IAdea NMP-200U User manual

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NMP-200U Media Player
User’s Manual

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Contents
1.IntroductiontotheNMP‐200UMediaPlayer.................................................... 3
1.1.PackageContents .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
1.2.SoftwareManagementFeatures ........................................................................................................................................... 3
1.3.Physicalfeatures.................................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.4.VESA‐mountinstallationprovisions....................................................................................................................................... 4
1.5.Notesonsecurityfeatures.....................................................................................................................................................4
2.PlayerSystemSetup........................................................................................... 6
2.1.Settinguptheplayer ............................................................................................................................................................. 6
2.2.SettingupAdfotainManagerExpress ................................................................................................................................... 6
2.3.ConfigurationwithAdfotainManagerExpress...................................................................................................................... 7
3.ContentManagementwithAdfotainManagerExpress .................................. 10
4.Specificationstable .......................................................................................... 10
5.Appendix:Settingtheplayerclock(nonetwork)............................................. 11
6.Appendix:FAQ.................................................................................................. 11
7.Appendix:FirmwareUpgrades......................................................................... 14
7.1.FirmwareupgradeusingAdfotainManagerExpress........................................................................................................... 14

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1. Introduction
TheNMP‐200UMediaPlayermediaplayerisanindustrial‐gradedigitalsignagesystemsuitableforremoteandlocalmanagement
use.
•Highquality480pdedicatedvideoplayerfordigitalsignage
•CompactFlashsolid‐stateremovablestorage
•Industrial‐gradeindustrialdesignwithintegralVESA‐mount
•24/7operationfeaturingwatchdogtimer
•Lowpowerconsumptionandfanlessoperation
•Compactsizefitsinthepalm
•EasynetworksetupwithbundledAdfotainManagerExpressutility
•ScalaContentManagercompatible
1.1. PackageContents
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1.2. SoftwareManagementFeatures
AdfotainManagerExpresssoftwareinterface
AdfotainManagerExpresshelpsyouquicklysetupandtestplaybackonyourdigitalsignageplayer.Please
seetheAdfotainManagerExpressUser'sManualforoperationdetails.Onceyouhavescheduledyour
contents,afewclicksofthemousequicklyconfiguresallplayersacrossthenetworksimultaneously.
Disruption–freecontentupdateviaUSB
TomanagetheNMP‐200UMediaPlayerwithoutnetwork,useaUSBmass‐storagedevicetosyncyour
contents.Simplyexportthenewplaylistandmediafilestoaremovablestoragedeviceandconnectthedeviceto
theplayertoinitiateautomaticupdate.
ScalaNetworkEnabled(Scalalicenserequired)
Forindustryleadingnetworkmanagement,theNMP‐200UMediaPlayeriscertifiedtoworkinaScalaContent
Managernetworkedenvironment.Thisprovidesyouwithmaximumflexibilityinareliable,RISC‐
basedDVDqualitysignageplayer.
AudioAdapterCable:
RCAto3.5mm
AudioCable:
3.5mmto3.5mm
QuickStartGuideEthernetCable
CompactFlash
MediaPlayer
CFCardSlot
ProtectivePlate
andScrew
ACPowerAdapter
5VDCoutput
AdfotainManager
ExpressCD
A Compact Flash (CF) card is required, available
separately.
A 4GB card holds approx 180 minutes of video content
NotSupplied
USB
UPDATE
Scala
Enabled


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1.3. Physicalfeatures
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1.4. VESAmountinstallationprovisions

TheplayerenclosurefeaturesVESA‐compliantscrew‐slotsforconvenientattachment.Suggestedinstallationsinclude:
A.directlybehindself‐standingmonitorsusingVESAstandardmounting
B.insidepartitionwalls
C.belowcounters
1.5. Notesonsecurityfeatures
TheReset/SetclockbuttonandVideomodeswitchesarelocatedontheplayer’sbackpaneltoavoidtamperingafterinstallation.
Onceyouhaveestablishedaworkingconnectionwiththedisplay,youcancoverbothpanelsbymountingtheplayertoaflatsurface.
Clocksettingsaresynchronizedoverthenetwork,soyoudonotneedtoadjustitmanuallywiththeReset/Setclockbutton.
Topreventtheplayer’sCFcardfrombeingremovedfromitsslot,locktheCFcardinsidetheplayerwiththeincludedCFprotective
plateandscrewset.
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
Settingaplayerpasswordandpasswordretrieval

