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FirmCHANNEL Manual
FirmCHANNEL Manual
Important Notices
Copyright
Copyright of this publication belongs to eliquidMEDIA International Inc. eliquidMEDIA International
reserves the right to change the content of this publication without obligation to notify any part of
such changes or revisions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted,
translated into any language, and stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means
electronically, mechanically, optically without prior written consent of this company.
Important Safety Instructions
• Read through this guide carefully and follow all noted instructions.
• Keep this manual for later reference.
• All cautions and warnings on this product should be noted.
• Make sure the equipment is connected to the power source with correct voltage, frequency,
and ampere.
• Disconnect unit from connections before cleaning. Do not use liquids or sprayed detergents for
cleaning.
• Never pour liquids on the unit as this may cause electrical shock or fire.
• Equipment should only ever be opened by qualified service personnel.
• Optimal operation temperature range is 0° ‐ 40° Celsius (32° – 104° Fahrenheit) and 80%
humidity. Do not use equipment in a hot and humid environment.
• In the event of the exposure to liquid or moisture or if the equipment has been dropped or
damaged, have the equipment inspected by a qualified service person.
• When installing equipment, adhere to the installation procedures outlined herein.
• Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the equipment. Do not use when the power
supply cord is damaged or frayed.
Disclaimer
eliquidMEDIA International Inc makes no warranties or representations, either expressed or implied,
with respect to the content herein and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability of
fitness for any particular purpose.
eliquidMEDIA, firmCHANNEL, and firmWEB logos used herein are registered trademarks of
eliquidMEDIA international inc. All other brand names and trademarks are owned by their respective
owners.
Copyright © 2008 by eliquidMEDIA International Inc.
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 8
2 firmCHANNEL Support and Maintenance Service Agreement ........................................ 10
3 firmCHANNEL EndUser License Agreement ......................................................................... 12
Chapter 2
3 firmCHANNEL Quick Start Installation Guide ....................................................................... 17
4 firmCHANNEL Technical Specifications .................................................................................. 19
5 firmCHANNEL Network Topology ............................................................................................. 20
6 firmCHANNEL Installation Procedures ................................................................................... 21
A. Determining Location Requirements ........................................................................................................................ 21
B. Necessary Equipment ....................................................................................................................................................... 23
C. Pre‐install Configuration ................................................................................................................................................. 24
System Setup .................................................................................................................................................................. 24
Network Setup .............................................................................................................................................................. 24
D. Required Equipment On‐Site ........................................................................................................................................ 25
E. Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................................................................. 26
F. Post Installation Procedures .......................................................................................................................................... 28
G. Hardware Reference.......................................................................................................................................................... 29
Chapter 3
7 firmCHANNEL Quick Start Media Guide .................................................................................. 30
8 Media Creation & Supported Resolutions .............................................................................. 31
9 firmCHANNEL Media Management Tutorials ........................................................................ 32
A. firmCHANNEL Content Creation Engine .................................................................................................................. 32
B. firmCHANNEL Digital Photo Editor ............................................................................................................................ 34
C. firmCHANNEL Virtual Displays .................................................................................................................................... 35
Chapter 4
10 firmCHANNEL User Guide ........................................................................................................... 36
System Management ..................................................................................................................... 36
A. Modify Settings .................................................................................................................................................................... 36
B. Restore Factory Defaults ................................................................................................................................................. 36
Player Management ....................................................................................................................... 37
A. Create a New Player ........................................................................................................................................................... 37
B. Player Search ........................................................................................................................................................................ 38
Logo Management .......................................................................................................................... 39
A. Upload Company Logos.................................................................................................................................................... 39
Group Management ....................................................................................................................... 40
A. Create a New Group ........................................................................................................................................................... 40
Location Management .................................................................................................................. 41
A. Create a New Location ...................................................................................................................................................... 41
Technician Management .............................................................................................................. 43
A. Create a New Technician ................................................................................................................................................. 43
User Management .......................................................................................................................... 44
A. Add a New User ................................................................................................................................................................... 44
B. Edit a User Account ........................................................................................................................................................... 44
C. Delete a User Account ....................................................................................................................................................... 45
RSS Management ............................................................................................................................ 46
A. View RSS Feeds .................................................................................................................................................................... 46
B. Edit an RSS Feed .................................................................................................................................................................. 46
C. Delete an RSS Feed ............................................................................................................................................................. 47
D. Create an RSS Feed ............................................................................................................................................................. 47
E. Modify RSS Colors ............................................................................................................................................................... 47
F. Enable RSS Ticker Overlay .............................................................................................................................................. 48
Media Management ....................................................................................................................... 49
A. Manage Media Clips ........................................................................................................................................................... 49
B. Create a Media Clip ............................................................................................................................................................ 49
C. Create a Media Clip Using AdBuider™ ....................................................................................................................... 49
D. Preview a Media Clip ......................................................................................................................................................... 52
E. Edit a Media Clip ................................................................................................................................................................. 53
F. Make a Copy of a Media Clip .......................................................................................................................................... 53
G. Disable a Media Clip ........................................................................................................................................................... 54
H. Enable a Media Clip ............................................................................................................................................................ 54
I. Delete a Media Clip ............................................................................................................................................................. 54
J. Display Schedule for a Media Clip ............................................................................................................................... 55
K. Remove Schedule from Media Clip ............................................................................................................................. 55
L. Add Schedule to Media Clip ............................................................................................................................................ 56
M. Change the Order of Media ............................................................................................................................................. 56
Playlist Management ..................................................................................................................... 58
A, Create a New Playlist......................................................................................................................................................... 58
B. Preview a Playlist ............................................................................................................................................................... 58
C. Import a Playlist .................................................................................................................................................................. 59
D. Export a Playlist ................................................................................................................................................................... 59
E. Disable or Enable a Playlist ............................................................................................................................................ 60
F. Delete a Playlist ................................................................................................................................................................... 60
G. Show Schedule for a Playlist .......................................................................................................................................... 61
H. View Media Clip Schedule in a Playlist ...................................................................................................................... 61
I. Change the Order of Playlists ........................................................................................................................................ 62
Template Management ................................................................................................................. 63
A. Search for Templates ........................................................................................................................................................ 63
B. Manage Templates ............................................................................................................................................................. 63
B. Preview a Template ........................................................................................................................................................... 64
E. Delete a Template ............................................................................................................................................................... 64
G. Change the Order of Templates .................................................................................................................................... 64
H. Download a Template ....................................................................................................................................................... 65
I. Upload a Template ............................................................................................................................................................. 66
Reporting........................................................................................................................................... 67
A. Access Reports ..................................................................................................................................................................... 67
B. Player Reporting ................................................................................................................................................................. 67
C. View System Activity ......................................................................................................................................................... 67
Chapter 5
11 Key Success Factors for Digital Communication ................................................................ 68
A. Start with the Audience..................................................................................................................................................... 68
B. Media Durations ................................................................................................................................................................... 68
C. Playlist Management .......................................................................................................................................................... 68
D. The Complete Environment ............................................................................................................................................ 69
E. Simplicity ................................................................................................................................................................................. 69
F. Language .................................................................................................................................................................................. 70
G. Media Testing ........................................................................................................................................................................ 70
H. Repurpose Content ............................................................................................................................................................. 70
I. Content Strategy ................................................................................................................................................................... 70
J. Media Organization ............................................................................................................................................................. 70
K. Font and Text Size ............................................................................................................................................................... 71
L. Message Retention .............................................................................................................................................................. 72
M. Display Orientation ............................................................................................................................................................. 72
Chapter 6
12 firmCHANNEL Frequently Asked Questions ........................................................................ 73
A. Basic Software and Service Architecture .................................................................................................................. 73
B. System Monitoring and Notifications ......................................................................................................................... 76
C. Standards and Interfaces .................................................................................................................................................. 77
D. Media and Content .............................................................................................................................................................. 78
E. Media Players ........................................................................................................................................................................ 81
F. Company and Operations Background ...................................................................................................................... 83
Chapter 7
13 Server Player Comparison Chart ............................................................................................. 85
A. Hardware Features ............................................................................................................................................................. 85
B. Software Features ................................................................................................................................................................ 86
Chapter 8
13 eliquidMEDIA Privacy Policy .................................................................................................... 87
INTRODUCTION
Making Great Content with firmCHANNEL Digital Signage
firmCHANNEL™ is the original digital communication solution designed for the small to medium size business
environment. firmCHANNEL™ empowers users to be their own content developer, IT consultant, and
network administrator with a toolset powerful enough for multinational corporation, yet offered on a
simplistic and intuitive platform. Users of any background can become proficient with firmCHANNEL with
minimal training and effort.
Digital Signage is an evolution upon traditional marketing and communication practices. When executed
effectively, digital signage should convey a message, inspire an action, and influence a behavior. This guide
will help you extract a greater ROI from your digital signage investment by delivering timely, relevant, and
effective content.
The firmCHANNEL™ platform has an internal content creation engine which uses dynamic templates in
combination with user uploaded assets to produce effective and attractive digital signage media. The ever‐
expanding template database is populated by digital media professionals with years of experience in digital
signage content. Templates allow for flexibility in design, and combined with AdBuilder™, users have a full
spectrum of tools to maximize their creativity. The success or failure of any digital signage technology is
determined by the content. firmCHANNEL™ templates help ensure that success. Poor content begets a poor
customer experience, which can result in lasting negative impression.
This guide will explore the Key Success Factors of communicating effectively in the digital world, as well as in
depth tutorials which demonstrate how firmCHANNEL can best be leveraged to execute digital
communication.
The firmCHANNEL platform is entirely scalable and is ever evolving with new content and software updates
occurring regularly. As such, new features and functions may be released which may not be discussed in this
guide.
If you experience problems with your system, firmCHANNEL provides many support options. For hardware
related concerns, contact eliquidMEDIA International Inc. directly at 1‐800‐561‐7525. For software related
issues, firmCHANNEL provides highly trained technical staff by phone and via the Live Support button
always visible in the top right hand corner of your browser window. Click the Live Support link at any time to
have firmCHANNEL staff remotely connect to your Server Player and perform full diagnostics and error
correction. You may also reference the firmCHANNEL Help Menu at any time to view the most recent
edition of this guide. To view the firmCHANNEL help menu follow the link to
www.firmchannel.com/help/ or www.firmchannel.com/enterprisehelp/ for Enterprise Support.
ARRÊT
firmCHANNEL Support and Maintenance Service Agreement
Please take the time to read the following Terms and Conditions carefully before activating your firmCHANNEL Server
Player and Support and Maintenance Service Agreement (Called “Agreement”). Activating your firmCHANNEL Server
Player indicates your acceptance of these terms and conditions of this Agreement. eliquidMEDIA International
Licensing Inc. (the provider of support and maintenance services for firmCHANNEL) ("firmCHANNEL") and Customer
agree that the following terms and conditions shall govern the delivery of support and maintenance services by
firmCHANNEL to Customer with respect to applicable registered firmCHANNEL products ("Products").
Technical Services – firmCHANNEL shall provide the following Services under this Agreement (called “Services”):
1. Warranty on software and hardware of the SP100 server/player during the term of this Agreement
or up to 3 years.
2. Toll free tech support during regular business hours EST. The current number for such support is
1‐800‐561‐7525
3. Unlimited access to our template Community located at community.firmchannel.com
4. All future software upgrades during the term of this Agreement
The complete terms and conditions of the Services are more fully set forth in the Operating Manual which is a “Read
Me” file that is delivered with the software Product(s). These provisions shall be controlling in interpreting this
Agreement unless changed by changes in the Support section of the firmCHANNEL website. Before signing this
Agreement, read the Support section of the website at www.firmchannel.com or current status of the terms of this
Agreement.
The Services set forth above shall also be set forth on the firmCHANNEL web site under the title “Support”.
firmCHANNEL reserves the right to revise the content of this web site from time to time in order to, among many other
things, comply with applicable law, regulations and tariffs. Revised rules will replace the older content and become
effective after written notification to Customer. Such revisions shall serve to change the terms of this Agreement upon
giving the Customer thirty (30) days email notice of such changes. Such revisions shall not substantively diminish the
value of this Agreement.
Payment – Upon signing this Agreement, the Customer agrees to pay to firmCHANNEL a fee of $498.00 for one (1) year
of Services under this Agreement. In the event that the Product(s) are leased, the Support and Maintenance shall be
added for the length of the lease, and said total sum shall be included in the sales price (and included in the monthly
lease payment).
Term and Payment ‐ This Agreement will become effective upon payment confirmation and will expire on the last day
of the pre‐paid period.
Exclusions ‐ firmCHANNEL shall not be required to provide any Services under this Agreement relating to problems
arising out of (i) Customer's use of the Products in a manner for which they were not designed; (ii) accident, or (iii)
Customer's negligence, misuse or modification of the Products.
Warranty and Disclaimer ‐ firmCHANNEL will use reasonable commercial efforts to provide the Services under this
Agreement in a professional and workmanlike manner, but firmCHANNEL cannot guarantee that every question or
problem raised by Customer will be resolved. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as expanding or adding to
the warranty for the Licensed Software in the License Agreement. EXCEPT FOR THIS EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTY,
firmCHANNEL MAKES, AND CUSTOMER RECEIVES, NO WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED
OR STATUTORY, RELATED TO OR ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR THE PROVISION OF MATERIALS OR
SERVICES UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, AND firmCHANNEL SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT firmCHANNEL HAS
NOT VERIFIED, AND CANNOT VERIFY THAT THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND SERVICES PROVIDED HEREUNDER WILL
BE VALID UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY ‐ firmCHANNEL'S LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNTS PAID BY
CUSTOMER FOR THE SERVICES ORDERED BY CUSTOMER PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT DURING CURRENT YEAR. IT IS
THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO BACKUP DATA ON CUSTOMER'S SYSTEM. IN NO EVENT SHALL firmCHANNEL HAVE
ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, COSTS OF
PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT(S), LOSS OF USE OF EQUIPMENT OR
FACILITIES, OR INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS OR DAMAGES OCURING BY ANY REMOTE ACCESS ASSISTANCE, ARISING IN
ANY WAY OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER OR NOT firmCHANNEL HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THESE LIMITATIONS SHALL APPLY NOTWITHSTANDING THE FAILURE
OF THE ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY.
