Imerge/XiVA Media Server System

XP-8

This driver is based on version 3.0 of the XivaLink Protocol 2.03 documentation, tested on an Imerge MS1 running software version 3.10.40.19396 and an S3000 running 3.6.60.17679. The driver controls a single zone of the system; multiple zones will require multiple instances of the driver.

Revision History

1.0: The initial release of the driver

1.01 Addresses default configuration changes in ID 7.2

Config Settings

Connection Settings

The driver will work with either a serial or an IP connection.

Serial Port Settings

The serial connection requires a null modem cable with a female connector. The default driver settings match the default Imerge values.

Zone Settings

The MS1 is a single zone system but the driver is also compatible with multizone XiVA based system such as the S3000 etc. The output being used to drive this zone is entered into this parameter

Lists

The interface to the system is through 3 different lists, one for audio, one for video, and one for the play queue. Videos cannot be queued, a video will show in the queue but you can’t add another.

Because each item in the list has more than one option, each selection requires multiple actions. First you must select the item, and then you must choose the button to act on your selection. In the audio and video lists, metadata for your selection will be displayed when a selection is made. For any selection made you may have a choice of Play, Add, Open, Remove, and Back. The choices you have change depending on the type of selection made, and driver variables are available to make inappropriate choices disappear.

Play: This choice replaces the current play queue with the current selection; the current play queue will be discarded. This choice will be available for any of the audio selections below the top level, but is only available to individual videos (remember there is no video queue).

Add: This choice appends the current selection to the play. This choice is not available in the video list.

Open: This choice displays the content of the current selection: the albums by an artist, the tracks on an album, etc. In the Play Queue list all selections will open to their tracks.

Remove: This choice only works in the Play Queue list, and then only at the top level. It removes the current selection from the queue.

Back: Returns to the list displayed before the last ‘Open’.

Variables and Commands

The list structure is built up from driver variables, one set for each list. Each list has a header text variable, a browse list Item List Data Source, and a Select Browse Item driver command. These are all you need to create the lists (you don’t really even need the header). When an item from a list is selected the driver fills in the Selection Info variables for that ‘flavor’ of the list. This allows the lists to be on separate pages as the metadata changes between audio and video selections.

Additional variables are provided to make the list loading experience easier by creating progress bars. You do not have to wait for a list to finish loading before browsing and choosing an item.

To accompany each list is a set of driver commands for the play, add, open, remove and back buttons, along with variables to hide the buttons that won’t work on the current selection.

IR Commands

Also included are driver variables that duplicate all the IR buttons. If you’re using the on-screen display, all the ‘special’ buttons on the remote are represented in the [IR Commands] section of the driver commands.

The time/duration metadata is presented in two formats, one for display as text, another used to create a progress bar (it can also be used to display a percentage of completion). There is a driver command which the sample file uses on the progress bars to create a locate function by dragging on the progress bar. This ONLY works in audio tracks, not videos.

The IR commands for cycling repeat and random do not seem to work with the S3000 so you’ll have to use the driver commands in the [Repeat/Random] section of the driver commands

Sample File

The sample file contains three remotes, showing the Imerge interface in several different situations and sizes. The most important part of the samples is the way the lists interact with action buttons. Dragging the highlighted selection bar (with the elevator or the up down buttons) in the two-way lists does not actually change the selected item, or generate a driver readable command. Because of that the highlight is turned off in the larger lists on the K4 samples so that the user will directly select the list item they’re interested in. This populates the metadata to the left of the list and changes the visibility of the buttons on the right if necessary. At that point the user can select one of the buttons to either move to a new list, or add to the play queue. The driver is capable of treating two presses within 2 seconds as a ‘double hit’ and will automatically generate an open command if one is available for that choice. Double hits will also automatically play videos, but audio tracks require that either the play or add buttons be pressed. In the play queue list a double hit on a track will move the queue to that track, without altering the contents of the queue.

On the smaller screens there isn’t room to display the all the selection metadata so the list highlight is left turned on. In these lists (the T2 and RK3 example) the buttons must also generate the selection command. The selection command is taken from the Objects tab in Integration Designer and must be placed on the button as a command, it cannot be part of a macro. A separate macro is then added to the button that has the action (add, play, etc. on it). Pages 6 and 7 of the T2 example also use this for the right cursor key (both command and macro) to allow the key to function as an ‘open’ button.

The RK3 sample lights it's power LED red when playing a video but green when playing audio.

Events

The driver supports four driver events: Play, Pause, Audio and Video. The sample file uses these to turn on relay 1 whenever the server is playing. It flashes relay 2 at the start of every new track, relay 3 for every new video and turns on relay 4 when playing audio but off when playing video.