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DMP 9 User Guide (Digital Media Player)

Dwaine Webb
  • Updated

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ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE
VERSION 9

*Click here to download a PDF of this guide.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction 
Content Library 
Intermissions

Schedule 

 

Settings

Support

 

Introduction

Welcome to the Digital Media Player (DMP), Swank’s linear channel product offering that allows you to create your own custom channels within your organization.

With DMP version 9, we're bringing you the latest in hardware technology, including a smaller, more versatile form factor and enhanced connectivity options to suit every setup, from compact workspaces to rack-mounted configurations. Powered by Windows 11, DMP version 9 ensures top-tier performance backed by the latest security updates, offering you peace of mind in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Key advancements include a streamlined design with a singular, powerful video card that eliminates previous complexities, supporting both HDMI and SDI connections for unparalleled flexibility. Furthermore, DMP version 9 boasts new video libraries for higher-quality media playback, including HD Closed Captioning.

The DMP software consists of the following modules:

  • Content Library – Easily access all your content and enrich your library with custom additions.
  • Intermissions – Engage your audience with automated intermissions or curated playlists, keeping entertainment seamless around the clock.
  • Scheduling Manager – Effortlessly create, copy, modify, and export your content schedules to keep your channel fresh and engaging.
  • Content Updates – Stay updated with the latest releases directly through Swank via USB hard drive or network connection.
  • Video Settings – Take control of video and overlay settings to ensure the best viewing experience.

Content Library

Welcome to your Content Library. This central hub allows you to easily manage and deploy your content, ensuring your audience enjoys a seamless viewing experience.

Upon ordering from Swank, your content will arrive via USB drive. Simply insert the drive and follow the included instructions to upload your selections into the DMP9 system. Should you encounter any issues or if your shipment does not arrive, contact your Swank Account Manager for immediate assistance.

Once uploaded, access your Content Library through the DMP interface to view your complete catalog. Here, you'll find the titles of your loaded content, as well as the associated versions, formats, ratings, durations, and license validity periods. This section is also where you can load your own custom content.


The library details the name, version, format, rating, duration, license start and end date, and indicates if the content was provided by you. If you do not see any titles in the Content Library, see the “Content Updates” section.

Search for a Title

Easily locate any piece of content using the intuitive search function. Simply start typing in the Filter field to narrow down your options.

Edit Content Title

  1. For added clarity or personal preference, you may wish to adjust the names of your titles. Select any item and click "Edit Selected" to modify its name. “Matilda (1996)” was selected in this example.
  2. Click Edit Selected.
  3. Under Video Name, enter a new title name then click OK. In the example, the name was changed to “Matilda”.
    • The updated title will appear in the Content Library.

 

Extend Content License Dates

All content provided by Swank Motion Pictures has a license period. Content may not be played or scheduled outside of that license range. In certain circumstances, you may need to discuss extending the license date with your Swank Movie Programmer.

If the date is extended, you will receive a code from Swank Motion Pictures. The steps below show how to extend the license date using the code.

  1. Under Content Library, click Apply License Extension
  2. Copy the coupon code that was sent to you by Digital Services via email and paste it in the text box.
  3. Click Apply to make the license range changes to the content.
  4. If you go to the Content Library tab, you will see the list of content and the new license range.

Play Content on Demand

The DMP application allows content (within its license period) to be played immediately, allowing for flexibility in content presentation. Simply deactivate the schedule feature to play any content instantly, ensuring your ability to respond to real-time demands or preferences.

  1. At the bottom of the screen, uncheck the Enable Schedule box.
  2. Under Content Library, select a title. In the example, Matilda was selected and is displayed on the right side of the screen.
  3. Click Play On Demand. Selected content will be displayed. Alternatively, the title can be right-clicked on and Play On Demand can be selected.

Please note: While the “Enable Schedule” checkbox is unchecked, all schedules are ignored. Click the check box again to turn the Scheduler back on.

 

Add Custom Content to the Library

The DMP supports a wide range of formats. Be sure to test the video and audio playback of your custom content on the DMP, as not all video creation and encoding programs are the same. Please be aware that content cannot be downloaded from the DMP after being ingested.

The supported video specification for custom content are as follows: 

  • MP4/H264, up to 1920x1080p @23.98fps, 2000kbps/AAC audio 128kbps 2ch
  • H265 (HEVC), up to 1920x1080p @23.98fps, 5300kbps

When your content is ready, follow the steps below:

  1. Save your content to a portable storage device and plug it into an open USB port on the DMP.
  2. Under Content Library, click Load Custom Content. This will open the Windows File Navigator.
  3. Select the content to be added to the Content Library.
  4. Enter a Video Title for your content. This title will appear in the Content Library.
    • In the example, Example Video was entered.
    • Click OK.
  5. Under Content Library, check for the addition of your content.

