Copy C4 Experience

[ILoveControl]

Hi All

Spending some time at the Aria in LV at the moment and I see that they all C4 in the rooms. Pretty cool as I am use to the system. There are some really cool features I was wondering how they got working (don't know if it is a specific "Hotel Setting" like certain TV's have "Hotel Mode").

So some of the features I would like to copy:

1. I know it's trivial but it's cool :) - On the "title bar" of the on screen navigator it actually has my name i.e. I Love Control4 I think this is pretty cool esp for each of the kids rooms with their names. Question: Where did they configure this?

2. The background image seems to be the default background with Aria logo on it. Question: Can one customize their own backgrounds. Where do you store it or upload it into the system?

3. The remote looks like a SR150 which is cool - I have an old SR150 at home. Question: Do they still work on 2.10.x firmware?

4. Watch > Channels - Man I have never been able to get this to work. My Dealer once had it setup for me with all the channels and local logos for these channels. This was 2.8 firmware days but as the upgrades went along it just died and I removed it. Question: How do you setup the channels I see there is a Channels node in the tree but when I try configure it i.e. add a channel refresh the navigator it doesn't show what I just added. Also how does one add custom images to each of the channels so that for example for CNN you have the logo and the text not just the text?

5. There is a "Connection Panel" in the room, kind of a panel with all the different endpoints i.e. RCA, HDMI, RJ45 etc. What I found really cool is under watch and listen they show this (even the right icon) called: Connectivity Panel - Even though when pressed it just goes to HDMI 2 I have a few of these "panels" in the walls of the rooms and would be great to have this on the navigator! Question: How did they configure this with the right logo / icon  binding I am sure is simple binding in composer.

 

Drapes is cool very cool but I need to do some research of which product I can use for C4 as well as if I can retrofit them as I have drapes right now they all just manual :)

[msgreenf]

1. can't do that on consumer - only in hospitality that I am aware of

2. what hardware do you have?  You can customize the background on T3 and EA1, EA3 pretty easily with the right agent

3. yes

4. What is your source? what are your channels coming from?  Yes, this still works.  Likely a missing binding

5. No control drivers allow you do this.

 

2 - you can add the agent with HE

3, 4, 5 all require a dealer to setup

[ILoveControl]

1. Dam that really sucks... No reason not to allow consumers to do this.... 

2.EA5 so I am. Assuming one can do it on there. Where would you do it in Composer or upload file using the FS? 

3. Fantastic

4. Source is a setup box currently using the UHF driver for it. The interface to it is IR. What would I bind to the channels? 

 

5. Then they must have had some custom C4 build for their system. 

 

Sorted in the setup part just needed to know how

[lippavisual]

You can easily create no control drivers with the right icons.  Have your dealer send you the instructions.  Then the drivers just get bound to the right inputs.  You can also do experience buttons for these too.  But the EBs don't work with the zones page, if that is a requirement.

Channels can be added/edited/configured using the media tab in composer ME/HE.

Hospitality is a separate program and can not be installed for homeowners, as far as I know.

[Cyknight]

1 - I'm not familiar with the hospitality system, but is it just in the room name? Would just be a matter of renaming the room...

2 - It's possible to do, especially for T3 and EA as mentioned. That's what the UI agent is in part for, you use it to load the custom papers:

Custom Wallpapers
OS 2.8.0 includes an option for dealers to add up to ten (10) additional "Custom" wallpapers. This is done inside the UI Configuration agent from within the Agents section of Composer. 
After adding custom wallpapers, customers will see both default and custom wallpapers in the same wallpaper picker on the touch screens. 
All custom wallpapers should be created to fit the full screen of the T3 devices at a resolution of 1280 pixels wide by 800 pixels high (1280x800) for the best viewing experience. 
Images that are not created to fit the full screen will be scaled to fit the screen, resulting in trimming and possible unwanted visual artifacts. 

4 - This has always worked (even before the media change that adds the channel 'driver' and still does - however it depends on the DRIVER what 'cloud' to use - assuming the driver has the right connection, as well as the direct select channel option.

Make sure the 'cloud' connection is in the driver, and in fact connected. Then add channels to that cloud. Nothing more to it than that really.

 

[ILoveControl]

1 hour ago, Cyknight said:

1 - I'm not familiar with the hospitality system, but is it just in the room name? Would just be a matter of renaming the room...

2 - It's possible to do, especially for T3 and EA as mentioned. That's what the UI agent is in part for, you use it to load the custom papers:

Custom Wallpapers
OS 2.8.0 includes an option for dealers to add up to ten (10) additional "Custom" wallpapers. This is done inside the UI Configuration agent from within the Agents section of Composer. 
After adding custom wallpapers, customers will see both default and custom wallpapers in the same wallpaper picker on the touch screens. 
All custom wallpapers should be created to fit the full screen of the T3 devices at a resolution of 1280 pixels wide by 800 pixels high (1280x800) for the best viewing experience. 
Images that are not created to fit the full screen will be scaled to fit the screen, resulting in trimming and possible unwanted visual artifacts. 

