Play Files (Video, Image, Audio)
This page / section pertains to BrightAuthor Classic, our legacy app. BrightSign Author is our latest app for managing content and players.
Development of BrightAuthor Classic has largely ceased and the app will eventually be deprecated and replaced with BrightSign Author.
Play Files allow you to combine media files into a single state in the playlist area. You can then use the interactive event that transitions to the Play File to conditionally determine which file in the playlist should be played.
Play Files can only be transitioned to using input from BP900/BP200, UDP, Serial, Keyboard, or USB devices. The input data from the controller will determine which media item in the Play File will be played: For example, you can use a Keyboard Input event to playback “Video 1” if the “A” key is pressed, “Video 2” if the “B” key is pressed, "Video 3" if the "C" key is pressed, etc. Any type of event can transition out of a Play File state and into a new state.
For BP200/BP900 events, you must specify each Key using both the panel enumeration and button number: For example, if you have a single BP200/BP900 panel connected to the player and want button 3 to trigger an image, you would specify the Key as "0-3"; on the other hand, if you have a second BP200/BP900 panel connected to the player and want button 3 on the second panel to trigger the image, you would specify the Key as "1-3".
Make sure you use zones that match the Play File type you want to use. After setting your zone to Interactive and dragging a Play File icon to the playlist area, the Play File window will automatically open. Here you can set the parameters for your Play File list.
- State name: Create a unique name for the Play File state.
- Transition (Image Play Files only): Use the dropdown list to create a special effect when the playlist transitions to an item in the Play File state.
- Specify Local Files: Select this option if you would like to create the Play File using files from your computer. If you choose this option, the Play File table will remain static when it is published to the player; the only way to change it is to republish the presentation. The Specify data feed option (described below) allows for dynamic Play File tables.
- Display default media if input does not match any keys: Check this box to display the specified media file when the input data does not match any existing keys in the Play File state. If this box is not checked, and the input data does not match an existing key, the presentation will not transition to the Play File state, remaining on its current state instead.
- Use variable to specify key: Check this box to have a User VariableUser Variable specify the media-file key. The input data from the controller will be ignored, though input of some kind must be received to trigger the interactive event. For example, if a Keyboard event is attached to a Play File state and this option is enabled, any key press will initialize a transition to the Play File state; the value of the specified User Variable will then be checked against the keys in the Play File to determine which file, if any, should be played.
- If you attach a command that modifies the User Variable value (e.g. Set Variable, Increment Variable) to an event that transitions to the Play File state, the media-file keys will still be compared against the old variable value. However, if the Display default media option is enabled, the new User Variable value will be used instead.
- Add File: Click this button to add media items to the Play File.
- Files: This list displays files added to your Play File. Each file has a Key and File Path.
- Key: The value that will trigger playback if it is matched by the input from the interactive event. Because you define the triggers with the keys in the Play File, you do not need to specify the triggers again when creating a transition to the Play File. For example, if you define a USB Input event that links an item to the Play File, the option to Specify USB Input will be disabled and replaced with "". When a user performs an event via USB that matches a key, the corresponding file will play.
- Label: The label of the interactive button as it will appear in the BrightSign App.
- Show in BrightSign App: Check this box if you want to display the media item as a button in BrightSign App instances that connect to the player. The button will only appear in the app if a UDP Input event transitions to the Play File state.
- File Path: The location of the media file on your computer. Click the Browse button to locate the file you wish to use.
- Display Mode (Video Play Files only): By default, files are set to 2D, but if you are using a 3D video, you can select 3D side-by-side or 3D top-over-bottom when adding your files.
- Import Table: Click this button to import a previously created Play File table (.csv file). Navigate to your saved table and click Open to add the files to your Play File list. This table must have the "Key", "File Path", "File Name", and "Video Display Mode" (if applicable) properly outlined. You can use a table that was exported from another Play File state with the Export Table function, or you can create a Play File table using Notepad or Excel.
- Export Table: Click this button to create a .csv file that includes information about the current Play File table. This file can then be imported to other Play File states that use the same media type.
- Specify data feed: Select this option if you would like to populate the Play File using media files specified in an RSS feed. You will first need to add the RSS feed to your presentation by navigating to File > Presentation Properties > Data FeedsFile > Presentation Properties > Data Feeds. You will also need to set the Data feed content usage for use with Play Files. When playing the presentation, the player will retrieve the media from the download URLs specified in the <description> field of each item in the RSS feed, and the Play File will use the value in the <title> field to determine the key that triggers the media item to play.