TheNMP‐200UmediaplayerfeaturespasswordprotectiontopreventunauthorizedUSBdriveupdatestoitsCFcardstoragearea.A
USBdrivemusthavethesame“password.txt”fileastheCFcardinordertoreplacepreviouslyloadedcontentsontheCFcard.If
passwordprotectionisnotdesired,thenthe“password.txt”fileshouldnotbepresentonneithertheUSBdrivenortheCFcard.
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1Fromacomputer,createafilenamed“password.txt”.
2Enterdesiredpasswordandsavethefile.
3Placeonecopyofthepassword.txtfileonaUSBdrive’stoplevel(root)folder.
4Placeonecopyofthepassword.txtfileonaCFcard.Removethedevice'sCFcardandcopypasswordfiletotheCFcard’stoplevel
(root)folder.
5OncedeviceisinsertedwithCFcardthatcontainspassword.txtfile,onlyaUSBstoragedevicewiththesamepasswordfilecan
performupdatestothedevice.
Note
Thecontentauthenticationpasswordcannotbeclearedusingtheresetbutton.Toretrievethecontentauthenticationpassword,
openthepassword.txtfromtheCFcard.
BoththeCFcardandtheUSBdriveshouldbeformattedintheFATorFAT32formattoworkproperly.

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2. PlayerSystemSetup
2.1. Settinguptheplayer
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Attachavideocable(Video,Svideo,orVGA)toyourdisplay
Connectandpoweronyourdisplay.Turnonyourdisplaymonitorandswitchittothecorrespondingvideomode:VGA(sometimes
referredtoas“RGB”),S‐video,orComposite.Foraudiooutput,connectthesuppliedstereo1/8”mini‐jackcablefromtheplayerto
yourmonitor.
Settingthedisplayoutputmode

Connectplayertoyournetwork
Ifyoudonothaveanetworkcapablecomputerathand,pleaserefertotheappendixtosetupyourplayerforplaybackwithouta
network.
AdfotainManagerExpresscandetecttheIPlocationofyourplayerautomaticallyonaDHCPnetwork.SeesettingupAdfotain
ManagerExpressinthissectiontosetuptheprogramonyourPC.
*IfyournetworkrequiresastaticIP,youcanalsouseAdfotainManagerExpresstosetupthestaticIP.Pleasecontactyournetworkadministratorif
youareunsurewhichIPaddressesareavailableonyournetwork.

AttachtheACpoweradaptertopowerontheunit



Ifthesystemissetupproperly,thedisplayshouldshowtheplayer’sonscreendisplay(OSD)messagesandtheplayer’sIPaddress(if
networkisDHCPcapable).
2.2. SettingupAdfotainManagerExpress
AdfotainManagerExpressletsyouperformplayerconfiguration,maintenance,andschedulingoperationsfromyourPC.
Network
Dis
p
la
y
Pla
y
erPower
Network
router

Æ
g
reen
p
owerindicatoron
p
la
y
erto
p

p
anel
SettheVideomodeusingtheDIPswitchesonthebacksideoftheunit
(Seeillustrationin1.3Physicalfeatures).Switchpositionspervideo
modeareprovidedontheproductlabel.
FortraditionalTV:settoPALorNTSC,dependingonyourregion
ForLCDTV,Plasma,computermonitors,andprojectors:settoVGA

Installation
Minimumsystemrequirements

Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems
.DirectX 9
.NET Framework 3.0
1 GHz AMD or Intel CPU
512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive
(higherversionsandnumbersalsocompatible)
PowerPoint2003or2007requiredforPowerPointslideshowfeature.
WindowsMediaPlayer10or11requiredforvideopreviews.
Setupprocess
InserttheAdfotainManagerExpressCDandtheinstallershould
popupautomatically.Ifitdoesnotstart,clickon“setup.exe”
locatedonyourCDusingWindowsExplorer.Ifyouhaven’t
installed.NETFramework,youwillbepromptedtodoso.Ifitis
alreadyinstalled,pleaseproceedtothenextsection.
1. Runtheinstallerandfollowthestepbystepinstructions.
2. Closetheinstallertofinishinstallation.
2.3. ConfigurationwithAdfotainManager
Express
Settingtheclock
1. StartAdfotainManagerExpressandselectplayermodel

