1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. SkipJam Manuals
  4. Receiver
  5. iMedia Center
  6. User manual

SkipJam iMedia Center User Manual

Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
SkipJam iMedia Center ™
User's Guide
Revision 1.03

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the iMedia Center and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Summary of Contents for SkipJam iMedia Center

  • Page 1 SkipJam iMedia Center ™ User’s Guide Revision 1.03...

  • Page 2: Important Safeguards And Notices

    Important Safeguards and Notices The following pages provide important safety guidelines for operators and service personnel. Specific warnings and cautions appear throughout the manual where they apply. Please read and follow this important information, especially those instructions related to the risk of electric shock or injury to persons.
  • Page 3 Acknowledgements Copyright © 2004-5 SkipJam Corp., USA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Patents Pending. SkipJam, SkipJam iMedia are trademarks of SkipJam Corp. All other manufacturer's trademarks acknowledged. ii -...

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Configuring the iMedia Center ..............16 Navigating SkipJam iMedia Center ............16 Controlling the SkipJam iMedia Center............ 16 SkipJam iMedia Controller (RF Remote Control & Phone) ....17 Navigating with the SkipJam iMedia Controller ........17 Switching between on-Remote and on-TV display ......19 IR Remote Control................
  • Page 5 Understanding the iMedia Universal Remote Capability ......22 Infrared Emitters ................... 23 IR Interference..................24 Teaching the iMedia Center to Control Your System......25 Searching the iMedia Remote Database..........25 Learning Keys Individually..............25 Controlling a Device’s Power On/Off............ 26 Automatic On/Off ..................
  • Page 6 Listen to audio source device ............... 48 Add shared media folder ..............48 iMedia Windows Software................. 49 SkipJam iMedia Center for Windows ............49 SkipJam iMedia Windows Player............. 50 SkipJam iMedia Tag Tool................. 51 Browser Interface & Menus ..............52 Using the Browser Interface..............
  • Page 7 SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Editing IR ....................55 Creating Script Screens................ 57 Macros and Automation................58 SkipJam iMedia Command Wizard............59 Script Media Files ................. 59 Script Screens ..................60 Advanced Networking Topics ..............61 Wireless Networking ................61 Mixed Network Environments ..............

  • Page 8: Warranty Information

    LABOR: For 90 days after purchase, SkipJam will replace (optionally with a refurbished unit) or repair any SkipJam product determined by SkipJam to be defective within 90 days after purchase. You will be responsible for shipping to SkipJam. PARTS: For one year after purchase SkipJam will replace parts determined by SkipJam to be defective with equivalent new or refurbished parts.
  • Page 9 MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ANY SUCH ARE HEREBY SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NO VERBAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION GIVEN BY SKIPJAM, ITS AGENTS OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY.

  • Page 10: Quick Start Guide

    3. Connect Power to main unit and turn on your TV IMPORTANT: The BRICK power supply which has a detachable power cord is for the iMedia Center; The small (2 inch cube) block supply that plugs directly to the wall is for recharging the iMedia Controller.

  • Page 11: Using The Imedia Remote Controls

    “Home” then “Back”. For more on this see page 19 To use the iMedia Center universal remote capabilities you will need to set up the IR emitters and teach the iMedia Center the remote codes for your devices (see page 22 – Understanding the iMedia Universal Remote...

  • Page 12: Overview

    This manual is set up in 2 sections. The first is a direct step by step walk- through explaining how to set up and use your iMedia Center. We suggest you at least skim this part through page 37 – iMedia Menus . Please pay...
  • Page 13 The SkipJam iMedia system sees your home much as you do. The iMedia system operates in terms of “rooms” “devices” and “media.” Typically, you would include either an iMedia Center, an iMedia Player, or a PC with the iMedia Client Software in each “room.” Each iMedia system (center or player) is connected to “output”...

  • Page 14: Skipjam Imedia Center Physical Layout

    Browser interface. SkipJam iMedia Center Physical Layout The SkipJam iMedia Center unit can support up to 10 audio and 5 video sources. It has a built in cable-ready TV tuner and an FM radio tuner. It has two 10/100 Mbps network interfaces for connection to your network. It also...

  • Page 15: Audio / Video Input Connections

    MAY be used at the same time to drive two different TVs (with the same picture on each). The iMedia Center also has one pair of analog RCA audio output connectors and two digital PCM audio (coax and optical)

  • Page 16: Networking And Storage

    802.11a or 802.11g system, and we recommend that you hard-wire as much of your network as possible. (eg. Try to wire either your PC or your iMedia Center directly to your wireless router to minimize “air hops” or “air-to-air” connections. As an alternate solution try to connect the iMedia Center directly to the PC using an “ad-...