Subcontract ‐ firmCHANNEL may subcontract any portion of the Services to the third party contractor without prior
consent of Customer, provided that firmCHANNEL remains fully responsible to Customer for delivery of Services as set
forth in this Agreement. Any such subcontractor will for all purposes be deemed to be an independent contractor of
firmCHANNEL and not a partner, agent or employee of firmCHANNEL.
Additions ‐ Any additional services added to this Agreement by written notice to Customer will be governed by the
terms of this Agreement.
General ‐ This Agreement may not be transferred by Customer. This Agreement supersedes all other written and oral
proposals, purchase orders, prior agreements, and other communications between Customer and firmCHANNEL
concerning the subject matter of this Agreement and constitutes the entire agreement between firmCHANNEL and
Customer regarding provision of Services. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Michigan
without reference to conflict of law principles.
firmCHANNEL ENDUSER LICENSE AGREEMENT
This firmCHANNEL End‐User License Agreement (“Agreement”) is between eliquidMedia International Inc. whose
principal place of business is 939 Goyeau Street, Windsor, Ontario Canada (“Eliquid”), and Party which has activated the
firmCHANNEL Server Player. Activating your firmCHANNEL Server Player indicates your acceptance of these terms and
conditions of this Agreement. firmCHANNEL is an Eliquid digital signage software program. Licensee desires to obtain
from Eliquid, and Eliquid desires to grant to Licensee a certain non exclusive license to use firmCHANNEL software and
related documentation described in this Agreement. Accordingly, in consideration of the mutual promises contained
herein and of other good and valuable consideration, Eliquid and the Licensee agree as follows:
1 Definitions. When used in this Agreement, the bolded terms below shall have the meanings given in this
Section.
1.1 “Agreement” means this firmCHANNEL End‐User License Agreement, including all Exhibits and Schedules
hereto, as any of these may be validly amended in writing from time to time.
1.2 “firmCHANNEL” means all firmCHANNEL digital signage software licensed by Eliquid to Licensee hereunder as
described in Exhibit “A.” (“Product Description”) attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein.
1.3 “Parties” mean Eliquid and Licensee. “Party” means either of the Parties as the context indicates.
1.4 “Product” means a proprietary digital signage solution developed and manufactured by Eliquid and known as
firmCHANNEL and comprised of a server appliance, a limited license to use the Software pursuant to the terms
and conditions set out below and an LCD display. These terms may be used in the singular or the plural.
1.5 “Service Program” means the “firmCHANNEL Support and Maintenance Service Agreement” related to the
Software as Eliquid generally available to its customers for purchase under separate agreement.
1.6 “Software” means the object code version of the Source Code.
1.7 “Source Code” means the source code and all related documentation for certain computer‐based application
known as firmCHANNEL.
1.8 “Term” has the meaning given to it in Section 6.
2 Ownership of Software. Title to, ownership of, and all rights in and to the Source Code, updates thereto and all
copies of the Software shall at all times remain with Eliquid. Licensee shall not acquire any right or interest in
all or any part of the Source Code, updates thereto or all copies of the Software except to use and copy same
strictly in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. None of the Software (including,
without limitation, the Source Code) is being sold by Eliquid, either in whole or in part.
3 Non Exclusive firmCHANNEL License. Subject to Section 5, Eliquid grants to Licensee a non‐exclusive, non
assignable, non‐transferable and non‐perpetual license during the Term to: (a) copy, install, and execute one
copy of the object code version of the Software in the Product server appliance; and (b) use related
documentation; for the sole purpose of Licensee conducting its internal business operations and not for any
other purpose (including redistribution). Licensee shall not be entitled to any upgrades, enhancements,
modifications, new versions or the like in respect of the Software, unless Licensee subscribes and pays for
Eliquid’s Service Program.
4 Restrictions. Licensee shall not: (a) assign, license, sublicense and/or redistribute the Software to any party in
whole or in part; (b) transfer the Software to any party in whole or in part; (c) rent, time share, or operate a
service bureau with respect to the Software; (d) charge a fee to any party for access to and/or use of the
Software; and/or (e) install, use, and/or make available the Software for any online application service provider
business, internet service provider business, or other online software rental business. Licensee shall not grant
any license or sublicense to any party or parties to access and/or use the Software. Licensee shall not use the
Software for the on‐line control of aircraft, air traffic, aircraft navigation, or aircraft communications, or in the
design, construction, operation or maintenance of any nuclear facility, or for medical or surgical applications, or
any other application in which failure could create a situation where personal injury or death could in any
manner whatsoever occur. Licensee shall not modify any of the Software, nor adapt, translate, reverse
engineer, decompile, disassemble, and/or otherwise attempt to discover the Source Code, nor take any other
steps to discover the confidential information and/or trade secrets contained in the Software. Licensee is
prohibited from creating any software products that interface with, or are interactive with, the Software.
5 Timely Payment To Eliquid or its Distributor. The licenses granted in this Agreement are conditional upon
Licensee making timely and complete payment to Eliquid or Eliquid’s Distributor, as the case may be, of all
license fees and other amounts due to Eliquid or Eliquid’s Distributor, as the case may be, for the Product.
6 Term and Termination.
6.1 Term. The term of this Agreement (“Term") shall begin on the date of delivery of the Software to Licensee and
shall continue in full force until terminated pursuant to this Section 6.
6.2 Termination For Default. Eliquid may terminate this Agreement for default if Licensee: (a) becomes
insolvent; (b) files any proceeding in bankruptcy or acquires the status of a bankrupt; (c) has a receiver or
receiver manager appointed with respect to it or any of its assets; (d) seeks the benefit of any statute providing
protection from creditors. Eliquid may also terminate this Agreement for default if Licensee breaches any
provision of this Agreement provided: (i) Eliquid provides Licensee with written notice of breach and a ten (10) day
period within which to cure such breach ("Cure Period"); and (ii) Licensee fails to cure each such breach by the
expiry of the Cure Period. Any termination of this Agreement shall be without prejudice to each right and/or
remedy which Eliquid may possess against Licensee under this Agreement, at law, in equity, and/or otherwise.
6.3 Effect Of Termination. Upon any termination of this Agreement: (a) all licenses granted by Eliquid herein
shall immediately terminate; and (b) Licensee shall immediately cease all use of the Software and return all of the
Software (including all copies thereof made by, or for, Licensee) to Eliquid. The terms of this Agreement shall
survive any expiry or termination of this Agreement and shall continue in full force.
7 Limited Warranties.
7.1 Limited Software Warranty. Eliquid warrants to Licensee that the Software delivered to Licensee under this
Agreement: (a) will be free of viruses at the time of first delivery of same to Licensee under this Agreement
7.2 Warranty Exclusions. The Eliquid warranty in Section 7.2 shall not apply to any breach and/or Error
caused by: (a) any change to the Software made by any party other than Eliquid; (b) accident, neglect, or misuse
by any party other than Eliquid; (c) Licensee’s failure to provide a suitable installation and/or operating
environment for the Software; (d) use of the Software on a software and/or hardware platform not approved
by Eliquid in writing; (e) software, hardware, firmware, data, and/or technology not licensed or approved by
Eliquid in writing; (f) any telecommunications medium used by Licensee; (g) Licensee's own computer system;
and/or (h) failure of Licensee and/or user to comply with the related documentation.
7.3 Limits On Warranty. ELIQUID DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE MEDIA AND/OR SOFTWARE LICENSED
UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE ERROR FREE, THAT EACH ERROR IN SAME WILL BE CORRECTED BY
ELIQUID, THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL OPERATE ON ANY AND ALL HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE
PLATFORMS, OR THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL IDENTIFY ALL KNOWN VIRUSES.
7.4 “As is” Basis. EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTIES PROVIDED BY ELIQUID IN SECTIONS 7.1 AND
7.2 ABOVE, ALL MEDIA AND SOFTWARE PROVIDED TO LICENSEE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE
PROVIDED BY ELIQUID ON AN "AS IS BASIS".
7.6 General Warranty Provisions. EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTIES PROVIDED BY ELIQUID IN
SECTIONS 7.1 AND 7.2 ABOVE, ELIQUID DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL EXPRESS AND/OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES
AND CONDITIONS OF EVERY KIND PERTAINING IN ANY WAY TO THE MEDIA AND/OR SOFTWARE LICENSED
BY ELIQUID UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, EACH WARRANTY AND/OR
CONDITION OF QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, DESCRIPTION, OPERATION, ADEQUACY, SUITABILITY, FITNESS
FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, INTERFERENCE WITH USE OR ENJOYMENT, AND/OR NON INFRINGEMENT,
WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED BY STATUTE, COMMON LAW, USAGE OF TRADE, COURSE OF DEALING,
CUSTOM, OR OTHERWISE. ELIQUID DOES NOT MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION, NOR PROVIDE ANY WARRANTY
AND/OR CONDITION, REGARDING THE ADEQUACY OF THE MEDIA AND/OR SOFTWARE FOR ANY
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE MEDIA AND/OR SOFTWARE TO PRODUCE ANY
PARTICULAR RESULT.
7.7 Jurisdictional Restrictions on Warranties. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF
CERTAIN IMPLIED WARRANTIES, LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY MAY LAST, OR
THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR SPECIAL DAMAGES. IF ANY
JURISDICTION HAVING APPLICABILITY TO THIS AGREEMENT DOES NOT PERMIT ANY SUCH EXCLUSION AND/OR
LIMITATION: (A) EACH WARRANTY WHICH CANNOT BE EXCLUDED SHALL BE LIMITED IN TIME TO THE SIXTY (60)
DAY PERIOD; AND (B) ELIQUID'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO LICENSEE FOR BREACH OF ANY AND/OR ALL SUCH
WARRANTIES SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT STATED IN SECTION 9.3 OF THIS AGREEMENT.
8 Infringement Indemnity
8.1 Indemnity Against Claims. Subject to the terms of this Section 8, Eliquid shall defend and indemnify
Licensee from any claims, suits, actions or proceedings brought against Licensee in a court of competent
jurisdiction which allege that an infringement of any third party patent, copyright, and/or trade secret rights
existing under the laws of Canada (individually and collectively referred to as a "Claim") and any judgment finally
awarded in respect of such Claim, for which all avenues of appeal have been exhausted, or any final settlement
of such Claim, to the extent that such Claim arises solely as a result of Licensee's use of the Software within
Canada / United States in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, and applicable documentation and
provided: (a) the alleged and/or actual infringement has not been caused by the use of a superseded version of the
Software if the infringement would have been avoided by the use of a then current unaltered release of the
Software, or by the modification of the Software by any party other than Eliquid, or by the combination and/or
use of the Software with software, hardware, firmware, data, and/or technology not licensed to Licensee by
Eliquid or approved by Eliquid in writing; and (b) Licensee promptly notifies Eliquid in writing within ten (10) days
of Licensee first becoming aware of each such Claim; and (c) Licensee does not make any admission against
Eliquid's interests and Licensee does not agree to any settlement of any such Claim without the prior written
consent of Eliquid; and (d) Licensee, at the request of Eliquid, provides all reasonable assistance to Eliquid in
connection with the defense, litigation, and/or settlement by Eliquid of each such Claim; and (e) Eliquid has sole
control over the selection and retainer of legal counsel, as well as over the litigation and/or the settlement of
each Claim.
8.2 Licensee's Continued Use. If the Software or its intended use becomes, or in Eliquid's opinion be likely to
become, the subject of a Claim covered by the indemnity in Section 8.1 above, Eliquid shall obtain for Licensee a
nonexclusive license to continue using the infringing portion of the Software pursuant hereto or shall replace or
modify the infringing portion of the Software without reasonable degradation in functionality in order to make it
non‐infringing..
8.3 Eliquid Liability. Eliquid’s total liability to Licensee for any and all infringement claims related to the Software
shall be strictly limited to the obligations set out in this Section 8 and shall be subject to all of the limitation of
liability provisions set out in Section 9 of this Agreement.
9 Limitation on Liability.
9.1 Limit on Damages. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION IN THIS AGREEMENT, ANY AND ALL BREACHES BY
ELIQUID OF THIS AGREEMENT (INCLUDING FUNDAMENTAL BREACH), THE TERMINATION BY ELIQUID OF THIS
AGREEMENT, AND/OR ANY OBLIGATION THAT ELIQUID MAY HAVE IN CONTRACT, TORT, EQUITY, AT LAW,
AND/OR OTHERWISE, IN NO EVENT SHALL ELIQUID BE LIABLE TO LICENSEE, TO ANY USER OF THE SOFTWARE,
AND/OR TO ANY OTHER PARTY OR PARTIES FOR (A) ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL,
AGGRAVATED, EXEMPLARY, AND/OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, NOR (B) ANY LOST SALES, LOST REVENUE, LOST
PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR REPROCUREMENT AMOUNT HOWSOEVER ARISING, EVEN IF ELIQUID HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND/OR LOSSES ARISING AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE
FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY REMEDY CONTAINED HEREIN.
