SoftPlayer User Manual

Extract SoftPlayer on the target machine and verify the environment meets requirements.

1. Confirm the target machine is Windows 10/11 x64.
2. Extract the SoftPlayer package to a permanent directory, e.g. C:\SoftPlayer\.
3. Verify the directory contains SoftPlayer.exe, appsettings.json, and the SoftPlayerMedia\ subdirectory structure.
4. For 8K video playback, ensure the machine has a GPU supporting hardware decoding (GTX 1060+ or equivalent); 4K and below work with integrated graphics.

• SoftPlayer.exe is visible in the extracted directory.
• SoftPlayerMedia\ directory is pre-created with subdirectories: Video, StandBy, Audio, PPT, etc.

• Place SoftPlayer in a stable path — media files, logs, and license state are all saved relative to the program directory.
• Recommend SSD storage with 200MB/s+ read speed for smoother high-resolution playback.

Confirm the program starts correctly and complete the first-run onboarding.

1. Double-click SoftPlayer.exe to launch (no admin rights required).
2. On first launch, the program opens the Quick Start guide in the default browser (only on first run; subsequent launches skip this).
3. After reading the guide, visit http://localhost:8766/ in a browser to open the management console.
4. On the Dashboard tab, confirm the player status is normal, and version/license info is visible.

• Browser successfully opens the management console (http://localhost:8766/) and shows the Dashboard.
• Version number and license status are visible in the console header.

To disable the first-run guide, set System.ShowQuickStartOnFirstRun to false in appsettings.json.

Successfully control the player via UDP and confirm the control channel works.

1. Place a video file (e.g. test.mp4) in the SoftPlayerMedia\Video\ directory.
2. Open PowerShell and run the following commands:
3. $udp = New-Object System.Net.Sockets.UdpClient
4. $data = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes("video:test.mp4")
5. $udp.Send($data, $data.Length, "127.0.0.1", 7600)
6. $udp.Close()
7. Observe whether SoftPlayer's window starts playing the specified video.

• SoftPlayer's window begins playing the specified video file.
• The management console's Log tab shows the command was received.

• Video file placed in the wrong directory (must be in SoftPlayerMedia\Video\, not the program root).
• Wrong port (default is 7600, not the management console port 8766).

Master the command format and understand successful vs. failed responses.

1. Command format: command:argument, e.g. video:show.mp4 or volume:80.
2. Commands with no argument can be sent as just the command name (colon optional), e.g. play.
3. Success response format: OK:original-command, e.g. OK:video:show.mp4.
4. Failure response format: ERR:original-command:error-message.
5. For media file paths, only the filename is needed — the player automatically looks in the corresponding subdirectory: video: searches in SoftPlayerMedia/Video/.

• An OK-prefixed response after sending a command confirms correct format and execution.
• An ERR response includes a specific reason (file not found, format error, etc.).

To specify a subdirectory, use a slash: video:subfolder/video.mp4 searches in SoftPlayerMedia/Video/subfolder/.

Master all video playback related commands.

1. Play a local video: video:filename.mp4 (looks in Video directory).
2. Play a network video stream: webvideo:URL (supports HTTP/HTTPS/RTSP/RTMP/UDP streams).
3. Play/Resume: play: (resume paused media).
4. Pause: pause: (pause current media).
5. Stop and return to standby: stop: (returns to the welcome screen / standby loop).
6. Full stop / black screen: stoped: (power-saving black screen).
7. Replay current media: replay:.
8. Progress control: seek:milliseconds (jump to position), forward: (skip 10s forward), backward: (skip 10s back).
9. Playback speed: speed:1.5 (supports 1.5x, 2.0x, etc.).

• After video: command, the player starts playing the specified file.
• After stop: command, returns to standby screen (if standby file is configured).

• For long-running standby in exhibitions, use standby: to loop a standby file rather than stoped: black screen (black screen may make visitors think the device is broken).
• stop and stoped have different semantics: stop returns to the welcome screen; stoped shows a pure black screen.

Master volume adjustment and audio playback control commands.