2. Afterselectingtheplayer,clickontheConfigurationbuttononthetopright.
3. ClickAuto‐detectplayerbuttontolocateallnetwork‐connecteddevicesofthesamemodel.Aprogressbarisshown,andplayers
areaddedtoalistofoperationalnetworkdevices.Youcanalsostopthesearchoncethetargetdeviceappearsinthelist.
ForWindowsXPonly:.NetInstallation

TheWindows.NETFrameworkisincludedontheCDandwillbe
installedifabsentfromyoursystem.ClickYesandfollowthe
promptstoinstallit



Greenz:playerisonline
Redz:previouslydetectedbutcurrentlyoffline
4. ChecktheboxprecedingeachtargetplayerandclickModifysettings.Youcanconfiguremorethanoneplayeratonce.
5. IntheGeneralSettingstab,confirmandselecttheappropriatetimezonetoensurecorrectscheduleplayback.Thetimeanddateis
automaticallysynchronizedwithyourPCwhenyouclickApply.Someoptionsmaynotbeavailabledependingonyourplayermodel.

6. Setthedevicepassword.Thedevicepasswordprotectscontentsfrombeginupdatedbyunauthorizedsources.Youcaneither
removethepassword(check“Resetpasswordtoblank”)orspecifyanewpasswordfortheplayer(s).
Settingthenetworkidentification
IfyouareusingaDHCPnetwork,pleaseproceedtothenextsection.

Thenetworksettingstabletsyouspecifytheplayer‘sstaticIPaddressandothersettings.It’simportantthatnotwodevicesonthe
networksharethesameIP.Netmask,gateway,domain,andDNScanalsobeconfiguredonthispage.Pleaseconsultyournetwork
administratorifyouareuncertainofthevaluestothesesettings.

Advancedsettings
Thispageletsyouchangethemanagementmodeofthedevice.
1. LANmode(default):ThisallowslocalnetworkmanagementviaAdfotainManagerExpress.
2. USBmode:ThismodelimitsplayercontentupdatesviaUSBdriveorCFcardonly.
3. WANmode:ForoptionalScalaContentManagernetworkmanagement.


3. ContentManagement
Fortestingvideosandplayerconnectivity,pleaseseetheAdfotainManagerExpressSoftwareManualforoperatinginstructions.
ForsettinguptheplayeronaScalaContentManagerNetwork,pleaseseetheIAdeaSDPlayerScalaSetupGuide
4. Specificationstable
NMP‐200U
VideoformatsupportPOPAIScreenMediaStandards
S6(MPEG‐1SIF,3MbpsCBR)
S7(MPEG‐1480p,10MbpsCBR)
S9(MPEG‐2480p,6MbpsCBR)
E7(MPEG‐4ASP,480p,10MbpsCBR)
ImageformatsupportPOPAIScreenMediaStandards
S1(JPEG480pbaseline)
AudiocodecsupportPOPAIScreenMediaStandards
S4(MPEGL2audio)
S5(MP3audio,384Kbps)
PlaybackcontrolAlphabeticallooping
Adfotainplaylist
ContentmanagementmethodWAN–OptionalScalaContentManager
LAN–Adfotain®ManagerExpress
Replace/editCFcard‐Adfotain®ManagerExpress
PhysicalI/OconnectorsVGA
S‐Video,composite
3.5mmaudioJack
Ethernetcopper10/100BASE‐T
USB
LocalstorageRemovableCompactFlashcard(Required,notsupplied.
A4GBcardholdsupto3‐hoursoftypical3Mbpsvideo)
AccessoriesRCAmale‐3.5mmfemaleaudioadaptercable
3.5mmmale‐maleaudiocable
Ethernetcable
CFcardprotectivecover
ULapprovedACpoweradapter
Powerrequirement5V,2ADC
PowerconsumptionTypical*4.8W
EnvironmentalOperatingtemperature:0–40°C/32–104°F
Humidity:5–85%@40°C/32–104°Fnon‐condensing
Dimensions133.5x113.5x25(mm)(excludingprojections)
5.3”X4.4”X1”(inches)(excludingprojections)
Weight0.5kg
1.1lbs.
SafetyUL‐approvedACadapters
CertificationsCE/FCC
RoHS
WarrantyOne‐yearlimitedparts&labor
*typicalusagewhenplaying480pvideo


