+ 27 011 781 3664 support@datapost.freshdesk.com

Player Dashboard

Clicking on the Player Dashboard icon will open the dashboard. This is where you will go to manage & monitor your players.

Back

Horizontal toolbar

Quick Layout

Filter for the columns you want to see in the Player Dashboard by clicking on the drop-down arrow and selecting the relevant columns (Show All Columns, Networking, Versions, Data Usage, Playlist, Hardware Info & SoC Info).

Search

Search the Player Dashboard by typing key words into the search block.

Clear

Clear your search by clicking on the Clear button.

Copy MACs

The Copy MACs button is used when searching for more than one player using a pipe filter, to convert the search to MAC addresses.  

Hide Inactive Players

Hide inactive players by ticking the box in the horizontal toolbar.  

Hide Zero ID Player

Hide players with ID’s that are 0 by ticking the box in the horizontal toolbar.

Snapshots Visible

Make the snapshots in the Player Dashboard visible in the Snapshot column by ticking the box.

Snapshot

A snapshot is a single frame of what is playing on a screen, that is connected to a specific player, at a particular moment in time. Take a snapshot by clicking on the Snapshot drop-down & selecting Take Snapshot. Click on View Snapshot to view it.

Refresh

The refresh button refreshes the dashboard.

Export to Excel

Export the Player Dashboard columns to Excel by clicking on the Export to Excel button.

Dashboard columns (from left to right)

Player ID

The system assigns every player that is added to the Player Dashboard a unique ID.

Snapshot

This column indicates whether a snapshot is available or not.

Player Name

This column displays the name of the player.

Heartbeat

This column indicates the last date & time the player sent a heartbeat to the server.

Active Playlist

This column indicates whether the active playlist is the correct one. Hover over the column. A message box will appear, showing the Current content list and the Should be content list. The two content lists must be the same, for the correct content list to be playing. The alert dot will be green.

Location

Location is a custom field, where users can add information regarding the player.

Bouquet

This is the bouquet the player is pointed to.

Screen

This is the screen in the above bouquet that the player is pointed to.

Format

Format refers to the publish format.

MAC Address

A MAC address is a unique identifier. Each player will have one, which will be displayed in the player dashboard.

Check Content

The Check Content column will show whether all content has downloaded to the player or whether there are missing files.

Server URL

A server URL is the address the player gets its content from. It can also be the address of a landing zone.

Return Server URL

A return server URL is the address the player returns to, to get its configuration files.

Update Interval

The update interval refers to the interval at which the player looks for content updates.

Alert Interval

The alert interval refers to the interval at which the player heartbeat alert colours change from green to amber to red. I.e. your alert interval should be greater than your heartbeat interval.

Heartbeat Interval

The heartbeat interval refers to the interval at which the player sends heartbeats to the server.

Log Interval

The log interval refers to the interval at which a player sends its logs back to the server.

IP Address

The IP address is the network address assigned to the player by the local network.

VPN IP

It is the IP address assigned to a player by the virtual private network.

VPN Server IP

This refers to the server IP providing the VPN service.

Modem IP

This refers to the IP of the player should the player be using a modem.

SSID

Service set identifier (SSID) is the name of the Wi-Fi network the player is attached to.

Wi-Fi MAC Address

This refers to the unique identifier of the Wi-Fi network interface.

Cursor On

The Cursor On column indicates whether your mouse pointer is on (true) or off (false)

Debug

The Debug column is used by support to troubleshoot players. This column indicates whether debug is on (true) or off (false).

Camera Present

This column indicates whether a camera, being used for audience measurement, is attached to the player.

Device Time

This is literally the time on the player.

Firmware Version

This column indicates the version of firmware, the manufacturer’s version of the software built into the device (not maintained by Datapost).

Install URL

This refers to the address used by System on Chip (SoC) devices to install the Datapost software component.

SoC Serial Number

This column indicates the serial number of the SoC.

SoC IPK Version

This column indicates the version of IPK, an internal software component (not maintained by Datapost).

SoC Model Name

This column indicates the model name of the SoC.

Master or Slave

Master is the term used to describe a device that has control over other devices, whereas a slave is a device that is controlled by another device. This column will show whether the player is set up as the master or slave.

RS232 Serial Info

This indicates the serial information of a serial connector.

Time Share

If the Time Share is set, it means that the player is set up as either a master or slave.

