Sources and Destinations

After configurations, the next step is to set up your content sources, assets, and destinations (Userful clients). This module helps you maintain your sources and destinations all in one place. This screen is divided into three sections:

Header

This section helps you resolve queries using documentation, enter full-screen mode, and access the user profile at all times while you are working.

Navigation Menu

Navigate through the module using this menu.

Workspace

The details of the instances you create appear in this section.

Sources

A Source is a player for a specific type of content. The source is mapped to the destination to stream content. This section details different types of sources.

HDMI Capture

HDMI input is connected to a server capture card.

Create a HDMI Capture Source

Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as HDMI Capture.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Select the port for BM connection. It is the capture connection port.

• Enable the Use XClient option. It creates a separate back-end process for each Blackmagic capture stream, running each inside a windowed app. This option improves the stability and scalability of Blackmagic capture sources, allowing more consecutive sources to run, i.e., up to twenty-four 1080p 60.

• Crop options allow you to crop pixels from all borders in case the media file has extra margins.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled so that the entire image is visible on the display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the source is used for streaming content, and the Sharable option is enabled, the server generates one source instance and shares it across applications. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

Network Streamer

Network Streamer source type helps access authenticated RTSP or HTTP video streams.

Create a Network Streamer Source

Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as Network Streamer.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Select the Protocol.

• Enter the Server Path.

• Enter the Buffer time. It is the buffer time before content starts streaming. 1000 or more is an ideal range for unstable and slow networks.

• Enter the username and password in case your stream is password-protected.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled so that the entire image is visible on the display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the source is used for streaming content, and the Sharable option is enabled, the server generates one source instance and shares it across applications. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

Power BI

Refer to the Data Dashboard Integration topic to learn how to create a Power BI source.

Program Runner

Program Runner allows you to run custom commands to launch programs in an X window session. For example, it allows you to run custom-installed software programs to accomplish objectives such as connecting to Citrix environments, using VLC to play more uncommon media types, or launching LibreOffice to display documents and presentations.

Create a Program Runner Source

• Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as Program Runner.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Select the port for the BM connection. It is the capture connection port.

• Enable the Use XClient option. It creates a separate back-end process for each Blackmagic capture stream, running each inside a windowed app. This option improves the stability and scalability of Blackmagic capture sources, allowing more consecutive sources to run, i.e., up to twenty-four 1080p 60.

• Crop options allow you to crop pixels from all borders if the media file has extra margins.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled to make the entire image visible on the display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the source is used for streaming content, and the Sharable option is enabled, the server generates one source instance and shares it across applications. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

Program Runner is a very powerful tool with the potential to cause system damage and loss of data if an improper command is entered. It is strongly recommended to test command strings on a non-production system before implementing production sources. Userful cannot guarantee support for all possible uses and applications that run with the Program Runner. Linux administration experience is strongly recommended before using this source.

Remote Desktop

The Remote Desktop source is a client for Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services. It can create a direct login to a configured desktop or server. Unlike Desktop Streamer (VNC), RDP creates a unique user session. This means directly creating and accessing a user session on the host machine rather than sharing an existing desktop.

Create a Remote Desktop Source

• Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as Remote Desktop.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Enter the Server URL.

• Enter the Port number.

• Enter the Username and Password.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled so that the entire image is visible on display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the source is used for streaming content, and the Sharable option is enabled, the server generates one source instance and shares it across applications. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

Note that the server-side configurations are done at your end. However, if you have any queries, you can always contact your Userful manager or sales engineer.

Tableau

Refer to the Data Dashboard Integration topic to learn how to create a Tableau source.

Videos and Images

Create a Videos and Images Source

• Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as Videos and Images Source.

• Upload a file or browse one from your computer. You can simply drag and drop a file from your computer in the Add File box for a quick upload. Click on the option, and the file gets uploaded. To upload multiple files Click on the option. A drop-down menu showcasing the uploaded files appears. Click on the files, and it gets added to the Playlist. Click on the option to remove the file from the playlist.

  Supported Image Formats per Client are as follows:

  uClients: .gif, .png, .ppm, .tif, .tiff, .jpe, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp.

  Zero Clients: .gif, .png, .ppm, .tif, .tiff, .jpe, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp.

  Web OS: .png, .ppm, .tif, .tiff, .jpe, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Enter the interval value in the Slideshow interval(s) field. Its default value is 5 seconds.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled so that the entire image is visible on display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the source is used for streaming content, and the Sharable option is enabled, the server generates one source instance and shares it across applications. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

VNC Viewer

It enables desktop streaming of a remote system to the video wall using the VNC protocol. It allows source control through a mouse and keyboard.

Create a VNC Viewer Source

• Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as VNC Viewer.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Enter the VNC Server Address. Userful provides a built-in VNC client that functions as the Source. However, in order to capture VNC, you must first configure a VNC Server.

• Specify the VNC Port.

• Enter the VNC Password.

• Enable the Full screen option to stream content in full-screen mode.

• Enable the View only option to disable user interaction using peripheral devices.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled so that the entire image is visible on the display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the source is used for streaming content, and the Sharable option is enabled, the server generates one source instance and shares it across applications. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

Web Browser

Userful comes bundled with updated versions of Firefox and Chrome, along with a lightweight WebKit browser to display HTML content, videos, Websites, intranet portals, or anything else that can be displayed with a web browser.

Create a Web Browser Source

• Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as Web Browser.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Select the browser from the drop-down menu.

• Enter the browser URL.

• Enter the Refresh Interval. It is the time after which the source is refreshed for content updates.

