Overview
Scala offers different types of player licenses that provide different features. When you set up a player in Content Manager, you need to assign a license to it from the pool of licenses that your organization purchased. The license type that is assigned to a player impacts the features available to that player. If your organization purchased different types of licenses, it is important that you assign the appropriate license type to each player based on the player's capabilities and how you plan to use it. For example, if you have some players with four HDMI video outputs and others with only one HDMI video output, the players with four outputs should typically be assigned quad (four-channel) licenses, while the players with one output should be assigned single-channel licenses.
This page describes the features that are provided by each license, which can help you:
- assign the appropriate license to each of your players
- understand the features provided by each type of license as well as any limitations imposed
- review your license purchases and make informed changes to your pool of purchased licenses if needed
Understanding Channel Count & Picture Quality
As outlined in the tables below, some features are simply enabled or disabled for a player depending on the player's assigned license (and in some cases the player's operating system impacts feature availability). However, a player's channel count and picture quality are determined by both the player's hardware capabilities and the license that you assign to it. For example, a player with four HDMI video outputs is potentially capable of playing four channels of playback, but the number of channels it can actually play is determined by the license that you assign to it—you can assign players a single (one-channel), dual (two-channel), or quad (four-channel) license.
Conversely, if a player has only one HDMI video output, it should only be assigned a single (one-channel) license, as the extra expense for a dual (two-channel) or quad (four-channel) license would not provide you with any benefit because the hardware cannot support more than one channel.
Regarding picture quality, as noted in the tables below, different licenses provide a different maximum total pixel count. A higher pixel count can potentially provide better picture quality. However, keep in mind that other factors in addition to a player's assigned license can impact the pixel count that is actually displayed and the picture quality that you experience. These factors include:
- a player's capability to play Standard High Definition/1080p or Ultra High Definition/4K content
- the quality of your playback content
- the specifications of the display screen that you are using
License Tiers
Player licenses are divided into three tiers:
| License Tier (SKU Code) | Description |
|---|---|
Lite (PLT) | Supports Full High Definition/1080p resolution (but not Ultra High Definition/4K resolution). Lite licenses impose the most limited feature set and are intended for simpler implementations. Available only as a single-channel license, accommodating players with a single video output. |
| Standard HD (PST) | Supports Full High Definition/1080p resolution (but not Ultra High Definition/4K resolution). Supports most features (more than a Lite license), but does not support some advanced features that are provided only by an Advanced UHD license. Available as a single-channel, two-channel, or four-channel license, accommodating players with one, two, or four video outputs. |
| Advanced UHD (PAV) | The highest tier license. Supports Ultra High Definition/4K resolution and provides all Standard license features plus some additional advanced features. Available as a single-channel, two-channel, or four-channel license, accommodating players with one, two, or four video outputs. |
License SKUs
Each license has a SKU that appears in the following format:
{
Features Provided by Player Licenses
Channel Count & Maximum Total Pixel Count
A player's assigned license limits its channel count and maximum total pixel count. The table below lists the maximum channel count and total pixel count allowed by each license.
The way that Scala limits the number of channels that you can play with a given license is by limiting the maximum total pixel count. For example, if you have a player with two video outputs but you assign that player a single-channel license, you are not prevented from using both of the player's outputs but the picture quality will be poor because the license provides enough total pixels for only one channel.
License | Maximum Number of Channels | Maximum Total Pixel Count |
|---|---|---|
| Lite Single HD (SW-PLT-HD01) | 1 | 2,073,600 |
| Standard Single HD (SW-PST-HD01) | 1 | 2,073,600 |
| Standard Dual HD (SW-PST-HD02) | 2 | 4,147,200 |
| Standard Quad HD (SW-PST-HD04) | 4 | 8,294,400 |
| Advanced Single UHD (SW-PAV-4K01) | 1 | 8,294,400 |
| Advanced Dual UHD (SW-PAV-4K02) | 2 | 15,588,800 |
| Advanced Quad UHD (SW-PAV-4K04) | 4 | 33,177,600 |
Supported Features By License
The following table outlines the features provided by each license tier.
Feature | Feature Description | License Tier | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | Standard | Advanced | ||
| Full HD/1080p Resolution | The license provides a sufficient pixel count to support playback at full HD/1080p resolution. |
|
|
|
| Ultra HD/4K Resolution | The license provides a sufficient pixel count to support playback at ultra HD/4K resolution. |
|
|
|
| Images | The ability to display image files during playback. |
|
|
|
| Videos | The ability to play video files during playback. |
|
|
|
Web Pages | The ability to display a web page from the internet during playback. Web pages can be added to a playlist once you create a web page media item in Content Manager that specifies the URL. As Lite licenses do not support web page playback, players with a Lite license will filter out any web page items from their playlists. |
|
|
|
ScalaScript | The ability to play back ScalaScript, which is the scripting language and file format used by Designer when you create media files that contain scripting, automation, or implementations of touch screen buttons. As Lite licenses do not support ScalaScript playback, players with a Lite license will filter out any ScalaScript files from their playlists. NOTE: Linux players support touch screen buttons only with versions 12.70 and higher. |
|
|
|
Messages | The messages feature provides a quick and easy way to update text that will appear on-screen during playback, without the need to create an entirely new media file. Using messages, you can enter, save, and edit text in Content Manager that is dynamically filled in on ScalaScript templates for playback. With a Lite license, any template with message text will be converted to a static image before it is sent to the player for playback, so that animation or video should not be included on the template. However, with a Standard or Advanced license, the ScalaScript file is not converted to a static image so that any animation or video is played back in conjunction with messages. | Limited to static images | Can be used with animation and video | Can be used with animation and video |
| Multiple Frames | The ability to divide the display screen into different segments (i.e., frames), where you independently control the content that is played within each frame. Frames are configured in Content Manager by creating framesets, then you assign a frameset to each channel. |
|
|
|
Status Monitoring | The ability to generate detailed logs and error reports, as well as the ability to display real-time player health and status information in Content Manager. Basic status monitoring provides less details than Standard status monitoring. For example, Basic status monitoring does not include player heartbeat events. | Basic | Standard | Standard |
Alternate Playlist | The ability to designate a secondary playlist that will automatically fill in any gaps in the primary playback schedule. When setting up schedules in Content Manager, select the Alternate tab to specify an alternate playlist. |
|
|
|
Audiovisual with Separate Audio Tracks | The ability to create and play back a channel where you can control a dedicated audio track separately from the on-screen visual playback content. When creating a new channel in Content Manager, you can choose Audiovisual with separate audio track as the channel type. With that option selected, you can independently control an audio track the same way that multiple frames are controlled. |
|
|
|
Custom Monitor Configuration | The ability to set up advanced, custom configurations that position playback content over a display canvas that may incorporate multiple screens, accounting for screen bezels, irregular angles, unique orientations, etc. Custom monitor configurations require a configuration file to be set up manually, contact Scala support for more information. |
|
|
|
Event and Time Triggers | The ability to set up triggers so that specific content is played at a specific time (time triggers) or a specific playlist will begin playback as the result of an external input (event triggers). You can set up triggers by selecting the Event Triggers and Time Triggers tabs when setting up schedules in Content Manager. |
|
|
|
Playback Audit Logs | The ability to generate reports in Content Manager that verify the individual pieces of content that were played. This feature is commonly used for invoicing advertisers. This feature requires extra setup and configuration, including setting up and connecting a database that stores the historical playback data. Contact Scala support for assistance with setting up playback audit logs. |
|
|
|
