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Introduction (StudioDX)

Overview

The Acquire Advanced Player technology is designed for use in Large Format Displays (LED walls, pylons and spectaculars, Projection mapped displays, Videowalls, non-standard shaped displays, mixed format displays, etc) for use at fixed install sites, shows and events. It enables on-device video decoding, output adaption and distortion, with inbuilt show and event features - reducing the hardware requirements and processors (lower cost, less points of failure and higher image quality), whilst providing the most flexible capabilities to enable more complex installation to be achievable.

In combination with the Acquire StudioDX CMS, the Acquire DX player is one of the most powerful and configurable solutions for content playout and can be integrated with third party systems through features and plugins to customize the experience further. Also, customised plugins ('Apps') can be created to allow specific features without compromising on playout quality or large development costs.

Powerful and flexible playout

The Acquire DX Player can combine content from multiple sources (videos, graphics, HTML, live sources, and 'apps') and schedule these to playback at appropriate times, or be triggered for events from the CMS or external trigger. Triggered output can be setup too, which allows the player to trigger other third party system using DMX or network broadcasts - ideal for when other show control systems are not in use (although these can also be used and integrated to initiate content and playlist switching in the Acquire solution).

Each DX player can output multiple high resolution (HD, UHD, 8KUHD) outputs (or more, dependent upon hardware) at 60fps and additional outputs can be achieved by adding multiple DX players which can then be synchronized. The typical installation is to have synchronized displays for a 'Takeover' of groups of screens at the site, and this can be combined with non-synchronized playlists for general operation too.

Especially designed for complex layouts, the DX player is capable of live slicing of content to optimize the requirements of larger resolutions or non-standard layouts. Thus, any piece of the source content can be cropped out and placed anywhere on the output displays, in any resolution, orientation, position and colour. This allows for complex showpieces to be created, especially when cable management needs to be considered. It also allows more flexibility when content is being created, as more manageable and efficient layouts and formats can be used when creating the content.

Content creation is further enhanced with typical wipes and fades, and also with the ability to overlay a masked (transparent) video for transitions if required (although the transition between one video and the next is typically less than one frame.

A Truly Hybrid solution

For shows and events, the DX player contains all of the content prior to the show so that streaming is not required (although for live events, low-latency streamed content can also be displayed from live feeds or via network streaming).

Uniquely, the Acquire StudioDX and the DX player combination also allows digital screens to be used for more than just events or Digital Signage/DOOH, but also allows the combination of both services in one package. This allows for fixed installations traditionally just used for digital signage display to have takeovers or one-off/ mid-day events for 'special' content to be displayed. Content is added to specific playlists which can be triggered at specific times, or via triggered messages from the CMS or other third party services.

Keep it successful

We know that great content and the best player are worth nothing if the displays are blank.

The Acquire StudioDX solution is designed to be resilient solution for those premium installation locations, so the DX player has many features to keep it operational. We look to do this in three ways:

  • Prevention - The DX player supports many industry standard formats, with no need to convert/transcode to make content play. Although of course, it is still possible to make mistakes in the content itself, so content playout an be previewed with the actual DX player included with the Acquire StudioDX CMS, or even in a 3D simulation of the content playing in our PreVis tool.
  • Recovery - When something goes wrong, the system can automatically recover. Content which can't play won't stop the player, it will move on or restart the player. If the player can't start or is offline, a backup hot-swap player can be automatically switched to.
  • Knowledge - If anything isn't working as expected, your team are informed by the Acquire StudioDX package instantly - the player can also transmit alerts to your team. Live status information of every player is presented, showing you the current (and historical) status of each player and what it is playing.

The System

We typically expect an installation to utilize a single player per display. This can usually operate one or more outputs of up to 8K resolution, so when using with LED screen processors, massive canvasses can be created). For higher resolutions, multiple displays or when mixing display devices, multiple players can be installed on the same network to make use of playback synchronization.

We or our premium partners will work with you to discover the most optimum setup for ongoing use (including content creation, hardware utilization, operation of the CMS and more).

This review will also include the technical limits of video formats, networks, etc to ensure smooth playback on your displays.

The Editor platform will be configured for all playout devices and specifically setup to output to the LED banner. This should be installed on a Windows Laptop (or similar device) to allow your team to quickly change content in the playlists, or to trigger playlist changes (or synchronised events). We will also provide assistance in setting up the software and configuring it to operate on all of the players and training for your on-site staff.

Acquire DX Player

  • A player is a Windows PC with one or more displays attached.
  • We can provide a fully configured player device with the software pre-installed and configured, or you can choose to supply your own Windows PC.
  • Depending upon the playout requirement, the PC should have the specification defined in the System Requirements here :
  • Windows 10 or 11 (any version, BUT we recommend LTSC version as your IT team can manage updates, security and and pop up messages, etc).
  • 16GB RAM minimum (preferably higher, especially for complex playout of multiple content or to multiple displays)
  • Solid State drive (M.2 drive recommended - consider read speed vs content bandwidth).
  • The PC has Acquire Player installed to display playlists of content from an Acquire project.
  • See: Create/Add a Project Document
  • The Acquire project is managed by the Acquire Advanced Editor (below).
  • Each player PC can have a backup PC to switch to if it fails.
  • See the Player document for more information.
  • Player: How It Works

Acquire StudioDX Advanced Editor (CMS for the Acquire DX Player)

  • Content in an Acquire project is managed by the Acquire StudioDX Advanced Editor.
  • The Acquire Advanced Editor is an Acquire Editor Feature which can be run from within the Acquire Editor or as a stand-alone Windows app.

  • The Acquire Advanced Editor is used to:

    • Create the playlists (per group).
    • Tell the players which playlists to use.
    • Monitor the status of the playlists.
    • Create a schedule for players to switch playlists are certain times/days.
  • Playlists, media and schedules created in Acquire Advanced Editor are saved into an Acquire project and deployed to the players using any of the Acquire Editor deployment tools (Manually, via 'push' on a local network or over a cloud network).
  • Live change of playlists and player statuses are shown in the Acquire Advanced Editor for all players on the same network.
  • See the Acquire Advanced Editor document for more information. Editor