  • Page 17: Skipjam Imedia Windows Client

    SkipJam iMedia Windows Client The SkipJam iMedia Windows Client provides a tray icon for easy access to and control of your entire SkipJam iMedia Network via the iMedia browser menus. The SkipJam iMedia Windows Client also provides the SkipJam iMedia Player for Windows which allows your PC to play any streamed content from any device on your SkipJam iMedia Network.

  • Page 18: Getting Started

    Although the SkipJam iMedia Center can function as a stand-alone player/recorder, switching station and universal remote, we recommend connecting the SkipJam iMedia Center to a home network. For several of the SkipJam iMedia functions to operate, it is necessary to have access to writable network shares (drives).

  • Page 19: Imedia Center Setup

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide iMedia Center Setup Connecting the cables Connect the input and output devices you wish to use Keep a record of which device is connected to each input on your iMedia Center. There are tables for this purpose on page 74.

  • Page 20: Configuration Diagrams

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Configuration Diagrams The following diagrams outline basic connections for different component configurations. In the basic configuration, the TV is used to display images and to generate the sound (audio amplifier). This is the simplest setup and you may wish to start in this configuration until you get the hang of the system.

  • Page 21: Connect To Your Home Network

    Home Theater Connect to your home network Your iMedia Center should be connected to a network using an RJ45 Cat 5 or better cable. If you wish to connect wirelessly please see the section on wireless connections on page 61.

  • Page 22: Power It Up

    Power it up After connecting all your components’ cables, turn on the television connected to the iMedia Center and connect the 12 V “brick” power supply to the iMedia Center to power it up. Connect the 12V brick power supply to its AC power cable, plug the cable into an AC socket, and then connect the 5mm power connector into the connector labeled POWER on the back of the iMedia Center.

  • Page 23: Configuring The Imedia Center

    Browser Interface & Menus on page 52 Navigating SkipJam iMedia Center Once your iMedia Center is powered up, you will see a series of menus on the TV screen allowing you to configure the iMedia Center. Navigating the SkipJam iMedia Center Menus is easy. If you do not see a menu on either the SkipJam iMedia Controller screen or on your TV, press the “Home”...

  • Page 24: Skipjam Imedia Controller (Rf Remote Control & Phone)

    The SkipJam iMedia Controller can control the iMedia system from any location in your home (We have tested across a 150 feet through solid plaster walls) and does not require a line-of-sight to the iMedia Center because it operates using Radio Frequencies (RF) like a cordless phone.
  • Page 25 SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Above the joystick is a “Home” button which takes you directly to the iMedia Home Menu, and a “Back” button which backs up to the previous menu or selection. The following table lists the keys used to navigate the iMedia Menus:...

  • Page 26: Switching Between On-Remote And On-Tv Display

    Use the blank “left” and “right” keys to select. These keys also function as left and right mouse buttons when accessing your PC. When navigating the SkipJam iMedia menus the left and right select keys can be used interchangeably. Switching between on-Remote and on-TV display When you wish to control the system using only the display on the iMedia Controller, you press the “back”...

  • Page 27: Ir Remote Control

    If this device is deleted you will not be able to view videos or listen to music, because the iMedia Center will think it has no output devices available. (You will still be able to bring up the menus and re-configure the iMedia Center.) This is in case you want to...

  • Page 28: Adding Devices

    “output” devices which do not produce any music or pictures and thus cannot be connected to the audio and video inputs on the iMedia Center. (Keep in mind that you can configure a single device to connect in more than one spot by creating multiple “device” entries.

  • Page 29: Power Control Options

    Center’s own remote. Once you’ve set up a device, you can teach the iMedia Center the remote control codes for that device. If you wish, you can start using your iMedia Center now and return to this section later. Skip to Accessing Your Digital Media on page 29 to configure your network setup for Network Media such as MP3 or MPEG files, or skip to iMedia Playback on page 32 to start using your local devices.

  • Page 30: Infrared Emitters

    If your TV device is set to power on/off automatically (and you have taught the iMedia Center the codes for your TV), your TV will turn on automatically when you press the “Home” key to view the iMedia Center main menu on the TV.

  • Page 31: Ir Interference

    When you are watching cable TV and you press Channel Up, the iMedia Center sends the cable box’s channel up command to your cable box. The cable box may “see” both the SkipJam IR Channel Up code as well as it’s own Channel Up code and get confused.

