Spin Browser™ video explorer software configuration info

Last updated September 19, 2009

Preamble

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.

Step 1 - Install the Firefox web browser, along with the FireFTP add-on (both free)

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.

Step 2 - Install the most recent version of QuickTime (free)

Location http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/. (No need for iTunes.)

Step 3 - Download and install the HASP USB Key software drivers (free) and update HASP license if needed

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.

Step 4 - Allow TechnoFrolics access to the computer upon which you are setting things up.

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:

1. The "Use display accelerator" box. Otherwise, when trying to run the Spin Browser system remotely, one will receive a Direct X error of the form "A hardware only DirectDraw object creation was attempted but the driver did not support any hardware."
   
   
2. The " Lock when connection has been lost " and " Lock when connection has been timed out " boxes. Otherwise, when the remote user logs off explicitly, or through idle timeout, the Spin Browser machine will log off and lock itself., thus preventing continued Spin Browser operation.
   
   
3. Click "Apply" at the bottom of the screen. Otherwise, none of the above changes will have any affect.
   
   

To reversibly disable Logmein on a given computer, just right click on the Logmein icon on the lower right of the Taskbar.

Step 5 - Install core Spin Browser VE code with included test movie

1. Contact TechnoFrolics to receive a link to the Spin Browser VE application code on TechnoFrolics' FTP server.
   
   
2. Download the zip file (optionally using FireFox and FireFTP previously installed), and expand it on the installation computer which has Logmein installed.
   
   
3. If you already have your Spin Browser VE dial hardware handy, install it and connect it to your computer.
   
   
4. Double click on the "SpinBrowserVE.exe" executable within the "Application,Config&Logs" folder. Things should start up and you should see a very short B&W test movie, labeled as such, and where after 20 seconds of no user activity, a short Attract sequence will be entered.
   
   
5. As provided, the movie will be controlled by Y direction mouse movement. To allow your encoder-based dial to control things instead, see the directions below regarding accessing the Graphical User Interface, go to the "Input Devices" tab, select "US Digital AD4", choose the appropriate COM port if not 1, and change the "Resolution (ticks per revolution)" to (positive) 512.
   

Step 6 - Install your movies, and schedule a brief intro session with TechnoFrolics

1. Transfer a movie, prepared as described in our production document, to the "Movies" folder generated through unzipping the above.
   
   
2. After confirming your movie has no spaces in the filename, open the file "tracklist.txt" within the "Application,Config&Logs" folder using a text editor such as Windows Notepad, and change the name "TestMovie640x480.mov" to the name of your movie and save the file. If your movie formatting was correct, you should now be able navigate through your content using the Spin Browser system!
   
   
3. It is now time where a brief walkthrough intro from TechnoFrolics is indicated. Before arranging a time with us however, please read the below and poke around the configuration Graphical User Interface (GUI) (just enough that you have a flavor of what's there) and, for pre-produced systems, the "tracklist.txt" file previously mentioned. (We strongly recommend before changing anything, to make a complete backup copy of the "Application,Config&Logs" folder. )

Brief Functionality Crib Notes

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.

Common to pre-produced and live capture systems

1. To enter the Spin Browser VE application, double click on the SpinBrowserVE.exe file, or a shortcut you make to it.
   
   
2. To exit the Spin Browser VE application, type ESC.
   
   
3. To enter the configuration GUI, hold the Shift key down continuously before and after double-clicking the EXE until the GUI appears. You may also type the F2 key during Spin Browser VE operation if keyboard input is enabled (see #8 below).
   
   
4. To set the screen resolution, see the "Graphics" tab within the GUI. (Generally you will want to leave the Refresh rate at 0, the system default.)
   
   
5. To cause the Spin Browser VE application to start automatically on system boot, place a shortcut to "Autostart.bat" (located within the "Application,Config&Logs" folder) within your "Documents and Settings | (Your Profile) | Start Menu | Programs | Startup" folder. (Do not put the shortcut directly to the EXE file, as a wait delay needs to occur to let the computer finish booting before starting up the Spin Browser VE.)
   
   To have Windows auto-logon without human intervention, you can either use "Start | Run | control userpasswords2" or, in the odd cases where the resulting screen does not allow setting auto logon, you can install Microsoft's TweakUI and use it to achieve the same result http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx.
   
   Finally, to have the computer automatically turn on upon application of AC line power, go into the BIOS and look for the appropriate setting (exact wording differs depending on BIOS manufacturer and version).
   
