Table Of Contents

Introduction

Environmental Tolerances and Safety Guidelines

General Precautions

Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge

Understanding DMP Modes of Operation

Limited Support for MPEG-4

Supported Filetypes in the Embedded Browser

Understanding the Difference Between `Apply' and `Save'

Understanding Content Substitution (Failover)

Preconfiguring Your DMP To Run Without a Local DHCP Server

Basic DMS Concepts and Vocabulary

Introduction

---

Revised Apr. 25, 2007

This guide describes how to use your DMP device and how to use the preinstalled DMPDM software. DMP devices can show networked digital video streams and multicast, high-quality MPEG video on any television receiver or monitor (NTSC, PAL, LCD, plasma, or VGA) that you attach.

---

Tip To learn what other filetypes your DMP can render, see Supported Filetypes in the Embedded Browser.

---

DMPDM helps you to deliver compelling digital media to one DMP display for many possible purposes:

•Marketing — Describe products and services directly to your in-store customers.

•Customer experience — Deliver entertainment and information to reduce perceived wait times.

•Messaging — Broadcast executive and internal communications in real time.

•Training — Deliver cost-effective, flexible training.

•Information — Deliver real-time schedules, news, and way-faring information where people need it.

•Advertising — Sell advertising time and space to third parties.

•Branding — Communicate about your brand consistently.

This guide assumes that you already completed the procedures in Quick Start Guide for Cisco Digital Media Player 4300G and therefore all of the following are true:

•Your DMP is connected to:

–A network with a DHCP server.

–A DMP display.

–A 120V AC electrical socket.

•You already:

–Checked the LEDs to confirm that your DMP has power and has obtained an IP address.

–Learned what dynamic IP address the DHCP server assigned to your DMP.

–Used your browser to log in to the DMPDM administrative account.

–Used DMPDM to configure video output settings for the DMP display.

–(Optional) Used DMPDM to identify the one trusted DMM appliance from which your DMP should accept centralized management instructions and file transfers.

If any of the preceding is not yet true for you, we recommend that you obtain Quick Start Guide for Cisco Digital Media Player 4300G and complete all of the procedures in it before you use this guide.

This introduction contains the following sections:

•Environmental Tolerances and Safety Guidelines

•Understanding DMP Modes of Operation

•Limited Support for MPEG-4

•Supported Filetypes in the Embedded Browser

•Understanding the Difference Between `Apply' and `Save'

•Preconfiguring Your DMP To Run Without a Local DHCP Server

•Basic DMS Concepts and Vocabulary

Environmental Tolerances and Safety Guidelines

---

Caution Your DMP might malfunction or be severly damaged if the temperature drops too low or climbs too high at the physical location where you deploy it, or if other environmental tolerances are exceeded.

---

Table 1-1 describes environmental tolerance ranges for a DMP 4300G.

Table 1-1 DMP 4300G Environmental Tolerance Ranges 

Environmental Characteristics	Tolerance Ranges and Levels
Temperature, ambient	US Customary Unit		Modern Metric Unit
	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
Operating, long-term or short-term	41°F	104°F	5°C	40°C
Nonoperating or storage	-4°F	140°F	-20°C	60°C
Humidity, relative (noncondensing; ambient)	Minimum		Maximum
Operating, nonoperating, and storage	20 percent		85 percent
Altitude (above sea level)	US Customary Unit		Modern Metric Unit
	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
Operating, nonoperating, and storage	0 feet	13,780 feet	0 meters	4,200 meters

---

Warning The device is designed to work with TN power systems.

The power supply must be placed indoors.

Do not work on the system or connect or disconnect cables during periods of lightning activity.

Read the installation instructions before connecting the system to the power source.

This product relies on the building's installation for short-circuit (overcurrent) protection. Ensure that the protective device is rated not greater than: 120 VAC, 15A U.S. (240 VAC, 10A international)

The plug-socket combination must be accessible at all times, because it serves as the main disconnecting device.

To avoid electric shock, do not connect safety extra-low voltage (SELV) circuits to telephone-network voltage (TNV) circuits. LAN ports contain SELV circuits, and WAN ports contain TNV circuits. Some LAN and WAN ports both use RJ-45 connectors. Use caution when connecting cables.

Installation of the equipment must comply with local and national electrical codes.

This equipment is intended to be grounded. Ensure that the host is connected to an earth ground during normal use.

When installing the unit, always make the ground connection first and disconnect it last.

Ultimate disposal of this product should be handled according to all national laws and regulations.

