Configure a media player

Use the System Design and Connections views to add and configure a media player. The device automatically scans videos. A media player (such as Netgear EVA8000) lets you play media that is stored on a network drive or available through the Internet to a TV.

The media player driver lets the Control4 system interact with the media player hardware through one of the Control4 system remote controls. The driver also supports the video playback functionality of the hardware, allowing the Control4 Navigators to be used to select a video title.

Ensure that your media player is installed according to the instructions in its documentation.

To configure a media player in your system:

  1. To add the driver and identify the device see “How to add devices to a project.” Make sure that the media player is added to the project tree.
  1. Add a Network File Storage driver to your Composer Pro project (available on the My Drivers tab), then configure the properties including browsing to the network location. For information on adding and configuring network file storage, see “Using external storage devices.” The network location must be an open share location (no password required). The Network File Storage driver supports both audio and video content.
  2. Make the necessary audio and video connections. See “Connect and verify devices” for details.
  1. To use the features of the media player, do one of the following:
    • Scan the videos. In the Media view, scan the videos that are in video_ts format:
    • Select Video Media under the network file share where you want to add the videos.
    • Click Scan. The scan operation identifies the video_ts format video files, adds them to the media database, and automatically associates the video metadata including cover art. When the scan completes, the videos in video_ts format are available for playback from the Navigators.
    • Manually add the videos. In the Media view, manually add videos that are in formats other than video_ts. Video formats other than video_ts that are supported by your media player can be added to the media database in Composer Pro manually.
    • Select Video Media under the network file share where you want to add the videos.
    • Click New, and then select the Browse option next to the Location text box in the pop-up window. A new pop-up window will appear.
    • In the pop-up window, select the drop-down menu for Files of type, and then select the *.* option.
    • Select the file format you want to add to the database. 

    When the videos in alternative video formats are added to the system manually, those videos become available for playback from the Navigators.

    Note: When using a system remote control Version 2, the Cancel button is mapped to the EVA8000 Back button and the DVR button toggles between aspect ratios. 

  1. Check the properties. In the System Design view, select the media player, then click the Documentation tab for more information about this device.
  1. To view logging output, in the Properties pane, click the Lua tab.