Cobalt User Guide

User Guide
March 2012
Page | 1
Cobalt User Guide - Version 7.1.9 03-25-12
11Giraffes 2009-2012 All Rights Reserved
Cobalt User Guide

Table of contents
COBALT IN A NUTSHELL ................................................................................. 5

basic terms ................................................................................................... 7
general user information ............................................................................... 10
basic navigation .......................................................................................... 10
user ID & password..................................................................................... 11
logging in .................................................................................................... 12
change password ......................................................................................... 12
password security ........................................................................................ 13
forgot password? ......................................................................................... 14
support documents ...................................................................................... 16
understanding your screen ............................................................................ 18
video zone (Zone 1) ............................................................................ 18
news & information Zone (Zone 2) ...................................................... 18
brand zone (Zone 3) ............................................................................ 19
alternate screen layouts ................................................................................ 19
uploading a video ......................................................................................... 22
uploading a video - default method ................................................................ 23
uploading a video - alternate method ............................................................. 26
creating spots .............................................................................................. 29
image upload options ................................................................................ 32
My Media Locker .......................................................................................... 33
My Media Locker more information ........................................................ 33
Cobalt Media Locker ..................................................................................... 37
category................................................................................................ 38
show .................................................................................................... 38
name and description ............................................................................. 39
Cobalt Media Locker naming system ......................................................... 39
uploading an image from your hard drive ........................................................ 42
image editor.............................................................................................. 44
Page | 2
stretching images ................................................................................... 47

crop-scaling an image ............................................................................. 47
creating spots from templates entering text & color ....................................... 48
size ...................................................................................................... 49
alignment ............................................................................................ 49
color .................................................................................................... 49
font ..................................................................................................... 49
QR code generation ................................................................................... 56
creating spots from templates for Twitter ........................................................ 57
video pass-thru............................................................................................ 58
select content from the catalog ...................................................................... 60
content library ....................................................................................... 62
selecting a spot ...................................................................................... 62
player(s) column .................................................................................... 63
sub-playlists ................................................................................................ 64
playlist column ....................................................................................... 69
import media ............................................................................................... 71
publish to web .......................................................................................... 73
starter content............................................................................................. 74
schedule.................................................................................................... 75
weather tab ......................................................................................... 78
alerts tab ............................................................................................. 79
other tab ............................................................................................. 79
view the current playlists .............................................................................. 81
export media ............................................................................................... 83
edit ...................................................................................................... 84
copy ..................................................................................................... 85
export ................................................................................................... 85
deleting a spot ....................................................................................... 85
managing locations & groups .................................................................... 87
locations tab .......................................................................................... 87
Page | 3
creating a group ..................................................................................... 89

feedback ..................................................................................................... 91
reports ....................................................................................................... 91
conclusion ................................................................................................... 92
Page | 4
COBALT IN A NUTSHELL
WELCOME.
This Cobalt User Guide has been designed to walk you
through your Cobalt system - step by step - giving you all of
the information you need to create, upload, schedule and
manage your content. This guide is maintained in Cobalt
(www.cobalt11.com), under the Support Tab/Documents/User
Guide and is updated on an ongoing basis as system enhancements occur.
You will also find a Quick Start Guide located under the Support Tab/Documents/Quick Start Guide which provides you
with a brief, easy to use overview. This User Guide provides
much more detailed instruction for you.
Cobalt lets you..
CONTENT
Create your own content, selecting from hundreds of templates - insert text and images, and in minutes youve created
professional looking content. You can upload your own videos
and still images, and automatically place them in your Cobalt
Library, choose from a wealth of pre-designed content; news,
arts and entertainment, weather, market data, science and
technology, sports and more.
Page | 5
SCHEDULE
Click on the content in your library that you want to use,
schedule by time of day or day of the week - or just do nothing, and your selected content will play until you decide to
make a change.
PLAY
Just click on SUBMIT, and your content automatically travels
across the Internet to your players.
Page | 6
Cobalt User Guide

Step-by-Step
basic terms
Some basic terms are used throughout this Guide:
spot: A single piece of media content. There are 3 basic types:
An uploaded video
a created message
a catalog message
playlist: A playlist is a series of spots chosen for display within a
given screen zone. The playlist is what is currently playing on the
screen, and can contain any combination of spots. There are two
types of playlists:
dynamic playlist the spots change automatically and randomly
as it plays this is the system default.
linear playlist this is a sequential list of spots, its playback order determined by you as the User.
template: A template is a spot housed in your Content Library
that you may select and add your own text, and often, images as
well. You will find hundreds of templates some with video, some
with still imagery; many have backgrounds and fonts that let you
select your own colors. Templates have been created with music
embedded in the background. You have the option to turn this
audio on. The system default is off.
catalog: This contains 11Giraffes created, or licensed, spots which
you can choose to add to your Content Library and playlist it includes pre-designed templates for weather, sports, news, trivia
and much more.
Page | 7
Cobalt Media Locker: A database of high quality images formatted to fit

the different zones or image upload size.
content library: This is the location where your spots are archived.
When videos are uploaded into Cobalt, they are housed in this library. When a spot is created from a template, it is placed in this
Library. When you select content from the Catalog, it will be held
here for you as well. You will make your selections from your Content Library to build your Playlist.
My Media Locker: The image database you create to store your
own brand images.
schedule: Scheduling is the step of adding a spot from your Content Library to a playlist. You have a number of different scheduling options you can assign to individual spots.
RSS feeds: RSS feeds provide the data for many of the predesigned templates found in your Catalog for weather, news,
sports, etc. This same information is also available as scrolling data (sometimes referred to as a crawler or ticker) that you can include as part of your playlist. These feeds are automatically updated on a regular basis throughout the day.
start date: This is the date that a spot will begin playing in your
playlist. A spot can be scheduled to begin on that day or at any
date in the future. You may also leave the start date blank and
the spot will begin to play as soon as it has been processed and
downloaded to your media player.
end date: This is the date a spot plays through in your playlist.
Once a spot has passed its end date, it will no longer play. However, the spot will be archived in the Content Library. This allows
you to use the spot at a later date. Leaving the end date blank
causes the spot to continue to play indefinitely until you choose to
manually remove it from the playlist.
Page | 8
duration: Each spot added to the playlist must have duration of

play assigned. The system automatically detects and assigns the
duration for uploaded videos. Some templates allow you to select
the duration the spot appears, while others have a fixed duration
assigned to them.
pending: A spot with a future start date is considered pending. A
pending spot automatically begins to play on the date you have
selected. A yellow border around a pending spot in your Content
Library and Playlist screens allows you to quickly identify its designation.
expired: Once the end date is reached, the scheduled spot will no
longer play on your media player. However, the expired spot remains in your Content Library and Playlist so it can easily be added
to another playlist in the future.
A red border on expired spot allows you to quickly identify it in
your Content Library or Playlist. You may add an expired spot to
another playlist simply by altering the Start and End dates.
video pass-through: This option allows you to add streaming video from an external source, e.g., cable TV, satellite, to the
main/video zone of your player. An adapter is required in order to
process this video into your player.
This equipment can be purchased and installed by your Dealer.
Your media player allows input of video using four different cabling
options, 1) RF, 2) Composite, 3) S-Video or 4) Component.
Page | 9
general user information

Depending on your computer configuration, the following information may be helpful:
Cobalt is designed for compatibility with Internet Explorer and
Safari. Other browsers will generally function properly, but on
occasion may exhibit behavior inconsistent with the descriptions
in this User Guide.
Cobalt requires browser plug-ins to support the current versions
of Java, and Adobe Flash. Modern browsers should automatically
detect the need for these plug-ins and will either automatically
install them, or will walk you through doing so.
basic navigation
When you login, you land on the Welcome page. You will notice the
navigation buttons across the top of the screen - these buttons
remain displayed at all times.
content: This section allows you to create new content (spots)

from templates, upload your own content, or select pre-designed
content from your Cobalt catalog.
schedule: This section allows you to view all spots archived in your
Content Library, e.g., uploaded videos, spots created from templates, Catalog content. This is where you select and schedule
spots for your playlist.
Page | 10
locations: This area displays all locations and groups assigned

to you. If you have one location, it will be displayed. If you have
multiple locations, they will all be displayed, along with any Groups
you have created.
support: A copy of this User Guide is located in this section. You
can also change your password here, connect your Twitter account
to display your tweets, send feedback, and also obtain Dealer
contact information.
logout: This option allows you to sign out of the system.
user ID & password