---

To reduce the risk of bodily injury, electrical shock, fire, and damage to the equipment, observe the following precautions.

•General Precautions

•Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge

General Precautions

Observe the following general precautions for using and working with your system:

•Observe and follow service markings. Do not service any Cisco product except as explained in your system documentation. Opening or removing covers that are marked with the triangular symbol with a lightning bolt may expose you to electrical shock. Components inside these compartments should be serviced only by an authorized service technician.

•If any of the following conditions occur, unplug the product from the electrical outlet and replace the part or contact your authorized service provider:

–The power cable, extension cord, or plug is damaged.

–An object has fallen into the product.

–The product has been exposed to water.

–The product has been dropped or damaged.

–The product does not operate correctly when you follow the operating instructions.

•Keep your system components away from radiators and heat sources. Also, do not block cooling vents.

•Do not spill food or liquids on your system components, and never operate the product in a wet environment.

•Do not push any objects into the openings of your system components. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components.

•Use the product only with other Cisco-approved equipment.

•Allow the product to cool before removing covers or touching internal components.

•Use the correct external power source. Operate the product only from the type of power source indicated on the electrical ratings label. If you are not sure of the type of power source required, consult your service representative or local power company.

•Use only approved power cables. If you have not been provided with a power cable for your DMP or for any AC-powered option intended for your DMP, purchase a power cable that is approved for use in your country. The power cable must be rated for the product and for the voltage and current marked on the product's electrical ratings label. The voltage and current rating of the cable should be greater than the ratings marked on the product.

•To help prevent electric shock, plug the system components and peripheral power cables into properly grounded electrical outlets. These cables are equipped with three-prong plugs to help ensure proper grounding. Do not use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong from a cable. If you must use an extension cord, use a three-wire cord with properly grounded plugs.

•Observe extension cord and power strip ratings. Make sure that the total ampere rating of all products plugged into the extension cord or power strip does not exceed 80 percent of the extension cord or power strip ampere ratings limit.

•Do not use appliance or voltage converters or kits sold for appliances with your product.

•To help protect your system components from sudden, transient increases and decreases in electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

•Position cables and power cords carefully; route cables and the power cord and plug so that they cannot be stepped on or tripped over. Be sure that nothing rests on your system components' cables or power cord.

•Do not modify power cables or plugs. Consult a licensed electrician or your power company for site modifications. Always follow your local or national wiring rules.

Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge

Static electricity can harm delicate components inside a DMP. To prevent static damage, discharge static electricity from your body before you touch any electronic components. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal surface on the chassis.

You can also take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD):

•When unpacking a static-sensitive component from its shipping carton, do not remove the component from the antistatic packing material until you are ready to install the component in your system. Just before unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.

•When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic container or packaging.

•Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench pads.

•Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench pads.

•Handle the device carefully, holding it by its edges or its frame.

•Do not touch solder joints, pins, or exposed printed circuitry.

•Do not leave the device where others can handle and possibly damage the device.

•Take additional care when handling devices during cold weather, because heating reduces indoor humidity and increases static electricity.

Understanding DMP Modes of Operation

You can use any DMP device in isolation, so that it operates independently of every other DMP, or you can combine multiple DMPs in a digital signage network. If you purchased more than three DMP devices, we recommend that you deploy them as endpoints in a digital signage network that you can manage centrally.

•If you deploy any DMP in isolation, you use DMPDM to configure the DMP and control every aspect of its daily operation.

•If you deploy your DMPs in a digital signage network, you use DMM-DSM to configure the DMPs and control most aspects of their daily operation. The centralized management features in DMM-DSM support many more options than DMPDM supports and can help you to reduce your administrative overhead if you manage multiple DMPs.

Limited Support for MPEG-4

DMP support for the MPEG-4 suite of standards does not extend to every possible aspect, entity, or variant of MPEG-4. We require explicitly that:

•You use the MPEG-4 Part 2 codec.

•Audio and video in your MPEG-4 files are multiplexed in an MPEG-2 transport stream.

Supported Filetypes in the Embedded Browser

A version of the Mozilla browser is preinstalled on each DMP 4300G device. The DMP browser is based on Mozilla version 1.7.13 and supports JavaScript version 1.5.

The DMP browser can work with files of these types, but not with files of any other type:

•HTML

•TXT

•GIF

•JPEG

•PNG

•SWF

You cannot install browser plug-ins or any other software on your DMP, whether to support additional filetypes or for any other purpose. No Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is installed.