1. Set volume (0-100): volume:80 (sets to exact value).
2. Volume up 10%: volup: (increases by 10% per call).
3. Volume down 10%: voldown: (decreases by 10% per call).
4. Toggle mute: mute: (toggle between muted and unmuted).
5. Explicitly mute: muteon:.
6. Explicitly unmute: muteoff:.
7. Play an audio file: audio:filename.mp3 (looks in SoftPlayerMedia/Audio/).
8. Stop audio: audiostoped:.

• After volume:50, the player volume drops to 50%.
• mute: toggles between sound and silence.

Master loop list, PPT pagination, and web loading commands.

1. Loop a playlist: listloop:file1.mp4;file2.mp4;file3.mp4 (separate files with semicolons).
2. Sequential playback (stop at end): liststop:filename.
3. Next track: next:, Previous track: prev:.
4. Open PPT in fullscreen: ppt:filename.pptx (looks in SoftPlayerMedia/PPT/).
5. PPT navigation: ppt:next (next slide), ppt:prev (previous), ppt:home (first), ppt:end (last).
6. Jump to slide: ppt:goto-5 (jump to page 5).
7. Auto-advance PPT: ppt:auto-5-filename.pptx (auto-advance every 5 seconds).
8. Load a web page: web:URL (display specified URL fullscreen).

• After listloop: command, the player cycles through the listed files.
• ppt:next advances the PPT to the next slide.

• PPT files must be placed in SoftPlayerMedia/PPT/ before sending commands.
• For PDF files, the command falls back to a viewer window with simulated key-press pagination.
• Use listloop for exhibition looping scenarios rather than manually sending individual commands.

Understand mask and system-level commands.

1. Show mask overlay: openmask: (overlays a mask layer on video).
2. Hide mask overlay: closemask:.
3. Set end-of-playback behavior: endbehavior:Stop / Loop / Standby.
4. Get version: version: (response includes current version info).
5. Restart player: restart: (remotely restarts the player process).

• After openmask:, a mask overlay appears on the video.
• After version:, a response with version info is received.

Know the correct location for each type of media file.

1. SoftPlayerMedia/Video/ — Video files (.mp4/.mkv/.avi etc.), used by video: command.
2. SoftPlayerMedia/StandBy/ — Standby files, used by standby: command and default loop.
3. SoftPlayerMedia/Audio/ — Audio files (.mp3/.wav/.flac etc.), used by audio: command.
4. SoftPlayerMedia/BackgroundAudio/ — Background audio, loops automatically when enabled.
5. SoftPlayerMedia/PPT/ — PPT/PDF files, used by ppt: command.
6. SoftPlayerMedia/Mask/ — Mask images, used by openmask: command.
7. SoftPlayerMedia/Thumbnail/ — Thumbnail cache directory (auto-generated, no manual files needed).

• After placing a video in Video/, the video:filename command plays it correctly.
• Directory structure is created automatically on first launch — no manual setup needed.

Manage media files daily through the browser management console.

1. Open http://player-IP:8766/ in a browser to access the management console.
2. Click the top navigation to switch to the Files tab.
3. Select the target directory (Video / StandBy / Audio / PPT, etc.).
4. Click Upload to select files, or drag files to the upload area.
5. Supports creating folders, renaming, deleting files/folders, and downloading files.
6. Files support up to 3 subdirectory levels; select the current directory when uploading.

• The newly uploaded file appears in the file list after upload.
• The video:filename command successfully plays the just-uploaded file.

• The console uses Basic Auth — configure username/password in appsettings.json.
• Default single-file upload limit is 500MB, configurable in the config file.
• On-site maintenance staff can upload replacement content via the console without RDP.

Understand trial rules and plan license timing appropriately.

1. The 30-day trial starts automatically on first run of SoftPlayer.
2. All features are available during the trial, including high-resolution playback and all UDP commands.
3. Check remaining trial days on the Dashboard tab of the management console.
4. After the trial, a license code must be imported to continue use.

• Management console Dashboard shows current trial status and remaining days.
• Commands respond normally during the trial with no feature restrictions.

• Use the trial period to complete testing and acceptance before formal project delivery.
• Purchase the license before the trial ends to avoid exhibition downtime.

Choose the right license tier based on actual exhibition resolution needs.