9.2 Damages. EXCEPT FOR DIRECT DAMAGE CLAIMS ASSERTED BY LICENSEE AGAINST ELIQUID FOR BREACH OF
ANY OF ELIQUID'S OBLIGATIONS UNDER SECTION 7 AND/OR 8 ABOVE, ELIQUID SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO
LICENSEE, TO ANY USER OF THE SOFTWARE, AND/OR TO ANY OTHER PARTY OR PARTIES, FOR ANY DIRECT
DAMAGES, COMPENSATORY DAMAGES, AND/OR OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, NOR FOR ANY LOSSES,
EXPENSES, LIABILITIES, AND/OR OTHER AMOUNTS, ARISING OUT OF AND/OR RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THIS
AGREEMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE ARISING OUT OF (A) THE DELIVERY, INSTALLATION,
USE, AND/OR PERFORMANCE OF THE MEDIA AND/OR SOFTWARE, (B) ANY ERROR, DEFECT, INADEQUACY,
OMISSION, NON PERFORMANCE, AND/OR MALFUNCTION IN ANY AND/OR ALL OF THE MEDIA AND/OR
SOFTWARE, AND/OR (C) ANY AND ALL BREACHES BY ELIQUID (INCLUDING FUNDAMENTAL BREACH) OF THIS
AGREEMENT, WHETHER SUCH LIABILITY IS BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, EQUITY, AT LAW, AND/OR ON ANY
OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY HOWSOEVER ARISING, AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL
PURPOSE OF ANY REMEDY CONTAINED HEREIN.
9.3 Monetary Limit On Damages. NOTWITHSTANDING SECTION 8.2 ABOVE AND/OR ANY OTHER PROVISION
OF THIS AGREEMENT, ELIQUID'S TOTAL, CUMULATIVE, AND AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO LICENSEE: (A)
ARISING UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT; (B) FOR ANY AND ALL BREACHES BY ELIQUID OF THIS
AGREEMENT (INCLUDING FUNDAMENTAL BREACH) AND/OR THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY
REMEDY CONTAINED HEREIN; (C) FOR ANY TERMINATION BY ELIQUID OF THIS AGREEMENT, AND/OR (D) FOR
ANY OTHER ACT, OMISSION, OR EVENT RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL NOT EXCEED THE
TOTAL AMOUNT OF LICENSE FEES RECEIVED BY ELIQUID FROM LICENSEE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER
ELIQUID'S LIABILITY IS BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, EQUITY, AT LAW, AND/OR UPON ANY OTHER THEORY OF
LIABILITY HOWSOEVER ARISING. LICENSEE AGREES THAT ELIQUID WOULD NOT HAVE ENTERED INTO THIS
AGREEMENT WITHOUT THIS SECTION 8 BEING INCLUDED HEREIN.
10 General Provisions.
10.1 Confidentiality. Licensee shall: (a) receive and maintain the Software in confidence; (b) use the same degree of
care with respect to the Software as Licensee employs to protect Licensee's own confidential and/or trade secret
information from unauthorized use, duplication and/or disclosure, being, in any event, a high degree of care; and
(c) use, duplicate, and disclose the Software solely in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
10.2 Force Majeure. Eliquid shall not be liable for any failure or delay the delivery of the Software resulting from
any cause beyond the reasonable control of Eliquid, including without limitation acts of God, fire, flood, war,
insurrection, riot, plant breakdown, accidents, embargo, explosion, lack of material supply, lack of common
carrier facilities, products or parts shortages, or government order or decree.
10.3 Modifications. No modification of this Agreement shall be valid unless such modification is in writing and
signed by the parties to this Agreement. This provision may not be waived by conduct.
10.4 Invalid Provision. The invalidity or unenforceability of any particular provision of this Agreement shall not
affect the other provisions of this Agreement, and this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid or
unenforceable provision was omitted.
10.5 Assignment. Licensee may not assign or delegate this Agreement or any of its rights or obligations.
10.6 Successors. This Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of any permitted heirs, representatives,
executors, administrators, successors and assigns.
10.7 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with its Exhibits and any Schedules, constitutes the entire
agreement and understanding between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, merges and
supersedes all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof, and is intended as a
fully integrated Agreement.
10.8 Remedies upon breach. The rights, remedies and benefits provided by this Agreement shall be cumulative and
not exclusive of any other rights, remedies and benefits allowed by law, in equity, bankruptcy or otherwise. No
failure on the part of either Party to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right shall operate as a waiver
thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by any Party of any right preclude any other or future exercise
thereof or the exercise of any other rights. The waiver of a breach of, or default under, any terms of this
Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach or default.
10.9 Export Laws. Licensee shall comply with all applicable USA and/or Canadian laws and/or regulations pertaining to
the Software, including all export laws, regulations, and/or directives, and comply with all laws and regulations in
Licensee’s jurisdiction and any other location related to the import, export, transfer, shipping, and/or use of the
Software.
10.10 Governing Law, Jurisdiction and Venue. This Agreement shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the
Province of Ontario Canada, without giving effect to its choice of law provisions. Any lawsuit arising out of
the performance or breach of this Agreement shall be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction within
Province of Ontario Canada. Each Party acknowledges that it is subject to personal jurisdiction within the
Province of Ontario Canada and that venue is proper there. Each Party waives any and all objections it may
otherwise have to personal jurisdiction, venue, or the convenience of the forum within the Province of
Ontario Canada.
10.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed
an original and together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
10.12 English Language. This Agreement is drawn in English at the request of the parties hereto. La présente
convention est rédigée en anglais à la demande des parties.
10.13. Fax Signatures Legally Binding. Signatures to the Agreement which are transmitted by fax (facsimile)
shall be deemed legally binding on the parties for all purposes.
EXHIBIT “A”
Product Description
firmCHANNEL is a digital signage system which displays rich real‐time generated multimedia content
on various forms of digital displays. FirmCHANNEL allows end users to create powerful playlists of
professionally designed content through the end user's Internet Browser. FirmCHANNEL combines
the power of video, photography, flash multimedia, and a simple to use, yet powerful user
interface. FirmCHANNEL supports most major video and image formats, live television, and much
more.
FirmCHANNEL is written in PHP, Javascript, XML, and protected with Zend Technologies Ltd. Zend
Guard.
firmCHANNEL™ Quick Start Installation Guide
Server Player Setup Instructions
1. Plug in Display with a VGA (analog), DVI (digital), or HDMI Cable.
The SP‐75 has only 1‐DVI output.
SP‐100 Gen 4 and SP‐200 units have both VGA and DVI outputs. The SP‐200 uses both the VGA AND DVI to output the dual channels.
SP‐100 Gen 5 (shown below) has both VGA and HDMI output. HDMI is recommended for simple digital configuration.
2. Setup your Server Player on your network by plugging in the CAT5 Cable. (Network cable)
3. From any computer on the same Local Area Network as the Server Player, log on to the
firmCHANNEL interface.
1. Open your Internet browser (eg. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) and type in
the Serial Number displayed across the top of the screen on the Server Player in the
address bar of your browser window. (Can take up to 5 minutes to display the Serial
Number first time)
‐ This will bring you to the activation page.
4. Activate your firmCHANNEL unit.
1. Simply fill out the information being requested and submit the form.
2. Click the button Complete Activation.
IMPORTANT BEFORE ACTIVATING: Any hardware changes or additions to the Server Player after this
point will require re‐activation. This includes, but not limited to, Wireless LAN adapters.
5. Login to the firmCHANNEL interface.
1. To begin, use the Administrator account. Once you are logged in you can create new
user accounts for yourself and any other users that will need access to the system.
The Administrator login is shown below.
Username: admin
Password: admin
You are now ready to start using your Server Player! If you have purchased an Enterprise
Server, continue along to step 6 to find out how to connect the player to Enterprise.
6. Configure your Server Player on Enterprise. (Optional Step)
1. Log on to your firmCHANNEL unit from your Internet browser.
2. Click on the Settings link at the top right corner followed by the Enterprise tab.
3. Give the player a name and enter your Enterprise server address
(example.firmchannel.com) and the username and password issued to you by
firmCHANNEL technical support.
4. Click the Check Settings button.
If the message “Connection Successful” appears, click “Activate Enterprise” If not,
you have entered improper information in the fields above. Check your entries and
try again.
5. Log on to your Enterprise website with the information provided from firmCHANNEL
(http://example.firmchannel.com)
6. A message notification will appear after log in. It will now state that a new player is
requesting authorization to connect to Enterprise. Authorize the connection by selecting
Accept.
7. You are now finished are ready to begin managing the player via Enterprise!
To check the connection status, go to the Player Management page on the Enterprise
server. Click on the player name and in the Reports tab; look for the latest connection
time.
Help Documents:
The Server Player help documents can be accessed directly at: http://www.firmchannel.com/help
View the firmCHANNEL Video Tutorial: http://firmchannel.com/downloads/webinar/
For Technical Support Call Toll Free: 1.877.496.1757
firmCHANNEL™ Technical Specifications
Technical Specifications
firmCHANNEL SP100 Generation 5
Dimension: 166(W) x 48(H) x 157(D)mm Accessory: 90W Power Adapter (19V) x 1
6.54(W) x 1.89(H) x 6.18(D)inch Power Cord x 1
Volume: 1.25L AOpen Proprietary "L" Bracket x 1
Weight (Kg/Pound): 1.22kg / 2.68 pound (N.W.) Screw Bag M3*L5 (8pcs) x 1 (for 'L' Bracket)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo, FSB 533/800MHz Quick Install Guide
Chipset: Intel GM965+ICH8M Chipset Available
Connections: USB 2.0 Port x 2
Memory: 2GB, DDRII 533/667, Dual Channel Mode DC 19V Jack x 1
Graphics: Integrated VGA Engine in GM965 chipset HDMI Port x 1
(Intel GMA X3100), HDMI Port x 1, D-Sub D-Sub VGA Port x 2
VGA Port x 2 RJ45 LAN Jack x 1
Audio: Realtek ALC662 HD Audio CODEC on- D-Sub VGA Port x 2
board, Stereo / 5.1 CH with HDMI
USB: USB 2.0 Port x 4 (2 Rear, 2 Front) Certification: CE, FCC, UL, CB
Anti‐Virus
The SP‐100 does not come with any anti‐virus software pre‐installed. You are welcome to install any anti‐
virus software your company may already have.
Network Security
It is recommended that the SP‐100 is not added to your company domain because it does not require
network resources. Only an active Internet connection is required. Once the player has an Internet
connection it will need the connection information (below) for proper external communication.
Connection
The player makes an outgoing connection via FTP and HTTP
FTP (passive mode) is used to connect to the enterprise server for content retrieval as well as an update
server which is used for software updates.
HTTP is used for RSS retrieval and status updates to the enterprise server.
Protocol Port
FTP 20/21
HTTP 80
The following IP Addresses may be used to lock down which connections are accepted to the SP‐100 on your
local firewall:
Enterprise Server IP Range: 69.42.54.* (Last octet may vary depending on server)
SP‐100 Update Server IP: 69.42.54.211
**Note: Hardware and Technical Specifications are subject to change without notice. Contact firmCHANNEL for
updated information.
firmCHANNEL™ Network Topology
firmCHANNEL™ is a fully web based platform that leverages server technology to operate on a “Pull” scenario.
firmCHANNEL™ server players call out to the Enterprise Server to “Pull” down data updates as demanded and
scheduled by the user. This dramatically improves security and bandwidth management. The network
architecture also allows for Local and Enterprise level content creation, management, and editing.
**Note: The SP‐100, SP‐95, & SP‐75 output a Single Channel that is visible in Standard, Vertical,
and Landscape mode with supported resolutions of 480p, 720p, 768p, and 1080p.
The SP‐200 is a Dual Channel player that is visible only in Standard and Landscape with supported
resolutions of 480p, 720p, and 768p. The SP‐200 does not support Vertical orientation or 1080p
output.
firmCHANNEL™ Installation Procedures
for OnSite Technicians
Use this guide at the installation site to document vital information and to account for all tools and
accessories. Proper planning is the best way to avoid timing and budget conflicts.
A. Determining Location Requirements
2. How many firmCHANNEL units has the client purchased?
_______________
3. How many displays will be connected at this location?
_______________
4. How many displays does this location already have networked?
_______________
5. How far approximately is the firmCHANNEL unit from the display?
_______________
VGA Connections Max = 100'
DVI Connections Max = 50'
Greater than 100' > Requires Transmission Hardware
6. What type of video connection will be used from the player?
_______________
7. How many firmCHANNEL units will be used?
_______________
8. Does the setup require audio? YES / NO
If Yes then include audio wiring under Necessary Equipment
If No then disregard wiring for audio
9. Is there network connectivity available? YES / NO
10. Is there enough power outlets available for display YES / NO
and firmCHANNEL unit?
Notes:
If video transmission is greater than 100', transmission hardware must be utilized. firmCHANNEL is
agnostic to any video transmitter/receiver hardware and is compatible with most technologies.
When using transmission hardware, note that you will need an additional video cable to go from the
player to the transmitter, then the same cable type from the receiver to the display.
Existing Displays Information:
Brand: Model: Supported Video Type Supported Audio (Built- RS232
resolution: (VGA/HDMI) refresh rate: in/External Support:
Speakers)
Recommended display resolution for output is 720P.
IP Address Allocation (Setting up Static IP Addresses)
System IP Address Subnet Mask Default Gateway Preferred DNS
Example 192.168.1.23 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.1
Proxy Address Port User Pass Caching* (Yes or No)
Notes:
If proxy caching is enabled a rule set must be added to the proxy server stating all traffic from
enterprise server is not cached.
B. Necessary Equipment
This “Necessary Equipment” section outlines that must be obtained to successfully complete the
firmCHANNEL installation. This refers specifically to the cables that will be needed to connect each unit to
each display.
At least 1 video cable required per‐firmCHANNEL unit.
SP‐100 Gen. 5 offers 1 HDMI connection & 1 VGA Connection
SP‐100 Gen. 4 / SP‐200 offers 1 VGA connection & 1 DVI connection.
SP‐75 offers 1 DVI connection.
