background image

Plato Complete Guide V1.3.0 
 

Convert Technologies 

 

10.3.  Recently Added playlist ............................................................................................................ 61 

10.4.  Playlist options ......................................................................................................................... 62 

10.5.  Mood Grid ................................................................................................................................ 62 

10.5.1.  Building a mood based playlist ........................................................................................ 63 

11. 

Import ....................................................................................................................................... 65 

11.1.  Importing from a CD ................................................................................................................. 65 

11.1.1.  Alternatives ...................................................................................................................... 67 

11.1.2.  Eject CD ............................................................................................................................ 67 

11.1.3.  Individual track ripping .................................................................................................... 67 

11.1.4.  Show Media Info .............................................................................................................. 67 

11.2.  Importing from a USB memory stick or drive. .......................................................................... 68 

11.3.  Importing video files ................................................................................................................. 69 

11.4.  Importing image files ................................................................................................................ 69 

11.5.  File Manager ............................................................................................................................. 69 

12. 

Streaming audio and video ....................................................................................................... 71 

12.1.  Streaming music out to remote wireless speakers .................................................................. 71 

12.2.  Video playback.......................................................................................................................... 71 

12.2.1.  To watch video from your Media Library......................................................................... 72 

13. 

Accessing HighResAudio content ............................................................................................. 73 

13.1.  Download manager .................................................................................................................. 73 

14. 

Advanced menu options ........................................................................................................... 75 

14.1.  Server Settings and Status ........................................................................................................ 75 

14.1.1.  Info ................................................................................................................................... 75 

14.1.2.  Progress ............................................................................................................................ 76 

14.1.3.  Backup and restore .......................................................................................................... 77 

14.1.4.  Media Rescan ................................................................................................................... 77 

14.1.5.  Settings ............................................................................................................................. 77 

14.1.6.  Debug ............................................................................................................................... 78 

14.2.  Factory Reset ............................................................................................................................ 78 

14.3.  Exit ............................................................................................................................................ 79 

14.4.  UPnP friendly name .................................................................................................................. 79 

15. 

Operating Plato using an Air Mouse remote controller ........................................................... 80 

16. 

Advanced Media Library editing options .................................................................................. 81 

16.1.  Editing Artwork ......................................................................................................................... 83 

Summary of Contents for PLATO

Page 1: ...HOME ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL Plato Complete Guide V1 3 0 Convert Technologies Suite 3 Acorn Place Alfreton Road Derby DE21 4AS ...

Page 2: ...e interface This home entertainment media management system is designed and manufactured to the highest specification in the UK and rigorously tested to ensure you enjoy many years of listening and viewing pleasure Our vision is to bring harmony to your media As such its correct installation and operation will have a major influence on the overall performance of your new set up Please read the con...

Page 3: ...ecting your analogue inputs 14 2 3 3 Connecting your digital inputs 15 2 3 4 Connecting your speakers via 4mm banana plugs 16 2 3 5 Connecting to an external amplifier 16 2 3 6 Connecting to a digital sound system 17 2 3 7 Connecting to the internet directly via your home router 17 2 3 8 Connecting to your TV via HDMI 18 2 3 9 Playing to remote TVs and speakers 18 2 4 Switching on your Plato unit ...

Page 4: ... 5 4 Media controls 27 3 5 5 Lyrics 27 3 5 6 Show Media Info 27 3 6 Downloading the Plato Android app to your smartphone or tablet 28 3 7 Updating your Plato App System Firmware 29 3 8 Advanced Menu Options Overview 30 3 8 1 Search 30 3 8 2 Video mode select 30 3 8 3 Exiting the Plato App 31 3 8 4 Advanced menu list 32 4 Configuring and using external pre amp inputs 33 4 1 Adding a Turntable 34 4 ...

Page 5: ... Playing music from your Library 48 8 2 Using media Search 50 8 3 Additional features on the More Options menu 51 8 3 1 Play Menu 51 8 3 2 Add to Playlist 51 8 3 3 Edit 51 8 3 4 Delete 51 8 3 5 Download 52 8 3 6 Export As 52 8 4 Viewing image files 53 8 5 The Play Queue tab 54 8 5 1 Modifying the Play Queue 54 8 5 2 Saving a Playlist from the Play Queue 55 8 6 Now Playing in Media Library 56 9 Int...

Page 6: ... 69 11 5 File Manager 69 12 Streaming audio and video 71 12 1 Streaming music out to remote wireless speakers 71 12 2 Video playback 71 12 2 1 To watch video from your Media Library 72 13 Accessing HighResAudio content 73 13 1 Download manager 73 14 Advanced menu options 75 14 1 Server Settings and Status 75 14 1 1 Info 75 14 1 2 Progress 76 14 1 3 Backup and restore 77 14 1 4 Media Rescan 77 14 1...