Shortly after your Dealer places your Cobalt order, you will receive
an automated email confirmation. This email contains your user
name (your email address) and the initial password.
After logging into the Cobalt system for the first time, you will want
to change this initial password to one that is more easily remembered. This process is covered on the following pages.
Initially, one password and user name will be assigned to each location. However, a single user may be assigned to control multiple
locations. This provides the ability for one person to maintain the
playlist(s) for various sites.
We recommend that you discuss this with your Dealer when you first
establish your account. You may make changes at any time by contacting your Dealer.
You may choose to provide the user name and password to others
in your organization to assist in managing your content. We recommend, however, that care be taken to protect this access.
Should you ever be concerned that the security of your access has
been compromised, you can change your password at any time,
Page | 11
restricting access to anyone not in possession of your new password. If you need to change your user name, please contact
your Dealer.
logging in
The following steps lead you through the process to login:
Please go to www.cobalt11.com.
Enter your user name and password, and select Login.
Once you are logged into the system, if you step away and do not
make any entries for 1 hour, the system will automatically log you
out for your security.
If you have to stop, please make sure you complete whatever you
are working on and SAVE. Otherwise, your work will be lost.
It is also important to note that during login, if the incorrect password is entered 5 or more times, the system locks the account.
These locking procedures are designed to protect you. To unlock
your account, please call your Dealer for support.
change password
The following steps lead you through the process of changing your
password:
From any page, select Support and then Change Password
Enter your current password
Enter your new password twice
Select Submit
After submitting your new password, you will see a screen message reflecting a successful change. Selecting Continue from this
page returns you to the Welcome page.
Page | 12
password security
To safeguard your security, we strongly recommend that your
password meet the following conditions, although only the first
condition is required.
A password should contain a minimum of:
Six characters (REQUIRED)
One lower case letter - you can include more than one
One upper case letter - you can include more than one
Page | 13
One number or special character, e.g. @ - you can include more

than one
The more of these conditions contained within a password, the
stronger the password is. A message will appear when a password
is entered to reflect its overall strength.
forgot password?
If you have forgotten your password, please follow these steps:
From the login page, select Forgot Password?
Depending on your browser configuration, your user name (email
address) may pre-populate in the user name field. If it does,
please verify that this user name is correct, and then select Reset
Password.
If it does not pre-populate, enter your user name (email address) and select Reset Password.
The system will automatically send an email to your email address
containing the new password. The email will be sent from notification@cobalt11.com.
Please check your spam/junk/blocked mail if you do not receive

this email. To ensure that other Cobalt messages are not filtered
or blocked, please configure your email client or inform your network administrator to allow messages from this address.
Page | 14
Once this email is received, highlight and copy the new password,
return to the Cobalt screen and click the word here in Click here
to login.
This will return you to the login screen. You should paste (or reenter) this new password in the login screen, and click Login.
To change this new password to one more easily remembered;
please follow the guidelines outlined later in this document. You
may reuse a password that you have used previously.
Page | 15
support documents
At the top of your screen you will see a Support Tab along the
navigation buttons. Copies of the FAQs, Quick Start Guide, and
the User Guide reside in the Documents folder under the Support
Tab as show below:
These documents will assist you in your training process of the

Cobalt software. Please contact your dealer with any additional
questions.
In addition, under the Support tab, you will see User Settings as
shown in the screen shot below:
Page | 16
When you choose the User Settings options, the following screen will
appear. Checking allow adding images directly to Content Library
results in your Media Locker screen to save any new images you create to your content library. If this is unchecked, (which is the default)
the new images will only be added to Templates you create at that
time.
Page | 17
Your Content Library defaults to display by thumbnail.

You may choose to change this default to show spot details. To change your default, select the desired view,
then click Save.
understanding your screen
The standard Cobalt screen is divided into 3 zones:

video zone (Zone 1)
This is the zone in which videos, large still graphics, and Video
Zone templates will be displayed. You can upload video (most file
formats) to this zone or choose from hundreds of templates.
news & information Zone (Zone 2)
Many options are available in this zone:
date and time
scrolling headlines (news, entertainment, sports, market

data, etc.)
your own messages, e.g., today only, 50% off sweaters
your latest tweet from your Twitter account
video (most file formats)
Page | 18
Many Zone 2 templates display the temperature and weather

conditions and also allow you to upload your own logo or other
business symbol - .JPG, .PNG and .GIF formats only. You can
select the background color you desire, and many allow you to
choose the speed at which scrolling text moves across the
screen.
brand zone (Zone 3)
You can upload video (most file formats) to this zone or choose
from your Template Library and add your own text and graphics
.JPG, .PNG and .GIF formats only.
NOTE: You could choose to have just one template play in a zone. However, to
prevent the risk of burn-in on your displays, it is recommended that you have
multiple spots playing in each zone.
alternate screen layouts

The screen layout referenced in this User Guide is the 3-zone,
widescreen layout (Cobalt layout). If you are using a screen layout other than this (as noted below), you may notice a few differences in the instructions between your screen design and the layout outlined in this document.
If this is the case, your particular layout will be depicted when you
schedule or create content, clearly defining your zone(s). As always, please call your Dealer with any questions or problems.
It is important to note that the screen layout is determined with
your Dealer at the time you order your Cobalt system. Once your
screen layout has been assigned, it may be changed by contacting
your Dealer. Note that while existing content is retained, it may
not be applicable to the new screen layout.
The Cobalt standard layout and alternate layouts are depicted as
follows.
Page | 19
Standard Screens - 4.3 Layout (not widescreen)
4.3 - three zones
4.3 - one zone, full screen
Widescreen - 9.16 Portrait Layout
Zone 3
720 x 796 pixels
9.16 - three zones
9.16 - one zone, full screen
9.16 - two zones
Page | 20
Widescreen - 16.9 Landscape Layout
16.9 - three zones, banner left
16.9 - three zones, banner right
16.9 - three zones, duplicate zones
16.9 - four zones
16.9 - two zones
16.9 - one zone
Page | 21
uploading a video
You can upload video to play in any of the three zones. We accept
video in most standard media formats including: .MP4, .WMV,
.MPG2, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPG, .FLV (through version 9), .AVI, .VOB,
.RM, .MOV, .QT and .ASF.
If you provide video with audio, volume should normalize to -4dB
to be consistent with audio included in Cobalt templates (if enabled
in template). Certain files may use one of the extensions listed
above, but may not be supported due to actual file encoding. Note
that Protected (or encrypted) files are not be supported.
All aspect ratios and resolutions are supported. Videos will be
scaled to fit the available screen area, retaining original file aspect
ratio. If the aspect ratio of the uploaded video is different than the
aspect ratio of the zone into which the video is being uploaded,
then black curtains or letterboxing will occur.
Your video zone (Zone 1) is 16:9 (1031x580 pixels); therefore you

will experience the best results with 16:9 video submitted at this
resolution or higher. The News & Info zone (Zone 2) is 1280x140
pixels. The Brand Zone (Zone 3) is 249x580 pixels.
Page | 22
There are two separate methods for uploading videos. The default method will work in most instances. However, the alternate
method is recommended if:
video file is larger than 256 MB
you want to upload multiple videos simultaneously
you suspect the upload process may take longer than 2 hours
uploading a video - default method

The following steps will lead you through the process of uploading
a video using the default method for a file under 256 MB. This
video will then be available for use from within My Media Locker.
My Media Locker is explained later in this document.
From any page, select Content, and then select Upload
Choose the Browse button

Browse to the path on your computer where you have stored your
video files and choose the file you want to upload. After selecting
the file to upload, click the upload button.
Page | 23
A progress bar will appear and show you the status of the file
transfer. The progress bar will fill as the file is uploaded.
Upload times vary depending upon the size of the file and your
available bandwidth.
When the upload is complete, the following window appears:
Page | 24
enter Friendly Name (to help you identify this video)

enter Description (further information)
check email me if you would like the system to automatically
send you an email when the video has been processed in the
system and is ready for your use
click Save when finished. By clicking save you acknowledge that
you have the necessary rights to distribute this video.
While the Cobalt system processes your video, you can check the
status of your upload by clicking on the Status bar at any time
see sample below. The status of any video that you have uploaded
will display here as well.
The following three status states are:

Queued for Processing indicating that the video has been received and is scheduled to be processed by the system prior to
be added to your My Media Locker.
Processing - during this processing time, automatic file encoding takes place in the system to match the Cobalt system requirements
Available - when this process is completed, your video is available for use and is placed in your My Media Locker. If you requested an email upon completion, the email is sent as soon as
your content has been placed in your Media Locker.
NOTE: Do not close this page while this process is occurring. Navigating your
browser from this process will cause your upload to stop and your browser may
Page | 25
display an error. However, you can open another browser window or tab, or minimize this page and continue working on other tasks on your computer.
uploading a video - alternate method

Use the Alternate Method if:
video file is larger than 256 MB
you want to upload multiple videos simultaneously
you suspect the upload process may take longer than 2 hours
This method requires Java to be installed on your computer. You
may be required to accept the Java plug-in upon the first use.
From any page, select Content, and then select Upload- then
click on please click here to use the Alternate Upload Method.
The following screen will appear - click Add and browse to the
path on your computer where you have stored your videos and
choose the file(s) you want to upload. You can load up to 10 files
at a time using this method.
Once all files have been added, click the Upload button in the
bottom right corner.
Page | 26
Once all files have been added, click the