 

Intermissions

Intermissions are an optional feature which displays upcoming movie information, trailers or your custom content between scheduled content.

 

Automatic Intermissions (Next Up)

The default intermission type is Next Up. This intermission displays a static image of the content that is scheduled to play next.

Details pertaining to the title, start time, rating and synopsis. For many movies, a poster/image is
also included.

 

Under Intermission, select Next Up for the Intermission Type.

 

Please note: If viewer screens are small, you may turn off the synopsis as it becomes too small to read on many CRT televisions. Uncheck the box shown to turn off the synopsis.

 

Customize the Intermission (Playlist)

With the Playlist, you may select content to play as the intermissions.

  1. Under Intermission, select Playlist for the Intermission Type.
  2. Select the titles to include in the Intermission. To select multiple titles, click a title and hold the Shift key then click additional titles. In the following example, Minions 2 was selected.
  3. Click Add Titles to Playlist. The title is added to the Playlist. Note: You must select at least one title or viewers will see a blank video.
    • The green bars show the current place in the playlist.

The DMP allows a user to add the “Next Up” image into your playlist, so that you can still advertise the next scheduled playback within your playlist.

  1. Click the “Add Next Up Image to Playlist” button.
  2. In the new window, use the up/down arrows to change the number of minutes to show the image – from 0.5 minutes (30 seconds) to 1200 minutes.
  3. Click “OK” to add the entry to the playlist.

You will now see a row added to your playlist of “Next Up Image”, with a runtime of the time you gave. The Next Up images can be placed into the playlist as many times as desired.

The Playlist operates from top to bottom then repeats, always remembering where it left off. If the Playlist is interrupted by scheduled content, the next title in the Playlist will play during the next open timeslot in the schedule.

Re-order the titles by clicking the up or down arrows. Delete a title from the Playlist by selecting the title and clicking Delete Title.

Turn Off Intermission

You may not want any content to play when scheduled content is not playing.

Under Intermission, select None for the Intermission Type.

 

Schedule

The Schedule menu allows you to create and edit schedules on the fly to meet your needs and flexibility.

Point and Click Scheduling

  1. Select a Start Date by clicking on the calendar icon.
  2. Click on the first day of your schedule. For the above example, today is February 26th and we will be adding to the schedule for March 1st.
  3. Click on a title to select it. Be sure to check the End License Date when selecting titles. In this example, Matilda is selected.
  4. Click Add to Selected Schedule.
    • Enter a time or click the icon for a selection and click OK.
    • The title will be added to the schedule at right. In the example, Matilda was added to the schedule at 4:00 a.m.
  5. Select Additional Titles
    • Repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed to complete your schedule.

Drag and Drop Scheduling

Simplify the process by dragging titles directly onto your desired start times on the calendar.

  1. Select a Start Date
    • Click on the calendar icon.
    • Click on the first day of your schedule. In the example, the schedule will begin on March 1st.
  2. Select a Title
    • Click on a title and drag it to the schedule at the time you want the movie to start. In the example, Matilda was added to the schedule at 6:19 a.m.
  3. Repeat step 2 as needed to complete your schedule.

Interval Scheduling

Users can opt for automated scheduling by setting intervals, such as hourly or every quarter hour, to keep content flowing seamlessly.

  1. Select a Start Date
    • Click on the calendar icon.
    • Click on the first day of your schedule.
    • In the example, the schedule will begin on March 1st.
  2. Select a Timeframe
    • You may set the schedule for on the hour, every half hour, every quarter hour or continuously.
  3. Select a Title
    • Double-click on any title. Selected content will be added to the schedule according to the dropdown selection. In the example, Matilda was selected and added to the schedule on the quarter hour following completed playthroughs.
  4. Select Additional Titles
    • Repeat step 3. Titles will be added based on the interval selected in step 2.

 

Copy a Schedule

You may copy an existing day or series of days and use that as a template for creating future schedules. For best results, answer these questions:

  • Does my date range overlap with content already scheduled?
    • If there is content already scheduled on the dates you are copying forward to, it will result in a conflict.
  • Does my date range overlap with itself? For example, does content on the last day end when content on my first day is scheduled to begin?
  1. Under the Scheduling menu, click the Schedule Manager tab.
    • Click Copy Forward.
  2. Select the date range of the schedule you wish to copy.
  3. Enter the start date (when you want the copied schedule to begin).
  4. Enter the number of copies, which is the number of times you want the schedule to repeat.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. The DMP application will check for any potential schedule conflicts (for example, content out of the license period). If conflicts exist, Copy Forward will not work and the conflicts will be explained. If no conflicts exist, the Copy Forward process will be successful.