**NOTE: Please note that the SP‐200 is built with only one DVI‐out and one VGA‐out. Each video‐out handles a particular
content stream. Thus, the displays networked to their respective video‐out must remain in their native format. Users
CANNOT use DVI or VGA converters to change the video output to a desired format.
Totals:
*Total of Displays should not be greater than total of Video Connection Cables.
C. Pre‐Install Configuration
System Setup
These steps should be performed before installing on location to avoid problems.
1. Connect the firmCHANNEL unit to a display along with a keyboard and mouse.
2. Ensure Internet network connectivity which will be used for activating the unit.
3. Once the firmCHANNEL unit is powered and online, hit the “Windows” key to bring up the
start menu.
4. From the Windows Start Menu, go to “Programs”, and then launch Internet Explorer. Point
the browser to http://localhost/
5. Activate the unit by reading over the End User License Agreement, and filling out the form at
the bottom of the page. Click the “Complete Activation” button to proceed to the login
page.
**Continue only if system is being connected to an Enterprise Server.
6. Using admin for the user name and admin for the password, login to the system.
7. Click the “Settings” button in the top right of the screen. Click the “Enterprise” tab along
the row of buttons.
8. Enter in the information corresponding to the dedicated enterprise server. Enter player
name, server address (example.firmchannel.com), username, and password. Click “Activate
Enterprise”
9. Login to the enterprise server to confirm player connection to complete enterprise the
connection.
Network Setup
If the client is providing the technician with pre‐defined network configuration, do the following:
1. Press the Windows Key on the keyboard to bring up the Start Menu. Go to Settings, and
click “Network Connections”
2. Right Click “Local Area Connection” and go to Properties. Left click on “Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP)” , then click properties.
3. Change the radio button to “Use the following IP address”. Enter in the IP address
information that has been provided by the client’s network administrator.
4. Follow the same steps from part 3 for DNS Server addresses. (See Graphic on next page)
If using wireless, install the wireless adapter network drivers before on site install. If wireless
adapters are installed after activation, the Server Player will have to be re‐activated.
D. Required Equipment On‐Site
Equipment List
During an install you may run into issues with the setup. The best way to troubleshoot and resolve
any issues during this process is to come prepared with the necessary equipment.
Equipment to bring during an install:
● Keyboard (USB/PS2)
● Mouse (USB/PS2)
● PC Monitor/Display Device (Supporting either VGA OR DVI)
● Extra firmCHANNEL hard drive. (if permitted by distributor)
● Spare DVI to HDMI Cable
● Spare VGA Cable
Finally, make sure to bring all hardware which the customer has purchased along with the accessory
kit which accompanies each firmCHANNEL unit.
E. Troubleshooting
Problem No video signal is being outputted to display device.
Solution Directly connect extra monitor to the back of the firmCHANNEL unit to confirm video
is not being displayed. Try both VGA cable as well as DVI. If no signal is present after
connecting extra monitor confirm that the firmCHANNEL unit has power by checking
for the fans spinning. If still no results, the power supply is most likely at fault.
Contact your sales representative or firmCHANNEL directly for further support.
Problem Only see firmCHANNEL splash screen during startup on display.
Solution This means that the display has a valid connection to the firmCHANNEL player;
however the display mode is incompatible. This can be resolved by logging into the
player and changing the refresh rate or resolution via a remote computer or by
changing the settings via enterprise if the player has already been setup on the
enterprise server. Consult the owner’s manual of the display to determine the native
refresh rate for the resolution you have selected.
Problem Display is Fuzzy/Out of Sync.
Solution This problem indicates that the refresh rate is too low for the display at the set
resolution. Login to the player locally or on enterprise if already connected to change
the refresh rate to higher settings. Consult the owner’s manual of the display to
determine the native refresh rate for the resolution you have selected.
Problem Output does not fit entirely on screen.
Solution This problem only occurs when the firmCHANNEL unit is connected via VGA cable.
First start by going into the menu of the TV screen and finding the PC option to
perform an “Autofit” or “Autoadjust”. If this does not resolve the issue, go into the
menu of the TV once again and look for manual adjust button which will allow you to
move the picture to the desired location on the screen. Lastly, if none of the above
has worked, try changing the resolution to that specified in the owner’s manual of
the display. The key thing you are looking for is the “native resolution” which means
the resolution that the display was designed for.
Problem Player is not connecting to enterprise
Solution Multiple answers:
Always determine if the player has an active internet connection by trying to load the
enterprise page. ( ex./ http://example.firmchannel.com)
1. Lock file is present. A lock will be placed on the system when it is updating to
ensure that it doesn't try and connect to the enterprise server two times
simultaneously. The lock can be removed by going on another computer or
the actual unit itself and typing
http://ipaddress/blank.php?module=defaults&action=clear_enterprise_lock
2. Firewall is blocking enterprise connection. If location has strict firewall policy
you will need the network administrator to allow ports 20/21/80 to be
forwarded to the internal IP address of the firmCHANNEL unit. The incoming
connections will be coming from the IP range of 69.42.54.* (the
firmCHANNEL server farm). Once these rules have been established on the
firewall the player should now be able to connect and download from
enterprise.
Problem Player is not connecting to enterprise
Solution Multiple answers:
Continued
3. Settings are incorrect on the enterprise tab of the firmCHANNEL unit. Check
by pressing the “Check Settings” button. If you have received a “Connection
Successful” message then the settings are correct.
4. Proxy server is blocking connection. Go to the “Network” tab on the player
interface. Enter in the proxy address (obtain from network administrator)
and enter in the username/password if necessary.
Chapter T Page | 27
Site Installation Procedures
Problem When using DVI connection, screen not displaying connection
Solution Multiple answers:
1. The problem occurs when the player is turned on before the display is on.
When using DVI, it sends EDID information from the display to the player. If
the display is not turned on to do this, the player will not be able to detect the
signal to send out. This can be resolved by turning the player off and
confirming that the display is turned on first.
2. If this is happening each night when a display is turned off and when the
player does its nightly reboot. A small device can be placed at the player
which will retain the EDID information of the display. The name of this device
is DVI doctor and can be ordered as necessary. Even if the display is not on,
the DVI doctor will tell the player the EDID information from the display.
When the display is then turned on, it will have an active connection.
F. Post Installation Procedures
● The most important step is showing the client how to connect to their firmCHANNEL Unit. Start off by
letting them know they can access the unit from any computer on their network as long as they have
the IP Address to the firmCHANNEL unit.
● Once they are logged into the firmCHANNEL interface, direct them to the help menu where they can
find answers to all the questions they have regarding how to create and schedule content on the
player.
● Check with the client to make sure all their concerns have been addressed and that they are happy
with the installation.
Chapter T Page | 28
Site Installation Procedures
Audio Cable: Specialty Cable:
3.55mm Stereo Audio (Back of SP100) VGA to Composite/S‐Video
RCA Audio (Into Display)
firmCHANNEL™ Quick Start Media Guide
STEP 1: CREATE A PLAYLIST
A. Select Create a New Playlist.
B. In the Playlist Creation Window, enter a
name for the new Playlist in the field
provided.
C. Set the schedule rules for your content
using the date and time field options.
D. Click Create Playlist.
STEP 2: CREATE MEDIA & MANAGE PLAYLIST
A. Choose the Playlist you would like to build and click the Select button.
B. Within the current playlist, Click Create Media (shown above) from the playlist
menu.
C. A list of all available templates now displayed. Locate the template you wish to
use to create your media clip. At any time you can retrieve additional templates
by selecting “Get More Templates” from the list of options under “Templates” in
the Main Enterprise Header.
D. You may use the Preview feature to view template design and animations
before making a selection. Descriptions are also available.
E. Click the Select option on the template you wish to use.
F. The Media Creation Wizard will prompt you to upload your photos, text, videos, and RSS
Feeds, as desired. When complete, Click Create Media.
For more information on firmCHANNEL products, reference the Help menu.
http://www.firmchannel.com/help
Media Creation and Supported Resolutions
Images
Name Extension
Joint Photographic Experts Group JPEG
Portable Network Graphics PNG
Graphics Interchange Format GIF
Video
Name Extension
Flash Video FLV
Small Web Format (Flash) SWF
Windows Media Video WMV
Audio Video Interleave AVI
Digital Video Express/XVID DIVX
Video Object VOB
firmCHANNEL Tutorial Content Creation Engine
firmCHANNEL’s Template Community provides an ever‐expanding collection of professionally designed
templates which allow ultra high quality content created by beginners and experts, alike. With
firmCHANNEL™, anyone can create high definition digital signage with the look and feel of a professional
content provider. All content created through the engine is rendered in real‐time, allowing you to make
changes and see the results on your displays instantly.
The first step in developing content is to create a playlist. This is done simply by selecting the Create Playlist
under the Playlist Menu which is visible at all times on the left hand side of the webpage header. Users will
be prompted to answer a few brief questions which will establish the settings of the playlist. These settings
can easily be modified at any time after the playlist has been created. Playlists represent the carrier for all
media clips you wish show over the network.
Within each playlist, users can create and organize media clips on demand. To begin, select Create Media.
Following this link takes users to the expansive template database which houses templates of diversified
attributes and animations. All templates are professionally designed and strive to provide content that
influences consumer behavior, inspires audience action, and conveys a strong message.
To indentify the proper template for your needs, use the Advanced Template Search to select which
attributes you desire in the media clip. Select the features you desire in your media clip. The Search function
will populate a list of available templates based on the attributes selected.
Above: template advanced search
While navigating through the template database, users can preview the media clip at any time.
When a desired clip has been located, choose the template by clicking Select. A new window will
launch which will prompt the user to fill in selected fields to complete the media clip development.
Above: example of media creation process
i. Provide a Message Title for the clip. This is for filing purposes and will not be displayed in the finished
media product.
ii. Continue by choosing a transition from the provided drop down list. Transitions create visual effects as
clips rotate within a playlist.
iii. Next, Upload any photos and/or videos you would like included and input text to complete headlines,
text fields, and price tag lines. All fields are optional and are designed to enhance the effectiveness
and attractiveness of the media clip. Text fields include a Spelling‐Check tool to ensure all messages
are delivered accurately.
Each template includes default duration for the media clip it will create. Users can override the default
duration by entering an exact amount of seconds to define the length of the clip. Use this feature to
customize your media clip around uploaded videos. If the duration is set below the length of the uploaded
video, the clip will cut‐off the video and transition to the next media clip in the playlist. Ensure the proper
duration is used to avoid any communication errors.
When all fields are completed to your satisfaction, click the “Create Media” button. The engine will
collaborate the user defined assets with the template’s unique set of animations and design specifications to
render a complete movie file which is ready to be scheduled and displayed to the target audience in 420p,
720p, 768p, or 1080p.
Templates are available for all aspect ratios and industry verticals. The most commonly used template is
AdBuilder™. AdBuilder provides the most flexibility to combine your Text, photos, RSS, TV, Video, and logos
in one intelligent interface. For more info on this template, please visit:
http://firmchannel.com/downloads/adbuilder_help/
Completed clips can be edited in real‐time by selecting the “Edit” button from the Media Clip menu in the
playlist. The “Email” function creates a web based preview of the created media clip. A hyperlink is emailed
to the account of your choice that will be active for two weeks. This link can be sent to any individual for
feedback and/or approval before scheduling it to the network.
firmCHANNEL Tutorial Digital Photo Editor
The internal content creation engine includes a convenient digital photo editor to maximize your media
development possibilities. By leveraging this tool set, users can make all the necessary changes to photos
quickly and easily right on the interface without having to access any outside software. The photo editor is
embedded in each template wherever users are prompted to upload images.
Above: Selecting the firmCHANNEL™ Digital Photo Editor
The available editing capabilities are:
Position and Dimensions – Use this feature to crop and resize any uploaded photo.
Effects – Sharpen, Flip, or add any number of visual effects to the photo to create the right look for your
media clip. This feature can also effectively be used to either enhance or reduce the visual attraction to the
background so that you can control what aspects of the media will demand the audience attention.
Text and Font Properties – Overlay text onto any photo with the ability to control positioning, font, and font
size.
In keeping with the ease of use of all firmCHANNEL products, the photo editing suite is intuitively designed
with simplicity. Users also benefit from the peace of mind that all uploaded photos are saved in their original
formats. When desired, the photo edits can be discarded and firmCHANNEL will revert back to the originally
uploaded photo.
Above: The firmCHANNEL™ Photo Editor
firmCHANNEL Tutorial Virtual Displays
With firmCHANNEL™ users can maximize their message delivery options through the use of Virtual Displays.
This tool segments the viewable regions of the display into a variety of “Virtual Displays” which host a distinct
playlist. Virtual Displays are available in many combinations that incorporate TV, RSS, 16:9 (Widescreen
Horizontal), 9:16 (Widescreen Vertical), and 4:3 (Standard) inputs.
Virtual Displays are effective for providing abundant information simultaneously. This also works well for
displaying vital information at all times, while other areas of the viewable region cycle as desired. For
example, you may hold a scrolling stock ticker constant, while cycling news and advertisements above.
To use the Virtual Display tool set, select the “Create Virtual Display”
This will navigate you to the virtual display menu. Here you can search and sort all available virtual display
possibilities. firmCHANNEL provides many options to segment your display. If the available options do not
facilitate your media goals, firmCHANNEL can custom develop a virtual display template to your exact
specifications. Contact eliquidMEDIA International Inc. (1‐800‐561‐7525) for pricing and development details.
Select the Virtual Display template as desired. Enter a title for your template. Below, drop down lists will
provide all the available playlists which can be used in the specific segment of the display. Note: Drop down
lists will only display playlists that match the orientation of the virtual display element. For example, when
using a Virtual Display with a 4:3 viewing area, only playlists that are rendered in a 4:3 format will be
available as options. This avoids poor results from stretching or shrinking media clips.
