BrightAuthor:Connected Setup

Guide-ID has set up this integration in both BrightAuthor 5 (see AV-Sync Using the BrightSign Plugin) and BrightAuthor:Connected. The plugin and the serial commands are identical; only the menu paths differ. This page follows BrightAuthor:Connected.

Prerequisites

• A Guide-ID Brainbox and a USB cable that fits the player’s USB port (the Brainbox side is USB-C)
• A BrightSign player and BrightAuthor:Connected
• The plugin script SendTimecodeviaRS232.brs — request it from helpdesk@guide-id.com
• Podcatcher Pro devices, a Basecamp and access to the Platform

Note

On the older LS424 player the serial port is 0. All other players use port 2. Leave the serial port itself at the BrightSign default settings (115200 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit).

Part 1 — Add the plugin

1. Open your presentation, or create a new one from the presentation menu, and set the layout to Advanced
2. Open the Presentation settings tab, then the Support content tab
3. Click + next to Script Plugin and add SendTimecodeviaRS232.brs
4. Name the plugin exactly videoTimecodeInfo

Caution

The plugin name is case-sensitive. It only works as videoTimecodeInfo, written exactly like this.

Part 2 — Initial state

1. On the Content page, drag the Live text widget from the widgets bar onto the layout
2. Make sure the live text object is the initial state
3. Only if nothing else starts your videos: in the events bar, click the Timeout event and then the live text object. In Event Properties → Target State, choose Transition to new state and select the video to play after the timeout

Note

You can also use a silent looping video as the starting state. Every state that returns to it must then send the serial string brightsign code 0 (port 2, or 0 on the LS424). Without it, the Brainbox keeps listening to the plugin output and the Podcatcher Pro can no longer start a new video.

Part 3 — Serial communication

Serial input

1. In the Events tab, click the Serial Input event (port icon), then the live text object
2. In Event Properties, set Serial port to 2 (0 on the LS424) and Serial input to <*>
3. In Target State, choose Remain on current state

Activate the Brainbox

Select the live text object and, in State Properties → Advanced, add this command:

• Command: Send
• Command parameters: Serial bytes (comma separated)
• Serial port: 2 (0 on the LS424)
• Bytes: 13, 10

The carriage return switches the Brainbox’s USB port into command mode; the Brainbox sends no reply.

Video codes

For every video, open State Properties → Video State → Advanced and add an entry command:

• Command: Send
• Command parameters: Serial String (EOL)
• Serial port: 2 (0 on the LS424)
• String: brightsign code A1XX

XX are the last two characters of the video code as entered in the Platform, for example brightsign code A101.

Part 4 — Let scans start the video

Only needed if visitors should start the video from their Podcatcher Pro.

1. Video console mode — on the live text object, add an entry command Send → Serial String (EOL) on port 2 (0 on the LS424) with the string console video 1. From then on, every scan of an AV-Sync stop makes the Brainbox send videocode A101 (uppercase) over the serial port
2. Variable — in Presentation Settings → Variables, click Add Variable: name Video Code, default value 0, access Shared, type Local
3. Reset — on the live text object, add an entry command Other → Reset Variable for Video Code
4. Serial input — change the serial input event from Part 3 to videocode <*>, set Assign wildcard to variable to Video Code and keep Remain on current state
5. Conditional targets — in the event’s Advanced tab, add one target per video: variable Video Code Equals A1XX → Transition to new state → the matching video. The values must be uppercase, for example A101

Part 5 — Publish and test

1. Click the publish button in the layout screen and tick Enable serial debugging — without it the serial communication with the Brainbox does not work
2. Connect the Brainbox to the BrightSign over USB and restart the BrightSign
3. Scan the AV-Sync stop with a Podcatcher Pro: the video starts, the audio plays in sync and the Brainbox’s AV-Sync LED flashes green while it plays

Troubleshooting

• Serial port number matches the player (2, or 0 on the LS424)
• Plugin name is exactly videoTimecodeInfo, including upper and lower case
• Video codes match the Platform, in uppercase
• Serial debugging is enabled
• No LED activity: check the USB cable, then restart the BrightSign — the Brainbox is powered from the player’s USB port and restarts with it
• Wrong video plays: check the video codes in the conditional targets

Related articles

• AV-Sync Using the BrightSign Plugin — the same integration in BrightAuthor 5
• AV-Sync Setup — standard AV-Sync configuration