Upload button in the bottom right corner.
When uploading is complete, the following
window appears for each file uploaded:
enter Friendly Name (to help you identify this video)

enter Description (further information)
check email me if you would like the system to automatically
send you an email when the video has been processed in the
system and is ready for your use
click Save when finished. By clicking save you acknowledge that
you have the necessary rights to distribute this video.
Page | 27
You can check the status of your upload by clicking on the Status
bar at any time see sample above. The status of any video that
you have uploaded displays here as well.
The following three status states are:

Queued for Processing indicating that the video has been received and is scheduled to be processed by the system prior to
be added to your My Media Locker.
Processing - during this processing time, automatic file encoding takes place in the system to match the Cobalt system requirements
Available - when this process is completed, your video is available for use and is placed in your My Media Locker. If you requested an email upon completion, the email is sent as soon as
your content becomes available.
NOTE: Do not close this page while this process is occurring. Navigating your
browser from this process will cause your upload to stop and your browser may
display an error. However, you can open another browser window or tab, or minimize this page and continue working on other tasks on your computer.
Page | 28
creating spots
You will note that the steps of creating a message are listed from
left to right directly
under the main navigation buttons: select
group/ location, select zone, create content, create message,
preview
message,
saved message.
The steps of the process that you are on,
or have completed,
appear in color. You
may return to these
areas, change your
selection and start
again from that point
by
selecting
that
step.
NOTE: You must select at least one template or upload at least

one image/video for every zone. Failure to do so causes the
screen in that zone to be blank.
The following steps lead you through the process of creating a
message:
from any page in the system, select Content and then select
Create.
Page | 29
select the location or group (creation of groups discussed later in this

guide) if you only have one location, then you will only see that location, and it will already be selected.
select the screen zone. As you move the mouse over a zone, it
is highlighted in blue
After clicking Select Zone, the following screen appears. As you
hover over the screen, the selected zone appears in blue. Clicking
with the mouse selects the highlighted zone you want to use.
The system now displays all templates available for use in that
zone. You can scroll down to view the templates. Templates can
be filtered by category by selecting the template category from the
drop down menu.
Page | 30
Some templates are all purpose while others are industry specific. Some templates will allow you to add an image(s) along with
your text.
Although not
all templates
include the
ability to upload an image, we will
choose one as
our example
to help you
view the entire process.
Click on any
template
thumbnail to select it. To select another template, simply click
cancel and click on an alternative thumbnail.
A larger version of the
thumbnail will appear
on your screen to help
you view it more
clearly. Once you find
the
template
you
want, choose Select.
Page | 31
image upload options

You can upload images three different ways into a template when
creating a spot:
1. upload an image from your hard drive to a template;
2. upload an image from My Media Locker; or
3. upload an image from the Cobalt Media Locker.
Click the Add Image button to choose your image.
The screen to the right

will appear. The definitions below explain your
options:
My Media Locker The content database you create to store your own
images and videos. Additional information regarding My Media Locker is
available later in this document.
Cobalt Media Locker A database of high quality images formatted to
fit the different zones or image upload size.
Upload An Image You can upload an image or video directly from
your computer to use in Cobalt.
Create QR Code You can generate your own QR Code within Cobalt.
Additional information is available later in this document.
Page | 32
Before we continue with our sample template, we will explain the process
of uploading an image for the first three options: My Media Locker, Cobalt Media Locker and Upload an Image from your computer.
My Media Locker
When you choose My Media Locker option to upload an image or video,
the stored content you have placed in your media locker will appear. In
the beginning, your locker will be empty but as you populate it, the media will appear in alphabetic order:
If you hover your mouse over the image, a

blue box will appear giving you the details of
that content; such as the name and the default duration. If you click on the image, a
pop-up box will appear for a larger view.
To insert the image into the template you

have chosen, click on
select under the image.
My Media Locker
more information
There is more information you should know
about My Media Locker. You will notice that when you choose Content on the main navigation button, four options appear:
Page | 33
You may choose to go directly to My Media Locker to:

1. add images or video to your locker
2. add an image directly to your content library or
3. add an image to a template.
Page | 34
1. If you wish to add images or video to My Media Locker, click on

Add to My Media Locker and the following screen will appear:
Click on Browse and you will be taken to your hard drive. Find the
image or video you wish to add to My Media Locker and choose upload. The following screen will appear:
This is a good time to think about how you want to name your files for
easy access later. Scanning through 25 files to find the one you want
may be doable, but looking through 200 files may present challenges.
Page | 35
The files will be automatically ordered alphabetically and or numerically.

Choose an easily recognizable name with a brief description and hit
save. The image or video will then be in your My Media Locker for
use.
2. If you chose Content
Library under the image in My Media Locker,
you will see screen to
the right:
You may change the
playback length for the
appropriate length of
time.
You may also select a location and zone for the image or video to be
added. As noted, you can
add the content to several
locations and zones at the
same time.
VIDEO:
Due to larger file sizes, if
you are uploading a video
from your Media Locker into
the Content Library, there
will be a delay during the
upload process. You may
Page | 36
request an email to let you know when your video is available in your
Content Library.
IMAGES:
It is important to note that you will NOT be able to edit, add text or
resize any image placed directly into your Content Library. Therefore,
if your image is not the correct size and you DO NOT want black borders at the top or bottom of your image and/or if you want to add text
to your image, you MUST place your image into a template, as outlined in step 3. This will allow you an opportunity to re-size your image and/or add text.
3. If you choose
Template under the
image, you will be directed to the normal
template page where
you can choose a
template, upload the
image and continue
creating your spot.
As your My Media
Locker grows with
your frequently used
images, you will find
that it allows you more flexibility and will save time during the content
creation process.
Cobalt Media Locker

When you choose the Cobalt Media Locker option to upload an image,
the stored images will appear as shown to the right.
Above each image you will see a name. These images are sorted by
Category, Zone, Name, or Description. Categories are listed alphabetically through a drop down menu. If you hover your mouse over any imPage | 37
age, a blue pop-up window will give a detailed description of the pixel
size, which zone the picture is sized for and the default duration of the
image.
As in My Media Locker, if you click on the image, a pop-up box
will appear for a larger view. Click on Select under the image to drop it
into your template.
category
Above the pictures in the Cobalt
Media Locker, you will see Category. Click on the drop down
menu and a list of categories will
appear. In the example to the
right, we have chosen County
Club and only images associated
with a country appear.
show
You may also narrow your image
choices further by clicking on the
next drop down button labeled
show.
We have chosen Zone 1 and now only images appear that are sized for
zone 1.
Page | 38
name and description
You may narrow your

search once more by selecting sort by and
chose to have your images sorted by Name or Description.
Once you have sorted the images, choose the one you would like to
place into your template by clicking on select under the image. The
image will load into your template and you will be brought to the image
editing screen.
Cobalt Media Locker naming system

Both the show drop down and the file naming structure will help you find
the best fit image and if the image fills the whole background or if it is
transparent (no background). Hovering your mouse over the image will
make the blue pop-up box appear which displays all the pertinent information to help you clarify its possible use in your template.
Although you may use the Show drop down menu to select the zone/size
of an image you are searching for; the following list provides the file
naming structure:
Prefix 1 denotes the image is sized to fit Zone 1 (main zone)
Prefix 3 denotes the image is sized to fit the Banner Zone (zone 3)
Page | 39
Prefix s denotes a small image (700 x 700px) upload

Prefix p denotes the image is sized for a portrait template
.png suffix at the end of a filename denotes the image has a transparent background. This transparency allows you to place images over colored backgrounds - both the image and the background will be displayed.
.jpg suffix at the end of the filename denotes the image fills the entire
background.
Images from the Cobalt Media Locker are pre-sized for zone 1 and zone
3; portrait for these templates. The small images are intended for templates that allow the insertion of smaller images and generally they will
need some re-sizing in the image editor.
EXAMPLES
In the two examples below, we have
selected a .jpg image (with its own
background) and a .png image (transparent background).
We are using the same template for
both images, Full Image Upload. In
the first image, we have selected the
Category Restaurant, and in Show, we
have chosen zone 1. The chosen file is 1.Firegrilled.jpg see examples.
Page | 40
The next image has been selected from the same Category Restaurant,
and in Show, we have chosen zone 1. The
image is named 1.Hotwings.png. This
.png image will allow the background to
show. For this example, we have colored
the background of the template and added
the image.
Page | 41
uploading an image from your hard drive
choose CLICK Add Image on the

left side of your template
Select Click to upload an image bottom

left
Click Browse and go

to the location in your
computer where the
image is stored - images must be in a
.JPG, JPEG .PNG, or
.GIF file format
Then click Upload.
Page | 42
Once you have