Once all playlist inputs have been selected set an appropriate duration for your media clip and select Save
Virtual Display. The Virtual Display template will now be saved in the playlist. It can now be scheduled to
display as desired.
firmCHANNEL User Guide
System Management
Modify Settings
Settings allow the system owner the ability to enter company specific information identifying the entity that
owns and operates the firmCHANNEL system.
Select Settings.
In the Settings form, enter or modify company default information including Company Name, Heading, Phone
Number, Slogan, and Website Address. These items will be saved for convenience and reference at a later date.
For use with firmWEB, enter a valid Domain name (ex. www.firmchannel.com).
From this section, The Campaign Module can be turned ON or OFF via the checkbox. As discussed earlier
campaigns are an advanced function for macro level marketing management. Disabling Campaigns simplifies the
user interface and functionality.
Within Settings, users also have access to the Logo Manager, RSS Manager, Tag Manager, and License database.
These are described in greater depth under their respective categories.
Restore Factory Defaults
Select Settings.
Select the Factory Reset tab at the top of the Settings form.
Select the display mode you wish to reset to from the Factory Reset To drop‐down menu.
Click the Confirm Reset button.
Note: All Playlists, Media, Templates, Logos, and RSS Feeds will be removed from the system when you select this
option. Make sure that you backup the Playlists that you would like to keep by exporting them BEFORE you
choose to do a Factory Reset. See Export a Playlist for help with this topic. This feature is only available on the
local player interface.
Player Management
Create a New Player
To effectively establish your network between Player and Enterprise, you must Create a New Player.
To do this, from Enterprise simply select Manage Players from the Players drop down menu in the Website
header menu.
This will navigate you to the Player Management website. From here, select Create Player.
From the Create Player interface, enter the system settings, assign technicians, and add any notes for future
reference to help keep the network organized. Any technicians assigned will be a point of contact if errors ever
occur with the player. If firmCHANNEL detects an error, the assigned technicians will be notified by the
communication channel of your choice.
Below is a list of settings users are prompted to complete:
Name – Assign a custom name for your player so it can be easily identified and located later.
License Key – This is assigned to you by firmCHANNEL at the time of purchase.
Model – Use the drop down menu to select if you are operating a SP‐75, SP‐100, or SP‐200.
Orientation – define if you would like the player to produce output in Widescreen, Vertical, or Standard Mode.
Location, ‐ Identify a location that the player belongs to from a drop down menu. *Note: Only the location that
you have previously established will be available to choose.
Connection Frequency ‐ This dictates how often your player will communicate with the Enterprise server to
receive media updates. Select based on the demands of your content and your available internet connection.
Screen Refresh Rate – The Screen Refresh Rate refers to how many times per second the monitor will refresh the
displayed content. Each screen operates optimally at specific refresh rate. Refer to your monitor’s user manual to
decipher the proper refresh rate. **Note: If firmCHANNEL is not set to output at the preferred monitor, playback
will likely be distorted and off center.
Screen Resolution – Define the resolution in which your networked displays will operate. firmCHANNEL can
produce output in 480p, 720p, 768p, 1080p. Ensure that firmCHANNEL’s output matches the resolution of the
display for best results.
RSS Ticker Overlay ‐ This provides the option to include an RSS Ticker Overlay which will be present throughout
the playback of media.
Ticker RSS Feed – If the ticker is enabled, select the source from which you would like the player to draw the RSS
feed. *Note: the available options will be the RSS Feeds pre established in the RSS Manager.
Player Search
To Search for a Player, select the Player Search button on the upper left hand side of the player listings.
The search module will appear. Complete the fields as desired and click Search.
Logo Management
Upload Company Logos
Select LOGOS from the black upper menu to access the Logo Manager. All Logos uploaded will be available for
use during the media creation process. Most templates allow for a logo to be an additional asset which you may
include in the layout and template animations.
To create a new logo, click “Add Logo”
• Enter a name for the new logo in the Logo Name field.
• Click Browse beside the Logo File field.
• Navigate to the appropriate graphic on your computer that you wish to upload, click Open. See Prepare
Logo Files for help with preparing your logo. *Note: firmCHANNEL supports logos in all popular file formats
however PNG files are best used in media development because they provide a transparent background.
Click the Create Logo button. The Logo Manager window will be displayed with a preview of your new logo.
Once your logo is successfully uploaded, use the built‐in photo editing tools to crop, resize, or add a text overlay
to the logo.
Group Management
firmCHANNEL Groups allow users to organize a series of players into a functional group which can be managed
independently from the general schedules. Through this module, playlists can be scheduled to the Group rather
than having to manage scheduling with each individual Server Player. This saves much time and effort when
managing multiple locations which will host the same content.
Create a New Group
To begin, select Manage Groups from the Players drop down menu in the
main system header.
Within the Group Module, You may edit existing groups or create a new group
by selecting the Create Group button.
Within the Group Module, You may edit existing groups or create a new group by selecting the Create Group
button.
To create a new group, enter the required fields. Use the Notes field to document details of this group for future
reference. This will help eliminate scheduling errors by assigning content to the wrong group.
Once all Group specific information is added, select from the list below which players you would like included in
the group.
Select Create Group to finish the Group setup.
With the Group processed, you can now drill down on the created groups to add/remove players or assign meta
tags to the group for campaign management. For more information on Campaigns, reference the Campaigns
Tutorial of this reference guide.
Location Management
firmCHANNEL Locations allow users to categorize players based on their geographical location. The Locations
Module includes additional fields that allow you to store equipment lists and other vital pieces of information
that allow a user to quickly browse and manage the network by location rather than per player. Locations differ
from Groups in that the Locations Module is simply an organization and management tool, while Groups are
designed to execute and assign content to a collection of players. These tools can be used collaboratively for
maximum efficiency.
Create a New Location
To begin, create a New Location by selecting Manage Locations from the Players drop down menu in the main
system header.
Within the Locations Module, you may edit existing Locations or create a new Location by selecting the Create
Location button.
Complete all of the required fields, and add any additional information you may want to store for future
reference. These details are fully editable at any time.
Continue editing and establishing your location by selecting your new location in the Locations List.
Click on the Location name and all information will be made visible below. Add/Delete and Edit information
pertinent to this location in the tabs provided. This information will be stored on the network and visible to all
individuals with the proper permission assigned by the administrator.
While establishing locations, you may also conveniently access technical support. In the Info tab, navigate to the
bottom left corner and select the Support button. This will provide detailed instructions for contacting
firmCHANNEL support by phone or to initiate a live request whereby firmCHANNEL will log directly onto your
player and diagnose the player errors.
Campaign management is an advanced functionality module within the firmCHANNEL Platform. Campaigns allow
users to create and distribute media clips to Server Players based on a set of parameters defined by meta tags.
Meta Tags are simply attributes users’ custom “tag” to media clips and playlists. By tagging media clips with
keywords such as “sports”, “safety”, or “weather”, media clips can be published to server players with matching
keywords creating custom campaigns that can be initiated on demand.
Not all users will utilize the campaign management module. In the settings section of each player interface, or
from enterprise, Campaigns can be disabled. Reference the full Campaign Tutorial or contact firmCHANNEL
Technical Support @ 1800.561.7525 for help in developing your campaigns.
Technician Management
A Technician is defined as a person responsible for reporting on‐site to a player in need of support. This is an
integral part of your firmCHANNEL system as technicians will be the first to respond in the event of a system
error. Depending on user specifications, firmCHANNEL will automatically notify the registered technicians by
method of your choice in the event of an error.
Create a New Technician
To register a Technician, select Manage Technicians from the Players drop down menu.
Within the Technician Module, you may edit existing Technicians or create a new Technician by selecting the Add
Technician button.
Follow the fields and insert all information relevant to the new Technician. *Note: ensure that contact
information is entered correctly as this will be stored in the database for system reference.
Select a technician at any time to add/delete or edit their personal details.
User Management
Add/Create a New User
Select Manage Users from the black top header menu to access the User Management area .
Within the User Management area, you have the ability to create, edit, and manage user accounts and
permissions. This is done by creating users, profiles, and companies.
Using the three elements in combination with a limited profile will allow you to an unlimited number or unique
users all functioning on enterprise simultaneously, but blind to all other users. You may also use these tools to
limit what functions, information, and areas of the platform users have access to.
To begin, first click Create User to open a new user account.
Enter all the personal information for the new user in the form, including username, email address and
password. You may also tag this user with a given Profile and Company. This information can be edited at any
time.
*Note: a username must be one word that is case sensitive. Make sure to complete all fields marked with a red
asterisk (*), these are required fields.
Click Add User to create this user account.
*Note: It is recommended that the administrator creating a new user account logs out and logs back in as the
new user with the issued password to confirm that the account has been successfully and properly created.
Edit a User Account
Select Manage Users from the black top header menu to access the User Management area.
Select the user you would like to edit from the list by clicking on the name. A drop down menu will appear,
showing the current information on record for the user. To edit this information, click on the Management tab
(Next to Info). Under the Management Tab, you may edit all of the relevant information for the user, as well as
toggle the Company and Profile assigned to the user.
When complete, Click Save Settings to update this user account.
Delete a User Account
Select Manage Users from the black top header menu to access the User Management area.
Find the User you would like to remove from the system and select the Remove button.
*Note – When Remove is selected, the user will be permenantly deleted from the system.
RSS Management
View RSS Feeds
Select “RSS” from the black upper menu
Click on the RSS feed you would like to view. A drop‐down menu will appear with all relevant information for
that RSS/XML feed.
Edit an RSS Feed
Click on the RSS feed you would like to edit. A drop‐down menu and information will appear.
Select the management tab and Make the necessary modifications to the RSS feed.
When complete, select the Save Settings button.
Create an RSS Feed
Select the Create RSS/XML Feed.
Enter a name for the new RSS feed in the RSS Feed Name field.
Enter the URL of the RSS feed you wish to add in the RSS Feed URL field or enter your custom text into the RSS
Custom Text (Instead of URL) field to create your own RSS feed.
Click the Create RSS button.
Modify RSS Ticker Overlay Colors
To modify the RSS ticker Overlay Colors, select Settings from the interface header and enter the Player
Management Tab.
From the player list, select the player you wish to modify. Within that player’s management window, modify any
RSS attributes as desired.
When finished, click Save Settings to store details.
Enable RSS Ticker Overlay
Note: Ticker mode places a static RSS feed ticker at the bottom of your ads.
From Enterprise, the RSS Ticker can be controlled for each individual player in the network. To access the each
player, navigate to Manage Players, and select the Ticker Tab on the particular player you would like to modify.
From here you can enable or disable the ticker, select which RSS you would like to overlay, and manage all color and
speed options.
Media Management
Manage Media Clips
Place your mouse over the Playlist drop‐down menu at the top of the page.
Select Manage Playlists.
The Playlist Management window will open a listing of all available Playlists. Playlists are the carriers of your
media clips. Playlists provide all the creation, management, and scheduling processes for your media.
Create a Media Clip
1. Choose the Playlist you would like to build and click Select.
2. A new window will open. Click the Create Media tab
3. A list of all available templates is displayed. Locate the template you
wish to use to create your media clip.
4. Use the Preview feature to view template design and animations
before making a selection.
5. Click the Select option on the template you wish to use.
6. The Media Creation Wizard will prompt you to fill in all necessary
information for your selected template.
7. Enter a message title and all other information as desired.
8. Click Create Media.
Create a Media Clip Using AdBuider™
Through the “Create Media” process, select the “Ultimate Adbuilder” template. Follow the steps in the HTML
form to upload your transition, background image, photos, RSS, TV, Video, and Duration.
Once complete, select “Layout”.
The Adbuilder Toolbar is a tabbed interface. See below for step by step instructions for each function.
TEXT INPUT TAB
This tab includes four static text fields and one animated text field to input and deliver your message.
Static Text Input
Text Input
• There are four static text input fields available. To input text, simply click in the “Field 1”,
“Field 2”, “Field 3”, or “Field 4” areas and begin typing.
Position the Text Box
• Click and Drag the text box to position it anywhere on the stage you desire.
Sizing the Text Box
• The text box can be made any size by using the free‐ transform handles on any of the
corners. Click and drag the corners to increase or decrease the size of the box.
Font Color
• Click on the color icon to select a Font Color from the menu.
Font Size
• Use the – or + to increase or decrease the size of the text. The size will increase or decrease
incrementally by 2pt. Maximum size is 124pt.
Font Type
• Select your desired Font type from the available set.
Apply Filter
• The Filter applies a shadow to each letter. This is effective for creating a contrast to the
background and increasing the visibility of your text. Apply the Filter by selecting the
check box.
Lock or Unlock feature
• The Lock and Unlock feature is used to lock your text field in place when you are satisfied
with your changes. The text fields are unlocked as a default.
Reset Field
• By clicking RESET, all changes will be discarded and you will be able to start again.
Animated Text Input
Input Text
• The animated text input field offers special effects to make your text more dynamic. To
begin, simply enter your text in the box provided.
Apply Animation
• Next, select the desired animation effect. NOTE: side‐flow and top‐flow effects can only be
applied to a single line of animated text. Click the check box to enable or disable the
animated text.
• Animated text font type, size, and color can be controlled the in the same manner as STATIC
text fields.
Special Character Input
• Use this feature to insert special characters into your media clip. Click on the Special
Characters button and a pop‐up window will appear. Follow the on‐screen instructions to
insert the character into your media clip.
GRAPHICS TAB
In the panel under this tab, you are able to control the solid color background, background image, and up to 4
photos.
Graphics Input
Getting Started
• By default, all photos are locked. To begin manipulating a photo, click the lock to unlock the
photo. When the photo is unlocked, you will be able to click and drag the photo to any
position on the stage.
Resizing Graphics
• Use the free‐transform handles to resize the graphic. NOTE: To maintain the original aspect
ratio of the photo, hold the Shift Key as you resize the photo.