5. Appendix:Settingtheplayerclock(nonetwork)
AdfotainManagerExpressautomaticallysynchronizestheplayer’sbuilt‐inclockwithyourcomputer’scurrenttime.Tousethe
playerwithoutanetworkconnection,youwillneedtosettheclockmanuallyonthedevice.
Settingtheclockmanually
Theclocksettingsrunonbuilt‐inbatteryforuptoseveralyears,butinitiallyyouwillneedtosetittoyourtimezoneforproperly
scheduledplayback.
Afterpoweringonboththeplayerandthedisplay,"PLEASEWAIT..."appearsonthescreenfor10seconds.Aftervideoappearson
screen,settheclockbypressingandholdingtheRESET/SETCLOCKbutton.Youwillseethefollowingonscreendisplay:
YYYY/MM/DD

REMINDER:Youshouldsettheclockbeforeyouphysicallymounttheplayerorkeepthebuttonaccessibleifyouarenotplanning
thenetworkclocksetfeature.

6. Appendix:FAQ
Formorefrequentlyaskedquestionsandsolutions,searchtheonlineproductknowledgebaseatwww.IAdea.com/support.
WhatcanIdotoimproveAdfotainManagerExpressperformanceonmyPC?
ThelatestMicrosoft.NET3.5SP1offersimprovedperformanceandbugfixestoAdfotainManagerExpress.Youcaninstallthe
updateviathisinternetbrowserlinkhttp://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=124150orbysearchingfor“.NET3.5SP1”At
www.microsoft.com.
DoestheCFcardspeedratingaffectplaybackperformance?
No,theCFcardspeedwon'thaveasignificantimpactondeviceplayback.Standarddefinitionvideos(480p)playatrelativelylow
datarates,typically3Mbps,thereforeastandardspeedCFcardshouldbesufficient.
IstherelimitationonCFcardsize?
TheCMP‐100SandNMP‐200UMediaPlayersacceptsCFcardsupto32GBincapacity.However,sincean8GBCFcardcanplayupto
6hrs,a4GBCFcardshouldbeenoughformostsituations.
Whatismaximumfilesizeforasinglevideofile?
ForCMP‐100SandNMP‐200UMediaPlayers,themaximumvideofilesizeis1GB.Werecommendreservingasafetymargintoavoid
exceedingthelimit(i.e.limitingfilesto990MBforCMP‐100SandNMP‐200UMediaPlayers).
Howtorestoredevicebacktofactorydefault?
1.Disconnectallpower.
2.Pressandholdresetbuttonatthebackofdevice.
3.Powerondeviceandreleasethebuttonuntil"Reset"appearsonscreen.
HowdoImanageplaybackofmycontents?
Playbackonascheduleisoneofthemainfunctionsofadigitalsignageplayer.SchedulingismanagedviatheeasytouseAdfotain
ManagerExpresssoftware.
UnlikethedifficultyofprogrammingVCRsfromaremotecontrol,theAdfotainManagerExpresssoftwareisdesignedtobesimple
byleveragingthepowerofyourpersonalcomputer.Anyonewithbasiccomputerskillscanquicklycreateormodifyschedules,
deliveringtherightmessagetotherightaudienceattherighttimes.PleaserefertotheAdfotainManagerExpressUser’sManualfor
detailedoperationsandtechniques.
•
PressRESET/SETCLOCKbuttonBRIEFLYto
increaseeachdigitvalue
•Holdbuttontoadvancetothenextdigit