uploaded your
image, you
have an option
to save it to My
Media Locker in
the original size
or you may
save the new
image after you
have re-sized it.
If you wish to change the image chosen, click on the image and the five
green buttons will appear as shown to
the left. You will be brought back the
add image screen of your template to
choose another image.
Page | 43
image editor
Regardless of which of
the three options you
chose to upload an image into your template,
the Image Editor process
from this point forward
is the same.
Your image will appear
in the top portion of the
screen, and in the bottom portion, the image
will be displayed as if no
edits are made.
As you can see, the original image uploaded was
500 x 500 pixels and
the template wants the
new image to be 670 x
540. If no edits are
made; the template
background will show
through on each side
where the checkerboard
bars appear in the image.
The good news is you can Scale, Stretch, Crop Scale, Crop Stretch and
Crop Proportionately to adjust your image. In this example, we
choose to crop proportionally, often an excellent choice to re-size your
images.
Click Crop Proportionately and drag your mouse over the original
image (top). It automatically sizes a dotted-line box exactly the size
needed for your template. You can move this box with your mouse
over the image until you are satisfied. As you move the box, the new
Page | 44
image shows in the box below, allowing you to see the finished product.
The Crop Proportionately feature automatically zooms in and highlights a portion of the image, exactly sized to our image size requirements.
When you are satisfied with your edit, click on Save in the upper righthand corner. The following image appears:
Enter a Friendly Name. This is the name that will appear above the
thumbnail of this file in your Content Library. It is helpful to choose a
name that helps you easily identify the completed template.
Next, enter your text. We discuss text entry in more detail later in
this Guide, but in this example we have entered What a great feeling! Click OK in the upper right then click Preview and Approve to
see a larger picture of your spot.
You now see your new template, with your image and text. If you are
satisfied, click Save click Edit to make changes. Once you click
Save the new spot you have created is placed directly into your Content Library, ready for you to select and schedule for a playlist now
or in the future.
Page | 45
NOTE: If you upload an image that is a different size, either smaller or larger, it is scaled up or down to fit the image window. As
long as your image resolution is high enough, it will scale up without
a loss in quality. If the image resolution of the original image is
lower than the templates image window, you will experience some
loss of quality.
The default setting is Scale, so your image is automatically scaled,
keeping its original ratio/proportions. You may not need to make
any other adjustments to your image, or as in the example provided, we needed to crop the image to create the right size and shape.
If you upload an image that is a different shape, as we did in the
example provided, e.g., a square image for a rectangular area, it is
scaled so that the dimensions are consistent with the dimensions of
the space available, but still retaining the original files aspect ratio.
It is then either vertically or horizontally centered.
Page | 46
For example, a tall-thin image is centered left to right, and a shortwide image is centered top to bottom. Any space remaining after
scaling displays the template background.
Some additional information on the Image Editor capabilities:
stretching images
Selecting Stretch stretches the image to fit all available area. If
the image dimensions do not match the available space, the image
will be distorted. If the size/shape difference is minor, the stretching may not be particularly noticeable. If there is a significant difference, the distortion could be significant.
crop-scaling an image
Selecting Crop-Scale allows you to select a portion of the original
image, by clicking a spot in the original image at the top of the
screen, then dragging your mouse to select the desired portion to
be inserted into the template. The selected area is then scaled as
described above in Scale.
crop-stretch an image
Selecting Crop-Stretch allows you to select a portion of the original image, just as described in the Crop-Scale explanation above.
This selected area is then stretched as described in the Stretch explanation, above.
cropping an image proportionally
The last option, Crop Proportionally allows you to select an area
of the original image that fits exactly into the space available in the
template. Click on the original image at the top of the screen.
Then drag your mouse to select the area to be placed in the template. As you do so, the selection box displayed is automatically
constrained to the exact aspect ratio of the image placeholder in
the template.
Page | 47
creating spots from templates entering text & color

This is the first screen you see after uploading an image. Enter a
Friendly Name in the text box beside Name. This is the name that
appears above the thumbnail of this file in your Content Library. It
is helpful to choose a name that helps you easily identify the completed template, e.g., Lady smiling @ piggy bank.
The long white text box just above the image on the left indicates
that this template allows for just one section of text. Some templates will display multiple text boxes, allowing you to place text in
different areas, using different sizes and colors of text.
NOTE: Templates that support scrolling text are limited to 445
characters or less. A message will appear should you exceed 445
characters.
When you click in the text box, the following window appears to let
you enter and format the text.
Page | 48
Since this template has only one text box, the entire message has
the same font color and size.
Your text formatting choices are outlined below:
size
choose the font size from the selections in the Size drop down
menu. Font sizes vary from 24 up to 150 point.
alignment
choose Alignment to left justify, right justify or center your text
in the text area of the template
color
click Color to access the color palette to choose a wide range of
colors, or to match specific brand/image colors (see the following overview of the color palate)
font
several templates will allow you
to change font and typeface/style. To change the font,
choose a style from the
dropdown menu.
Templates
with the capability to support
fonts with multiple styles will be
listed beneath the Font dropdown menu as shown to the
right. Check the desired style for use in your template.
Page | 49
In the example below, we selected a text size of 50. The default

setting was too small. We left the alignment at the default setting
(left justified for this template) and left the color on the default setting for this template (white). When templates are designed, each
of these elements is pre-selected. You can leave them as is, or
make any changes you desire. Note that the default Color window
is black, unless you make your own color selection.
The blue color above indicates that we have moved the text down a
couple of lines by hitting enter on the keyboard, and also hit enter
to place the last word, feeling. on a line by itself. The result can
be seen in the preview above.
To change the color of the text, click Color. The following window
will appear.
Page | 50
In this example, we have moved the Color Palette down just below
the image by dragging with the mouse. This is very helpful if you
are trying to match or highlight certain colors from your image.
To change color of your text, you have a number of options.
click any one of the color boxes shown on the right below the
Cancel button if you want to use this color again in other
templates, just remember which box you selected
select a specific color using the Hue, Saturation, Brightness,
(HSB) and Red, Green and Blue (RGB) numbers located next to
the color boxes if you want to use this color again in other
templates, remember to keep the numbers
enter the desired colors Hex code in the # box located just
below RGB remember this Hex code for future reference
select a color using the narrow, vertical bar in the center of the
screen -- hold down your mouse and slide the tiny bar at the
bottom of the column up and down to achieve a wide range of
colors - if you want to use this color again in other templates,
note the Hex code that appears in the # box
Page | 51
fine-tune any color selection by clicking anywhere in the large

color box on the left - if you want to use this color again in other
templates, note the Hex code that appears in the # box
As a guide, note that the color currently in use is located above
HSB, and as you try new colors from the Color Palette, they are
constantly displayed in the New box, with their associated Hex color appearing in the # box.
Once you have selected your color, click OK (upper right) to save
and apply it to the text in the template.
NOTE: If you need to make changes to the text you have entered, click in the text
box again. You can change the message, color or formatting.
The system automatically checks text for spelling and underscore in
red the word that may be misspelled. Simply click on the word to
receive a list of spelling choices. Click on any word within the list to
replace. Click ignore to keep the current spelling.
When you are satisfied with your message, please click on the Preview and Approve button in the bottom right of the screen to see
a full-page preview.
Click Edit at the bottom right if you want to make changes. Click
Save if you are satisfied with your new spot to save it to your Content Library.
A message will be displayed: Your message has been successfully saved to your Content Library. Please remember, if you
do not click on Save, your work will be lost.
If you decide to discard this message (and image), do not click
Save -- just click Create Message from the steps at the top of the
page to create a new message from the same or different template.
Page | 52
If you wish to cancel the create message screen at any time,

please click cancel at the bottom right of the screen. Selecting this
option, when creating a spot for the first time returns you to the
Template Selection page. Selecting this option from within the editing process places you on the Welcome page. A confirmation of
the cancellation will be displayed.
To exit without creating any spots, choose the X button in the top
right corner.
Some templates allow you to adjust the background color as well.
You may change the color of the moving stripes on the example
above. Simply click on the Background Color button, then select
your new background color.
Page | 53
Some templates provide more than one text box, allowing you to
place text in different places, and use different colors and sizes of
fonts as well.
Just click inside each text box and enter text.
Some templates for Zone 2 allow you to change the speed at which
scrolling text moves.
Page | 54
You change the Scroll Speed by clicking at the beginning of the

Scroll Speed bar (bottom left) for slow, in the middle for medium
and at the end of the bar for fast. This feature is available for templates with scrolling RSS feeds for news, sports, market data, etc.,
for your Twitter messages, and for text you have entered yourself.
You may have special menu or event board templates in your Template Library. These templates allow you to enter text (and sometimes images) directly. A menu board template is shown below:
These menu board fields vary by template design. It is important to

note that font controls are not available for menu board templates.
Some menu board templates support background images or color
selection. To change these, click on the background.
Page | 55
QR code generation
QR Code generation is supported within Cobalt. To generate a QR code within a template, select any QR Code template under QR
Codes, zone 1.
The blue Add Image button(s) will appear.