View Your Existing Schedule

The schedule summary shows what has been scheduled and how much content is scheduled on each day over any selected month.

  1. Under the Schedule menu, click Schedule Summary.
  2. The calendar displays when content is showing and how many titles are scheduled.
    • Click on any day in the calendar.
  3. A schedule summary appears on the left side of the screen for the day you selected.

 

Delete a Schedule

  1. Under the Schedule menu, click the Schedule Manager tab.
  2. Click Delete Schedule.
  3. Under start of range, enter the beginning date of the schedule to be deleted.
    • Under end of range, enter the last date of the schedule to be deleted.
    • If you only need to delete a single day, then enter the same date into both fields.
    • After both dates are filled in, click OK.



Delete Scheduled Content

  1. Under the Schedule menu, click the Schedule Manager tab.
  2. Click on the calendar icon.
    • Select the day of the schedule to be modified.
  3. Click on the title to delete. In the example, “Matilda” is selected.
    • Click Delete Selected.
  4. Click OK to delete the title or Cancel to keep the title.

 

Change the Time of Scheduled Content

  1. Under the Schedule menu, click the Schedule Manager tab.
  2. Click on the calendar icon.
    • Select the day of the schedule to be modified.
  3. Double-click on the title to modify. In the example, Matilda was selected.
  4. Enter a new start time or click the clock to select times on the hour.
  5. Click OK to change the time.

Schedule Time Change

This feature can be found under Schedule Manager > Schedule Time Change. This will allow you to schedule a time zone change in advance. You can select the date and time for the change to take place and the number of hours to shift.

 

 

Note: If your clock is out of sync and you are unable to use a network time sync, you can run timedate.cpl from the run prompt and adjust the time manually. 

System clock time changes made outside of the DMP application require the application to be restarted to recognize the time change.

 

Import a Schedule

To import a schedule, you will need a copy of the schedule on a USB drive.

 

  1. Connect the USB drive with the schedule to the server.
  2. Open the Digital Media Player (DMP) application.
  3. Go to Schedule Manager.
  4. Select Import Schedule.
  5. Select the appropriate schedule for your channel and import.

 

Export a Schedule

The schedule for a DMP can be exported in several different formats including:

  • Comma-Separated Value (csv) – a raw, comma-delimited list of schedule lines
  • iCalendar (ics) – a common export/import format for calendaring and CMS software
  • Another DMP machine – for another DMP installation from Swank
  1. Click on the Export Schedule button.
  2. Plug in a thumb drive or portable storage device and specify where to save the file.
    • Click OK.
    • export2.jpg
  3. Select the export format and start and end dates to export.
  4. The software will export the schedules within the given range to the location specified.

 

 

Settings

There are several functions under Settings to help ensure that the DMP runs smoothly.

Video Resolution

The default video resolution on the DMP is 1280x720. You may adjust the resolution to match the viewing requirements of the projector or televisions showing the content.

  1. Under the Settings menu, click on the arrow to display the options.
  2. Select a resolution.

Brand the Channel

The Digital Media Player may be configured to incorporate a logo on the player to brand the channel for your organization. The supported image types include: BMP, JPEG, PNG, and GIF. If you want to allow the video to “bleed through” the image, utilize a transparent (alpha-layer) image.

  1. Under the V Settings, click Select an Overlay Image.
  2. Select the logo or image from a USB drive.
    • Then click Open.
    • The image selected will appear on the Settings page. In this example, the Swank logo was added to the player.
  3. Click the “Show the Overlay” box. The image you selected appears on the output screen as shown below. The example on the left shows a solid image, and the image on the right displays an image with alpha-layer transparency.
  4. Click the “Show during “Next Up” image if you want to show the logo in this location. The example on the left shows a solid image, and the image on the right displays an image with alpha-layer transparency.

Support

Drive Space

Users can see how much storage space is used and is still available for content in the DMP.

Application Localization and Culture

You may adjust the localization of the DMP into other languages from the dropdown list below.

Conduct a DMP Health Check

  1. Located beneath the Drive Space indicator is the Health Check button. This can be used to check the DMP’s current status.
  2. You will receive a message with the DMP’s status. If you have any concerns, please call us for assistance.
  3. Click OK to close the message.

Export Activity Logs

If you have any issues with the DMP, our technical support team will be happy to assist you. Often, they will request an export of the machine’s logs for analysis. This can be created in just a few clicks.

  1. Click Export Logs.
  2. Select a location to save the exported log files and click OK. (It is the easiest to save to the Desktop. After clicking OK, the process may need a minute.)
  3. You will receive a message that the export has been saved. Click OK.
    • The zip file is typically very small and is easy to attach to an email.

Please submit any questions to:

Swank Digital Support

Please find PDF link below.

 

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