5
2 COMPACT PLAYER
The Compact Player is a software and hardware based solution for show control and video processing.
When looking at the Pandoras Box product family, the Compact Player can be found in the Pandoras
Box "Player" product range. Like all Players, the Compact Player is an upgradeable model featuring a
real-time 2D compositing engine for image and video playback. The guaranteed playback performance is
2 x 1920x1080 for MPEG2 or DDS image sequence.
Its distinctive hardware feature is its size: the Compact Player is only one rack unit high and roughly half
19" wide. The Compact Player software variations define the number of outputs. The option of zero
outputs is of interest when you require hardware for backup scenarios or for software products like the
Manager or Widget Designer or others.
For more information regarding the Pandoras Box product structure, please see the chapter "Product
Overview" in the Pandoras Box manual. It also includes links to chapters that explain the different
software solutions and possible hardware accessories. We offer specialized interfaces for SMPTE I/O,
DMX, serial and sensor control.
Drivers
All drivers are preinstalled on the system. Also, software like the PB Menu is preinstalled. Please check
the Download-Center for drivers, software updates and more documentation.
PB Menu
There is software pre-installed on Pandoras Box hardware called the PB Menu. It starts automatically
when booting. It covers the Windows desktop and consists of a few buttons that give access to the most
needed actions, e.g. starting the master or client software, opening the Windows Explorer (File
Browser).
The PB Menu includes another software called the VNC Remote, or simply Remote. With that software
you can establish a VNC connection to another computer that is in your network. The other computer
needs to have a VNC client running to pick up the connection. If there, PB Menu is started, it
automatically does this for you. You enter the according IP address and see the desktop of that
computer. Now you can click your local mouse and use the local keyboard to interact with the remote
desktop.
For more information see the according topics in the main manual.
Product Specifications
Operating system: Windows 8.1
Microprocessor: Intel i5 processor
SSD drives: depends on hardware edition, i.e. LT - 480GB, STD - 960GB, PRO - 1900GB
USB ports: 4x USB 3.0 ports (1x internal, 3x front and rear panel)
LAN: 2x 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports
Audio*: Optical S/PDIF output; stereo analog audio output and microphone input
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Product Size: 210mm x 172mm x 42mm (one rack unit high and roughly half 19" wide)
Power: DC 19.5V/120W with an external power supply unit
*Regarding audio support, the Compact Player license includes ASIO Tracks. Eventhough the
hardware does not natively support ASIO, it is possible to install the ASIO4ALL driver. When using this
driver, we cannot guarantee perfect synchronization. Audio playback on Video Layer (with MP3, WMA,
WAV format and embedded sound) is supported.