For the template shown to the right, select
the top blue button to add a large image on
the left of the template.
Click on the bottom

Add Image and select
Create QR Code.
Select a Data Type of either Website URL, Text, Telephone number or

Email Address.
Enter the data to be included in the
QR code and then click Create QR
Code.
A sample of the QR code will

be displayed. Add text to the
text box as you do for all other
templates.
Page | 56
Save your changes, and return to the template creation page.

If you wish to upload an image rather than a QR code, simply click
Hide QR Code. Click Cancel, to return to the template creation
page.
creating spots from templates for Twitter

Prior to creating a Twitter template, you must first establish your Twitter Settings, located under the Support tab in the Navigation Bar. Click on
Twitter Settings and following screen will appear:
The Protect My Tweets option should be un-checked on your

Twitter account. If not, Cobalt is unable to access your tweets for
republishing in your templates. Enter the Twitter Screen name for
your account, and click Save. Now you can create a Twitter template.
Select a Twitter template
from Zone 1 or Zone 2.
Page | 57
Next, from the RSS drop down menu on

the left, select your Twitter account name
and click Save. The most recent tweet is
displayed in this template. If for any reason, you dont want the most recent tweet
to display, you may tweet **stop*. This
results in the spot being skipped until another tweet is sent.
After saving the template, your tweets are added to your Content
Library for you to include in a playlist at any time.
video pass-thru
Video pass-thru is available for the Video Zone. If you elect to use
this capability, your installer will set up your system to accommodate television and/or other video sources by installing a 3rd party
video pass-thru device. Upon completion, the installer should inform you of the equipment installed to accommodate this, and how
it is configured. This information is required when creating spots to
display pass-thru video.
You schedule this external content in the same manner as other
spots. To do so, choose the Video Pass-thru template from your
Video Zone templates located under Create.
Page | 58
You must first select your Capture Device

this information should be provided by the
installing technician.
The Hauppauge HVR-850 & HVR-950Q support S-Video, Composite
and Tuner (channels 2-125 and IR remote). The HVR-1950 supports S-Video, Composite and Tuner (channel 3 only). The HD-PVR
supports Component only.
Note that while all options support HD video as a source, only the
HD-PVR outputs true HD video.
Next, click the on Input Source, four choices appears: Tuner,
Component, Composite and S-Video.
When choosing Tuner, you must select the channel or Remote. Selecting a specific channel allows the Cobalt player to play only what
the source device is outputting when this spot is played.
Selecting both Tuner and Remote allows you to change the channel
using the remote control provided at installation.
Within the Source Video field, select the video output aspect ratio.
This may be Standard Definition (4:3), Standard Definition (16:9),
or High Definition (16:9). 16:9 aspect ratio is commonly referred
to as widescreen, while 4:3 is traditional television.
Whether
you
have
chosen
standard definition or HD definition; if you have the widescreen
(16:9) selected, some broadcast
(or other) content is occasionalPage | 59
ly delivered in 4:3 format. When this occurs, the content appears

with curtains (black bars) on the left and right side of the video.
Once your selections have been made, click on Review and Approve. This adds the capability (and the Video Pass-thru thumbnail) to your Content Library. You are then able to select and
schedule this capability using this Pass-Thru template just as you
would with any other spot in your Content Library.
select content from the catalog
Cobalt includes video and image content in your Cobalt Catalog.
This content does not need to be edited, and thus is not available
as a template. To access this, select Catalog from the Content
menu.
You will be presented with the screen below (only a partial list of
Catalog content is shown). Click on the thumbnail image to preview
an item before selecting it.
To include any spot in your Content Library, click Assign under the
thumbnail. A screen displaying all available locations and groups is
displayed. Check the locations to which you desire to add this
Catalog item to the Content Library.
Page | 60
Just like any other spot in your Content Library, these are available
for you to select at any time to schedule in a playlist.
To remove a Catalog spot from your Content Library, click Assign.

This will open the list of locations and groups. Uncheck any locations or groups from which you wish to remove the Catalog spot.
Page | 61
schedule & create playlists

content library
At this point, you have learned to build a Content Library for all
zones by:
uploading video spots
creating spots from templates
selecting spots from the Catalog
You have also determined if you are creating a playlist for an individual location or a group of locations.
The next step in the process allows you to select and schedule your
content from your Content Library. Because your screen may be divided into multiple zones, you actually have multiple playlists running concurrently--one for each zone.
To prevent screen burn-in susceptible to some displays, it is recommended that you have multiple spots playing in each screen
zone. If any zone has multiple spots, the system switches spots
according to your schedule. If a zone has only one spot, that spot
appears constantly, without interruption.
Setting up your playlists for the first time may involve a substantial
amount of time. However, once you have your playlists established
for all zones, the amount of time required to make changes is minimal.
You may enable audio playback for a given spot from the Schedule
screen; however, the default is Off.
selecting a spot
The following steps lead you through the process of adding and
scheduling a spot in a playlist:
From any page in the system, select Schedule.
Page | 62
The Schedule screen is divided into three columns: Player(s),

Content Library and Playlist. The Players column lists all media
players for which you may control content. The Content Library
displays all template-based spots that you have created, along with
all videos or images that you have uploaded and selected from
your Media Locker or the Cobalt Media Locker, and any selected
Catalog content. The Playlist column shows all spots currently selected for playback.
player(s) column
From the Player(s) column, select a screen zone for the desired
group or location. Doing so will populate the Content Library with
all available media for this screen zone of this group or location. It
will also display the current Playlist in the Playlist column.
If only one location is displayed, it will automatically be expanded
to show all available screen zones. If more than one group or location is available, click the name, or the + to the left of the name, to
display all screen zones for that group or location. You may click
the - to reduce the list to just the name.
By right-clicking on the screen zone number, you may perform
several playlist actions.
You may schedule all spots within a playlist by selecting Schedule
from this menu. Additional Scheduling information is explained in
detail later in this document. Note that if spots have independent
schedules, these will supersede the playlist schedule.
The icon below the screen zone image indicates the playlist format-Linear
or Dynamic
. To change the format, right click the
screen zone name, then select Change to Dynamic/Linear.
You may insert Starter Content by selecting that option from the menu.
Playlists that have been exported from
other locations or groups may be imported by selecting Import.
Page | 63
sub-playlists
Cobalt allows multiple users to maintain different portions of a
playlist. For example, a user representing a brand at a national
level may allow another user to control a subset of a playlist at a
local level. A Master Playlist will be created to contain the primary
Playlist and Sub-Playlist. Both the Playlist and Sub-Playlist may be
administered by different users, contain different content and separate schedules. In essence, the Sub-Playlist content is inserted into the Playlist content per the instructions of the Master Playlist.
To utilize a sub-playlist, the player must first be part of a group.
Note that you may create a group containing only one location.
Right-click on the screen zone icon for
the desired sub-playlist, then select Add
Sub-Playlist.
Select the Master Playlist format. Note that the format of the Master Playlist, Playlist and Sub-Playlist do not need to match.
If Dynamic is selected, enter the number of Playlist and SubPlaylist items that should play in a normal cycle. This can be
thought of as a ratio of placeholders for the Playlist to the SubPlaylist. E.g., for every 4 Playlist items, 1 Sub-Playlist items will be
inserted. These placeholders will then be populated with spots
from the respective Playlist or Sub-Playlist per the instructions
within each. When complete, click Save.
If Linear is selected, you must create a playlist containing placeholders for Playlist and
Sub-Playlist items.
Simply drag the desired
placeholder from the
Content Library to the
Playlist. These placeholders will then be
populated with spots
Page | 64
from the respective Playlist or Sub-Playlist per the instructions

within each. When complete, click Save.
The new Sub-Playlist will now be shown below the Playlist for that
groups screen zone.
Should you desire to change the Master Playlist format, right-click

on the screen zone icon, then select Configure Master Playlist.
To remove a Sub-Playlist, rightclick on the screen zone icon,

then click Remove Sub-Playlist.
You will be prompted to confirm
this action. Note that doing so
will remove all related spots
from both the media player and
this account.
If a Sub-Playlist is assigned a schedule, then the individual spots
will adhere to this playback schedule and will not present the option to schedule independently.
playlist review
The group creator may require approval of content submitted by
those administering sub-playlists. Enabling this is explained further
in the Groups section of this document.
When a user with this feature enabled updates a sub-playlist, they
will be informed that their playlist has been submitted for approval." Simultaneously, an e-mail notification will be sent to the group
creator. The next time the group creator logs into the system an
icon will be presented in the upper-right corner of the screen indicating that there are spots pending review.
Page | 65
Clicking on the Pending icon presents the

user with a list of spots pending review, including when the update was submitted and by whom. Clicking
Review in the Action column for any of these items presents the
user with the items pending approval.
Clicking on the thumbnail image of any spot opens a preview window for viewing the spot. Hovering over any thumbnail presents
that spots scheduling information.
To approve a spot, click the Approve checkbox beneath the
thumbnail image. Alternately, you may approve all spots by clicking the Approve All button. Any comments for the user submitting these spots may be entered in the Comments box. Upon completion, click OK to apply these changes.
When OK is clicked, any approved spots will automatically be

queued for player download and presentation, and the submitting
user will receive an email indicating which spots were approved. If
any spots where not approved, the user will be notified. Any comments entered will be included with the email.
Page | 66
Content Library Column