4 - This has always worked (even before the media change that adds the channel 'driver' and still does - however it depends on the DRIVER what 'cloud' to use - assuming the driver has the right connection, as well as the direct select channel option.

Make sure the 'cloud' connection is in the driver, and in fact connected. Then add channels to that cloud. Nothing more to it than that really.

 

Thank you for the super information!

I will go look at the UI Config Agent to play around with it. Any simple tools your guys use to make sure it is the right res, not really a wonder kid with anything image based I think I know how to use MS Paint and that is about it.

The one I am getting confused on is number 4 - I am not sure what is meant by "What Cloud" 

What I do know is in my setup the driver is IR controlled, and you can set channels directly i.e. Set or Emit 255 to show 255.

 

So I think for setting the channel directly I am good. I just don't understand the "Cloud driver" part, if you don't mind pointing me in the right direction.

[ILoveControl]

2 hours ago, lippavisual said:

You can easily create no control drivers with the right icons.  Have your dealer send you the instructions.  Then the drivers just get bound to the right inputs.  You can also do experience buttons for these too.  But the EBs don't work with the zones page, if that is a requirement.

Channels can be added/edited/configured using the media tab in composer ME/HE.

Hospitality is a separate program and can not be installed for homeowners, as far as I know.

Yeah so when I go to the media tab, go to channels add one and add a pic, refresh navigators - Channels show up on the navigators but when you press it nothing happens. Doesn't show a channel that I added nothing. I even tried one without an image thinking that maybe the images I was using was to big.

[lippavisual]

I'm not sure if you can check any connections with HE, but under the connections for your cable box/TV, you need to bind the rf input to the cable "cloud driver".

That just tells the system when using the channel selection, what device to control when selecting a channel.  That's probably why it doesn't do anything when selected.

[ILoveControl]

4 minutes ago, lippavisual said:

I'm not sure if you can check any connections with HE, but under the connections for your cable box/TV, you need to bind the rf input to the cable "cloud driver".

That just tells the system when using the channel selection, what device to control when selecting a channel.  That's probably why it doesn't do anything when selected.

I have composer access

 

So I can see the RF binding. Ok thank you What I am getting confused with (in my simple mind) is what is this "Cloud driver". For example I am in South Africa. Here we have a company called Multichoice also known a DSTV. They have published drivers online you can add to your project. I am just not sure if they have this "cloud driver"

 

[South Africa C4 user]

Great to find another South African user.   Where are you based? Jo’burg?

You should have a dish network driver which your dealer will have connected to the driver for your DSTV Explora.  The Dish Network driver will appear under broadcast in the Media Tab and you can add channels here (with or without icons). If you have multiple Exploras and want different channels selections to control different Exploras (I have one Explora for the kids - irrespective of what TV they are on and another for us as adults) then you will need multiple Dish Network drivers.

[Cyknight]

For backgrounds I use Photoshop Pro, but really, just make it the right dimensions, most programs allow you to stretch any image as needed.

 

As for the cloud driver, you would just use any of the existing ones really, the driver just needs the correct type of connection, which you use (outside of the US) makes no difference. Generally speaking when you add a driver that has a 'cloud' connection it will automatically pull in the correct cloud. If you can link where they have the driver I could have a look.

[ILoveControl]

22 minutes ago, South Africa C4 user said:

Great to find another South African user.   Where are you based? Jo’burg?

You should have a dish network driver which your dealer will have connected to the driver for your DSTV Explora.  The Dish Network driver will appear under broadcast in the Media Tab and you can add channels here (with or without icons). If you have multiple Exploras and want different channels selections to control different Exploras (I have one Explora for the kids - irrespective of what TV they are on and another for us as adults) then you will need multiple Dish Network drivers.

It is!

Yeah I have three in the house.

Ok so Add Dish Driver _> Then bind it to the relevant Dstv Explora driver? What do you bind where?

Totally comfortable adding the channels and icons in the Media tab it was just not linking....

[ILoveControl]

23 minutes ago, Cyknight said:

For backgrounds I use Photoshop Pro, but really, just make it the right dimensions, most programs allow you to stretch any image as needed.

 

As for the cloud driver, you would just use any of the existing ones really, the driver just needs the correct type of connection, which you use (outside of the US) makes no difference. Generally speaking when you add a driver that has a 'cloud' connection it will automatically pull in the correct cloud. If you can link where they have the driver I could have a look.

Thank you so much @Cyknight I really do appreciate you taking the time.

So the driver I just search on composer for either "DSTV" or "multichoice" and it list the drivers from the online database. I use the most recent one (by date created or modified driver date)

Does that make sense and answer your question if not just let me know and I will provide whatever you need.

[Cyknight]

Assumin I have the right driver it adds a driver called DSTV HD Network automatically.