Understanding the Difference Between `Apply' and `Save'

The graphical user interface for DMPDM contains elements that help you to activate any change that you make, and it is important that you understand the difference between activating a change temporarily or doing so permanently.

•To confirm that you are satisfied with changes that you made to the values for a condition or setting, click Apply. After you click Apply, the changes take effect. However, the changes are temporary and the previously defined values for the pertinent condition or setting will return as soon as the next time that your DMP restarts.

•To put all changed values into effect permanently, so that they persist even after your DMP restarts, select Administration > Save Configuration. When the Save Configuration page appears, you must click Save.

Understanding Content Substitution (Failover)

If an HTTP status code of 404 or 500 prevents your DMP from obtaining the content that you scheduled it to show, your DMP has two stages for failover. In stage-one failover, your DMP shows Zoning Application content files that you uploaded to the SD memory card, assuming that the cumulative filesize is no greater than 900 MB. See the "Working with Screen Zones" topic in Chapter 3 of User Guide for Cisco Digital Media Manager 4.0 on Cisco.com.

If your DMP is not able to play the Zoning Application content files that you saved to the SD card, or if no such content files are on the SD card, your DMP enters stage-two failover and starts to play content that is stored in ROM. The content in ROM is video that shows a butterfly, and your DMP plays the video repeatedly in a loop that persists until one of the following occurs:

•Your DMP obtains the content that it is scheduled to play.

•You use the "Stop All Applications" feature in DMM-DSM. See the "Using Other DMM-DSM Applications" topic in Chapter 3 of User Guide for Cisco Digital Media Manager 4.0.

•You restart or shut down your DMP.

The video clip in ROM has no other purpose than stage-two failover. You cannot change the stage-two failover content and you cannot delete it.

Preconfiguring Your DMP To Run Without a Local DHCP Server

The factory default for every DMP is to obtain and use a dynamic IP address from a DHCP server at the deployment site. However, your DMP must have an assigned IP address even if you will use it at a site where there is no local DHCP server. In that case, you must preconfigure your DMP to use a static IP address before you can deploy it.

---

Step 1 Use a composite video cable (yellow, red, white) to connect your DMP to a display.

Step 2 Turn on the display, then do one of the following:

•Use a standard, category 5 (10/100) Ethernet cable to connect your DMP to a network segment that includes a DHCP server.

•Use an Ethernet crossover cable to connect your DMP directly to a DHCP server (and, if the DHCP server process is not running, start it now).

Step 3 Connect the Cisco-provided power supply to your DMP.

You should see two lights through the front panel on your DMP chassis. The solid green light indicates that a power source is available. The solid red light indicates that your DMP is trying to obtain a DHCP address from the DHCP server. After your DMP obtains an IP address, the red light stops shining.

Step 4 Make a note of the IP address that you see on the DMP display.

Step 5 Point your browser to the IP address.

---

Caution We recommend that you change the default username and password as soon as possible. If you do not change them, an unauthorized user can log in to your DMP and reconfigure it without your knowledge. In no event shall Cisco or its suppliers be liable for any indirect, special, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of your use of a weak password.

---

Step 6 When prompted to log in, use admin as your username and default as your password.

Digital Media Player Device Manager (DMPDM) loads in your browser.

---

Caution You must be careful to enter nothing except one dot between any two octets in the static, IPv4 dot decimal (sometimes called dotted quad) IP address. If you mistakenly enter anything other than one dot between any two octets, then apply and save what you mistakenly entered, your DMP might become unreachable.

---

Step 7 To configure your DMP with the settings that it should use when it runs at the deployment site, do the following:

a. From the DHCP list, select Disabled.

b. In the IP Address field, enter the static IP address to use at the deployment site.

---

Tip If your DMP uses a private IP address by way of NAT, enter its corresponding 1-to-1 public address, which is confgured on the local router.

---

c. In the Subnet Mask field, enter the netmask to use at the deployment site.

d. In the Default Gateway field, enter the gateway to use at the deployment site.

e. In the DNS Server IP Address field, enter the IP address of the DNS server to use at the deployment site.

Step 8 Click Apply.

Step 9 To save the configuration changes and use them at the deployment site, do the following:

a. In the Administration list, click Save Configuration.

b. When the Save Configuration page appears, click Save.

Step 10 Ship or deliver the DMP to its deployment site, then attach it to its display, its local network segment, and its power source.