At the top-left of this column, the Group or Location name and
screen zone are displayed. The total number of items is displayed
beneath the buttons on the right side of the column. The default
Content Library view shows thumbnails. You may change this view
to show details, allowing additional spots to be displayed.
To toggle between these views, click the
(Thumbnail) or
(Details) icon. You may change your default view from the User
Settings screen, accessible via the Support menu.
The Content Library column defaults to show everything available
in the screen zone for the selected group or location.
To filter spots shown in the Content Library, hover over the
i
c
o
n
,
then select Uploaded, Templates, Catalog or Selected (items in
your playlist). Only those items that match the criteria selected
will be displayed. At any time you may select All to display all
available items.
To change the order by which items are displayed hover over the
sort
icon, then select Name, Duration or Current Playlist
Items. The spots will then be reordered in chosen sequence.
When Playlist Items is selected, the items currently selected in
your Playlist will display at the beginning of the Content Library list.
To add a spot to the selected screen zones playlist, simply click on
the spot in the Content Library column and Drag it to the Playlist
column.
If you wish to add everything from your Content Library to the
playlist, click the
icon. You will be prompted to confirm this action. If the playlist is configured as Linear, you may add a single
spot multiple times. To add individual spots click them in the Content Library and drag them to the Playlist column.
The arrows to the right of the other icons at the top of the Content
Library column allow you to navigate to the previous or next page
Page | 67
of spots. If there are no prior or subsequent pages, these arrows

will be shaded and unavailable for selection. Note that the Content
Library displays sixty spots per page.
Hovering over a spot displays the Description, Duration and some
scheduling information. When hovering over a spot in the Detail
view, a thumbnail is also displayed.
By right-clicking a spot, you may Preview, Edit, Remove / Delete, Export or Copy the spot from your Content Library. Select
the desired option from the menu.
Selecting Preview allows you to view the entire spot.

Note that to reduce the download time required, this is
done in a lower resolution than it will be presented on the
media player.
Edit is presented for Media Locker and template-created
spots. Clicking Edit from this menu allows you to edit
the details of the uploaded file or template.
Remove is presented for Media Locker and Catalog
spots. Selecting this action removes these spots from your Content
Library; however, they remain in the Media Locker or Catalog.
Removed spots are immediately removed from your playlist and
will not play the next time the player connects.
Delete is presented for template-created spots. Selecting Delete
removes the template-created spot from your Content Library.
While the template is still available for use with newly created spots
from the Create menu, this instance of the template (and all associated images, text and other configuration) will be deleted. Deleted spots are immediately removed from your playlist and will
not play the next time the player connects.
Export and Copy are available for all media that you uploaded or
created within the system. Export allows you to share this media
with another user (e.g., via email). Copy makes another instance
of the same media in your Content Library. The second instance
may then be edited. Some users find this more efficient than recreating a spot from scratch when it is very similar to an existing
one.
Page | 68
playlist column
This column lists all spots in your
playlist. Items get added to the playlist
by dragging and dropping from the Content Library. Once spots are in the
Playlist, you may select and drag spots within the list to change
their order. If you drag to the top or bottom of the pane, and
there are more items above or below, the list will automatically
scroll.
Note that if the playlist is configured as Linear, this is the sequence that the spots will be presented from the media player. If
the playlist is configured as Dynamic, any sequencing performed
here is simply for your organizational purposes.
The playlist type is indicated at the column with either the
(Dynamic) or
(Linear) icon.
To change the playlist type, click the icon. It will toggle, indicating
the new playlist type. You may also change the playlist type from
right-click menu on the Player(s) column. The total number of
items within the playlist is displayed immediately below the buttons.
Once the playlist is complete, click the
button to Submit any
revisions to your media player. Your new playlist should be available for download within 10-15 minutes. Actual time between
Submit and the new playlist appearing on your screen will vary,
based upon the media players interval between check-ins, the
amount of media being updated, and available bandwidth for downloading.
Next to the Submit button, you will find the Submit & Copy button. It is represented by the
icon. If you wish to apply this
same playlist to another location or group, click Submit & Copy,
then select the desired group or location and click Copy. You will
be prompted to confirm this action as it will overwrite what is currently playing on the other group or locations media player(s).
If no changes to the playlist have been made since the last time it
was submitted, the Submit and Submit & Copy buttons will be
shaded and will not respond to clicks.
Page | 69
Clicking
allows you to remove all items from your playlist. You
will be prompted to verify this action. You may also right-click on
this button and select Clear Expired Spots.
By right-clicking a spot within the Playlist you may perform several
actions:
To Schedule the spots playback, click Schedule. This allows you
to schedule start and end times and dates, days of the week the
spot should play, along with many other scheduling features.
Scheduling is explained in
detail later in this document.
Note that, with one exception, if there is also a playlist
schedule, the spot schedule
will supersede. That exception is for sub-playlists.
When a sub-playlist is scheduled, individual spots will not
provide the option to have
independent schedules. They
will adhere to the sub-playlist
schedule.
For uploaded video, Catalog spots and spots created from templates, you may enable or disable audio by selecting Set Audio
Active or Set Audio Inactive from this list. Note that audio is
only available for Screen Zone 1 of your layout. The current audio
setting is the opposite of the option provided. For example, if Set
Audio Active is displayed the spots audio is currently set to inactive. The default for all spots is inactive. The audio setting may
also be changed via the Other tab on the spot schedule screen
(detailed later in this document).
Zone 1 (Video zone) spots may be scheduled to Expand to Full
Screen. Doing so results in this spot playing full screen for its duration. Spots playing in other zones will continue to play behind
this spot. If you wish to disable this setting, select Disable Expand to Full Screen. Note that this may also be controlled via the
Other tab on the spot Schedule screen.
Page | 70
Spots in a linear playlist may occur multiple times. This may be

achieved by dragging the spot from the Content Library to the
Playlist more than once, or by selecting Duplicate from this rightclick list. For each click of Duplicate, the spot will be added to the
playlist one additional time. Note that it is added immediately below the current instance. Dragging the spot to another position
within the playlist may be desired.
To remove a spot from the playlist, simply click Remove from the
right-click list. Doing so will remove it from the playlist. The spot
will remain in the Content Library. If there are multiple instances
of a spot within a linear playlist, each one must be removed individually.
NOTE About RSS Content: RSS content is continually updated throughout the
day, keeping news and information current. If your Internet connection fails and
causes a player to go off-line, the RSS data will continue to display. However,
after a period of time, these spots will drop out of rotation because the content has
not been updated.
Spots with RSS feeds expire in the following timeframes:
current weather: 4 hours
three-day weather: end of the day
news (world, business, sports, etc.) 24 hours
All RSS feeds will resume playback as soon as the Internet connection is restored.
If you have added a Twitter template to your Content Library, you
may select it for your playlist. The spot will display your latest
tweet. Tweeting **stop* will disable the template until another
tweet is sent.
import media
Your recipient will receive the playlist via email. The file name will
end with .11g. They should save this file to their computer.
Page | 71
This file contains data required by the Cobalt system to identify individual spots for all zones of your playlist. However, it does not
contain any of your scheduling information. Once your recipient has
imported the spots, they need to establish the appropriate schedule.
To import the templates, your recipient should:
go to Schedule and select the location or group into which they
would like to import these spots
select the zone into which they would like to import the spots
and click Import Media (to import the playlist for other zones,
repeat these steps for each zone)
select Browse and browse to the path on their computer
where the file is saved
choose the file to upload
select Upload
The recipient is provided a list of all the imported templates for that
zone. Check the box in front of the spot name to select or click on
the word All to select all templates. Once you have made your
selection, click Save.
All checked templates are saved to the Content Library and are
avilable for selection and placement into a playlist.
Once you have selected the spots to add to your playlist, choose
Review Playlist. For your convenience, this option is listed at both
the top and bottom of the page.
Your entire playlist for this zone is now displayed (partial list below). This includes all spots selected from your Content Library. It
excludes all spots not selected. You can now clearly see all of the
spots in this playlist.
Page | 72
publish to web
Publish to Web allows you to embed a slideshow version of your
zone 1 playlist to a website, so potential and existing customers
can view it very quickly and easily. Cobalt displays an image from
each template used in your playlist. Uploaded videos are not displayed in Publish to Web applications. Please contact your dealer
as this feature is assigned during the account setup process.
Once Publish to Web is applied to your account, whenever you
submit a new or update a zone 1 playlist, the embedded web content is generated. Scheduling changes are automatically updated
each hour.
Scheduled publish to web content is displayed based upon the local
time of the location associated with the playlist. If the playlist is
associated with a group, it will display according to the time zone
that the master player in the group is configured. If you are uncertain of which player is the master, please contact your dealer
for clarification.
To embed Publish to Web content to a website, click the Publish to
Web button located on the Current Playlist screen in the Locations
tab. The window below will be displayed. Provide the contents to
your customers webmaster to be incorporated into the website.
The webmaster may adjust the width and height by editing the raw
HTML.
Page | 73
starter content
Starter Content enables you to select pre-created content to work
from, rather than building your content from scratch.
You will see a button at the top of the Content Library screen entitled Starter Content.
Click here and the window below will pop-up allowing you to select
content from the drop-down list.
Select your desired