You would add the channels in there under media

[South Africa C4 user]

28 minutes ago, ILoveControl said:

It is!

Yeah I have three in the house.

Ok so Add Dish Driver _> Then bind it to the relevant Dstv Explora driver? What do you bind where?

Totally comfortable adding the channels and icons in the Media tab it was just not linking....

I don’t have access to the connections so my last point below is based on memory of what my dealer did (plus what someone posted above and the RF bit may be wrong!). My setup is as follows:

1. DSTV Explora driver (created by Jason - no idea who Jason is! May have worked for my dealer for all I know)

2. Dish Network driver (created by Control4)

3. DSTV Explora output is connected to my matrix 

4. Output of Dish Network is connected to RF Input of DSTV Explora driver (I think this is right).

The above is my setup and works perfectly.  I am sure there are other ways (and drivers) to do thi.

[ILoveControl]

Ok no laughing  Firstly thank you  @South Africa C4 user and @Cyknight

I finally added all channels up to 902 Took ages to find images and allocate etc etc.

So the *not laughing* part is that it changed some binding somewhere which I can't find after an hour checking. What it use to do when I went to the Cable TV it went to my receiver set output 2 - Went to my Samsung Q7 and changed the input to HDMI 3. Perfect. Now it briefly goes to HDMI 3 on the Samsung Q7 then changes the  input on the TV to the antenna TV input (*which of course I have nothing connected*)

Where is it hiding this binding   Also my On screen navigator is not showing (always was so something changed there)

I am assuming that I use another (seperate or the same?) Dish Network Channel for the Music (audio only) channels that the same cable box provides?

Last Question - is there a way to limit which channels show on the channel panel in my kids rooms i.e. only Disney or only nickjunior?

[Cyknight]

The TVs are likely bound to the same 'cloud' input - you'll need to get that disconnected

As for hiding certain channels - not really.

There's a whole bunch of specialty programming I've done once to accomplish something like this which I do not recommend.

HOWEVER there may be one option there. If you dedicate one box for the kids rooms, you can add a SECOND cloud, tied to that box only. Hide the other boxes, hide the other cloud in their room....but still lots of caveats to it

[ILoveControl]

Thank you @Cyknight

Just so I understand correctly. The reason the input jumps to the antenna input instead of the HDMI input in the room I am selecting the channel from, is because I have the wrong bindings on the Cloud driver? Just want to make sure I am chasing the right rabbit  

Pity one cannot limit the channels *out the box* would be great to give the little one a remote or touch screen to control their own TV. 

[RyanE]

'Channel Cloud' drivers are a media-based drivers, that allow for setting up channels (on the 'media' tab in ComposerPro/HE/ME).

Channel clouds have a connection (sometimes called a 'binding') that is of type RF_UHF_VHF, RF_CABLE, RF_DISH, etc.  These connections are connected to corresponding connections on devices that have tuners, or otherwise can select channels.

For example, you could have an RF_UHF_VHF cloud attached to your TV driver, and a separate RF_CABLE cloud attached to your cable box driver.

Any channels that are available through the TV/Cable devices in the current room you're looking at on the touchpanel will show up in the Control4 Watch menu.

When you select one of these channels, it will select the appropriate device.  In our example, if you selected a channel that was available over-the-air, which is one of the RF_UHF_VHF channels, the channel should be tuned on the TV, and the TV will be the selected device.  If you selected a cable channel, that was one of the channels in our RF_CABLE type cloud, that channel would be selected on your cable box, and that would be the selected device.

Having the right channel clouds and the media setup in those clouds is what sounds like is not correctly configured in your case.

RyanE

 

[Cyknight]

Like he said - but adding that many TV drivers have a 'cable' cloud connection as wel - so that cloud could be connected to BOTH the cable boxes AND the TVs - and it will favor the TV over a cable box.

[South Africa C4 user]

1 hour ago, Cyknight said:

The TVs are likely bound to the same 'cloud' input - you'll need to get that disconnected

As for hiding certain channels - not really.

There's a whole bunch of specialty programming I've done once to accomplish something like this which I do not recommend.

HOWEVER there may be one option there. If you dedicate one box for the kids rooms, you can add a SECOND cloud, tied to that box only. Hide the other boxes, hide the other cloud in their room....but still lots of caveats to it

In @ILoveControl‘s case, Cy’s final point will do what you want. You can get this to work if you have two Exploras and tie one cloud (with limited channels) to one Explora and the other cloud (with all of the channels) to the second Explora. You then need to make sure that only the kids Explora is visible in the kids rooms and their remotes will only show the kid channels under channels.  This is how I have my Exploras setup.

[ILoveControl]

@South Africa C4 user excellent I have three explora's and can actually do this

@RyanE awesome thank you for the explanation

@Cyknight as usual thank you for your response and time! 

[Max Stout]

it's programmed using the hospitality version of Composer.  We used it on all hotels.