Rotate Photos
• To rotate the photo, mouse over the corner handles until the rotate mouse cursor appears.
As the rotate cursor appears, left click the corner and drag to rotate the photo.
Apply Opacity
• You can apply an opacity effect to each photo by using the slider to adjust the transparency
of the object.
Adjust Background
• The background image can be adjusted in the same manner as the other photos. After
unlocking the background image, resize, rotate, or apply opacity as desired.
Apply Background Color
• Behind the background image and available photos, you can apply a background color.
Simply select the solid background color from the color menu provided.
Enable or Disable Background
• Enable or disable the background image or any of the photos by clicking the check box in the
control panel of each element.
TV/VIDEO/RSS TAB
Under this tab, users have full control of the TV, VIDEO, and RSS placeholders.
TV & Video Input
Enable the TV, Video and RSS Inputs
• By Default, TV, Video, and RSS placeholders are disabled. Click “enable/disable” text in each
panel to enable or disable the function.
Display TV or Video Placeholder
• To make the TV or Video Placeholders visible, click the “Show Placeholder” text.
Set the Aspect Ratio
• To maintain a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios to your TV or video feeds, simply select the preset
ratio by clicking the widescreen or standard image provided in the panel.
Custom Sizing
• Use the Free‐transform handles to create your own custom size for the TV and Video
Placeholders.
Display RSS Placeholder
• To make the RSS Placeholders visible, click the “Show RSS Placeholder” text.
Custom RSS Sizing
• Use the Free‐transform handles to create your own custom size for the RSS Placeholder.
Apply RSS Background Color
• Click on the Color box to select the desired RSS background color from the menu.
Apply RSS Background Opacity
• To apply an opacity effect to the RSS feed; enter a Number between 0‐100. The greater the
number, the great the opacity effect.
Set RSS Delay
• RSS delay controls allow you to set a pause between each scrolling news item.
Set Scroll Direction
• You can adjust your text to scroll down (Top to Bottom), or up (Bottom to Top).
• Select an RSS Skin from the available set. AdBuilder provides small, medium, and large text
size options, in a variety of complimenting colors. Tip: choose a skin that contrasts well
with the background colors to maximize RSS text visibility and effectiveness.
Accessories
Time and Date Input
• Adbuilder provides an active Analog clock, digital clock, and date to include in your media
clip. To use these items, simply click and drag the items to position them anywhere on
the stage.
Resize Accessories
• You can increase or decrease the size of date and time clocks by using the free‐transform
handles on the corners of the object.
Logo Object
• The logo can also be controlled like any object. Simply drag the Logo on the stage and use
the free‐transform handles on the corners to resize and rotate the logo as desired.
Saving Changes
Saving Changes
• When satisfied with your media clip, click the SAVE button in the bottom, right hand corner
of the AdBuilder window. Be sure to click SAVE before closing the AdBuilder window or
else all changes will be lost. You can re‐enter AdBuilder any time and make any changes
as desired.
Preview a Media Clip
In the Media Management window, locate the Media Clip you wish to
preview.
Select the Preview option or click on the graphic of the media clip.
A pop‐up screen will display a preview of the selected Media Clip if the
Preview button is selected. By clicking on the Media Graphic, the clip will play
where the graphic lies rather than opening a new window.
Note: To properly preview a media clip, you will need the latest version of
Adobe Flash Player installed on your PC. For previewing media clips with
Videos embedded, you will need to have the Video Codec (DivX, MPEG‐4,
WMV, etc) resident on your computer. firmCHANNEL™ will play the videos
properly over the network, however your PC cannot play the preview without
the proper codec installed. Preview function does not support Live TV
streams. In the event a TV feed is used in the media clip, a black box will
replace the live stream ONLY for the purposes of preview. Also note that
Large HD video files may not preview properly depending on the user’s
browser settings and PC processing power. These limitations only exist in the
preview window and will not affect network playback.
Edit a Media Clip
In the Media Management window, locate the Media Clip you wish to make
modifications to.
Select the Edit option.
The Edit Media form is displayed. Modify the necessary fields, click Update Media.
The Media Management window is now displayed and the modifications to the
media clip have been saved.
Make a Copy of a Media Clip
In the Media Management window, locate the Media Clip you wish to save a copy of.
Select the Save As option.
In the Save Media As form, choose a Playlist from the Playlist drop‐down menu to
add the Media to.
Enter a new name for the Media Clip in the Message Title field.
Make any other modifications to the Media Clip necessary, click Save Copy.
A copy of the Media Clip is saved in the selected Playlist and the Media Management
window is displayed for the Playlist of the original Media Clip.
Disable a Media Clip
In the Media Management window, locate the Media Clip you wish to disable.
Select the Disable option
The Media Clip is now moved to the Disabled holding area. You can access it by
clicking the Disabled tab at the top of the Media Management window.
Enable a Media Clip
In the Media Management window, click the Disabled tab at the top right hand
corner.
Locate the Media Clip you wish to enable.
Select the Enable option.
The Media Clip is now moved to Current and you can access it by clicking the Current
tab.
Delete a Media Clip
In the Media Management window, locate the Media Clip you wish to delete.
Select the Delete option.
A prompt will appear confirming the deletion. Click Ok.
Note: The Media Clip will be permanently removed from the system when you click
Ok. If you do not wish to delete the Media Clip click Cancel.
Display Schedule for a Media Clip
In the Media Management window, locate the Media Clip you wish to view the schedule for. Click the Show
Schedule tab.
A list of all the schedules for the Media Clip will be displayed. As displayed below, Users can access the schedule
and interrupt functions from this area to make any necessary changes.
Interrupts can be used to quickly and easily interject a desired clip into playback so that it is displayed at a
precise time rather than in a playlist loop. For example, use interrupts if you would like a given clip to be played
at 4:00 pm each day.
*Note: if no schedule is assigned, the clip is given the default schedule of “Continuous Playback” and will
permitted to play all days of the week, within the continuous playlist loop.
Remove Schedule from Media Clip
Locate the schedule you wish to remove from the Media Clip. Click Remove.
A prompt will appear confirming the deletion. Click Ok.
Note: The Schedule will be permanently removed from the system when you click Ok. If you do not wish to
delete the schedule click Cancel.
The schedule is removed from the Media Clip and the Show Schedule view is closed.
Note: If you removed the last schedule for the Media Clip, it will default to Continuous Playback. You can add a
new schedule if you do not wish for the Media Clip to play continuously. See Add Schedule to a Media Clip for
help with this topic.
Add Schedule to Media Clip
Click Add to Schedule under the listed Play Schedules.
Set the appropriate Days of the Week, Time of Day and Date Range for the schedule. Click Add Schedule.
The schedule is added to the Media Clip and the Show Schedule view is closed.
Change the Order of Media
In the Media Management window you can change the order that the Media Clips play in by selecting the Order
Media button.
A new window will launch, displaying all media clips in the given playlist.
To order media, simply click on the desired media clip and drag it to the desired position among the other clips in
the playlist. When the clips are positioned as desired, close the window and the new order will be saved in the
media management window.
Playlist Management
Create a New Playlist
Place your mouse over the Playlist drop‐down menu at the top of the page. Select Create New Playlist.
In the Playlist Creation window, enter a name for the new Playlist in the Playlist Name field.
Assign time schedule credentials if this Playlist is to be scheduled at a specific time, date range, or specific day of
the week, otherwise allow the default time schedule data to remain as is.
Note: The default time for a Playlist schedule is a 10 year lifespan from the date of creation.
Click Create Playlist. The new Playlist has been created and the Playlist Management window is then displayed.
The newest created Playlist will appear at the top of the available Playlists.
Preview a playlist
In the Playlist Management window, locate the Playlist you wish to preview.
Select the Preview option.
A pop‐up window will display a preview of the selected Playlist. Each individual
Media Clip will play for its duration and transition to the next ordered Media Clip.
Note: F5 on your keyboard will advance each Media Clip in your Playlist quickly in
succession.
Note: To properly preview a playlist, you will need the latest version of Adobe Flash
Player installed on your PC. For previewing media clips with Videos embedded, you
will need to have the Video Codec (DivX, MPEG‐4, WMV, etc) resident on your
computer. firmCHANNEL™ will play the videos properly over the network, however
your PC cannot play the preview without the proper codec installed. Preview
function does not support Live TV streams. In the event a TV feed is used in the
media clip, a black box will replace the live stream ONLY for the purposes of
preview. Also note that Large HD video files may not preview properly depending
on the user’s browser settings and PC processing power. These limitations only exist
in the preview window and will not affect network playback.
Export a Playlist
Note: You can export playlists to make backups before you do a factory reset, or
to transfer from one Server Player to another.
In the Playlist Management window, locate the Playlist
you wish to export.
Select the Export option.
The Export Playlist window will appear.
A list of options will be displayed that will allow you to
export additional information with your playlist.
Note: Virtual Displays cannot be exported.
Click the Download button.
Choose to save the Playlist in an easily accessible location on your computer (such
as My Documents). Click Save.
Import a Playlist
Place your mouse over the Playlist drop‐down menu at the top of the page. Select Import Playlist.
firmCHANNEL's Import feature will accept firmCHANNEL “.fca” file format and store the playlist with all the
attributes that were selected during the export process. Simply browse your computer for a previously exported
firmCHANNEL playlist archive, and click on the Import Playlist button to complete the process.
Click the Browse button for the Playlist File field. Navigate to the Playlist on your local computer that you wish to
import. Click Open.
Click Import Playlist. The Playlist Management window will display and the new Playlist is listed at the top.
Disable or Enable a Playlist
In the Playlist Management window, locate the Playlist you wish to disable or
enable.
If the Playlist is currently enabled, select the Disable option to disable the Playlist.
If the Playlist is currently disabled, select the Enable option to enable the Playlist.
The icon beside the Playlist name will be updated to reflect the current status of
the Playlist.
Delete a Playlist
In the Playlist Management window, locate the Playlist you wish to delete.
Select the Delete option.
A prompt will appear confirming the deletion. Click Ok.
Note: The Playlist will be permanently deleted from the system when you click Ok.
If you do not wish to delete the Playlist click Cancel.
Show Schedule for a Playlist
In the Playlist Management window, locate the Playlist for which you wish to view the schedule. Click the
Schedule tab.
A list of all the schedules for the Playlist will be displayed.
Note: From this Tab, you may remove or modify any of the existent schedules. A prompt will appear confirming
the deletion. Click Ok. The Schedule will be permanently removed from the system when you click Ok. If you do
not wish to delete the schedule click Cancel.
The schedule is removed from the playlist and the Show Schedule view is closed.
Note: If you removed the schedule for the playlist, it will default to Continuous Playback. You can add a new
schedule at any time if you do not wish for the playlist to playback continuously. See “Add Schedule to a Media
Clip” for help with this topic
View Media Clip Schedule in a Playlist
You have the option to view the schedule of media clips within a playlist in a Gantt chart.
Select the Media tab.
A Gantt chart will be displayed showing all media clips within the playlist.
You can navigate to any specific date by clicking on the arrows above the chart or by inputting an exact date
below.
Change the Order of Playlists
In the Playlist Management window you can change the order that the Playlists play in by clicking the up or
down arrows to the right of each Playlist.
Template Management
Manage Templates
Place your mouse over the Templates drop‐down menu at the top of the page. Select Manage Your Templates.
The Template Management System window is displayed listing all available templates.
Search for Templates
In the Template Management System window, enter the information you wish to search for (eg. Categories,
Keywords and Template Features) and click Search.
The Template Management System will then be reloaded with all the templates that match the entered criteria.
You can also search by sorting templates by Orientation (i.e. Widescreen 16x9, Vertical 9x16 or Standard 4x3). To
do this, simply click the orientation tabs above.
Preview a Template
In the Template Management System window, locate the template you wish to preview. Select the Preview
option.
A pop‐up screen will display a preview of the selected template.
Note: You will need the latest version of Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer to preview the template.
Delete a Template
In the Template Management System window, locate the template you wish to delete.
Select the Delete option.
A prompt will appear confirming the deletion. Click Ok.
Note: The template and all Media Clips that currently use the template will be permanently
deleted from the system when you click Ok. If you do not wish to delete the template click Cancel.
Change the Order of Templates
In the Template Management System window you can change the order of the templates by clicking the up
or down arrows to the right of each template.
Download a Template
To access more templates, mouse over the Templates button on the web page header and click, Get More
Templates.
This will navigate you to the Community Template website. This site hosts all available templates, and allows
users to rank each template with a star rating out of a possible 5 stars. Full search functionality exists that allows
users to sort by Community Ratings, Personal Ratings, Media Creation Dates, and alphabetically. As with the
media creation process, users can search on the basis of desired attributes.
firmCHANNEL templates are professionally developed and provided Free of charge for all users with an active
software license. Select any number of templates that you like. For each desired template, select Add to Basket.
The Basket is a holding area. All clips will remain in this area until you are finished shopping. When desired, select
View Basket.
All selected clips will be visible. If you are satisfied with your selections, click Download Now.
These templates can now be found resident on your system whenever you choose to Create Media.
Upload a Template
Place your mouse over the Templates drop‐down menu at the top of the page.
Select Upload a Template.
Click the Browse button for the Template File field. Navigate to the template on your local computer that you
wish to upload, click Open.
Click Upload Template.
The Template Management System window is displayed with the new template listed at the top.
Reporting
firmCHANNEL provides all the necessary diagnostic and reporting systems that allow users to manage a global
communication system with great simplicity. The firmCHANNEL Platform also includes the micro and macro level
management tools that make firmCHANNEL accessible and completely scalable for businesses of any size.
With Enterprise, the main landing page provides at‐a‐glance reporting on the network’s health and activity.
