multicasting The System Settings for Multicas ting detailed below are accessibl e via either the remote control, WebView or Front Panel interfaces. Client Enabl e: Allows option to enable or disable the multicast client .
Updating V ideo Pla yback 112 Manual Up dating W ebV iew Updating W ebV iew is a web-based interface tha t can be used to transfer media from your compu ter and/or n etwork to the Firef ly . See T ransferring Media on pa ge 27 for instructions on transferring media to the Firefly usin g the W ebV iew interface.
Updating V ideo Playback 113 Dir ect File Access Updating Direct File Access (enabled in “W eb” screen within Firefly System Settings) can be used to update t he Firefly directly with an FTP client. Programs such as FlashFXP (see desc ription below) may be used.
Updating V ideo Pla yback 114 Some of the options av ailable to you include: ❏ V iewing the conten ts of your Firefly . ❏ Deleting files from your Firefly . ❏ Downloading files from y our Firefly to your PC or network . ❏ Uploading files from your PC or ne twork drive t o the Firefly .
115 L OG F ILE R EPORTING Overview The logging of playb ack verification data, as well as d iagnostic data, provides for easier and more p owerful management of a Firefly Media Player network. There are two types of data logs ava ilable on the Firefly: run logs and diagnostic logs.
Log File Reporting 116 Run Logs The run log prov ides a record of which vid eos played (with which graphic overlays, if applicable), on which channels, starting at what dates/times, playing back what percentage of the video and for how long.
Log File Reporting 117 Log Format Run Logs The available output formats for a Firefly run log file are either .CSV or .XML Sample from a .CSV forma t run log: 12-07-02 20:30: 07,1,05saturn.mpg,3_ser220.BM P,1,00:01: 01,100 Sample from a .XML forma t run log: <mpeg datetime=”12-07-02 2 0:32:57” chan=”1” filename=”05saturn.
Log File Reporting 118 When the log files exceed the maximum amount of defined storage space, an automatic cleanup process will delete the oldest file as required to contain the total log file space under the set limits. In addition, files will be deleted after they are transferred to the FTP server or downloaded from the Firefly player.
119 E XTERNAL C ONTROL C OMMANDS Within this chapter, there are two types of external control commands that are described: Vi sual Circuits Co rporation (VCC) control commands and Laserdi sc emulation (LDV) control commands.
External Contr ol Comm ands 120 Basic Hyper T erminal Setup You will need a PC with Hyper Terminal (all Windows machines contain this unde r “Start/Progr ams/Accessorie s/Commuications”) and a null mo dem cable (female 9 pin ‘D” to female 9 pin D - RS- 232 cable).
External Contr ol Commands 121 VCC Control Commands: Filenames and External Commands When using external commands to handle fil es, it is necessary for those files to have names without, i.e . sales_video.mpg not sales vi deo.mpg. One convention is to use underscores in place of spaces.
External Contr ol Comm ands 122 Playlistplay This command initiates playback as soon as the files are fully queued up and loaded. There may be a slight delay between this command and playback.
External Contr ol Commands 123 Playing Individual Files To accurately contro l the playback of individ ual videos, th e following commands are us ed: The channel parameter is required for certain commands. These same External Control Command parameters are also used i n Visual Circuits multi-channel products.
External Contr ol Comm ands 124 mpgLoadNext This command queues an MPEG file to play when the current video file finishes. This file will play once. Synt ax mpgLoadNex t 0 channel videon ame Parameter s channel The channel on the Firefly (0) videoname The full path and video name of th e MPEG file to load.
External Contr ol Commands 125 mpgLoadNextDef This command queues an MPEG file to play when the current video file finishes . This comma nd adds file to a looping playlist. Synt ax mpgLoadNex tdef 0 channel videon ame Parameter s channel The channel on the Firefly (0) videoname The full path and video name of th e MPEG file to load.
External Contr ol Comm ands 126 mpgPlay This command plays a previously loaded MPEG file on the specified channel. The file must have already be en loaded using the mpgLoad command.
External Contr ol Commands 127 mpgPlayAll This command starts playback on all channels simu ltaneously. The files for each channel to play must have been previously loaded using the mpgLoad command.
External Contr ol Comm ands 128 mpgBlack This command covers MPEG vide o on a channel, causing the corresponding v ideo displays to go “black .” Note: This black may not be recognized by all d i splays as a true video si gnal. To cover the video again, use the mpgUnblack command.
External Contr ol Commands 129 mpgUnblack This command uncovers MPEG vide o, reversing the effects of the mpgBlack command. To cover the video again, use the mpgBlack command.
