User guide

ViewSonic
EP1020r/EP1021r 10
6. Appendix: FAQ
What can I do to improve Signage Manager Express performance on my PC?
The latest Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 offers improved performance and bug fixes to Signage Manager Express.
You can install the update via this internet browser link http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=124150 or by
searching for “.NET 3.5 SP1” At www.microsoft.com.
What is the maximum file size for a single video file?
The maximum video file size for the EP1020r is 2GB. We recommend reserving a safety margin to avoid
exceeding the limit (i.e. limiting files to 1850MB).
How do I manage the playback of contents?
Playback on a schedule is one of the main functions of the EP1020r/EP1021r. For most users, it can be
managed via the easy to use Signage Manager Express software. Scala users may obtain a player license
from Scala to manage the media player directly from Scala Content Manager. For advanced customization,
there is SMIL compatibility. See the developer’s manual for customizing the player with open-standard W3C
SMIL commands.
About Signage Manager Express: Unlike the difficulty of programming VCRs on screen from a remote control,
the Signage Manager Express software is designed to be simple by using a graphical personal computer
interface. Playback contents are laid out visually in a calendar view. Anyone with basic computer skills can
quickly create or modify schedules, delivering the right message to the right audience at the right times.
Please refer to the Signage Manager Express User’s Manual for detailed operations and techniques.
Could the player display Flash or Microsoft PowerPoint presentations?
The player features limited PowerPoint support, but not Flash support.
While PCs can play many formats with varying degrees of success, RISC-based media players are designed
to reliably play specific video formats (Please see spec for details). While Microsoft PowerPoint native files
could not play directly on a RISC-based player, the file is converted through other software (i.e. Signage
Manager Express) into an image format to be played as an image slideshow.
Why won’t some media files play smoothly?
The video data bit-rate may be higher than the recommended bit rate.
The video data bit-rate is the amount of video or audio data used per second to store or play the contents,
usually expressed in Mbps (mega-bits per second). Video encoded with excessive bit-rates will not playback
smoothly in the media player, likely due to storage i/o bottlenecks. You can try recompressing unplayable
video files at lower bit rates using the free and open source Handbrake tool at http://handbrake.fr/
. Once you
have found the right output settings for size and quality, save them in Handbrake profiles for future use.
Then you can easily recompress any unplayable files you encounter in the future.
Why won’t some media files play at all?
Despite our best efforts to adhere to video format standards, video compression introduces many variables,
and sometimes the videos you acquire may not be playable on all players. In this case, you should check
your compression settings (bitrate, audio codec, and other parameters) and use a compatible setting.
If the files can play on your PC but not on your player, you should recompress the file to ensure playback.
For greatest compatibility, we recommend outputting to the WMV format (VC-1 codec, 3 to 5 Mbps bit-rate).
You can recompress unplayable video files with recommended file formats and bit rates using the free and
open source Handbrake tool at http://handbrake.fr/
. Once you have found the right output settings for size
and quality, save them in Handbrake profiles for future use. Then you can easily recompress any unplayable
files you encounter in the future.
The media playback looks different on a PC compared to the media player’s screen. (Wrong aspect
ratio)
The EP1020r/EP1021r will always stretch contents to 4:3 aspect ratio, regardless of the native resolution of
the video source. If you format your video for 4:3 in your editor, the output should be correct regardless of the
encoding resolution.
There are 2 major aspect ratios (width-to-height ratios) for video content, but many kinds of displays. If you
play 16:9 video on a 4:3 display (or vice versa), a circle becomes oval, and the picture takes on a squeezed
or stretched look. To avoid this distorted look, adding black bars are a common technique.