content and click
Save. All of the
spots from the selected content will be
added to your Content Library. You
may edit and schedule these spots as you would any other spot.
The spot will automatically be selected and added to your Playlist.
If you do not wish to have the spot in your playlist at this time,
click Selected beneath the thumbnail to remove the spot from
your Playlist. You may add starter content to each zone if you desire.
Page | 74
schedule
To Schedule a spot access the Schedule screen for a playlist or
spot from the right-click menu in the Player(s) or Playlist columns.
If you want your spots to begin playing in a random order without
specific scheduling, click on Save and Submit. Your playlist will
begin to play as soon as the system processes your request, and
your media player downloads new content and instructions. This
content will play until you decide to change your playlist.
However, you may want to schedule a spot to begin or end on a
specific day or time, or to play on specific days of the week. To access your scheduling options, right-click on the spot thumbnail image in your Playlist, then select Schedule.
date/time tab
schedule
Located at the top of this screen, just below Date/Time on the left,
is the word Schedule.
Page | 75
You may create multiple schedules for a single spot for Date/Time
scheduling. Any Weather and Other schedules (described later) assigned to a spot are applied to all Date/Time schedules. For example: MTuWThF from 10a-6a and SaSu from 12p-8p.
You may have up to ten Date/Time schedules for any spot. To edit
multiple schedules, select the Schedule number from the menu at
the top of this screen. You may add or delete a schedule using the
buttons at to the right of the schedule number.
begin playing on
This is the date you want this spot to begin playing. When you click
in the text box, a calendar pops up for you
to choose you date. You may choose a future date and your spot will begin then. If
no date is included, the spot begins playing after being downloaded to your player
and your player check-in. Click on the date
you want your spot to begin as shown above. If no Begin Playing
At time is assigned the spot begins playing as soon as the start
date begins.
play through
This is the date you want this spot to play through. When you click
the text box, a calendar pops up for you to choose your date. If no
Play Until time is set, the spot plays through the entire day of the
Play Through date, ending at midnight as the next day begins. If
no date is included, the spot plays until you remove it from your
playlist.
The next section allows you to select specific times of day for your
spot to play. Notice the long bar (above) that lets you choose to
Play each day between these times or Play from the start
time on the first day through the end time on the last day.
Just click the arrows at the end of the bar to toggle between the
two choices.
begin playing at
Page | 76
This is the time the spot

begins to play. It begins
to play at this time each
day scheduled. If no Begin Playing At is entered, the spot begins
to play at midnight. Time is based on the local time zone of the
media player.
When you click in the first box, a drop-down menu appears for you
to select the hour. The next box will drop-down a menu to select
minutes. The last box toggles between AM or PM.
play until
The boxes here function in the same manner as those above, and
allow you to set the end time. If no Play Until is entered, the spot
plays until midnight.
Located below Play Until is Days To Play. The default shows all
days checked. If you only want your spot to play on certain days of
the week, just uncheck the other days.
insert
You may schedule spots to insert within a playlist at a given time or
interval.
Insert Every allows you to configure a time interval (e.g., 30
minutes) where the current spot will be inserted into the playlist.
The system default so play this spot immediately following the spot
that is currently playing at the insert time. You have the option to
interrupt that spot.
Insert After behaves similar to Insert Every. In this case, the
scheduled spot will be inserted after a given number of spots. If
you enter 3 in this setting, the current spot will play every fourth
spot. Inserted spots are not considered as one of the spots being
counted for an Insert After condition.
Page | 77
Insert At allows you to define a specific time for the spot to play.
You may instruct the system to repeat that spot at a given time interval after the initial insert time until midnight (local time). If you
leave this box blank, the spot will play only onceat the specified
time. Like Insert Every, you have the option to interrupt the spot
that is currently playing at the insert time. If you do not do so, the
scheduled spot will be inserted at the conclusion of that spot
Note that if multiple spots meet the insert criteria (e.g., 10 minutes
or 3 spots) each will play as long as that condition is met.
Note that this functionality may not be applied to video passthrough templates.
At the conclusion of all scheduling, click Save.
Note that insert functionality is not supported in Windows versions
of the media player (MP11C and W610S).
weather tab
Select the Weather tab if you would like this spot to play during
certain weather conditions. The spot will continue to play as long
as that condition is being reported for the players area. US locations received conditions by zip code. Other countries are by city,
state/province.
You may select a Temperature above or below
which your spot will play.
Leaving this blank plays
the spot at any temperature.
You may also select a Forecast Precipitation for playback. To do
so, select the precipitation type, greater or less than, and enter a
percentage. Note that this is calculated based upon the current
days forecast. Leave this section blank to play the spot during any
forecast precipitation.
Page | 78
Many current weather Conditions may exist. If you wish for the
spot to only play during specific conditions, check all of those desired.
Note that all criteria on this page must be met for a spot to play.
When you have completed the screen move to the next tab or click
Save at the bottom of the screen.
Note that Forecast Precipitation functionality is not supported in
Windows versions of the media player (MP11C and W610S).
alerts tab
Select the Alerts tab if you would like this spot to play during certain weather and civil alert conditions. The spot will continue to
play as long as that condition is being reported for the players area. US locations received conditions by zip code. Other countries
are by city, state/province.
Selecting Override Schedule will result in only those spots with
the Override Schedule option selected
playing
while
the
alert
condition
is
met.
Note that Alerts and
Override functionality
is not supported in
Windows versions of
the
media
player
(MP11C and W610S).
other tab
This is the playback
length for still images.
Uploaded videos/motion
graphics play for their
original length and may
not be set to an alternate
Page | 79
duration. Many spots created from templates allow you to set duration. You will see a box to enter the number of seconds you want
your spot to play. For example, the duration below is set for 20 seconds.
duration
You may click and change this to any number of seconds. If the
spot does not allow you to set duration, you see a notice after Duration: Control Not Available.
expand to play full screen
Check Expand to Play Full Screen if you would this spot to play
full screen each time it occurs in your playlist. It covers the other
screen zones while it plays.
audio
Templates contain audio that can play for the duration of the spot if
your system is wired for sound. The default is off (Inactive).
You have now selected your special scheduling options, and can
submit your playlist at this point. If you do so, your playlist plays
in a dynamic or random order. You have one additional playback
option you can elect to use before you submit your playlist changing the playback from Dynamic to Linear. If you do not want to
make this change, skip to the SUBMIT section that follows.
Page | 80
view the current playlists

If you would like to review a list of the spots in your current
playlists, from any page in the system, select Locations.
Choose the location or
group that you would
like to review and
then click Current
Schedule.
The following
screen
appears.
The playlists for each
screen zone is listed.
For each spot in the
playlist, the friendly
name, duration, and
days of the week
schedule for play is displayed. In addition, if more specific scheduling choices have been assigned for start and end dates and times,
those are displayed as well. In the example above, no special
scheduling was assigned.
This screen is for viewing purposes only. You make all of your
changes through
your scheduling
function.
On the top left of
this same screen
is a button labeled Preview. Click this to preview the first two minutes of your
playlist. If the first spot in the playlist for a given zone is over 2
minutes, it will still play. If you add a given spot that exceeds the
two minute playlist duration it will be skipped. If a subsequent spot
is played and does not exceed the maximum duration, it will be
presented.
Page | 81
If you wish to override the 2 minute playlist duration, select User

Settings from the support menu. Then select the desired duration
from the drop down menu (image below). Click Save to secure your
changes.
The screen below is presented. As the video is downloaded, you

are presented with the percentage of the download that has been
completed, and the word Cobalt, fills with blue.
Once the download is complete, your motion preview begins to

play. It is important to note that these previews play at a much
lower resolution than the actual playback on your screens, and
sometimes you might even notice a gap between spots.
This occurs in the previews only.
Page | 82
At the bottom right of your preview screen is an Email button.

