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The following is a series of most commonly asked questions about configuring and using X2O Media Xpresenter.
01. What are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Xpresenter?
In order to run Xpresenter, the following system requirements are recommended:
Xpresenter Player - Mini ATX (Minimum Hardware Requirements)
- Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 Ghz CPU or better
- 1GB DDR2 memory
- 120GB SATA II Hard Drive
- Video Requirements - Video in/video out, PCI Express w\ 256MB memory
(Recommended card is the ATI X2900 or equivalent)
- DVD player x 16
- PowerPoint 2003 (***Required only if PowerPoint tickers are used***)
- Internet connection for support purposes
- OS Support: XP Pro SP2 or XP Home
(***Windows Network Domain Name log in will not be possible with XP Home***)
XPresenter Template Maker - Mini ATX (Minimum Hardware Requirements)
- Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 Ghz CPU or better
- 1GB DDR2 memory
- 120GB SATA II Hard Drive
- Video Requirements - Video in/video out, PCI Express w\ 256MB memory
(Recommended card is the ATI X2900 or equivalent)
- DVD player x 16
- PowerPoint 2003
- Internet connection for support purposes
- OS Support: XP Pro SP2 or XP Home
(***Windows Network Domain Name log in will not be possible with XP Home***)
Xpresenter Content Manager - Mini ATX (Minimum Hardware Requirements)
- Intel Core2 Duo 1.6 Ghz CPU or better
- 1GB DDR2 memory
- 80GB SATA II Hard Drive
- Video Requirements - Intel Onboard Video GMA945
- DVD player x 16
- Internet connection for support purposes
- OS Support: XP Pro SP2
Xpresenter Server - Desktop (Minimum Hardware Requirements)
- Windows 2003 Server Web Edition - 5 CAL's (Microsoft Client Access Licenses)
- Dual Core Intel Xeon 2.0 Ghz CPU
- 2GB 667Mhz Dual Ranked Dimms
- 300GB SATA II 7.2RPM Hard Drive
- Motherboard SATA Controller support for 1 - 2 hard drives, 2nd hard drive, Raid and backup system optional
- Intel Onboard Video
- DVD Player x 16
- Onboard Single Gigabit Network Adapter
- Internet Connection for support purposes
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02. Can I play back AVI formatted video clips with Xpresenter?
Yes, Xpresenter supports many video clips formats, including AVI, QuickTime, and MPEG-compressed clips, as well as all video formats that are supported upon playback with Microsoft Windows Media Player.
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03. Does Xpresenter support rendering images and video clips with Alpha transparency?
Yes. Xpresenter natively supports various 32-bit image formats such as TGA and PNG, letting you easily composite such images over other images or a video background with clean, crisp edges. Xpresenter also supports 32-bit QuickTime movies (movies that contain 8-bit Alpha information) for some unique compositing capabilities.
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04. What data formats are supported by Xpresenter?
Xpresenter supports data from various sources of structured information. This includes the following:
- Text files (.txt)
- Excel spreadsheets (.xls)
- Microsoft Access databases (.mdb)
- It is also possible to construct SQL queries on a database within Xpresenter
- RSS / XML data using the optional Data Parser
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05. What is the Data Parser and how can it bring live data into Xpresenter?
The Xpresenter Data Parser is a powerful tool that lets you acquire and manage live RSS feeds from the internet that are either free, or acquired via paid subscription. It is also possible to search for feeds by using the RSS Wizard built into the Data Parser.
The RSS Wizard lets you search from among a large warehouse of free RSS feeds available on the internet and create a link to them. This feed can then be used in Xpresenter as the source of content in a data-driven crawl or ticker, adding a whole new level of interest and quality to your digital signage application.
The Data Parser can also be used to import information from structured web pages, including text and images, given that a defined set of rules are scripted to handle the usual HTML tags.
RSS defines an XML grammar (a set of HTML-like tags) for sharing news. Each RSS text file contains both static information about your site, plus dynamic information about your new stories, all surrounded by matching start and end tags.
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06, What video / image / audio formats are supported by Xpresenter?
Xpresenter supports the widest variety of video, image, and audio formats on the PC, many more than that supported natively by PowerPoint alone. This includes the following:
Video FORMATS
General Rule: If the clip plays back in Windows Media player, you can play it in Xpresenter.
- AVI Movies (.avi)
- MPEG Movies (.mpg)
- QuickTime Movies (both 24- and 32-bit .mov)
- Windows Media (.wmv)
- Live web streams (such as mms:// links)
- Live video in
- Most .avi / .mpg streams encoded in proprietary codec formats such as DiVX, Indeo, Ligos, XViD.
IMAGE FORMATS
- .bmp, .jpg, .png (8- and 24-bit), .tga (up to 32-bit), .tif / .tiff (up to 32-bit), .ppt, Photoshop (.psd), vpb
- Image sequences of each of the above formats (known as "flipbooks")
AUDIO FORMATS
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07. What scripting language is supported by Xpresenter?
