
Last updated September 19, 2009
The sophistication of the Spin Browser VE system is quite high (the full manual is over 45 dense, technical, pages), while the actual functionality used in any given installation typically employs only a tiny fraction of available features. Because of this, when 3rd parties wish to configure things themselves, we have found the easiest thing (given our current clients and market) is to simply walk people through the parts relevant to them at the time when they are ready to set things up.
This will allow transferring files to your exhibit computer conveniently from our FTP site. Location http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/. The FireFTP add-on may be found under the "Tools | Add-ons" area.
Location http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/. (No need for iTunes.)
The Spin Browser VE software is copy protected by a “HASP” USB Key. For the system to run without showing a TechnoFrolics watermark, this device must be plugged into one of the computer’s USB ports.
Download (free) drivers from http://www.aladdin.com/support/hasp.aspx - the top entry labeled "HASP Runtime and Drivers setup". Installing this driver will allow all USB ports to be automatically HASP-enabled without Internet connection, though there will be a slight install delay for each new USB port into which you plug the HASP key for the first time.
If your HASP key has already been properly programmed, you are now all set. If not, either because the key is blank, or because you are changing your license details (in terms of content length, HD vs. SD, realtime capture vs. pre-produced content, etc.), then you have two choices: a) Have TechnoFrolics logon and deal with things (by far the easiest). b) While the key is plugged in and detected (red light), run the program "hasprus.exe" located within the "Application,Config&Logs" folder. Save the file that results and email it to us. We will then email you back a file to execute on the machine with attached HASP in order to update it.
We have found that allowing us remote access will save both you and us vast amounts of time compared with alternative strategies. [Note that you can (reversibly) disable remote access immediately upon completion of setup.]
To install the Logmein remote access program (we recommend Logmein because it passes through all firewalls and routers we have tried with 0 configuration required), let david@technofrolics.com know when the exhibit computer is connected to the Internet, and we will send you a Logmein install "invitation" link.
[Alternatively, you can set up Logmein on the exhibit machine using your own Logmein account. However if you do that, you will either need to give us your Logmein account access information (and thus should create a special one with unique email address just for that machine), or purchase a subscription for their Logmein Central utility that will allow making us a User (where Logmein Central is applicable to your account generally, not just to the computer in question).]
Should you wish to access the computer remotely in addition to us, let us know and we will make you a Logmein User for the machine as well.
Note that for the Spin Browser VE to function properly over Logmein, on the first instance of login to the computer in question, before running Remote Control, one must click on Preferences | Remote Control Settings, and uncheck:
To reversibly disable Logmein on a given computer, just right click on the Logmein icon on the lower right of the Taskbar.
While, as mentioned in the Preamble above, the system is too complex for it to make sense to list everything, there are a few items worth knowing about.
A small subset include:
To adjust an Overlay (move it on the screen, hide it, determine when it appears (unless it has a dedicated key), etc.), type the Tab key until the Overlay is selected (it will be highlighted by a dotted white outline). Then:
KEY |
ACTION |
CTRL-TAB |
Switch to the next video Track. |
CTRL-HOME |
Go to the beginning of the current Track. |
CTRL-END |
Go to the end of the current Track. |
HOME |
Go to the beginning of the current QuickTime movie. |
END |
Go to the end of the current QuickTime movie. |
< or > |
Go to the previous or next frame in the current Track. (There is no need to depress the SHIFT key.) |
A |
Enter Attract mode. (This will also clear any tab-selected Overlay focus, as well as re-enabling Attract mode automatic timed entering, an action that is disabled during Overlay editing.) |
ALT-A |
Start or stop Attract script recording. |
SPACE BAR |
Start or stop movie playback. |
CTRL-SPACE BAR |
Start or stop mapped movie playback. |
ALT-E |
Generate an error. (For troubleshooting.) |
I |
For most installations, show or hide the information bar. For capture installations that display multiple video streams simultaneously, cycle the information bar among the streams. |
P |
Show or hide I/O pin status bar. |
ALT-R |