When you click on this, the following screen appears. You may
send a copy of your preview to up to 10 recipients, each separated
by a semi-colon.
All emails sent from this page are also copied to you, using the
email address used as your login name. The Subject and Message
sections default to the text shown. However you may edit them as
necessary. Your recipient receives your email as soon as you click
Send. The reply-to-address is your Cobalt login.
The preview is available for 90 days from the time the email is sent.
Note that pass-thru video shows as a static image since we do not
have access to the actual video source.
export media
You can export spots that you have created and selected for a
playlist, or you can export an entire playlist to another Cobalt user.
Page | 83
If you want to transfer playlists between locations controlled by the

same user, you may use the Submit & Copy option on the Playlist
page as shown below.
To export a playlist to a group or location that you cannot access,

go to Locations, then choose the location or group that contains
the playlist to be exported.
Select Current Schedule then click Export Media in the righthand portion of the screen as shown below. Save this playlist to
your computer.
Now, you can email this playlist to the other user who can then import the playlist using the Import Media steps explained
later in this document.
edit
To edit a spot that
you have created using a template and saved in your Content Library, click on the thumbnail in your Content Library. A preview
window opens and an Edit button will be displayed. Click Edit, and
you are returned to the Create Message screen used when the
spot was initially created. Make any changes and continue as
though you were creating the spot for the first time. After you save
Page | 84
your spot, it will be returned to your Content Library for you. If this
spot was previously submitted as part of a playlist, the media player(s) associated with this playlist updates after the edited spot is
saved.
copy
To copy a spot to another location over which you have control,
click on the thumbnail from within your Content Library. A preview
window opens and a Copy button will be displayed. Click Copy.
Then from the drop down select the location or group to which you
would like to copy this spot.
export
To export a spot to another Cobalt user, click on the thumbnail
from within your Content Library. A preview window opens and an
Export button will be displayed above. Click Export. A file download pop-up appears. Click Save and save file to your computer.
Once saved on your computer, you can email the file to other Cobalt users.
deleting a spot
To delete a spot permanently from your Content Library, click the
Delete button below the spot. A pop-up appears asking you to
confirm that you would like to delete this spot. If the spot is currently included in your playlist, selecting to delete the spot removes
Page | 85
it from both the playlist and your Content Library. Please keep in
mind; the original template you used to create the spot remains
available in your template library for your use in the future.
Hover your mouse pointer over a spot to bring up its scheduling details. These details include the Friendly Name assigned, duration
the spot plays, start and end dates, if included, days of the week
the spot plays, audio setting (active or inactive) and description. If
no Friendly Name was assigned when you uploaded a file, the file
name displays. If no Friendly Name was assigned when you created a spot from a template, the template name displays.
Page | 86
managing locations & groups

Locations Tab
The Locations tab is located along the main navigation menu. There
are two options within this menuDashboard and Group Management.
Dashboard
Selecting Dashboard from the Locations menu presents a thumbnail
list of all of your media players. Players automatically upload
screen images every 60 minutes. This view is updated every 30
seconds.
The list is sorted by location name and may be filtered to display
only players within a specific group or location, and only players
that are online or offline. The default view shows all players. If
more than sixty players are available, they are presented in multiple pages.
Online players display with a light gray location name beneath. If a
player has not communicated with the servers for over 30 minutes,
it will be displayed with a red label. If no thumbnail image has
been uploaded from the player to the server, a No Image Available
thumbnail is displayed.
Page | 87
Hovering over a thumbnail presents additional details for that media playerincluding the location name, group membership, media
player serial number, last connect date and time, last image update, screen resolution and if there are any pending commands to
be processed (e.g., player reboot or image update request).
Right-clicking on any thumbnail presents a
list of options and controls.
View Large Image presents as larger
version of the thumbnail image.
Update Images issues a command for
the player to capture five images over one
minute for view as an animation.
Show Images presents the five image
animation.
Current Schedule displays the items presently scheduled for
playback by that media player, along with basic scheduling information.
Preview Playlist shows a low-resolution version of the playlists
on this media player. Because the videos must download to
your computer before being presented, this defaults to present
the first two minutes of the items listed on the Current Schedule
screen. You may extend this duration from within the User Settings option within the Support menu.
Export Playlist creates a .11g file to be saved to your local
computer. This file may then be imported to any group or player listed in the Players column on the Schedule screen.
Reboot issues a command for the media player to restart after
its next communication with system servers.
group management
This section provides a list of all the locations for which you have
control. Locations are established before your players are shipped.
If you only have one location, you will see only that location.
Page | 88
A location may be assigned to more than one user ID. If this is the
case, two users may simultaneously work on the
same location. However,
when two users are performing tasks on the
same screen, whichever is
completed last will be
saved and applied to any
associated media players.
You may create a group
for all or some of your locations and create a
playlist to display in the locations in that group. Multiple groups
can be created, but a location can only exist in one group.
It is important to remember that all locations in a group have identical content for their group playlist. If you have a location that requires unique content in any screen zone, do not include that location in a group, or you may create a sub-playlist for that additional
content. Sub-playlists are explained elsewhere in this document.
creating a group
The following steps lead you through the process of creating a
group. From any page in the system, select Locations. Choose
Create Group located at the bottom left of the screen.
Enter a Group Name that will clearly identify the group for you.
Place a check in the box to the left of each location that you would
like to include in the group.
Page | 89
Clicking Enable workflow approval for any group allows the

group creator to require approval of
any scheduling changes to a subplaylist. When a change is made to
one of the sub-playlists by another
user, you will receive an automated
email notifying you of pending
changes.
Choose Save when you are done.
If any of the selected locations already have a playlist assigned,
this pop-up window is presented. Using the drop-down menu for
each screen zone, select the playlist for this new group.
You may select the playlist from any location, as long as it is part of
the group. You must select one playlist for each screen zone.
The blue and gray icons to the left of each screen zone identify the
selected zone. When finished, click OK.
This establishes an initial playlist for the group. Once you have selected this starting point, you may make changes at any time. Locations may be added or removed from your group. The following
steps lead you through the process of editing your group:
from any page in the system, select Locations
click on the group you want to change
this will display
o
the group name
a checked list of the locations in that group
locations assigned to you, but not in that group
check the box to the left of any location you want to add
uncheck boxes to be removed from the group
When all changes have been made, choose Save. The playlist popup window displays. It defaults to the group playlist, but may be
Page | 90
changed and applies to all locations now in the group. If you remove locations from a group, they retain the groups playlist for
each screen zone until you make changes.
A group may be deleted at any time. This breaks the group up into
the individual locations, allowing content changes at the location
level.
from any page in the system, select Locations
click on the group you want to delete
click Delete Group
A pop-up displays asking you to confirm that you want to delete the
group. To confirm, choose Yes. When you delete a group you are
not deleting locations. All locations assigned to you still exist. You are simply
deleting the group and returning each location to individual location control.
Once the group has been deleted, each
individual location initially retains the
groups playlist for each screen zone.
Now spots can be added, changed or removed from the individual location
playlists as needed.
feedback
You may request general assistance, provide feedback on any portion of Cobalt, or request installation assistance by accessing the
Feedback screen under the Support tab.
Select an item from the drop down menu, add your question or
message and press the submit button. Your request will be transmitted to the appropriate support person who should then contact
you with an answer.
reports
You may access several reports from the same Support menu
shown above. The Overall Network Status report displays the curPage | 91
rent status of each of your players. The Player Alert Status report
displays the status of any player that is presently not communicating with the Cobalt servers or is reporting an alert, e.g., one of
your players has not connected to the network server for 24 hours
or more. If you have any questions or concerns after reviewing
this report, please contact your Dealer. The Play History report allows you to gather playback statistics for individual spots. You may
do so for a given date and time range, and may organize the data
for a given spot, screen zone, location, group or list of all of your
players.
All reports may be exported to Excel, Word, PDF, TXT, XML and
other useful formats.
You may configure Cobalt to automatically notify you via email of
offline players. Emails will be sent to the address that is used as
for your login name. To configure the email report, click User Settings from the Support menu. Select the appropriate time interval
you wish to receive offline notifications from the drop-down menu.
Click Save to apply the setting.
Note: The interval selected is both the reporting interval and the offline interval. If Every 4 Hours is selected, the report will be sent
on four-hour intervals and will include players that have been down
for four-hours or more at that point in time.
conclusion
We hope that you found the guide helpful, and that it serves you
well in the future as questions arise.
Page | 92
Please remember that as enhancements are made to Cobalt, they

will be reflected in this User Guide located under Support/Documents as above. This will always be your best source for
the latest guidelines and system enhancements.
Please also remember the Quick Start Guide, also located under the
Support/Documents tab. It gives you a quick guide to using Cobalt
and serves as a useful reference going forward.
Your Dealer can also provide assistance. Please feel free to call on
them at any time.
Page | 93

Cobalt User Guide

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Cobalt User Guide

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

User Guide

11Giraffes 2009-2012 All Rights Reserved