External Contr ol Comm ands 130 Using Serial Commands T o Cr eate Playlists You can creat e a playlist “on the fly” with the mpgLoadDef and mpgLoadN extDef comm ands. These two c ommands a re used to define a “default” (i.e. loopin g) playlist of MPEG files.
External Contr ol Commands 131 Fir efly System Commands fireflyFtpUp date This command enables Firefly to update video content, playli sts/ schedules and software via an FTP server (see FTP Updating on page 103 for more information). fireflyRest art This command restarts the entir e Firefly system.
External Contr ol Comm ands 132 Callback Commands mpgCallback Turns on/off callback (play complete). Synt ax mpgCallbac k on Parameter s on on=1, send callbacks (default off). Play Complete Callback Each time a file ends and another file is started, a string is sent back to the c ontroller ov er the serial port.
External Contr ol Commands 133 Audio and V ideo Setting Changes mpgSetV olumeLef tRight The mpgSetVolumeLeftRight command sets the le ft and right audio volumes independently. The default volume level is 124. Lowering this value will make the volume so fter or raising this value will make the volume louder.
External Contr ol Comm ands 134 Networking Commands FireflySetDefault This command sets the ne tworking back to it’s factory state : IP Address - 10.
External Contr ol Commands 135 FireflySetGateway The FireflySetGateway command will allow you to change the players network Gateway. Syntax fireflyset gateway gateway Parameter s Gateway A service that allows Firefl y to connect to other servers.
External Contr ol Comm ands 136 FireflySetW e b_Enable The FireflySetWeb_Enable command gives the user the option to turn on & off network co mmunication to Webview. Syntax fireflyset web_enabl e 0 (enable) or 1 (dis able) FireflyGetIpAdd r The FireflyGetIpAddr command retrieves current setting.
External Contr ol Commands 137 FireflyGetW e b_Enable The FireflyGetWeb_Enable command retrieves current setting. Syntax fireflyget web_enabl e Remarks 0 = Enabled 1 = Disabled.
External Contr ol Comm ands 138 Media Calls mpgDir This command returns the names of all files on the Firefly. Synt ax mpgDir mpgDelete This command permanently remov es a media file from the Firefly. Synt ax mpgDelete name Parameter s name The full name of the media file (vid eo or graphic overlay) to remove.
External Contr ol Commands 139 Information Calls infoGetFile Synt ax infoGetFil e 0 channel Returns the file playing the channel. Parameter s channel The channel on the Firefly (0) infoGetPlaylist Synt ax infoGetPla ylist 0 channel Returns the current playlist.
External Contr ol Comm ands 140 infoGetS t ate Synt ax infoGetSta te 0 channel Returns the current playback state of t he player. Parameter s channel The channel on the Firefly (0) Return V alues “S.
External Contr ol Commands 141 LDV Control Commands Intr oduction Firefly may be controlled serially via the Laserdisc emulation control set described in this section. This interface sends commands to Firefly dictating vide o playback, player settings or to report back system informa tion.
External Contr ol Comm ands 142 Other optional se ttings include: Be sure that the control device an d Firefly’s COM port settings are the same. For Laserdisc Video serial communicati ons, “LDV” must be selected in the Command Mode under System Settings.
External Contr ol Commands 143 Command Syntax All commands shown in this section will be upper case. The re are no spaces in the command argument itself.
External Contr ol Comm ands 144 Command Summary Remember all commands are either upper case or lower case characters as well as other ASCII characters. Some address arguments are optional and will be designated by () whereas mandatory addresses will be designated by <>.
External Contr ol Commands 145 Playback Commands Play (PL) Command: Plays from the current file position and continues to play until the (address) value is reached.
External Contr ol Comm ands 146 Reject “S top” (RJ) Command: Stops playback and resets the file poi nter to the head of the playlist (equivalent to a stop button on a DVD or CD pla yer). Format: RJ<CR> Response: R<CR> Examples: RJ<CR> Stops playback and resets playback pointers to head of playlist.
External Contr ol Commands 147 Pause (P A) Command: Pauses the current file po sition and b lacks out the picture. Format: PA<CR> Response: R<CR> Explanation: The PA command will pause play back, Scan Reverse or Scan Forward.
External Contr ol Comm ands 148 S till (ST) Command: Pauses the current file po sition and f reezes the picture. Format: ST<CR> Response: R<CR> Explanation: ST is treated exactly the same as PA except that instead of the video output going b lack, the current video frame is held on screen.