1. Standard license: supports up to 4K resolution (3840×2160).
2. Professional license: supports up to 16K resolution (15360×8640).
3. 4K hardware requirements: Intel i3+, 8GB RAM, integrated graphics (no discrete GPU needed).
4. 8K hardware requirements: Intel i5 8th gen+, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060+.
5. 16K hardware requirements: Intel i7+, 32GB RAM, RTX 3070+.
6. If unsure which tier is needed, use the trial to verify actual resolution requirements before purchasing.

• The license tier matches the maximum resolution of the display device in the project.
• The server hardware configuration meets the minimum requirements for the target resolution.

Computers without a discrete GPU can play 4K and below (the program automatically falls back to software decoding), but 8K/16K requires a qualifying discrete GPU.

Import the license code to upgrade from trial to full version.

1. Find the Device ID field on the management console Dashboard and copy it.
2. Provide the device ID to the supplier, specifying the required tier (Standard/Professional).
3. After receiving the license code, go to the Configuration tab in the console and find the License Management section.
4. Paste the license code into the input field and click Import License.
5. After successful import, the Dashboard license status changes from Trial to Standard or Professional.

• Management console Dashboard shows full version status (Standard or Professional).
• High-resolution video playback is no longer restricted.

• Applying a license code to the wrong device (codes are device-bound; a new machine requires a new code).
• Waiting until after the trial expires to apply for a license, causing exhibition downtime.

Restore the UDP command control channel.

1. Confirm SoftPlayer is running (visible in taskbar or Task Manager).
2. Verify the port in your command matches the UdpPort setting in appsettings.json (default 7600).
3. Check whether Windows Firewall allows inbound UDP traffic on port 7600.
4. If IP whitelist is enabled (IpWhitelistEnabled: true), confirm the sender IP is in AllowedIps.
5. Check the management console Log tab for command reception records to confirm whether commands reach the player.

• Management console logs show command reception records, confirming the UDP channel works.
• Sending volume:50 changes the player volume.

• Test with 127.0.0.1 (localhost) first to rule out network issues before using the actual IP.
• When sending from SoftControl, ensure the SoftControl UDP command protocol and port match SoftPlayer's configuration.

Diagnose and resolve media file playback failures.

1. Confirm the video file is in SoftPlayerMedia\Video\ (not the program root directory).
2. Filenames are case-sensitive — confirm the name in the command exactly matches the actual filename including extension.
3. For files in subdirectories, include the relative path: video:subfolder/video.mp4.
4. Browse to the Files tab in the management console to confirm the file actually exists.
5. For unusual file formats, check the management console logs for VLC error messages.
6. Try opening the same file directly with VLC Player on the machine to rule out file corruption.

• The target file is visible in the management console file list.
• The filename in the command exactly matches what's shown in the file list.

• Filename in command contains full-width spaces or characters, causing file not found.
• File extension case mismatch (e.g. command uses .MP4 but file is actually .mp4).

Resolve high-resolution video playback performance issues.

1. First confirm the current license tier: Standard only supports 4K; Professional supports 16K.
2. Check whether the GPU supports hardware decoding (GTX 1060+ or equivalent needed for 8K).
3. In Task Manager Performance tab, check GPU decode utilization — near 100% indicates a GPU bottleneck.
4. Check disk read speed requirements: 4K needs 25-50 Mbps, 8K needs 80-100 Mbps, 16K needs 200+ Mbps.
5. Store high-resolution video files on an SSD to avoid HDD read bottlenecks.
6. For VLC parameter adjustment, see the built-in documentation (docs\User Manual.html) in the program directory.

• License tier matches the required playback resolution.
• Hardware configuration meets minimum requirements for the target resolution.

Restore browser management console access.

1. Confirm SoftPlayer is running.
2. Try http://localhost:8766/ locally to rule out network issues first.
3. Check appsettings.json to confirm HttpMonitor.Enabled is true and port is 8766.
4. Check whether Windows Firewall allows TCP traffic on port 8766.
5. If the port is occupied by another program, change HttpMonitor.Port in appsettings.json and restart.

• Browser can access http://localhost:8766/ and displays the management console.
• Management console Dashboard shows player runtime status.