Specifications

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Channels and Signage Networks
7. Channels and Signage Networks
Channels provide an easy way to display the same content at multiple locations by setting up a Digital Signage Network of
iCOMPEL players. A collection of iCOMPEL players that all play the same content on their Screens is known as a
Channel.
Components of a Channel
A Channel has three parts:
A Publisher iCOMPEL.
The Channel Content Server (CCS). This is the way the contents of the Channel are delivered to the subscribing
iCOMPEL players.
One or more Subscriber iCOMPEL players
The Publisher iCOMPEL publishes content to the CCS, and each Subscriber iCOMPEL polls the CCS for the most up-to-
date content. On small networks, the Publisher iCOMPEL can act as the CCS. The contents of the Channel come from the
Publisher and are distributed via the CCS to the Subscribers.
Some iCOMPEL players are sold as 'Subscriber only', and cannot be used to publish content.
What's Sent in a Channel?
The contents of a Channel is a collection of Schedules with all their associated Layouts and Media. When you publish a
Channel all the Schedules, Layouts and Media content are included. Items not currently transferred via a channel are:
Any custom fonts you may have installed
User records, including Ad hoc users
If your content relies on either of the above, you will need to ensure they're present on each of the subscribers.
Using a Channel
First you need to assign a channel role to each iCOMPEL that will be a member of the channel. One iCOMPEL will be
the Publisher and the rest will be Subscribers. You will also need to decide the best way to get the content from the
Publisher to the Subscribers. This is covered in the Channel Content Server section. Then you will need to create the
signage content on the publisher. When producing content for a signage network you need to take into account:
Are the Subscriber iCOMPEL players powerful enough to show the content? Some content such as high resolution
movies, or Flash items that require a faster CPU, may not be shown on lower end models at the same quality as with
high end models
Check the resolution of the screens attached to each iCOMPEL. Ideally the displays should all be set to the same
resolution. Otherwise, you will need to take into account that the content will be cropped when displayed at lower
resolutions
Once you are happy with the content, and are ready to publish this across all boxes, simply press the Publish button that
appears at the top of each screen on the publishing iCOMPEL. After a period, the Subscriber iCOMPEL players will
discover that the channel contents has been updated, and start showing the new content.
Changes made on a Publisher iCOMPEL will not be published to a channel until you publish them .
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