Whyisn'tFlashsupported?
AdobeFlashanimationrequireshighCPUpowertoprocesssmoothly.Evenwithmainstreamdualcoreprocessors,theremaybe
hiccupsandstutteringwhenplayingcomplexFlashcontent.Foranoptimizedpresentationandviewingexperience,mostRISC‐based
mediaplayerssupportonlyvideoplaybackinmostmajorvideocompressionformats.
HowdoesPowerPointsupportwork?
Themediaplayerletsyoucreatecontentforlarge‐screendisplayusingMicrosoftPowerPoint2003and2007asalayouttool.
AdfotainManagerExpressconvertsPowerPointfilesonPowerPoint‐equippedPCsintostillframeslideshows.Thisletsusers
leveragetheeasytousetemplates,text,3D,andimagecompositionfeaturesofferedbyPowerPoint.Thedurationofeachauto‐
advancingslideispreservedasyouhavesetitinPowerPoint,butanyanimationsandtransitionswillbeomitted.
Whycan’tIseemyvideoplayingintheAdfotainManagerExpresspreviewwindow?
TheAdfotainManagerExpresspreviewwindowonlysupportsWMVvideosandJPEGpictures,sincethesearebuiltintothe
WindowsOS,andanyothercodecsthatareinstalledonyoursystem.Youcaninstallavideocodecpacktoenablepreviewformost
videoformats.NotethatplayernotallpreviewedvideoscanplayonyourPC.

Whywon’tsomemediafilesplaysmoothly?
Thevideodatabit‐ratemaybehigherthantherecommendedbitrateof3~5Mbps.
Thevideodatabit‐rateistheamountofvideooraudiodatausedpersecondtostoreorplaythecontents,usuallyexpressedin
Mbps(mega‐bitspersecond).Videoencodedwithexcessivebit‐rateswillnotplaybacksmoothlyinthemediaplayer,likelydueto
storagei/obottlenecks.Toresolvethis,recompressunplayablevideofilesatlowerbitratesusingthefreeandopensource
Handbraketoolathttp://handbrake.fr/.Onceyouhavefoundtherightoutputsettingsforsizeandquality,savetheminHandbrake
profilestoconvertanyunplayablefilesyouencounterinthefuture.
Whywon’tsomemediafilesplayatall?
Eventhoughtheplayerfullysupportsindustry‐standardvideoformats,sometimesthevideos,dependingonthecompression
settings,mayfalloutsidethecompatibilitymatrix.
IfthefilescanplayonyourPCbutnotonyourplayer,youshouldrecompressthefiletoensureplayback.Forgreatestcompatibility,
werecommendoutputtingtotheMPEG2format(3to5Mbpsbit‐rate).Toresolvethesituation,recompressunplayablevideofiles
withrecommendedfileformatsandbitratesusingthefreeandopensourceHandbraketoolathttp://handbrake.fr/.Onceyouhave
foundtherightoutputsettingsforsizeandquality,savetheminHandbrakeprofilestoconvertanyunplayablefilesyouencounterin
thefuture.
ThemediaplaybacklooksdifferentonaPCcomparedtothemediaplayer’sscreen.(Wrongaspectratio)
Thereare2majoraspectratios(width‐to‐heightratios)forvideocontent,butmanykindsofdisplays.Ifyouplay4:3videoona16:9
display(orviceversa),acirclebecomesoval,andthepicturetakesonasqueezedorstretchedlook.Toavoidthisdistortedlook,
addingblackbarsareacommontechnique.
NMP‐200UMediaPlayersoutputthevideotothefullextentsofyourdisplay.Ifyouwishtocorrectthedistortionthisintroduces,
youneedtoaddblackbarsintothevideofileitself,usingavideoeditingprogramsuchasWindowsMovieMaker,whichisincluded
freewithWindowsXPorVistaOS.RefertotheWindowsMovieMakerhelpsystemandsearchforthekeywords“aspectratio.”Some
JPEGimagescannotplayonmediaplayer.
SomeJPEGimagescannotplayonmediaplayer.
ProgressiveJPEGarenotsupported.PleaseconverttobaselineJPEGformaximumcompatibility.
JPEGimagescanbeeitherof2types:baselineorprogressivecompression.BaselineJPEGoffersgreatestcompatibility,while
progressiveJPEGsaresuitableforwebsiteimages.Progressiveimagesaredownloadedanddisplayed“progressively,”being
renderedmoreclearlyasmoredataisreceivedovertheinternet.DeviceswithlocalstoragesuchastheNMP‐200UMediaPlayerare
usuallyincompatiblewiththelattertype.MakesuretosaveimagesasbaselineJPEGinyourphotoeditor,orresavethemas
baselineJPEGsusingfreetoolssuchasPaint.net(http://www.paint.net/).
Doesmymediaplayersupportvideostreaming?
No,allmediafilesaredesignedtoplayfromlocalstorage(CFcard).
Themediaplayerdownloadsentirecontentstoplayer’slocalstoragebeforepresentingthemonscreen.Thisensuresthebest
possiblepresentationanddeliveryofyourvideomessage.Videostreamingraisesmanyplaybackqualityissuessuchasimage
freezing,blocking,orblue‐screens,costingyouvaluable“airtime”andlosingyouraudience'sattention.