• Enter the Framerate.

• When the Show Mouse Pointer option is enabled, it appears on the screen the entire time the content is streaming.

• Select the Session Persistence. The Retain option retains session data in case the source stops streaming. It resumes streaming from the last active frame.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled so that the entire image is visible on the display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the source is used for streaming content, and the Sharable option is enabled, the server generates one source instance and shares it across applications. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

YouTube

Create a YouTube Source

• Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

Source Settings Tab

• Enter the Name and Description.

• Select the Source Type as YouTube.

• Select a thumbnail.

• Enter the YouTube URL or Video ID.

• Enable the Loop Video option to view the video in a continuous loop. Note that some videos do not support looping.

Advanced Tab

• Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the destination the content is streamed at.

• Select the Scaling ratio. Scale to Fit The source is scaled so that the border of the image and the entire image are visible inside the display. This most often results in black bands above and below the image. Stretch Full Screen The source is scaled so that the entire image is visible on the display. This means the video's aspect ratio is stretched horizontally and vertically to match the display's aspect ratio. Zoom Full Screen The source is scaled so that some image is outside the display (cropped). This eliminates the black banding on the display, but it means that either the horizontal or vertical outside edges of the video will not be visible to the user.

• Enable the Sharable Option When the Sharable option is enabled, the server only creates one source instance and shares it across applications when the source is used for streaming content. For example, if you create 2 sources with the same parameters and map the sources to the canvas/ mapping group, the server only creates 1 running instance of the sources. This helps in resource utilization.

Permissions Tab

• Select the Apps to share the source with.

• Select or Create a Tag for easy access to the Source. To create a Tag, click on the Tag drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the Tag and press the Enter key. The Tag gets created. Tags help sort the source when there are multiple sources.

• Enable User Permissions for the source. These user permissions are set using the Clearance Level feature. Use the Page navigation feature to view other permissions.

• Click . The source appears in the Sources panel.

Destinations

It is an end-point on which content is displayed. It can range from a single display to multiple displays arranged and calibrated to stream content. The Destinations screen lists all the connected clients.

The App Permissions column shows the application icons to which the destination has access. Modify this access by clicking on the three-dot menu > Settings option. The Settings menu appears, showing the list of applications. Select/ deselect the applications and click Save Changes.

On the destination card, the Warning icon denotes that the destination is currently streaming content. Hover over the icon for more details. Please re-assign only after due diligence, as reassigning content stops the playback of the previous mapping.

Refer to the Manage Video Wall article to learn how to create and calibrate a video wall.

Assets

An asset is a piece of content that a source can play. This can include media files and web links. You can either upload an asset or create one.

Upload an Asset

1. Click on the option.
2. Drag and drop your file in the Add File box or browse from the computer by clicking on the manually option.

3. Click on the Upload File option. The file appears on the screen.

Create an Asset

1. Click on the option.
2. Enter the Asset Name and Description.

3. Select the Asset Type. Media File: Enter a valid file path. URL: Enter a valid URL.

4. Select all the Apps that can access this source.

5. Click . The asset appears on the screen.

Video Wall Asset Processor

A video wall comprises multiple screens that facilitate viewing content on a larger canvas for better visualization. The Video Wall Asset Processor helps chop content and enables neat composition on the video wall with local playback utilizing Userful’s uClient players. The asset file created through this feature is added as a source to the uClient Players mapping group for forwarding the processed files and local playback in video wall mode.

Process Assets

Navigate to the Video Wall Asset Processor in the left-hand side menu.

1. Select the GPU. It is recommended to use a secondary GPU if available since asset processing utilizes GPU resources.

2. Select the asset(s) to process. Only image and video files should be selected. Image files are processed and converted into a video file.

3. Enter the Image Duration(s) value. It is the time duration of the video for the processed images in seconds. It is only applicable to image asset format files. Its default value is 30, and the minimum and maximum value ranges from 3 to 3600 seconds.

4. Select the video wall destination.

5. Click Start Process. A notification to confirm process initiation appears.

6. Click on the Start Process option. The platform initiates asset processing and chops the content per the geometry of the screens in the video wall. This process can take a few minutes based on the quantity and type of assets selected once the process completion notification appears after successful asset processing. Note- The media files are processed separately for each video wall geometry. Every processed file is listed in the Finished Processes list.
7. Click on the View Assets option. The Processor Asset List appears.

   

Stream Content

1. Navigate to Artistic application > uClient Players mapping group.

2. Create a Source

   • Click on the Create Source option. The Create Source menu appears.

   Source Setting Tab

   • Enter the Name and Description.

   • Select the Source Type as Videos and Images Source.

   • Click on the Add Assets option. The list of assets appears.
   • Select the processed asset files. Click on the option to close the asset list.

   Advanced Tab

   • Enter the resolution. It is the resolution of the video wall. Note that Scaling does not take effect since the processed asset is processed for the video wall.

   Permissions Tab

   • Assign a Tag to the source for easy identification. To create a new tag, click on the Tags drop-down menu. A cursor appears. Enter the name of the tag and press the Enter Key. The tag gets created.

   • Optional- Assign user permissions to the selected user roles.

3. Click .
4. Switch to the Destinations panel and drag and drop the destination to the mapping group.

   

   After a brief while, the content streams on the video wall destination.

Additional Points

• All video wall destinations should always be online for streaming content. If destinations are unmapped from the server or the video wall, please remap the destination to the mapping group to restart playback.

• Please process the asset file before assigning it to the mapping group if any changes are made to the video wall geometry.