Page 7: ... end points of a track 84 16 3 Creating a missing track 86 16 4 Merging a fragmented album 90 17 Backup and restore 94 17 1 Selecting a backup device 94 17 2 Configuring your backup 95 17 3 Restoring data from a backup copy 96 18 iOS Application 97 19 The Plato Range 98 ...

Page 8: ... rear panel Keep the mains lead away from heat sources Do not place a heavy object on the mains lead Do not modify the mains lead Do not overload the mains socket Do not use a poor fitting mains socket Do not use a damaged mains lead This product must be earthed and must be connected to a MAINS socket outlet with a protective earthing connection This product includes a MAINS switch that is located...

Page 9: ...temperature of 10C to 35C No naked flame sources such as lighted candles should be placed on the unit 1 1 3 Ventilation Your Plato unit includes slots and openings in the cabinet to provide ventilation These openings should not be blocked or covered Do not place your Plato unit on soft furnishings carpets or any other surface likely to hinder normal ventilation Do not allow curtains tablecloths ne...

Page 10: ...nit 1 x Mains lead 1 x HDMI Cable Quick Start Guide Includes Safety Instructions USB CD DVD drive Android remote control tablet Amplified Models 1 3 Maintenance After disconnecting the Plato unit from the mains supply the casing and front panel may be cleaned with a lightly dampened soft cloth or chamois leather Avoid using abrasives or solvents ...

Page 11: ...ogue Inputs 4 x Digital Inputs 1 x pair Analogue Output 2 x Digital Outputs Digital to Analogue Convertor Module DAC Analogue to Digital Convertor Module ADC Integrated Stereo Power Amplifier with 4mm banana speaker connectors Internal Hard Drive A touch screen control panel front panel A USB Interface front panel System start up shut down button front panel Main power on off switch rear panel HDM...

Page 12: ...t by default to go to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity using the display This can be changed by selecting the android settings display sleep timer or by selecting standby timer in the Plato App If your Plato units goes to sleep simply tap the screen to wake it up Should tapping the screen not wake the unit simply single press the System On Off Button once and wait approx 7 seconds 2 2 Rear Vie...

Page 13: ...igital sources through analogue speakers The pre amplifier is also equipped with analogue and digital outputs to allow connection of third party power amplifiers or DAC devices 2 2 2 Power amplifier module The power amplifier takes the pre amplifier output and converts it into a signal suitable to drive external speakers Connection to speakers is via the 4mm banana plug connectors It is possible t...

Page 14: ... accessible to Plato Please connect memory sticks or devices containing data you with to import to the front USB socket Please use the rear USB ports for adding expansion storage capacity to Plato CD drives and backup drives can be connected to any of the USB sockets whichever is most convenient 2 2 5 External connections No Item Description 1 Mains power input To connect you power lead supplied 2...

Page 15: ... plug on the other end of the mains lead into the mains socket outlet and then switch it on if there is a switch by the mains wall socket The only way to disconnect your Plato unit from the mains is to remove the mains lead plug from the mains socket Therefore you must install your Plato unit near to the mains outlet socket which should be easily accessible Whenever you disconnect your Plato unit ...

Page 16: ...connection from the turntable to the Plato unit 2 3 3 Connecting your digital inputs Some devices may provide a digital instead of analogue connection There are four digital input connectors on the rear panel of your Plato unit One is coaxial and three are optical Select the appropriate connector for your digital input Note Turntables sometimes require an additional earth connection to the earth p...

Page 17: ...cting the speaker cables always connect the speaker terminals before plugging in the banana plugs to Plato Connect both left and right speaker to the rear of your Plato unit The connection to your speaker will vary according to speaker type See typical types of speaker connections below 4mm Binding posts for banana plugs 2 3 5 Connecting to an external amplifier This applies for Plato models witho...

Page 18: ...3 7 Connecting to the internet directly via your home router To use all the functions of your Plato unit an internet connection is required The best option is to connect directly to your home router via an Ethernet cable See connection diagram below Note that your home router and its connections may vary according to the specific router and type of internet connection ...

Page 19: ...ng to your TV via HDMI Use the HDMI cable provided with your Plato unit to connect Plato directly to your TV 2 3 9 Playing to remote TVs and speakers You can play music and video to remote TVs and speakers using your home network either wired directly or through Wi Fi ...

Page 20: ...ur Plato unit using the rear panel switch Warning Do not switch off your Plato unit while the Plato App is running Always exit the Plato App before switching off using the rear panel switch See section 14 3 Once the app has closed you can turn off the Plato system using the front panel button as described below 2 4 2 Switching off your Plato unit using the front panel On Off button To switch off y...