Reboot the computer. (For troubleshooting.) |
T |
Show or hide the digital onscreen timecode. |
ALT-W |
Generate a warning. (For troubleshooting.) |
F2 |
Show the application preferences dialog. |
F12 |
Enable or disable histogram-format operation timing. If any part of an operation occurs while timing is disabled, it is excluded from the timing summary statistics in the timing log. |
ALT-F12 |
Begin logging detailed timing information to the timing log. 1 MB of timing information is stored. (This is as contrasted with histogram-only information.) |
CTRL-F12 |
Begin logging encoder tick value history to the application log. (This, like ALT-F12, writes detailed, not histogram-style, timing info.) |
ALT-SCROLL LOCK |
Enable or disable screen updates. For troubleshooting. |
ESCAPE or ALT-F4 |
Exit the application. |
SHIFT-ESCAPE or SHIFT-ALT-F4 |
Exit the application and open the application log file. Continue to hold down the SHIFT key until the log file appears. |
The following keys configure Overlays and Voice-Overs. |
|
TAB or SHIFT-TAB |
Move the focus to the next (TAB) or previous (SHIFT-TAB) Overlay or Voice-Over. The ordering is determined by the drawing order of the components. |
INSERT |
Add a new Overlay or Voice-Over. |
DELETE |
Remove the Overlay or Voice-Over that currently has the focus. |
ENTER |
Show the properties dialog for the Overlay or Voice-Over that currently has the focus. |
ß, à, á, or â |
Move the Overlay that currently has the focus by one pixel. Hold down the CTRL key to move the Overlay by several pixels. |
5 on the numeral pad, or F5 |
Center the Overlay that currently has the focus. |
CTRL-5 on the numeral pad, or CTRL-F5 |
Center all Overlays that are currently positioned off of the screen. |
+ or - |
Adjust the playback volume of the Voice-Over that currently has the focus. (There is no need to depress the SHIFT key.) Hold down the CTRL key to set the volume to full or muted. If no Voice-Over has the focus, adjusts the master playback volume. |
F3 |
Cycles among the following Overlay (and Voice-Over) display modes: non-capture-related system Overlays, capture-related system Overlays, group 0 designer Overlays, group 1 designer Overlays, …, group 8 designer Overlays, normal operation. If a group has no Overlays assigned to it, the group is skipped. If an Overlay is configured to appear in Attract mode only, for example, the Overlay can be made temporarily visible in Scroll mode using this command. |
The following keys manipulate Regions. |
|
F4 |
Begin selecting a Region at the current frame. (Useful when adding an Overlay or Voice-Over.) Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. |
F6 |
Map a Region in one Track to a Region in another Track. (Useful for video clock installations.) First, select the Region to map (see F4 above). Then press F6 and follow the on-screen instructions. |
CTRL-F6 |
Delete all Region mappings. |
The following keys manipulate markers. |
|
F7 |
Set a marker at the current Track and time. (A button can then be configured to go to the marker.) If there is already marker at the current location, deletes it. |
CTRL-F7 |
Delete all markers in all Tracks. |
CTRL-PAGE UP or CTRL-PAGE DOWN |
Go to the previous (CTRL-PAGE UP) or next (CTRL-PAGE DOWN) marker within the current Track. |
The following keys are operational only if video capture is enabled, that is, if the “Enable real-time video capture” checkbox on the Video Capture page of the Preferences dialog is checked. |
|
ALT-PAUSE |
Toggle video capture on or off. |
CTRL-F4 |
Filter the currently selected region. |
F8 |
Mark the current frame as invalid. If the current frame is already marked invalid, clears the marker. (See also the “If an invalid frame is encountered at runtime” setting on the “Video Capture (4)” page of the preferences dialog.) |
F9 |
Analyze the current frame to calculate white balancing gains. (Before capturing the reference frame, be sure to reset all gains and offsets on the “Image Processing (2)” page of the video capture preferences dialog.) |
CTRL-F9 |
Begin timing exposure time adjustments. (For troubleshooting.) After a sufficient number of adjustments have been made, exit the application and view the timing log for results. |
F10 |
Export the currently selected region to a QuickTime movie file. Or, if no region is selected, exports all content. |
F11 |
Cycle bad pixel removal among three states: enabled, highlighted, or disabled. (For troubleshooting.) It is useful to close the aperture while troubleshooting. |
ALT-F11 |
Toggle automatic brightness and contrast adjustment. (For troubleshooting.) |
H |
Show or hide the color histogram. |
S or SHIFT-S |
For installations where multistream mode is “Capture from a single stream at a time”, advances to the next or previous stream. |
The following applies only while the splash screen is being displayed. |
|
ESCAPE or ALT-F4 |
Exit the application. |
Any other key |
Dismiss the splash screen. |
(End)