  • Page 32: Teaching The Imedia Center To Control Your System

    Select “Find remote control codes” from the “Modify” menu for that device. The iMedia Center will ask you to press several of the keys on the remote. Hold the remote near the IR learning window and press the keys as instructed on-screen.

  • Page 33: Controlling A Device's Power On/Off

    For example your device has an “Enter” key you may wish to program that into the “#” on the iMedia Center remote, and a “Clear” key might go in the “*” position. But be consistent and use the same convention for all your devices.

  • Page 34: Automatic On/Off

    To set up the iMedia Center to turn devices on and off, you need each device to be defined with “auto on/off” in its device configuration, and you need to make sure that the device’s power control codes have been learned...

  • Page 35: Controlling A "Session

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide 2. By telling the iMedia Center to emit the remote control codes for a particular device directly using the “Devices” menu. Controlling a “Session” Once you’ve chosen what you want to watch / listen to, the “universal remote”...

  • Page 36: Accessing Your Digital Media

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Accessing Your Digital Media Sharing Your Media Files In order to play digital media files (music/photos/videos) from your home network, you will first need to make those files accessible to the iMedia Center. To do this, follow these instructions: Be sure to read “Network Security”...
  • Page 37 SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Windows XP SP2: Check that your firewall allows file sharing. Access the windows firewall settings by clicking on “Windows Firewall” in the Windows Security Center or in Control Panel. On the Firewall “General” tab, make sure the box labeled “Don’t allow exceptions”...

  • Page 38: Macintosh Osx

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Windows System Passwords If your system requires a password on startup you will need to use one of the following access methods: 1. Recommended: Enable Guest Access on PCs which have a startup password. To do this go to Settings/Control Panel/User Accounts, and select “Enable Guest Access”...

  • Page 39: Linux

    You are now ready to play digital media files. iMedia Playback Your iMedia Center can play a variety of digital files, and can combine the playback of digital and analog sources at the same time. To watch a device, select “Home” then “TV/Video” or press the “TV” button;...

  • Page 40: Combining Different Sources

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Once watching or listening to music photos or videos, the remote buttons will behave much as you would expect. For advanced use of the buttons see the sections on the Music, Photo and Videos menus (for example you can zoom, pan or change the aspect ratio of photos).

  • Page 41: Digital Recording To A Network Disk

    GigaBytes per hour, and they call compressing the video “encoding.” So we use their terminology for compatibility. So, when a video source enters the SkipJam iMedia Center, it is encoded (compressed) into a more manageable size. You get to set the amount of compression that happens by dictating the size of the resulting video in Mega-bits-per-second (Mbps).

  • Page 42: Types Of Recordings

    If you plan to use a portable media player, test various recording formats from the iMedia Center on your portable player before committing. Types of Recordings The SkipJam iMedia Center provides 2 different recording capabilities.

  • Page 43: Recording Settings

    Loop files are only created for live-TV sources, which are Cable (either with the built in tuner in the iMedia Center or through an external Cable Tuner) or Satellite. To start recording to a loop file, select any live-TV source and press “pause”.

  • Page 44: Imedia Menus

    “Satellite Tuner.” These selections will appear if you have any devices configured as “Cable” or “Satellite” devices. The “TV Tuner” selection will appear if you have any of the iMedia Center’s internal TV Tuner connections connected to a Cable source – The iMedia Center assumes that the Tuner is connected, and if it is not you will need to go to Setup/Device Setup/Internal TV Tuner and modify the setting to “Not Connected”.

  • Page 45: Video Devices

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide You can browse any videos you’ve recorded using the iMedia Center PVR function, or any videos you’ve downloaded or created on your PC, so long as the videos are on a hard drive that is shared and defined in the network shares scanned by the iMedia Center.

  • Page 46: Music

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Music The music menu lets you access all your audio sources. The music menu includes browse categories for digital music (MP3, etc) and music macros (see the section on macros on page 52). The music menu also provides direct access to Internet Radio and FM Radio, and to other devices through a sub-menu.

  • Page 47: Photos

    (note: for the iMedia Center to remember the zoom and view settings, the network share containing the photos must be write enabled.) The thumbnail view shows thumbnails of 12...

  • Page 48: Schedule Recordings

    Once you’ve found a show, you can choose to record episodes individually, or to set up “rules” which record episodes on an automatic basis. IMPORTANT: The SkipJam iMedia Center NEVER deletes any data from any of your network shares. So you will need to manage your disk space, and to be careful to clean up once you no longer wish to keep any given recording.