Basic DMS Concepts and Vocabulary

DMS helps organizations of any size to create, manage and deliver video content (whether live or on-demand) and digital signage content over an IP network to any general or targeted audience. With DMS, you can:

•Communicate with targeted customers, investors, press, and analysts.

•Deliver live and on-demand events to audiences in any location.

•Deliver critical information and training to employees, suppliers, and partners.

•Deliver educational content to students.

Table 1-1 lists and defines some of the most commonly used DMS terms, abbreviations, and initialisms.

Table 1-2 Concepts and Vocabulary

Term	Definition
AAI	Appliance Administration Interface. Text user interface and command shell on every DMS appliance. System administrators use AAI when they set up, configure, or maintain a DMS appliance. (Text user interfaces use ANSI-style escape sequences to control the presentation of text and other shapes on a screen; they differ from command-line interfaces and graphical user interfaces.)
ACNS	Cisco Application and Content Networking System. ACNS software runs on the WAE platform for content distribution and interoperates with DMM to greatly reduce redundant digital media traffic over satellite and terrestrial networks. The streaming media features of ACNS deliver high-quality and long-playing digital videos live and simultaneously to thousands of users and DMPs, or on demand at a later time.
appliance	In the DMS family of products, an appliance is an MCS on which either DMM or Video Portal software is preinstalled. To administer the appliance chassis and configure its low-level behaviors, you use AAI.
application	In DMM-DSM, an application is a named tool that you can use to perform an administrative task, such as sending a particular command (or a particular sequence of commands) to one DMP or to all the DMPs in a DMP group.
bpp	bits per pixel, also known as color depth. Indicates both the number of bits that are required to represent the color of one pixel on a display and the total number of distinct colors that the display is configured to represent. When you use DMPDM, every pixel on the DMP display is 32 bpp and the display can represent a total of 16.7 million distinct colors.
codec	encoder-decoder. Any specific, named method to encode, decode, or transcode digital video files or digital audio files. The quality of an encoded file is determined in part by whether its codec is lossy or lossless, meaning whether it deletes potentially important data to reduce filesize.
container	The container for a video content offering is the "wrapper" that combines metadata, syncronization data, and video data to which a codec has been applied.
digital signage	Digital signage consists of any combination of messages or other kinds of information that people can see or hear, and that a DMP delivers to people. The content might pertain to commerce, popular entertainment, staff training, emergency awareness, combinations of these things, or nearly anything. The people who manage a DMP (or who manage multiple DMPs in a digital signage network) decide what to show or say, and when, and to whom.
DMM	Cisco Digital Media Manager is the collective name to describe the Web-based graphical user interfaces that are preinstalled on DMM appliances: •DMM-Admin — Digital Media Manager - Administration Module. Any DMS operator can use DMM-Admin to install or upgrade the software licenses to activate DMM-DSM or DMM-VPM. •DMM-DSM — Digital Media Manager - Digital Signage Module. Digital signage content managers use DMM-DSM to centrally manage a network of DMP devices, organize and bind together the elements for signage, and deliver content to any number of DMP displays. •DMM-VPM — Digital Media Manager - Desktop Video Module. Video content authors use DMM-VPM to add, organize, manage, publish, and archive content on Video Portal appliances or other end devices; assign metadata and keywords; schedule immediate and future deployments to Video Portal appliances or other end devices; preview content; manage approval workflow and configure interoperation with ACNS; create and manage playlists, tickers, messages, and interstitials; and customize the Video Portal "look and feel."
DMP	Cisco Digital Media Player 4300G. Compact "set-top box" device hardware that delivers digital signage content to the one DMP display that is directly attached. DMPDM is preinstalled on every DMP.
DMP display	Any television screen or other kind of monitor that is attached directly to a DMP and that shows digital signage content to an audience.
DMP group	In DMM-DSM, a DMP group is an organizational and administrative convenience that helps you to manage any number of DMP devices as quickly and easily as you would manage one DMP. No physical, logical, or topological relationship among the DMPs in a group is assumed unless you organize your DMPs consistently. By registering your DMPs in DMM-DSM and organizing them into groups (by location, display type, or on any other basis), you can act quickly to activate new settings for, or deliver updated content to, multiple devices simultaneously.
DMPDM	Digital Media Player Device Manager. Web-based graphical user interface, served from a DMP, that you use to configure the DMP device during its initial setup or to manage the DMP device in isolation, as an alternative to using the centralized management features in DMM-DSM.
DMS	Cisco Digital Media System is the name of the product family that consists of DMM appliances, Video Portal appliances, DMPs, and all of their associated software components.