External Contr ol Commands 149 Search (SE) Command: Jumps to the specified position within the current MPEG file or playlist. Format: <address>SE<CR> Response: R<CR> Explanation: The Search command can jump to any I-frame within the current file or the head of any other file within the playlist.
External Contr ol Comm ands 150 Multi-T rack Jump Forward (JF) Command: Jumps forward in the current MPEG file or playlist by the amo unt specified in the <address> argument.
External Contr ol Commands 151 Multi-T rack Jump Reverse (JR) Command: Jumps backward in the current MPEG file or playlist by the amount specified in the <address> argument.
External Contr ol Comm ands 152 Display Control (DS) Command: Turns the on screen sta tus display on or off . Format: xDS<CR> Response: R<CR> Explanation: This command is used to call up a graphic overlay. All elements of that overlay except the bord er box around the edge of the picture are included.
External Contr ol Commands 153 Frame Numb er Request (?F) Command: Requests the file position in the current MP EG file in frame number format. Format: ?F<CR> Response: <framenumber><CR.
External Contr ol Comm ands 154 T ime Code Request (?T) Command: Requests the file position in the current MP EG file in time code format. Format: ?T<CR> Response: <timecode><CR> Explanation: This command can be global sp ecific. If received as a global command, the Firefly will respond with the file position.
External Contr ol Commands 155 Chapter Number Request (?C) Command: Requests the position in the current playlist. Format: ?C<CR> Response: <filenumber><CR> Explanation: This command can be global specific.
External Contr ol Comm ands 156 Player Active Mode Request (?P) Command: Requests the current mode. Note: The state after a reject command (RJ) will be P05 (stilled), not P01 (stopped).
External Contr ol Commands 157 Firefly Model Request (?X) Command: Requests the software version. Format: ?X<CR> Response: <channels>V<softwarever><CR> Explanation: This command is always global specific. Examples: Command Response Meaning ?X <CR> 4V2.
External Contr ol Comm ands 158 Load Playlist/Schedule (LD) Command: Loads a playlist/schedule. Format: “<filename>”L D<CR> Response: R<CR> Explanation: This command is used to load a new playlist/schedule.
External Contr ol Commands 159 External Control Commands Quick Reference Guide: V CC Commands: P laylistload P laylistplay m pgLoad m pgLoadDef m pgLoadNextDef m pgLoadNext m pgClearDef m pgPlay m pgS.
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161 T ROUBLESHOOTING General Issues No Power to Fir efly Firefly should automatically start up when power is applied and begin playing back video. If there is no power indicator: 1. Confirm power sources by pl ugging in another electrical device. 2. V erify that electrical plug is fu lly seated in power supply and or the video player .
T r o ubleshoot ing 162 "Latent Images" or "Fla shing" During Playback 1. Incorr ect timecodes or impr operly closed encoding ses sion . If the incorrect timecode is given for a particular file it is possible to actually encode a frame or two of the trailer or header information from the source.
T r oubleshooting 163 3. The bit rate of the MPEG files being played exceed the system capabilities: The V isual Circuit MPEG decoder boards and digital servers all have a maximum sus tained bit rate that can be delivered. Refer to the syst em capabilities above for basic information.
T r o ubleshoot ing 164 Smooth T ransitions For smoother transitions, MPEG f iles in the same playlist should be encoded at the same resolution and size (height x width). SMP TE tim e codes ar e not recognized pr operly Some SMPTE tracks loose inform ation during compression and may not "trigger" events as required .
T r oubleshooting 165 Forgot Name, Pas sword, IP ...??? If you’re in a situation where y ou cannot get into the W ebview interface because of a misplaced “User Name, Password, IP address, DNS Name, etc.
T r o ubleshoot ing 166 Preventing Cabling and Connection Problems The suggestions listed below prov ide basic tips for preventing or minimizing proble ms related to cabling and co nn ections to and from the Firefly. ❏ Use the best cable you can afford.