Included on the welcome page are the following:
Community Details ‐ Statistics that total the count of active Players, Groups, Playlists, Media Clips, and
Templates
System Heath Status – Includes vital information in regards to Server Uptime, and Server Disk Space
Enterprise Command Center – Includes in table format, statistics on the status of each player in the network. The
table lists the number of players online, offline, and in error states.
See below for a detailed description on how to access and use firmCHANNEL’s other reporting toolsets
Accessing Reports
To monitor the system health, select REPORTS, which is visible at all times in the header of the user interface.
This will navigate you to the reporting area. From here you have the option to view reports for each networked
player and for the entire system
Player Reporting
From inside the Reporting Section, a list of all active players will be displayed. Select the desired player and
follow the link to the player log page. All logs are categorized by Month. Drill down on the Month, Day, and Clip
you would like to view. After selecting the desired clip, timestamps will be provided for each time that clips was
displayed in the given calendar day.
*Note: firmCHANNEL also provides these reports in downloadable XML format for further processing.
View System Activity
From the Reporting Section, users can access system activity by clicking the link on the upper right hand side on
the screen.
In the System Activity logs, users are provided detailed information of any changes or transactions that have
occurred within the system.
Key Success Factors for Digital Communication
A. Start with the Audience
It may seem counter intuitive, but a key success factor for digital communication is to start with the
customer, and incorporate the technology second. Today’s technology offerings are boundless. The
first priority should be the customer experience. You should be thinking first about how you can
improve the customer experience and how technology can help you communicate more effectively.
When identifying the key drivers of your target audience, here are some items to consider:
• Who will make up the typical audience?
• What is the technological sophistication of the target audience?
• What are the customer’s goals vs. what are the company’s goals?
• What method of communication resonates with your target audience?
• What are the cultural, language, and demographic issues to consider?
B. Media Durations
Digital Signage media does have an “expiry date” as the captive audiences for a particular display typically
change rapidly. The surrounding environment is a significant determinant of the average viewer attention
span so it is important to keep this in mind when building your templates. A display located in a storefront
window is subject to a different audience then the display mounted above the cash register of the same
store. Optimally, the content should be different on each display both in terms of messaging and in terms of
length. Users of digital signage should always be cognizant of this fact and keep media clips to lengths at or
below the average audience attention span.
There are many ways to measure the average length of your captive audience but below is a guide for typical
applications. Plan your deployment strategically around these factors for maximum ROI.
• Walk by time: 7‐11 seconds
• Retail check‐out line time: 15‐30 seconds
• Drive by Time: 3‐5 seconds
C. Playlist Management
firmCHANNEL provides the tools to maximize your creativity. When building a playlist, consider the
environment in which it will be displayed and compose the clips with appropriate color schemes, logical
transitions, and strategic placement of clips within the playlist. Repeat visual elements of design throughout
a playlist. By repeating colors, shapes, textures, spatial relationships, line thickness and object sizes, the
playlist will carry a sense of purpose and enhances branding power.
Consider the total length of your playlist so that you are aware how often each media clip will be played.
firmCHANNEL provides all the measurement tools required for this. There likely are clips in the playlist that
carry more importance over others. Schedule your playlists so that the important clips are displayed
appropriately. Use the “Save As” feature to replicate a media clip so that it can appear numerous times in a
playlist.
It is also important to keep in mind what type of information you are communicating over your network. If
you intend on displaying the latest updates from the New York Stock Exchange, you will have to have long
cycles that update frequently. Conversely, global news updates can occur less frequently.
D. The Complete Environment
Digital Signage applications are not universal. Each location has its own set of key success factors and
challenges to overcome. At your location, note what the area provides for lighting, sound, audience distance
from the displays, attention spans, and demographics. Lighting factors will influence what type of display is
best for your location. Lighting conditions will also affect visibility of colors and text. As a general rule, LCD
displays perform better in ambient light then Plasma displays. Understanding the dynamics of the
surrounding environment is essential as it will guide your decisions in implementing and maintaining
effective digital signage.
To create a complete environment, the technology has to collaborate and incorporate well with the
surrounding space. When making any implementation choices, analyze how the decision matches with the
customer’s expectations, brand experience, and the operational, logistical, and ergonomic issues of the
environment.
E. Simplicity
In the world of digital communication, less is more. Simplicity is often the best way to target your audience,
communicate clearly, and improve message retention. The probability that the audience will view the
content improves if less information is displayed. People are continually bombarded by text and most often
avoid having to read long scripts. Keep text simple to improve message delivery.
When inputting text, avoid forcing readers to over‐think. The message should be concise and direct.
Perfecting digital signage content is a balancing act. If you provide the audience with too much information,
they will be inclined to pass over and ignore it. If you provide too little, you risk interpretation and
comprehension problems.
Adding extravagant graphics, while attractive and unique, can actually distract the audience away from the
core message of the content. Studies show that the use of elaborate graphics does not improve message
effectiveness nor does it promote message retention. The goal is to provide attractive media that focuses
the audience’s attention to the message at hand. When designing media, it is helpful to ask yourself if your
attention is directed to the brand or to the elements surrounding it. By avoiding complex images, text, and
visual effects that compete for attention, your messages will be delivered to the audience in a lasting and
impressionable manner.
F. Language
When composing your digital communication text, avoid using language that is more complex than it needs
to be. Choosing the longer word is not necessarily the best word. Complex language opens the
communication up to interpretation, confusion, and reduces retention rates. The wrong language can also
alienate an audience that is not accustomed to communicating in such a way.
As with all decisions, it is important to consider the environment and ensure that the delivery speaks
effectively to the target audience.
G. Media Testing
With the simplicity of firmCHANNEL’s internal content creation engine, there is the often the tendency to
compose content in seconds without much regard for testing for effectiveness. This is perfectly acceptable
under most conditions, but in sensitive applications, users are always encouraged to monitor audience
responsiveness towards each media clip. In doing so, users will become familiar with the key success factors
within their respective location and they can then apply the effective characteristics in future media
developments.
H. Repurpose Content
To save time while developing media, use the “Save As” feature to create a copy of a desired media clip in a
different playlist. Once in the new playlist, edits can be made to the clip to make it appropriate for the theme
of the new playlist.
I. Media Organization
As your media library expands, there will be a tendency to name newly created media clips with generic titles
such as “bar 1” or “birthday”. Overtime, you may find that as a result, it becomes increasingly hard to
differentiate between clips. To avoid scheduling errors or inconvenient searches, users are encouraged to
label media clips with a descriptive titles that can easily be referenced at a later date.
To help quickly identify the proper clip, firmCHANNEL provides for you the detailed information regarding
when and by whom the clip was created. This information can be viewed at any time when organizing media
clips within a playlist.
J. Content Strategy
Digital Signage is a powerful communication tool that has proven to have dramatic a influence at the point
of purchase and provides great support in the sales cycle. To achieve this, it is important to have a well
thought out strategy in regards to how digital signage fits into your sales process. Communication can often
be wasted without a clear direction or instruction for the audience. Consider what you would like the
audience to do after they view the media clip. Should they purchase a product? Redeem a coupon? Visit a
location? Navigate to a website? Attend a meeting? Digital signage provides tremendous options in the way
of influencing consumers at the point of purchase. To maximize the return on your digital signage
investment, ensure that your content correlates and supports your ultimate goals for the audience.
Another suggestion is to offer incentives to follow the requests for action. This is a powerful initiative to draw
the audience to a desired end. As a caution however, be prepared to deliver upon your incentives as breaking
consumer trust will jeopardize the effectiveness of future marketing initiatives.
firmCHANNEL Digital Signage is unique in that it also offers the capabilities of firmWEB. Use these toolsets
collaboratively to maximize your communication. Signage at the point of purchase (with an average captive
audience time of seven seconds) could be used to direct individuals to your website (where the average
captive audience time is much longer).
K. Font Size and Text
A popular concern among digital signage content developers is the proper font size and text to use. This is a
vital consideration relative to the overall effectiveness. The keys to success in a digital world differ from
traditional print media.
In terms of font size, clearly bigger is better. A general rule of thumb is that font 2” tall can be seen from 25
feet and that relationship holds as you move farther from the screen. It is often speculated however that
displays generally have 30 feet of “Impact” distance. This suggests that an audience farther than 30 feet will
not strain to read the text on the screen, and as such, message retention rates are considerably reduced.
Keep in mind that digital screens do not have the resolution rates that a typical print poster would carry thus
you would have to use a larger font size in digital format to maintain the same visibility afforded by print.
With digital communication, it is very important to consider the ambient lighting of the environment. This
influences what type of display best suits the application as well as the visibility and effectiveness of media in
the environment.
Consider contrast at all times. Outlines and drop shadows generally improve text visibility. Use color
combinations that soften the transition from the background to the foreground. For close range viewing,
words beginning with uppercase and followed by lower case are easily readable. From longer range, all
uppercase letters provide better visibility.
In the digital world, fonts that are “Sans‐Serif” generally provide better visibility and thus, better message
comprehension and retention. The opposite is true with print media, but with the lower resolution rates of
digital displays, fonts with cleaner edges generally provide greater visibility from distance.
L. Memory Retention
Aside from the above visibility related suggestions, users can significantly improve message performance by
implementing psychological tactics into their content development. For example, when presented with a list
of items, we generally will remember the first and last items on the list more so than the items in the middle.
This is called the “Serial Position Effect”. Also, we recall the items at the bottom of the list more often than
those at the top of the list. This is the “Recency Effect”. The relevance to digital signage is that often lists are
used to display text in a given media clip. Keep this in mind and list items strategically in order of importance
to increase the probability of message retention.
The visible duration of text is visible also contributes to retention. Leveraging firmCHANNEL templates which
animate text slowly will increase this effect as it provides more time for the brain to store the message in
long term memory. Setting the duration of the media clip 1‐2 seconds longer then required is also an
effective way of allowing the text to be displayed longer and thus improving the Recency Effect.
Again, simplicity always trumps complexity in the digital communication world. Keeping lists to only two
items avoids the physiological games as people will generally retain two items with ease. Recall that
communication is the ultimate goal at hand. Use these helpful hints to guide your content to make your
digital signage experience a success.
M. Display Orientation
In some instances, it may be beneficial to change the orientation of your digital signage display.
firmCHANNEL currently supports, and creates media for, 4:3 (Standard), 16:9 (Widescreen Horizontal), and
9:16 (Widescreen Vertical). Generally, 16:9 is the most popular however 9:16 demands attention due to its
uniqueness.
In retail applications, portrait mode (9:16) is often more effective due to its aesthetics and functionality with
the surrounding environments. Places such as public squares, retail stores, and theaters have traditionally
used poster format print media and as such, portrait orientation digital signage is an attractive and natural
alternative. Conversely, settings such as hotel lobbies where information is placed at a premium are serviced
well by landscape orientation which provides better visibility and more space to interact at eye‐level.
A combination of orientations may create the best ambience for the environment.
As with all decisions, there is no strict rule for application as each environment is unique. Consider the needs
of the target audience and provide an orientation that delivers the best communication results.
firmCHANNEL™ Frequently Asked Questions
Article
No. Question firmCHANNEL™ Response
BASIC SOFTWARE/SERVICE ARCHITECTURE
1 Are your interfaces and player technology Yes, our solution is designed for absolute scalability.
designed today for easy roll outs up to 10,000
players?
2 Is your network operation and content Yes. The firmCHANNEL™ Platform is entirely web
management solution for the user fully web‐ based and can thus be accessed centrally from any
browser based, without any software needing to browser. No software installations are ever
be installed? required.
5 Is it secured (HTTPS rather than HTTP)? firmCHANNEL™ utilizes an automatic fault detection
scheme that will automatically drop any data that
has been modified before reaching the destined
player. After researching the network infrastructure
and firewall requirements of many corporations
utilizing Digital Signage, it was determined that
operating over the common HTTP port 80 would be
the most ideal network access point.
firmCHANNEL™ developed the fault detection
scheme to operate effectively and safely over HTTP
using a combination of data signing and hash
calculation to ensure that the data sent to a Player is
not only secure, but also complete with no loss of
integrity.
6 Is your software offered as a service ("SaaS"), with Yes, Enterprise Server is a hosted SaaS model, with
an easy upgrade to an in‐house Enterprise model if the option to purchase and manage the Enterprise in
required? your data center. The enterprise hosting packages
are staged to grow parallel to the size of your
network.
7 If your software is offered as a service, for how SaaS was introduced in January 2007. Our system
long has it been offered? And how often has it has never had any down time since its initial
been "down" (unavailable) since its inception? inception in January 2006. We guarantee 99.999%
uptime for the life of the product.
8 Does your solution have players that "call out", so Players “call out” to Enterprise from behind NAT
they can be behind a NAT firewall and do not need and/or proxy. A static IP is not required.
a static IP?
9 Is your system also a “Pull” vs. “Push” system for All data is transmitted via Player “Pull” scenario.
the delivery of all content? Because our systems are server based, they do not
maintain open connections with the network at all
times. The local player will only initialize
communication with the network Server at times
defined by the user. This allows for low bandwidth
requirements, advanced security, and local content
editing capabilities.
10 Does all content come from central servers, or do Bandwidth utilization is minimized with
you have an option for “edge” servers, to minimize firmCHANNEL™ technologies and we will soon offer
content download traffic? an edge server for clients utilizing mostly HD video
content.
Article
No. Question firmCHANNEL™ Response
SYSTEM MONITORING AND NOTIFICATIONS
22 Does your software monitor, and raise alarms as Yes. Players can be configured for monitoring with
needed, for Player connection status? (e.g. no custom thresholds and alerts.
connection on time ‐as set flexibly‐ raises an alarm)
Article
No. Question firmCHANNEL™ Response
STANDARDS AND INTERFACES
28 Do you use standard protocols for data transfer, HTTP, and FTP are used in firmCHANNEL™’s
i.e., FTP or HTTP? communication processes.