   
6. There are System and Designer Overlays, both pre-existing and available to be custom-created by the designer.

A small subset include:

• Exponential and Velocity cap System Overlays that appear when the dial movement is such as to engage those indicators. (These popups greatly help tweaking dial movement parameters in tracklist.txt.)
• Information Bar System Overlay that gives info about what movie one is currently in, frame number, size of the jpeg frame in KB, etc. (Type "i" to toggle in and out of view.)
• Movie Timecode. (Type "t" to toggle in and out of view.)
• RGB histograms of the content (relevant primarily to adjust live capture auto exposure).
• State of input and output pins for hardware that may be used in the exhibit, such as buttons and their illuminators, digital communication to third-party hardware, etc.  (Type "p" to toggle in and out of view.)
• Many more.

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:

• Arrow keys will move it.
• Delete key will permanently delete it if it is a Designer Overlay. (System Overlays cannot be deleted.)
• Typing "Enter" will engage a popup box that allows adjusting many Overlay parameters. (If you wish to hide a System Overlay, as you eventually will with, for example, the EXP and VELCAP ones), you may uncheck all visibility check boxes.)
• To regain visibility of an Overlay that you have "lost" or intentionally hidden, note: CTRL-F5 will center on the screen all Overlays that are offscreen (due to their x and y coordinates), F3 will toggle showing hidden Designer Overlays, and CTRL-F3 will toggle showing hidden System Overlays. 

7. Much diagnostic system information may be found within several flavors of log files located within the folder specified under the "Log files (1)" tab of the GUI (typically the"Logs" folder within the "Application,Config&Logs" folder).
   
   
8. Final System Lockdown, Etc.

• To disable inadvertent keyboard input during operation (strongly recommended for after configuration is complete), go to the "Input Devices" tab of the GUI and check the "Disable all keyboard commands (other than ESC)" checkbox.
• It is also recommended, once configuration is complete, to check the "Keep the application window in the foreground" checkbox in the "Graphics" tab of the GUI. Otherwise, a popup system message (from an antivirus program for example) can cause the Spin Browser VE application to go into the background, required staff intervention or reboot to reset.
• It is recommended that the system be rebooted daily. One method to achieve this, assuming the system is powered continuously, is by navigating to the "Troubleshooting" tab of the GUI, check the "Automatically restart or turn off the computer as specified by a script" checkbox, and then for the script choose ".\Scripts\Reboot daily at midnight.script". If power will not be continuously applied, and you will not be performing some other form of graceful shutdown, please talk to us. (For pre-produced content systems, daily hard 120VAC shutoff/turnon is no big deal. For live capture systems, hard shutoff will corrupt the drive file structure and video dataset integrity and must never occur.)
• On the same "Troubleshooting" tab as mentioned above, you will find a section "Send error and status report e-mails". Here you may put in the email addresses of persons you wish to be automatically notified in the event of a Spin Browser VE system error. In the case of realtime capture systems, you can also request to be emailed upon completion of a successful automated data backup, and well as upon completion of several other tasks. (Typing ALT-E during operation will force an error to be generated so you can test your email configuration.)
  

Pre-produced content systems

1. Within the "tracklist.txt" file, note that the parameter values listed at the top of the file before the "VIDEOTRACK" token are either globally-applicable, or are the default values. To change a particular movie line parameter value from the default, simply put the new value for that parameter on that line - for example, to limit the maximum traverse speed through a title movie "TitleMovie.mov" to 20 seconds (20,000 ms) of track time per second of real time, you would have:
   "MOVIE ..\Movies\TitleMovie.mov ENCODERVELCAP 20000".
   
   
2. To create a temporal path Attract mode: (One can also create a separate Attract mode movie, or can have static graphic overlay (say with directions) appear during temporal Attract mode.)

• Be sure keyboard input is enabled as described above.
• Choose an Attract script file name via the F2 GUI "Attract Mode" tab. (File will be created during the recording below if it does not exist, and if it does exist, it will be erased and overwritten.)
• Employ ALT-A to start and stop dial motion recording.
• Typing "A" itself will cause the Attract mode to be immediately entered with no delay.
• It is generally far better to create lots of little Attract files which are then referenced by a Parent Attract file, rather than just having one huge file. That way, you can adjust the order of snips, redo a little snip without redoing the whole sequence, jump from place to place, etc. To reference a Child Attract script from the Parent, simply have each line of the Parent be of the form:
  #include Child1.script
  #include Child2.script
  (etc.)
• The Attract mode files are simply ASCII text files which can be edited with Notepad (for example, this allows manually tweaking the pause at the start and end of each snip, etc.). The format of the Attract files is multi-faceted, but the main elements to understand are those of (for example):
  1210 time_change videosource ..\Movies\WaterBalloon.mov 00:00:04.200 (This means go to the start of movie "WaterBalloon", advance 4.2 seconds in, and stay there for 1210 ms.)
  60 time_change relative -00:00:00.033 (This means back up 33ms and show that frame for 60ms.)
  42 time_change relative -00:00:00.050 (This means back up 50ms and show that frame for 42ms.)

Keyboard Commands (PP + LC)

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