encoder	Cisco Digital Media Encoder 1000 or 2000.
MCS	Cisco Media Convergence Server 7825-H2 or 7835-H1 chassis on which DMS software is preinstalled.
metadata	Metadata is a formalized, hierarchical, and logical grammar to describe particular attributes of information, such as its context or purpose. In DMS, you can enter metadata attributes for the video and digital signage content offerings that you create. For example, you might use metadata to track when and where you recorded a particular video stream, who speaks in the video, and to what topics it pertains. When you use metadata, your information becomes searchable and retrievable in new ways.
planes	When you use DMPDM, the attached DMP display represenents video content and HTML content on two separate, virtual planes, each of which has a potential on-screen size of up to 4096 x 4096 pixels. The video content plane is always opaque and behind the HTML content plane, for which you can change amount of transparency. The two planes can overlap and you will see the video content plane through the HTML content pane if both of the following are true: •You show video content and HTML content simultaneously. •The HTML content plane touches any of the same x-axis and y-axis coordinates that the video content plane touches.
playlist	In DMM-DSM, a playlist is an ordered sequence of files that you deliver to all the DMPs in a DMP group or that you show throughout your digital signage network. The workflow that you follow varies according to your requirements. 1. To create a playlist: a. Under the Content Manager tab, add files as content items, then associate them with content categories in your media library. b. Under the Applications tab, use the Playlists feature to select which content items to include, how long each item should play, and the sequence for playback. 2. To deploy a playlist, click the Publisher tab and choose whether you prefer an immediate or a scheduled deployment. Based on your preference, do one of the following: •Click Immediate, select a DMP group, select particular DMPs in that group, select the playlist to deploy, then click Go. •Click Scheduler, select the playlist to deploy, select a DMP group, specify the interval between repeated showings, select the date and time to start and stop the playback, click Save, then click Publish.
program	In DMM-VPM, a program is a virtual container for one or more videos. For example, a program that you name "Sales Commissions" might contain videos that you name "Know Your Customers" and "Know Your Products."
screen zone	See zone.
video	•In DMM-VPM, a video is a virtual container for one or more video parts and is one component in a program. For example, a video might contain parts One, Two, and Three, and be contained in a program that you named "Annual Shareholders Meeting." •In a generic sense, a video is any DMS content offering that includes video content, audio content, or both.
video part	In DMM-VPM, a video part is one component file in a video.
Video Portal	Cisco Video Portal — Web-based graphical user interface that audiences use to browse, search, and view video content, whether live or on-demand. Video Portal fits easily into your existing IT infrastructure and supports established video formats including Windows Media, Real Player, and Flash. Video Portal features include: •Program guide and keyword search — Find content by category, title, or keyword. •Customizable playlists — Create or make selections from dynamic list of videos programmed by content publishers or bookmarked by individual users. •Supplemental content — View supplemental information with each video, such as tickers, further reading, related videos, Web sites, and downloadable materials. •Advanced player controls and full screen — Optimize the viewing experience with enhanced control of video playback. •Simultaneous playback and thumbnail preview — Preview other videos during main video playback.
Video Portal Reports	Cisco Video Portal Reports — Web-based graphical user interface that video content developers use to capture, view, and export Video Portal activity reports.
Video Portal template	A Video Portal template uses a particular codec (such as Sorenson) to encode a video stream, then saves the output in a particular kind of container file (such as a Real Player file). There are four Video Portal templates: •Flash Only — Uses the Sorenson codec to encode video for audiences who have the Flash browser plugin. •Flash/Windows Media — Uses the Windows Media codec to encode video content for audiences who have browser plugins for both Flash and Windows Media. •Flash/Real — Uses the Real Player codec to encode video for audiences who have browser plugins for both Flash and Real Player. •Flash/QuickTime — Uses the MPEG4 codec to encode video for audiences who have browser plugins for both Flash and QuickTime.
WAE	Cisco Wide Area Application Engine. The hardware platform from which ACNS software provides application and content services.
zone	A zone in digital signage is a rectangular area on a DMP display where you show any kind of content. For example, a ticker, a banner, an advertisement, and a video might simultaneously occupy four zones on one DMP display. You configure zones in DMM-DSM; DMPDM does not have any features for zone management.
zone template	A zone template is a "skin" that your organization creates and designs to control how different zones look on a DMP display. Cisco provides two zone templates in DMM-DSM, but you can create as many other zone templates as you want.