Couldthemediaplayerbecontrolledbyexternalinputdevicesorinterfaces?
No,unlessspecificallydevelopedfor.
Touchpanel,barcodescanner,andmotionsensorsarepopularinputdevicesforPCbaseddigitalsignagemediaplayers,butRISC
basedplayersrequireconsiderableefforttodevelopspecialhardwaredriversforeachI/Odevice.
CanIuseapasswordenabledUSBdrivetoupdateanonpasswordprotectedmediaplayer?
No,thepassword.txtonUSBflashdrivemustbeidenticaltotheoneondevice’sstorage,orabsentifthepassword.txt.
Ifthereisnocorrespondingpasswordfileondeviceside,thefileswillnotbeupdated.Inthiscase,deleteorrenamethepassword
fileonyourUSBdevicetocontinueupdates.
Themediaplayerisnotplaying.WhatshouldIdo?
Checktheplayer’smessagesonthedisplay(OSD,oronscreendisplay)forstatusinformation,andcheckiftheplayeriskeepingthe
correcttimeanddate.
SinceRISC‐basedmediaplayerusuallylackinputdevicessuchaskeyboardormouse,troubleshootingisusuallybasedontheplayer’s
on‐screenerrormessagesandstatusreportlogfiles.
Iftheplaybackisscheduledtoplayatspecifictime,checktoseeifthedeviceissettotherighttime.Whennothingseemswrong,
thetimerclocksettingsmaybethereasontheprogramisnotplayed.


7. Appendix:FirmwareUpgrades
IfyouareusingAdfotainManagerExpresstomanageexistingmediaplayers,youmaybepromptedtoupgradethefirmwareto
ensuretoenablethelatestschedulingfeatures.CurrentversionsofthefirmwareupdatefilesareincludedontheAdfotainManager
ExpressCD,whilefutureupgradesmaybeobtainedfromyourreseller.
7.1. FirmwareupgradeusingAdfotainManagerExpress

1. Click“Upgrade”toenterthefirmwareupgradepage
2. Selectanupgrademethod:Network,USB,orCFcard(notallmethodsareavailableforallmodels).Youcanalsomanuallyselectthe
locationofafirmwareobtainedfromyourreseller.

3. Selectyourplayermodel.Ifthemodelisnotshown,thenchooseanotherapplicableupgrademethodtoproceed.

4. IfyouselectedUSBorCFcardupgrade,youwillneedtospecifythedestinationpathofthedriveorcard.Ifyouhavesetapassword
forourplayer,enteritinthePasswordfield.Relatedinstructionswillbedisplayedonthispagetohelpyoucompletetheupgrade
process.
5. Finally,clickontheUpdatedeviceorPreparefirmwarebuttontobegintransferoffirmware.Ifthefirmwaresourcefilecannotbe
found,youwillbeaskedtolocatethefirmwaremanually.ThefirmwareshouldbeavailableonyourAdfotainManagerExpressCDor
viayourreseller.