Xpresenter's actions and high-level functions to provide customized interactivity are written in VBScript.
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08. Can I create my own custom animations?
Yes. By using Xpresenter's built-in script, PlayCustomAnimation, you can create your own animation function and execute it at your command.
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09. Is it possible to play more than 1 crawl simultaneously?
Yes. Xpresenter lets you configure simultaneous crawls of data onscreen at any given time, each with its own speed, font, colour, background, and image separator settings.
For more information on how to add crawls to Xpresenter, please visit the Tutorials section of this website.
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10. Can I use Xpresenter in a dual-monitor configuration?
Yes. With Xpresenter, you can use your primary screen as the desktop authoring environment, while a second screen can be used to display full-screen, full motion output of Xpresenter itself. This lets you preview the complete results of your signage on your system as it is intended for your audience.
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11. Is there a quick way to view all elements contained in a PowerPoint slide?
Yes. The Xpresenter Scene Tree features provides a quick at-a-glance overview of all elements contained in any given slide, and lets you modify the most commonly used parameters for each one of those elements.
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12. Can I use Xpresenter to create single-screen interactive kiosks?
Yes. In conjunction with a touch-screen, Xpresenter can be used to drive multimedia-rich interactive kiosk displays like you’ve never seen before. Xpresenter can also be used to drive multi-screen kiosks, whereby one screen is the application interface, and the other may contain full-screen motion graphics.
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13. Is it possible to share my presentations and assets with other content creators?
Yes. Xpresenter includes a powerful archiving wizard that facilitates workflow among shared projects. Using the archive wizard, all media files, including fonts, video clips, and audio clips are included with a template file archive that has a unique .xar file extension.
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14. How can I schedule content to play out at specific times?
There are several ways by which content can be scheduled using Xpresenter. The simplest approach is to specify the duration of any given slide, or the duration between two adjacent slides. For example, the interval setting lets you specify that each slide in your presentation remains on air for that interval. This is called interval-based scheduling.
Another approach is to move through your presentation based on the duration of the assets contained in any given slide. For example, if one slide contains a video clip, you could specify to move to the next slide only after that video clip finishes playing. This is called asset-based scheduling.
A third approach is to use the Xpresenter slide scheduling feature, by which any given slide can be tagged with a specific on-air date, an expiry date, or a do-not-play-before date. For example, this lets you schedule the playback of a holiday promotion that will no longer be seen on-air once the holiday passes. This is called event-based scheduling.
A final approach is to use Xpresenter Scheduler. This tool lets you specify events and/or presentations to playback at selected times throughout the day. These events can recur at selected intervals throughout the day, week, or month. For example, suppose you’d like to load a lunchtime menu board at 11:00am every weekday, but also load a dinnertime menu board at 4:00 every weekday, with special dinner menu boards loaded during the weekend. Suppose you would also like to turn off your displays at a given time in the evening. This is all possible with Xpresenter Scheduler (and more!)
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15. Can I import Flash .SWF files into my Xpresenter presentations?
Yes. Flash .SWF files can be natively imported into PowerPoint using Xpresenter. These .SWF files can also be interactive, but must be self-contained.
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16. Can I import PowerPoint presentations into my Xpresenter presentations?
Yes. Existing PowerPoint presentations can be used in an Xpresenter presentation, including all PowerPoint animations, text, and effects, which were created on a system running PowerPoint without Xpresenter.
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17. What is the difference between an Xpresenter Authoring System and an Xpresenter Player System?
The Xpresenter Authoring System, called Xpresenter Solo, is the system used to create, design, and schedule Xpresenter PowerPoint presentations. Once you are satisfied with the design of your presentations, they are typically then transferred to a remote location where you’d find an Xpresenter Player System. The Xpresenter Player System, called Xpresenter VXPlayer, has the ability to playback Xpresenter presentations, but does not have the ability to modify the content of the presentation itself.
Moreover, any Xpresenter VXPlayer may have the ability to ingest live, localized data from an internet connection. Therefore, it is possible to author one presentation on an Xpresenter Solo station, but have different VXPlayer stations in remote locations receiving local data.
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18. Is it possible to ensure that any text that I create is “title-safe”?
Yes. Xpresenter includes a handy feature that overlays a title-safe (both safe-title and safe-motion) grid over your PowerPoint canvas. This lets you ensure that any text objects or animations won’t be occluded by the bezel of your video output device.
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19. What sort of logging is available with Xpresenter?
Xpresenter includes very extensive logging and reporting capabilities. From a support point of view, Xpresenter’s logging feature indicates literally every operation undertaken by Xpresenter during the loading and playback of any given slide, the loading of Xpresenter itself, and any issues that might have occurred in the event of an anomaly. From a reporting point of view, any image, video, or text that appears on-screen can be logged to a file suitable for generating customer/client/advertising affidavits.