  • Page 49: Access Pc

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Access PC This menu entry lets you directly access any PC running the SkipJam iMedia Client for windows on the local network. The PC’s screen is shown on the TV and you can use the remote to navigate the PC using the keys below.

  • Page 50: Now Playing

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Now playing Displays information on what is currently playing. Press left or right to scroll between rooms. More… This displays the next available set of menu entries that includes supervisor settings and setup. Devices This menu lets you send remote control codes to any device connected to the system.

  • Page 51: Follow Me

    Setup The setup menu lets you set up the iMedia system. A detailed description of the setup process is provided in the section titled iMedia Center Setup on page 12. The following is a brief description of each menu: Device Setup Add a new device: allows adding device definitions to the iMedia Center.
  • Page 52 54), and you can create automation scripts to automate complex functions (see “Macros and Automation” on page 58) The “record” button on the iMedia remotes always causes the iMedia Center to begin digital recording of the device you are watching. If you want to be able to record using the device itself (for example on a VCR) you’ll need to...
  • Page 53 SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Cable – Cable tuner. All “cable” type devices are shown as “Cable Tuner” in the TV/Video menu and will be aggregated. When you select “Cable Tuner” you will be connected to the nearest available Cable type device.

  • Page 54: Device Status

    Photo Settings Lets you set the minimum size for images recognized by the iMedia Center. Photos smaller than this size will not be included in the photo viewer. This lets you avoid thumbnails, small icon bitmaps and album art.

  • Page 55: Common Tasks

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Common Tasks This is a list of common task and how to access each one from the main menu Add a new device Main > More… > Supervisor Functions > Setup > Device Setup > Add new...

  • Page 56: Imedia Windows Software

    Center. From the browser interface you can control playback on your PC as well as anywhere else in the home. When the iMedia Center for Windows is running on your PC you can also access the PC from any TV in the home.

  • Page 57: Skipjam Imedia Windows Player

    IMPORTANT: In order to connect to other iMedia Devices on the network the SkipJam iMedia Windows Player must be able to “see” through your firewall. To do this you can disable your firewall (see page 29 for information on disabling your firewall) or you must allow access to TCP and UDP ports 49000 to 50000.

  • Page 58: Skipjam Imedia Tag Tool

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide SkipJam iMedia Tag Tool The SkipJam iMedia Tag Tool lets you add or modify the identification information stored in video or audio files. Using the iMedia Tag Tool you can associate various information, such as Artist name, and rating with each music or video file in your collection.

  • Page 59: Browser Interface & Menus

    To access the browser interface, right click the iMedia Center for Windows task bar icon and select the room name of the iMedia Center you want to access, or set your browser to the IP address of the iMedia Center you want to configure.
  • Page 60 IMPORTANT: To use the browser interface to configure or change settings of a room, you must connect directly to that room. Use the iMedia Center for Windows “rooms” menu to access the specific iMedia Center you want to configure by room name, or access the iMedia Center directly using it’s IP...

  • Page 61: Advanced Setup Options

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Advanced Setup Options The following setup capabilities are only available from the browser menus: Power-on sequences Editing of IR Sequences Script setup Power on / off sequences Power on or off sequences let you define a sequence of IR commands that are sent to a device when it is powered up or turned off.
  • Page 62 HD input. When you press “Home” to bring up the iMedia Menus, or when you turn off the Cable Tuner, the iMedia Center would switch back to the SD input. Allowing you to see other devices connected to the iMedia Center.

  • Page 63: Editing Ir

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide If you select to watch this cable tuner from another room, the iMedia Center would not send the bypass sequences, and stream the SD output of the cable to the other room. Editing IR The browser menus allow you to manually enter or edit IR codes for any key.

  • Page 64: Creating Script Screens

    Creating Script Screens Script screens are screens that contain selectable icons. Selecting an icon causes the iMedia Center to execute the script. A script is a sequence of instructions created by the SkipJam iMedia Command Wizard. For example. You might want to have a simple way to access your favorite TV channels.

  • Page 65: Macros And Automation

    C and Visual Basic. However this is beyond the scope of this document. For your convenience the SkipJam iMedia center includes several tools which let you automate the system fairly quickly and easily. The SkipJam iMedia Command Wizard lets you create automation scripts, and the Scripts menu lets you use these scripts and even completely customize the look of your iMedia system.

  • Page 66: Skipjam Imedia Command Wizard

    Script files can also be used as “pseudo” media files: When searching for media on your shared drives, the iMedia Center looks for script files with the extension “.sjv” and “.sja” These files are then treated as video and audio content respectively and show up in the list of videos or music.