167 F IREFLY M ULTI -Z ONE ™ (MZ) Inst alling the MZ V ideo Output For best qualit y video out put and for out put to analog displays, it is necessary to attach a DVI to VGA adapter to the MZ’s DVI output. This connector is provided with the Firefly MZ.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 168 Functionality Firefly Multi-Zone ™ functionality is availa ble through the Media Messenger Multi-Zone Layout Edito r that provides the ability to integrate high-resolution, rich-content graphics with dynamic video and scrolling text in a simultaneous display.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 169 Sof tware Up date The MZ handles software updat es in the same ma nner as the SC. There is one diffence, however. S tatus LED The MZ Status LED displays RED while an update is occuring while te SC does not indicate th at a update is in progress.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 170 Using Firefly MZ to Create a Layout and Playlist Creating a Playlist requires: 1. Setting Display Parameters. 2. Creating the MZ (m ulti- zone) layout. 3. Creating a playlist and attaching layout to it. 4. Adding content to playlist.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 171 3. Select the New Layout , give the layout a name, and click OK 4. Return to the Layout button, select Screen Resolution and choose the appropriate setting. 5. Next select V ideo R esolution and choose the appropriate video standard.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 172 Position Zones in Layout W orkspace 1. Create the V ideo Zone first. 2. Add Scrolling T ext Zone if required. 3. Add Graphics Zon es Video Zone The Layout must have a video zone with a video file to functio n. There is only one video zone in a layout.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 173 4. Save the layout . Cr eating the Playlist 1. Return to the Media Messenger main workspace. 2. Open the Playlist Editor .
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 174 4. V erify that the Navigation Pane lists the layout content zones. 5. Right-click on the Default V ideo Zone and insert a video file.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 175 7. Insert additional video files in to the video zone to create the rest of the playlist. 8. Insert he graphic or scrolling te xt objects belonging to each video. 9. Save the playlist by clicking on the Close button in t he Playlist Editor workspace.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 176 This procedure links the playlist to the player. Linking a schedule to the player is similar but in itiates through the Schedules Pane. 1. Return to main Media Messenger workspace.. 2. V erify that the correct playlis t is displayed in the Playlists Pane.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 177 Firefly MZ T ip s 1. A layout ha s only one V ideo and on e Scrolling T ext zone. 2. A layout ca n have unlimited grap hics zones although large numbers do impact performance. 3. The V ideo Zone can have multiple video files inserted into it, n which case, they play in the or der they appear in the playlist.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 178 9. Graphics Quality Most often, the automatic sizing and color -depth conversion performed by the Fire fly meets the needs of the presentation. Occasionally however , it may be necessary to adjust a graphic so that it displays precisely as required.
Fir efly Multi-Zo ne ™ (MZ) 179 1 1. Smooh V ideo T ransitions MPEG files used in a layout should be of the same resolution and size (height x width).
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181 T ECHNICAL S PECIFICATIONS Option Description Basic Configuration 40GB HDD storage NTSC, P AL Decodes all 18 A TSC form ats up to 1920x1080p 4:3, or 16.
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183 I NDEX A Advanced Settings 99 audio/vide o sync 99 merge playlists 99 animated GIF files 178 audio cabling 166 Dolby Digi tal 19, 162 line-level 4 multiplexin g 21 output 181 S/PDIF 6 stream 21 te.
184 Index diagnosti c logs 67, 82, 116 Diagnostics 60 general 61 logging 65 playback 64 video 62 dimensi ons 181 direct file access updating 113 directories 88 disk underflow 64 display param eters, s.
185 Index updating order 107 FTP Auto-Update Settings 87, 96 directory 88 fixed update in terval 88 FTP update now 88 passwor d 87 site ID 69 update in terval 88 username 87 G gateway 79 General Setti.
186 Index WebView 65 log format 83, 117 logging 115 diagnosti c logs 67, 82, 1 16 log default playlist 83 log format 83 max log MBs 84 run logs 65, 82, 116 upload logs 84 WebView 65 Logging Setting s .
187 Index gateway 79 host name 77 IP address 78 mode 78 netmask 79 proxy address 80 proxy type 79, 80 Networking 101, 134 Networking Comman ds 134 NTSC 20, 71, 166 null modem cable 7 O output audio 18.
188 Index S S/PDIF 6 saving locally 53 Schedule Editor 46 exiting 58 schedules 46 adding events 48 creating 47 deleting events 50 editing events 50 new 47 saving 52 script last mode 110 Scrolling Text.
189 Index network ing 18 1 temperature range 181 test file s 161 time codes 63, 162 time zone 70 tips Firefly MZ 17 7 transfer order 97, 111 transparency animated GIF 178 transparency level 40, 43 Tro.
190 Index uploading 29 username 25 Video Dates Editor 56 WebView Sett ings 85 file access 85 passwor d 86 username 85 WebView 85 weight 181 Z zone video, default 174 zones graphic 17 4 scrolling text .
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813-0049c © 2004 Fo cus Enhancements.
An important point after buying a device Focus 3.2 (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Focus 3.2 yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Focus 3.2 - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Focus 3.2 you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Focus 3.2 will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Focus 3.2, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Focus 3.2.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Focus 3.2. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Focus 3.2 along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