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20. What resolutions are supported with Xpresenter?
Xpresenter is resolution-independent, in that you can create a digital signage presentation in PowerPoint at any resolution, for example, 1920x1080. In order to view a presentation at any given resolution, your video output device must support the presentation’s resolution. If not, the video output resolution can be scaled accordingly to fit the display device’s native resolution with minimal impact on quality or performance.
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21. Does Xpresenter support the playback of audio contained in video clips?
Yes. If you import a video clip into a slide that contains audio, Xpresenter lets you playback both the video and audio portions of the clip.
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22. What graphics cards do you recommend to use with Xpresenter?
Most modern PCI Express-based graphics cards will function well with Xpresenter. For an optimal experience using Xpresenter, it is recommended that you use graphics card that has two outputs, one of which is used to power the desktop, the other to power the full screen, full motion results of your digital signage. The more complex your PowerPoint slide (i.e., the more animations, video clips, crawls, and other assets contained in any one slide), the more on-board memory you should consider for your graphics card. Graphics cards with 128MB of on-board memory or more provide the optimal performance for use with Xpresenter.
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23. Does Xpresenter let me add live TV to my presentations?
Yes. With the addition of a TV-tuner card, Xpresenter lets you playback live TV signals in your digital signage applications. This provides a convenient way to show current news straight from a broadcast signal, and frame the video with your own custom graphics, logos, and text.
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24. Can I make changes to presentations on-air without interrupting playback?
Yes. Any changes made to the content in your digital signage application can occur even while your application is on-air live. Once you are completely satisfied with the results of your changes, the newly revised presentation can then be taken to air. This lets you make changes without your audience seeing any distracting interruptions.
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25. Does Xpresenter include templates and sample material to help me get going with my signage application?
Yes. Xpresenter includes a large library of text styles, full presentation templates, data objects, and other elements that you can use to quickly assemble a fully functional digital signage application within minutes. These objects are accessible from within Xpresenter’s unique Style Gallery browser, a palette that appears within the PowerPoint interface, and are simply added to any PowerPoint slide by drag-and-drop.
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26. Can a crawl be configured to appear on every slide, or do I have to setup a crawl for for each slide individually?
Yes, crawls can be setup to appear globally throughout your entire presentation without interruption. By setting up a crawl on the first slide of your presentation (or any other slide for that matter), the crawl can continue to play uninterrupted on every slide following all the slides after the slide upon which you created the crawl.
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27. If a scheduled interruption is to occur during the course of a presentation, is it possible to resume where the previous presentation left off?
Yes. There are 2 possible ways of resuming playback from a presentation that was previously on-air, but interrupted by another presentation.
Using Xpresenter’s scheduler, you could do something like the following:
9:00 am: Add an event to load presentation "myppt.ptt"
9:30 am: Add an event to load the presentation "alert.ppt", interrupting the previously on-air presentation “myppt.ptt”
9:45 am: Add an event to load slide 5 from presentation "myppt.ppt". This would continue playback from slide 5, not from the first slide.
Alternatively, if you need to automatically detect which slide last played before interruption, a script could be written that writes to an external text file which slide last appeared on-air from "myppt.ppt". The last slide in your interruption presentation "alert.ppt" would read the contents of the text file and issue a load command accordingly.
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28. Is it possible to configure a network of Xpresenter Player computers without using a central server?
Yes, however, many automated functions provided by the Xpresenter server, such as group content management, issuing remote commands to control the players, and back-end monitoring, will not be available.
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29. Is it possible to input a satellite or digital cable television feed into Xpresenter, and have that playback on the screens in my establishment?
Yes. Xpresenter supports the ingest of live video from both S-Video and Composite sources, as well as from an optional TV-Tuner card installed in the player computer. All Xpresenter turnkey solutions include a graphics accelerator card that lets you directly connect an S-Video or Composite video signal to your computer. The incoming video can appear within a video clip object in a PowerPoint slide. When Xpresenter plays out your presentation, the video signal will appear along with any other objects such as text, images, and animated logos that have been designed in the slide.
Incidentally, the video clip objects you import into your PowerPoint slide can be stretched and scaled to any size, letting you easily match the video window to your design specifications.
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30. Can the CEO of my company use Xpresenter to broadcast live messages to the rest of the organization on the screens mounted throughout my facility?
Yes. Xpresenter supports the ingest of live streaming video from the web. Video clip objects in Xpresenter can be linked to a URL, such as a live stream. These streams typically have a URL in the form of mms://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where x represents the numbers of an IP address. Using a webcam installed in your CEO’s office, he could broadcast his address to an IP stream that can be picked up by the Xpresenter player, and played out on the screens at your facility.
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