Article
No. Question firmCHANNEL™ Response
MEDIA AND CONTENT
34 Does your system have content creation Yes. firmCHANNEL™ is designed as a full service
capabilities? digital signage platform. firmCHANNEL™ uses
professionally designed templates to allow users to
create agency style content in seconds. The ease of
which content can be created allows dynamic
content to be created by beginners and experts
alike.
Content is created by selecting from hundreds of
professionally designed templates and adding the
text, images, videos, RSS Feeds and/or logos you
desire.
35 Does your system charge for each media clip No. The dynamic content creation capabilities of the
created. firmCHANNEL™ Platform are included and free for
the life of ownership. Further, the database of
available templates expands daily and will continue
to offer attractive and effective media for
firmCHANNEL™ Users.
36 Is your system able to edit photos within the Yes. firmCHANNEL™ includes a fully functional photo
content creation process? editor. Resize, crop, sharpen, add overlaying text,
and apply filters to your photos with the integrated
firmCHANNEL™ Photo editor. No External photo
editing software is needed.
37 Can your players play MPEG‐1, MPEG‐2, and Yes, all of the requested formats are fully compatible
MPEG‐4 video (the latter including DivX, AVI, etc)? with firmCHANNEL™. We support almost all video
formats. MPEG‐1, MPEG‐2, MPEG‐4, DivX, Xvid, AVI,
FLV, SWF, WMV, etc.
Article
No. Question firmCHANNEL™ Response
MEDIA PLAYERS
57 Do you sell the player as a fully‐working "turn on The player is sold as a “turn on and play” appliance.
and play" appliance, or do you sell software that The local server/player has all the same content
needs to be installed and configured on a creation/management software embedded as the
PC/player? enterprise. The system can be used as a standalone
system or operated in a network and controlled by
Enterprise.
58 Is your solution optionally available on solid‐state firmCHANNEL™ can offer an optional solid state hard
and/or fanless players? disk and fanless player upon request.
Article
No. Question firmCHANNEL™ Response
COMPANY AND OPERATIONS BACKGROUND
74 Do you currently have your software running Yes. firmCHANNEL™ operates through an established
commercially in North America, Europe and Asia? distributor network with operations throughout
North America (Canada and USA) and Europe. We
have yet to establish an Asian presence.
SP‐95 SP‐100
Channel Player Features Extreme Generation 5
Environments
Hardware Features
7.9” x 7.5” x 2.6”
Dimensions (9.2” / 235mm including 12 7/8" x 16 6/8" x 4"
mounting flanges)
Media Channels Per Player 1 1
Output Aspect Ratio
4:3 Standard Yes Yes
16:9 Horizontal Yes Yes
9:16 Vertical Yes Yes
Screen Resolutions
848 x 480 ‐ 480p Yes Yes
1280 x 720 ‐ 720p Yes Yes
1360 x 768 ‐ 768p Yes Yes
1920 x 1080 ‐ 1080p Yes Yes
DVI Output Yes No
HDMI Output No Yes
VGA Output Yes Yes
S‐Video / Composite Output Yes Yes
RS‐232 Support Yes Yes
Available USB Connections 4 6
Flash® Playback Yes Yes
Graphic Formats Supported
JPG Yes Yes
BMP Yes Yes
PNG Yes Yes
TIFF Yes Yes
Video Formats Supported
MPEG‐1 Yes Yes
MPEG‐2 Yes Yes
MPEG‐4 Yes Yes
Xvid Yes Yes
AVI Yes Yes
WMV Yes Yes
DivX Yes Yes
FLV Yes Yes
SWF Yes Yes
TV Tuner Control Optional Optional
Mini Form Factor Chassis Yes Yes
Fan‐less Hard Drive Standard Optional
Wireless Network Support Standard Optional
SP‐95 SP‐100
Channel Player Features Extreme Generation 5
Environments
Software Features
Fully Web‐Based Interface Yes Yes
Enterprise Connectivity Yes Yes
Media Creation Capabilities Yes Yes
Unlimited Access to Template Community Yes Yes
Included Templates All All
Built‐In Photo Editor Yes Yes
AdBuilder™ Technology Yes Yes
Media Import/Export Yes Yes
Media Integration:
Text Yes Yes
Photos Yes Yes
Videos Yes Yes
RSS News Feeds Yes Yes
Television All Yes
Audio Yes Yes
Reporting
Playback Logs Yes Yes
System Health Monitoring Yes Yes
Connection Monitoring Yes Yes
Warranty (Years) 3 3
** Server Player capabilities and architecture are subject to change.
Contact firmCHANNEL @ 1.800.561.7525 for the most recent information.
eliquidMEDIA Privacy Policy
EliquidMEDIA Privacy Policy
th
Effective Date: November 10 , 2008
This Privacy Policy was created by eliquidMEDIA to record and explain our commitment to privacy and to describe the agreement with our customers
and with other third parties about our data‐handling policies. This policy lists the types of potentially private data EliquidMEDIA collects, explains how
we use and protect that data, and discloses our key procedures surrounding privacy.
This Privacy Policy includes, but is not limited to:
• Internet hosting, collocation, windows media streaming, and on‐demand infrastructure hosting services.
• Digital media transactions performed by firmCHANNEL software resident on a local server player.
• Web‐hosted services for creating, managing, and distributing digital media files via a firmCHANNEL Enterprise account.
All of the services listed above are provided through our EliquidMEDIA, firmCHANNEL, and firmWEB business units (collectively, the “Service”).
Therefore, references to “EliquidMEDIA” in this policy should be considered references to those business units. This Privacy Policy also applies to our
websites: www.eliquid.com, www.firmCHANNEL.com, and www.firmWEB.com.
THIS PRIVACY POLICY IS A BINDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND ELIQUIDMEDIA. It forms part of a larger agreement between EliquidMEDIA and
its customers, website and Enterprise visitors, and other users, consisting of the Terms of Service provided at the three websites listed above, as well
as the other documents referenced in the Terms of Service. Your use of the Service and of EliquidMEDIA’s websites is voluntary; if you do not agree
with the terms of this Privacy Policy, you should not provide us with any personal information, and you should leave our websites. By using our
websites or the Service, you signify that you agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy. We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time by
posting a new version here (with a new Effective Date at the top), and the new version will become effective immediately.
The privacy of EliquidMEDIA's customers and affiliates is important to us. Therefore:
• EliquidMEDIA does not sell or rent personally identifiable information.
• EliquidMEDIA does not spam, and its policies forbid use of the Service for spam.
• EliquidMEDIA policy requires that all company employees sign a confidentiality agreement.
The confidentiality agreement includes the following affirmation:
I agree to retain all Confidential Information in the strictest confidence. I will not disclose any Confidential Information to any person other than for
purposes of EliquidMEDIA and I will not use for my own purposes or for purposes other than those of EliquidMEDIA, any Confidential Information which
I have acquired in relation to the business of EliquidMEDIA, its affiliates or the clients or either. I acknowledge that the obligation to disclose to others
or use the Confidential Information continues in effect following the termination of my employment with EliquidMEDIA, for whatever reason, unless I
obtain the prior written consent of the Chief Executive Officer or Board of Directors.
Data EliquidMEDIA Collects
A. EliquidMEDIA collects and uses data from our customers and from visitors to our websites (including blogs) and Enterprise, as follows:
• Visitor Number Tracking: EliquidMEDIA tracks the number of visitors to EliquidMEDIA’s websites, as well as the pages they visit within the
sites and the hyper‐links they use (if any) to leave. This doesn’t involve collection of any personally identifiable information. We use this
information to analyze interest in and usage of the websites and the Service.
• Data Provided Through Inquiry Forms: Website visitors interested in the Service can fill out a sales inquiry form at the sites. Those forms
request company name, individual name, title, address, telephone number(s), and email address(es), as well as technical and business
information related to the Service. EliquidMEDIA uses this information to contact the potential customer and to discuss Service
parameters. We also use the information to generate statistics regarding interest in the Service.
• Shopping Cart and Portal Cookies: EliquidMEDIA’s computer network uses cookies to recognize visitors who use a shopping cart at
EliquidMEDIA’s websites. Our network also uses cookies to recognize customers who use the customer portal at EliquidMEDIA’s websites.
The cookies facilitate easy use of the shopping carts and the portal, as well as visitor number tracking, as explained in the first bullet
above. Finally, we may in some cases use information generated through cookies to facilitate communications with visitors and customers
(including sales calls). Our cookies have no other purpose.
• Customer Account Information: When customers sign up for the Service, and during their Service‐relationship, we collect some or all of the
following: company name, individual name, title, address, telephone number(s), email address(es), credit card number, and choice of
service package. We also record and retain most written communications with customers, including trouble tickets, support requests, and
payment history. EliquidMEDIA uses this information for customer support. We also use contact information to send customers Service‐
related announcements, including newsletters and notices of new Service features and related products and services provided by
EliquidMEDIA partners. Customers can opt out of new product/service notices by sending an email to Support@eliquid.com, or by
following the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of any one of the email notices. (However, current customers may not opt out of
necessary Service or account maintenance notices.) Finally, we generate statistical information regarding our customer‐base and use it to
analyze our business. We might share this statistical information with third parties, but it doesn’t include any personally identifiable
information.
• Blog Replies: A customer, user, or visitor may respond to the various blogs provided through our websites. If the author so chooses, the
eliquidMEDIA Privacy Policy
response may include personally identifiable information, and that information will be posted online along with the rest of the blog reply.
In general, however, we do not recommend that blog replies include personally identifiable information.
Hosted Data
A. Through the Service, EliquidMEDIA provides computing and network infrastructure that hosts customer Websites, Internet communications,
applications, and the digital media transmissions via Enterprise. As a result, our infrastructure stores and transmits information about
customers’ businesses, as well as information collected by those businesses. We refer to all such information that we do not actively collect
as “Hosted Data.” Hosted Data may include personally identifiable information and other information that belongs to our customers’ own
customers, Website visitors, or other users.
B. EliquidMEDIA is a passive recipient of Hosted Data: we take no active part in collecting it, and generally we do not access its content.
However, EliquidMEDIA staff may occasionally access Hosted Data through delivery of services and support to customers. For instance,
staff may come into contact with Hosted Data by verifying back‐up and restore processes, by verifying that applications are running
properly, or through debugging efforts.
C. eliquidMEDIA reserves the right to monitor and access Enterprise accounts hosted on eliquidMEDIA maintained servers to preserve software
integrity, initiate updates, and to perform general maintenance.
Use of Personally Identifiable Information and Hosted Data
A. EliquidMEDIA does not share personally identifiable information or Hosted Data under any circumstances, except as provided in paragraph B below
and except: (1) to the extent that blog replies or contest sign‐ups include personally identifiable information (per the contest’s rules, in the latter
case); (2) as requested by law enforcement agencies or required by law; (3) to maintain the security of the Service and of EliquidMEDIA’s own network
and data, including by assisting third party claimants in investigating security breaches; (4) to collect money owed to EliquidMEDIA, including through
legal proceedings; and (5) to identify, contact, or take legal action against customers or third parties violating EliquidMEDIA’s Acceptable Use Policy,
interfering with property rights or with the Service, or breaking the law. EliquidMEDIA doesn’t access or use Hosted Data except through provision of
debugging and related services, as described under “Hosted Data” above, and for the reasons listed in the preceding sentence.
Data Protection
A. EliquidMEDIA takes precautions to ensure that access to databases containing customer information is available only from within
EliquidMEDIA’s internal network. Further, we typically encrypt financial information during transmission, or use secure protocols. No
protocol, encryption, or other precaution can provide complete security for electronic data, so we don’t provide a guarantee of security.
B. EliquidMEDIA policy requires that all its employees execute a confidentiality agreement which includes the affirmation quoted above.
C. We explicitly reserve the right to disclose any such personal information if required to do so by law, or in the good faith belief that such
action is reasonably necessary to comply with legal process, respond to claims, or protect the rights, property or safety of our company,
employees, customers, or the public.
Reporting Misuse of Data
Customers and other third parties should contact EliquidMEDIA about any suspected misuse of their personally identifiable information or other data.
All such inquiries or complaints should be directed to us via email to Support@eliquid.com.
Not Applicable to Third Party Data Handlers
This Privacy Policy doesn’t address use of data by our customers or by other third parties, even if the data is stored on one of EliquidMEDIA’s
computers or collected through a website we host (Hosted Data), or collected through a website linked to our websites. EliquidMEDIA is not
responsible for use or misuse of data by any third party, including any EliquidMEDIA customer or the operator of a website or Enterprise account
linked to one of our websites.
We do not Guarantee Error‐Free Performance under this Privacy Statement.
We may not always catch an unintended privacy issue, despite our efforts to do so. Accordingly, we welcome your feedback regarding any privacy
concerns that you may have. We will use reasonable efforts to comply with this Privacy Statement and will take prompt corrective action when we
learn of any failure to comply with it. We will not be liable for any damages, including incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, relating to the
practices described in this Privacy Statement.
If you believe that eliquidMEDIA has not adhered to this Privacy Statement, please contact us by email at Support@eliquid.com.
Intellectual Property
EliquidMEDIA International Inc. respects the intellectual property rights of others, and we expect our customers to do the same. We are not an expert
in the intellectual property rights, and we cannot verify your copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual property rights and the information
posted on the eliquidMEDIA websites and servers each day. EliquidMEDIA is not an arbiter or judge of disputes about intellectual property rights,
business transactions and trade. We also do not endorse an infringement of intellectual property rights and a claim of business trade.
To protect the intellectual property rights of others, we have instituted a procedure to promptly remove such listings when an appropriate intellectual
property infringement claim is filed by intellectual property rights owners against the user of eliquidMEDIA service who submitted such listings.
If you believe that your copyright or other intellectual property rights have been violated, you may contact us via Support@eliquid.com. We will
appreciate your assistance.