ViPlex Express is NovaStar’s free Windows program for LED signs that run on a NovaStar Taurus player. You build a playlist of pictures, video and text on your computer, then send it to your sign over Wi-Fi or a network cable. This guide covers the steps our customers use most. For the full version with pictures, download our ViPlex Express user guide.
Which version do I need?
- ViPlex Express 4.1.1 is for players on firmware V4.7.4 or later, such as the TB10 Plus, TB20 Plus, TB30, TB40, TB50, TB60, T30, T50 and T60, and the 4G models TB1-4G and TB2-4G. It needs a 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) or Windows 11 PC.
- ViPlex Express 3.0.5 is for players on firmware below V4.7.4, including older models such as the TB1, TB2, TB3, TB4, TB6, TB8, T3 and T6, and for PCs running Windows 7 SP1 or 8.1. It looks different from 4.1.1: it calls playlists solutions and lists signs on a Screens tab.
The player’s model is printed on its label. Both versions are on our Downloads page, and the button downloads straight from NovaStar (version 4.1.1 is about 340 MB).
What you need
- A Windows PC (see above).
- Your sign’s Wi-Fi name and password, or a network cable.
- Your sign’s login password. If your sign came from us, these are on your handover sheet.
- Pictures or video sized to your sign’s resolution, so nothing is stretched.
Connect to your sign
Join the sign’s own Wi-Fi network. Its name is the player model, or “AP” followed by numbers. Your PC may warn that this Wi-Fi has no internet. That is normal, so stay connected. You can also connect with a network cable if the sign is on your venue’s network.
In ViPlex Express, a coloured dot shows the sign’s status:
- orange means it still needs a login;
- green means you are connected;
- grey means the sign is offline.
Right-click the sign and choose Log In, enter the sign’s password and tick Auto Login. If the sign does not appear, click + and Add Screen, then type its IP address.
Set the time zone first
Before you use clocks or schedules, open Time Synchronization and choose the (UTC+08:00) option for Perth, or the time zone where your sign is. If it shows another city, such as Beijing, change it. Use NTP Time Synchronization if the sign is on the internet, or Manual if it isn’t.
Make and send a playlist
- Open Playlists and click +.
- Import your files and drag them onto the canvas. More files on the same spot make a slideshow.
- Choose Fill the Entire Screen, then set the playback duration and an entrance effect.
- Use Text to add a line or a paragraph, or Widget for a clock, a countdown, the weather or a web page. Weather, web pages and RSS need the sign to be online.
- Click Preview, then Save.
- Click Publish. A green message confirms it is on the sign.
Batch Publish sends one playlist to several signs at once, and the Publishing Center shows what is in progress, what failed and what worked.
Program the sign with a USB stick
No network at the sign? Right-click the playlist and choose USB Playback. Plug and Play plays straight from the stick. Copy and Play copies the playlist onto the player, so the stick can come out.
Schedule your content
Open Schedules, click + and New. Pick the playlist and how it repeats (never, daily, weekly or monthly), set the start and end dates and times, save, then publish. For example, a cafe can play its ads every day from 6 am to 10 pm, with no end date.
Set the brightness
In Monitor & Control, open Screen Status. Choose Manual and drag the slider, or Scheduled to set levels by time of day, such as dimmer at night. Automatic follows a light sensor, if one is fitted. Black Screen blanks the sign while the player stays on.
Quick fixes
- The sign is not listed: check you are on the right network, turn off any VPN and use Add Screen.
- Orange dot: log in.
- Publish failed: check the Publishing Center. A playlist needs at least one item.
- The picture looks stretched: change it to the screen’s resolution.
- The sign is black: set the screen to Normal, not Black Screen, and check the brightness is not 0.
- The clock is wrong: in Time Synchronization, set your time zone, choose NTP (or Manual if the sign isn’t on the internet) and click Apply.
- It won’t install: version 4.1.1 needs 64-bit Windows 10 (1809 or later) or Windows 11.
Leave firmware updates, screen layout and advanced settings to us. Want to practise first? Demo Mode gives you a pretend sign to try everything on.
Prefer your phone? NovaStar’s ViPlex Handy app does the same jobs over Wi-Fi, and VNNOX lets you update an online sign from anywhere. Not sure which software your sign uses? Read which software runs my LED sign.
Stuck on a step? Tell us which sign it is, what you were trying to do and what you saw on screen. Call Aaron on 0416 053 335 or the office on (08) 9335 7944.