Time Sync

This indicates whether devices that have been set up in Time Share are in sync (true) or not (false).

DebugLVL

The DebugLVL column is used by support to debug screens.

Connection

The connection column indicates the mode of content delivery being used. This could be local, none, LAN or satellite.

Version

Version refers to the Datapost software version for that specific device.

Deb Package

The Deb Package column displays the version of the legacy installer.

Player Status

The Player Status will show as either Active or Inactive, as per the selection made in the Config Editor.

Last GPS

If the player is GPS enabled, the Last GPS column refers to the last date the device sent a GPS coordinate to the server.

Attached Landing Zone

The Attached Landing Zone column displays the IP address of the landing zone the player downloads content from.

RX: D/W/M

This column displays the data received by the server, broken down by Day/Week/Month.

TX: D/W/M

This column displays the data transmitted from the server, broken down by Day/Week/Month.

Linux Version

This column indicates the Linux operating system version.

Resolution

Resolution refers to the resolution of the player.

Hardware Info

The Hardware Info column provides a description of the hardware brand.

CPU Temp

This column displays the temperature of the central processing unit (CPU).

CPU Load

CPU Load refers to how busy the CPU is and is displayed as a percentage.

Used Space

This column refers to the used hard disk space of the player. It is displayed as a percentage.

Disk Model

This column displays the type & brand of hard disk.

Calendar Room

Calendar Room is used to associate a player with a boardroom or a Qman kiosk.

Manager - Config Editor

This is where you will go to edit the configs of the players.

How to edit items in the player config

Name

Change the name of the player by typing the new name in the block.

Location

Change the information in this custom field by typing it in.

MAC Address 

The MAC Address is the unique identifier of the player, that won’t change.

Content Server

The Content Server, referred to as the server URL above, is the address the player receives its content from. It won’t change unless you are moving the player to a different server.

Usercode
Config Server

The Config Server, referred to as the return server URL above, is the address the player returns to, to get its config files from. It won’t change unless you are moving the player to a different server.

Bouquet

Point the player to a different bouquet by selecting the relevant bouquet from the drop-down.

Screen

Point the player to a different screen, within the changed bouquet above, by selecting an available screen from the drop-down.

Format

The format is the associated publish format.

Update Interval

Change the update interval by selecting the required interval from the drop-down.

Heartbeat Interval

Change the heartbeat interval by selecting the required interval from the drop-down.

Log Interval

Change the log interval by selecting the required interval from the drop-down.

Connection

Change the mode of content delivery by selecting the required mode from the drop-down. This could be local, none, LAN or satellite.

Alert Interval

Change the alert interval of the player by selecting the interval from the drop-down. I.e. your alert interval should always be greater than your heartbeat interval.

SoC Orientation

Change the orientation of an SoC by selecting the relevant orientation from the drop-down. I.e. either landscape or portrait.

Power on Delay
Short Code

Associate a player with a boardroom or a Qman kiosk by selecting the relevant item from the drop-down.

Cursor On

Switch your mouse pointer on and off by ticking & unticking the box.

Debug

Support will switch debugging on and off by ticking & unticking the box.

Debug Level

Support will select the relevant debug level from the drop-down.

Enable Logs

Enable & disable the logs sent to the server by the player by ticking & unticking the box.

Active

Mark the player as active or inactive by ticking or unticking the box. The inactive players can be hidden on the dashboard by ticking the Hide Inactive Players box on the horizontal toolbar.

Volume

Change the volume of the player by dragging the slider.

Timesync

If the player is set up to use Time Share (as a master or slave), tick the Timesync box to enable syncing.

Master

Tick the Master box to set up the player as a master.

Slave

Tick the Slave box to set up the player as a slave.

None

If the player is neither a master nor a slave, the None box will be ticked.

NTP ON/OFF

Switch NTP on & off by ticking and unticking the box.

NTP Server

TimeZone

Type the relevant time zone in the block.

Important Note

Always remember to save the changes you make to your config by clicking on the Save button at the bottom of the Config Editor. A message box will appear confirming what is being changed. An orange line will appear under the player details when you click on save, showing that the change is being made. The line will disappear, once the change has saved.

 

Good to Know

The Good to Know sections on this website offer an array of handy tips to help you work efficiently and smartly.

How to configure a Linux player to rotate the content to display in portrait

How to set on/off timers for Samsung SoC’s & LG WebOS’s