Datasheet

724-746-5500 | blackbox.com/go/iCOMPEL
6|
BL A C K B O X
®
A typical standalone application:
iCOMPEL
Standalone Player
Preview Display
LAN
User PC with
Browser
How it works:
1 ConnectyouriCOMPELunittoyourcomputernetwork
andtoadisplaydevicesuchasanLCDoraplasmascreen.
2 ApplypowertotheiCOMPELunit.You’llseeaboot
sequencestarting.
3 TheiCOMPELunitautomaticallyobtainsanIPaddressfromthe
network and shows the address briefly on your display.
4 Access the unit through a Web browser using the IP address.
5 Timetogetcreative!Beginbyuploading—copyingandpasting—
mediafilesfromyourcomputertotheiCOMPELsystem.Thefiles
are stored on the disk inside the unit.
6 You can then create one or more screen layouts containing one
or more rectangular zones. Each zone has a playlist to which one
or more of the stored media files can be added.
7 Addoneormorelayoutstoaschedule,typicallyonaweeklybasis.
8 Activate the schedule. The relevant media will appear in the
layout you created on the display device. Each playlist runs in
a continuous loop.
9 Atthescheduledtimeanddayoftheweek,differentlayoutswill
appear on the screen.
10 IfyouhaveaniCOMPELmodelwithcapturecard,youcanalso
streamlivevideofromaCATVorDTVset-topboxviathevideo
inputonthebackoftheiCOMPELunit.Justaddtherelevantvideo
feedtoyouriCOMPELplaylist(unlikestandardvideofiles,whichare
stored on the disk inside the unit).
11 ToshowtextfromanRSSnewsfeed,justentertheURLofthe
InternetfeedintotheiCOMPEL(whichmayalsoneedtobe
configured to access the Internet). Use a similar process when
you want to display actual Web pages.
The roles of standalone players and publishers.
AlliCOMPELmodelsexceptforthesubscriberversionsworkrightoutof
the box with all design and playlist management software preinstalled on the
appliance.
Ifyoudon’trequireanyadvancedFlashorvideorenderingforyour
signage,youcanuseastandaloneKSeriesnon-interactivekioskplayer.It‘s
designedspecificallyforsimplesingle-screenapplications(incontrast,our
interactiveKPlusSeriesmodelsaretouch-enabledforuseintouchscreen
applications).
Or you can use a publisher model as a standalone device. A publisher
enablesyoutonotonlycreatelayoutsandmanageplaylists,butsomeversions
supportintensiveFlashandvideorendering.Inaddition,apublishersupports
the publishing of one or more channels to itself as an FTP client or to an
externalFTPclient.Thepublishersendsasnapshotofallrequiredfilesto
an FTP file server at a preconfigured location within your IP network.
In a basic standalone setup (like that shown below),asingleiCOMPEL
connects directly to your network and to your display device.
Accessing the device can be done several ways: via a Web browser by
providing an IP address along with a name and password; via an FTP client by
providinganameandpassword(foruploadingcontenttotheiCOMPELunit);
or via Secure Shell (SSH) by giving an IP address and root password. An
InternetconnectionisrequiredforstreamingofWeb-basedcontent,including
XML and RSS feeds.
The Linux
®
basedappliance’sbuilt-infirewallkeepsaccesslimitedto
authorizedusersonly,andthere’snoneedtoinstallanythird-partysoftware
orvirusprotection.Plus,itusesHTTPandHTTPSsecurityprotocols,and
supportstheLDAPauthenticationprotocolandVPNcapabilitiesforsecure
remote access.
iCOMPEL: Typical Applications