Implementing Windows 10 Player

Last update: Wed Nov 08 2023 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

CREATED FOR:

Intermediate
Admin

This section describes configuring AEM Screens Windows 10 player. It provides information of the configuration file and the options available and recommendations as to which settings to use for development and testing.

Installing Windows Player

To implement Windows Player for AEM Screens, please install Windows Player for AEM Screens.

Visit the AEM 6.5 Player Downloads page.

NOTE

There is no window mode in Windows player. It is always full screen mode.

Setting up Environment for AEM Screens 6.5.5 Service Pack

NOTE

You must set up an environment for Windows player if you are using AEM Screens 6.5.5 Service Pack.

Set the SameSite attribute for the login-token cookies from Lax to None from Adobe Experience Manager Web Console
Configuration on all AEM author and publish instances.

Follow the steps below:

Navigate to Adobe Experience Manager Web Console
Configuration using http://localhost:4502/system/console/configMgr.
Search for Adobe Granite Token Authentication Handler.
Set the SameSite attribute for the login-token cookies from Lax to None.
Click Save.

Ad-Hoc method

The Ad-Hoc method allows you to install the latest Windows Player (.exe). Visit AEM 6.5 Player Downloads page.

Once you download the application, follow the steps on the player to complete the ad-hoc installation:

Long-press on the top left corner to open the admin panel.
Navigate to Configuration from the left action menu and enter the location (address) of the AEM instance you wish to connect to and click Save.
Navigate to the Device Registration link from the left action menu to check the status of the device registration process.

NOTE

If the State is REGISTERED, you will notice the Device id field will be populated.

If the State is UNREGISTERED, you can use the Token to register the device.

Naming Windows Player

You can assign a user friendly device name to your Windows player, thereby sending the assigned device name to Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). This capability not only allows you to name your Windows player but also allows to you to easily assign appropriate content.

NOTE

You can choose the Player name only before registration. Once the Player is registered, the Player name cannot be changed anymore.

Follow the steps below to configure the name in Windows player:

Click on start --> run
Enter system.cpl
Use the computer name tab to set the computer’s hostname

Changing the Default Options in Windows Installer

Follow this section to learn how to change the default options in Windows Installer and the list of available customizations.

Installation using CLI (PowerShell)

Create a custom location dedicated for Screens Player, for example:
C:\Users\User\screens-player)
Install
aem-screens-player-electron-xxx-signed.exe /S /D=C:\Users\User\screens-player
Open
Start-Process C:\Users\User\screens-player\AEMScreensPlayer.exe

Example

C:\Users\User\Downloads> mkdir screens-player

C:\Users\User\Downloads> .\aem-screens-player-electron-xxx-signed.exe /S /D=C:\Users\User\Downloads\screens-player

C:\Users\User\Downloads> Start-Process C:\Users\User\Downloads\screens-player\AEMScreensPlayer.exe

Bulk Registration of Windows Player

When implementing the windows player you need not manually configure every single player. Instead, you can update the configuration JSON file after it is tested and is ready for deployment.

The configuration will make sure that all players ping the same server provided in the configuration file. You still must manually register each player.

Follow the steps below to configure the Windows 10 Player:

Install Windows Player.
Find the configuration file under %appdata%\com.adobe.aem.screens.player\config.json.
Update the configuration JSON using the information below and then copy the same folder to all the systems where the player resides.

Policy Attributes

The following table summarizes the policy attributes with an example policy JSON for reference:

Policy Name

Purpose

server

The URL to the Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) server.

registrationKey

Used for bulk registration of devices using pre-shared key.

resolution

The resolution of the device.

rebootSchedule

The schedule to reboot the player.

enableAdminUI

Enable the Admin UI to configure the device on site. Set to false once it is fully configured and in production.

enableOSD

Enable the channel switcher UI for users to switch channels on device. Consider setting to false, once it is fully configured and in production.

enableActivityUI

Enable to show progress of activities such as download and sync. Enable for troubleshooting and disable once it is fully configured and in production.

cloudMode

Set to true if you want the Windows player to connect to Screens as a Cloud Service. Set to false in order to connect to AMS or on-Prem AEM.

cloudToken

Registration token to register against Screens as a Cloud Service.

Example policy JSON file

{
    "server": "https://localhost:4502",
    "resolution": "auto",
    "rebootSchedule": "at 4:00 am",
    "enableAdminUI": false,
    "enableOSD": false,
    "enableActivityUI": false
}

Enabling Kiosk Mode

When you are deploying the Windows player, it is important to enable a Kiosk mode so that other applications or the taskbar does not appear on the Windows desktop.

CAUTION

Adobe recommends a device management solution to enable Kiosk for Windows. Follow the steps below, if you do not have a device management solution to enable Kiosk mode. This method uses the Shell Launcher feature available in Windows 10 enterprise and Edu. Any other Microsoft recommended means for non-UWP apps can also be applied to enable Kiosk especially on other editions of Windows.

Follow the steps below to enable Kiosk mode:

NOTE

Before you follow the steps below, ensure that you use Windows 10 Enterprise or Education.

Enable Shell Launcher.

Refer to section Configure Shell Launcher in Shell Launcher page by Microsoft Windows support for additional information.
Create a non-administrative user (if you already do not have one) to be used for Kiosk. This can be a local or domain user.
Install the windows player for that Kiosk user from AEM Screens Player Downloads page.
Refer to Use Shell Launcher to create a Windows 10 kiosk to modify your PowerShell script for more information.

Modify the PowerShell script to replace the username with the one you created. Ensure the path to the application executable is correct. This will set the custom shell as the windows player application for the kiosk user and set the default as explorer.exe for other users.
Run the PowerShell script as an administrator.
Reboot and login as the Kiosk user and the player application should start right up.

Troubleshooting

If you get a black screen when you login as the Kiosk user it means that you may have incorrectly specified the path to the windows player executable. Log back in as the administrator and verify and re-run the script.

The default installation path for Windows player is:

C:\Users<your user>\AppData\Local\Programs@aem-screensscreens-player-electron\AEM Screens Player.exe

The sample script in the links will enable and disable the custom shell. Hence you may need to split the script into two and enable/disable the below applicable lines:

NOTE

In some windows environments the PowerShell scripts maybe restricted by policy (especially unsigned scripts). To run your script you may need to temporarily disable and re-enable this restriction to run the script. Open a PowerShell window and use these commands.

set-executionpolicy unrestricted - to temporarily remove restrictions

set-executionpolicy restricted - to re-enable restriction after running the script

# Remove the new custom shells.

$ShellLauncherClass.RemoveCustomShell($Admins_SID)

$ShellLauncherClass.RemoveCustomShell($Cashier_SID)

Using the Screens Remote Control

AEM Screens provides Remote Control functionality. Learn more about this feature here: Screens Remote Control

recommendation-more-help

adce462a-f916-4dbe-9ab5-0b62cfb0f053