  • Page 67: Script Screens

    This Scripts setup capability is only available through the browser menus, so you will need a Browser and the IP address of your iMedia Center, or select the room you want to configure from the “Rooms” menu of the SkipJam iMedia Windows Client.

  • Page 68: Advanced Networking Topics

    6. Try to avoid recording across a wireless connection. Glitches in the wireless transmission will permanently mar recordings. Instead, attach a hard drive directly to any iMedia Center that you will use to make recordings or hard wire those centers, as well as the PCs or hard drives you are recording to.

  • Page 69: Mixed Network Environments

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide 7. If you are primarily using a wireless connection to watch TV, disable the “Pause Live TV” PVR capability by clearing the iMedia Recording settings dialog. When you watch in PVR mode you are creating 2 video streams – one to record TV and the other to play, and this can strain a wireless network.

  • Page 70: Dhcp And Fixed Ip Addresses

    Centers doing the recording to the same sub-net. DHCP and fixed IP addresses By default the iMedia Center uses an IP addressed assigned by a DHCP server. In some circumstances it may be useful to maintain an iMedia Center at a fixed IP address.

  • Page 71: Network Security

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Network Security The iMedia System makes network security all the more important. You presumably do not want others to be able to access your in-home cameras or view your photos or control your TV. It is therefore important that you gain a good understanding of network security so that you can protect your privacy.
  • Page 72 8. Consider password protecting all your shared drives. 9. The iMedia Center contains a Telnet client which can be enabled from the Setup Menu for remote support. Do not enable this unless instructed to do so your dealer or SkipJam support.

  • Page 73: Homeview™ Access Away From Home

    (see DHCP and fixed IP addresses on page 63). Then use the Firewall / Router to direct iMedia network traffic to this iMedia Center. You can do this by setting the iMedia Center as the “DMZ” server (not very secure), or you can have the firewall direct TCP/UDP traffic on ports 80, 8080 and 49000- 50000 to the iMedia Center (best solution).

  • Page 74: Accessing Your Home Imedia Network

    Accessing Your Home iMedia Network When you’ve set up the above, you can access your home network by running the SkipJam iMedia Center and selecting HomeView from the “Rooms” menu. The iMedia Windows Client will ask you to enter the IP address of your home.

  • Page 75: Frequently Asked Questions

    Don’t worry, an iMedia Center uses less power than a night light, and can save you power by automatically turning off your other devices when you are not using them.
  • Page 76 SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide right goes steady (The second LED will blink before going steady), immediately press and hold down the FIND REMOTE button located on the front of the iMedia center. This will first try to update your system. If no updates are available, all setup and configuration settings are restored to factory default.
  • Page 77 How can I see these files in the play selection list? Answer: The media shares are scanned once when the SkipJam iMedia Center first boots up and then once daily. If you wish to see your files before the daily scan you must perform a manual scan of media files to add them to the play list.

  • Page 78: Troubleshooting

    If you are trying to use the iMedia Center on a stand-alone basis without a network connection, it will take as much as 15 minutes for the iMedia Center to start because it attempts to establish a network connection by default and this process retires several times.
  • Page 79 Question: How can I automatically turn off the TV or output devices after watching or listening to media? If you are using the universal remote capabilities of the iMedia Center, each device is turned on and off when you select to view it, provided you have configured the devices for automatic On/Off.
  • Page 80 Check also that the IR emitter If you have not taught the iMedia Center the control codes for your various devices or want to use an external control system to use the iMedia Center, you’ll need to get an external universal remote and teach it the iMedia...

  • Page 81: Connection Checklist

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Connection Checklist Audio / Video Output Devices Device Connection Device Brand Device Model Composite S-Video Type Video Output Analog Composite Audio Out Digital PCM Out Coax Digital PCM Out Optical 74 -...

  • Page 82: Audio / Video Input Devices

    SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide Audio / Video Input Devices Device Device Connection Device Model C-Vid S-Vid Type Brand Video Input 1 Audio Input 1 Video Input 2 Audio Input 2 Video Input 3 Audio Input 3 Video Input 4...

  • Page 83: Technical Specifications

    24 bit 192KHz 114db 2 10/100 Ethernet Audio DAC: Power Requirements: 24 bit 192KHz 114db SkipJam iMedia Center 12 V 2A RF Remote Control 3.6V 1000mAh rechargeable pack with 9V charger Supported Digital Video File Formats: Power Consumption: MPEG 1, 2, 4, DivX,...
  • Page 84 SkipJam iMedia Center User’s Guide - 77 -...

Table of Contents