Page 21: ...your Plato unit on using the front panel on off button 1 Press the front panel On Off button Please wait up to 7 seconds for the front panel display to light up again 2 If the Plato control app is not already running touch on the Plato icon located on the desktop ...

Page 22: ...evice The Android version of Plato s control app is freely available from the Google PLAY or Amazon app stores Simply type Plato Convert Technologies into the app search and you will find the app Note that the app is capable of controlling many UPnP devices but is intended for use by Plato customers For this reason the app will remain unusable until it has detected a Plato device on your network N...

Page 23: ...re Drawer provides access to Plato s individual operations Each feature option can be activated by selecting its entry in the menu drawer Once selected the feature contains 3 tab pages to provide configuration control and feedback about what the device is doing Each tab shows a different screen and can be selected by touching the tab title at the top of the screen Main Drawer Feature Menu Selected...

Page 24: ...twork Select anywhere in the Device List Access bar to display available devices After an initial scan of devices the Plato App lists all appropriate UPnP devices available on the network in the drop down list box The list will show all UPnP devices available for this tab feature and may vary depending on which feature tab is currently selected It may include remote UPnP servers speakers TVs other...

Page 25: ...to access your media files stored on Plato or other UPnP servers The Tabs for Media Library are LIBRARY Browse all media on the selected device PLAY QUEUE A list of tracks that have either been played or are queued up to play NOW PLAYING 3 4 3 Internet Radio Use Internet Radio to listen to online radio stations You can save your favourite stations as presets The Tabs for Internet Radio are STATION...

Page 26: ...older based view for full access to internal and external storage devices NOW PLAYING 3 4 6 HighResAudio Use to access the High Res Audio website and download material direct to your Plato device The Tabs for HighResAudio are BROWSE An embedded web browser to access the contents of HighResAudio online DOWNLOAD MANAGER Provides feedback on downloaded material and additional download controls NOW PL...

Page 27: ...ess to playback volume and media controls The playback controls are displayed by touching anywhere in the background of the Now Playing tab The control will disappear after 5 seconds of inactivity The controls available vary slightly depending on which feature is selected but the main structure is the same The Now playing screen also provides access to extended options via the Additional Options m...

Page 28: ...o use the speakers connected to the rear panel of your Plato unit 3 5 4 Media controls Specific media controls will vary depending on which feature is selected They provide access to standard playback controls 3 5 5 Lyrics The Lyrics option is only available from a tablet and will not be available on Plato s touch screen This option integrates with the MusixMatch app to display lyrics for the curr...

Page 29: ...osen device Control apps are available for Android or iOS device See section 18 for instructions on downloading and using the iOS Plato control app The Android version of the Plato app is available from the Google PLAY store or from the Amazon app store if you are using an Amazon tablet To download and install the Plato App from Google Play 1 Open the Google PLAY store and search for Plato Convert...

Page 30: ... Install accept The app will download and install to your device 3 7 Updating your Plato App System Firmware Plato App Updates to your tablet or smartphone will be issued automatically via the Google PLAY store When using your Plato app keep an eye out for a small icon appearing at the very top left of your Android Notifications screen Place your finger at the top of the screen and drag it downwar...

Page 31: ...w begin Please note Your Plato unit will reboot twice during the upgrade process Please don t turn off the unit or press anything until this process has completed You will be presented with the Plato app when finished 3 8 Advanced Menu Options Overview The advanced menu options provide additional controls which are not related to the normal day to day operation of Plato or its control app The spec...

Page 32: ...Android controls To configure HDMI video outputs 1 Press on the HDMI Video icon The screen shown right is displayed 2 Select Mirror on HDMI to show the entire Plato touch screen display mirrored on to the HDMI TV Or Select Video only on HDMI for the HDMI TV to display selected track information when audio content is played or video output in full screen mode during video playback 3 8 3 Exiting the...

Page 33: ... 3 0 Convert Technologies 32 2 Select Exit The Confirm exit dialog box is displayed 3 Press OK 3 8 4 Advanced menu list The additional advanced menu options are used less frequently and described in more detail in section 14 ...

Page 34: ...g the inputs check that all the input devices turntables CD players etc are connected correctly Make a note of what device you have connected to a specific input If connecting a turntable it must be connected to the AUX Phono input To assign and configure each input Long Press press and hold the icon corresponding to the input you would like to modify For each input you can assign a suitable icon ...

Page 35: ...e the AUX Phono text The configuration option screen for this input is displayed 3 To change image icon touch the image in the top left hand corner of the configuration screen The Select Image dialog screen is displayed 4 Select the turntable image 5 To change the name Press on the text area after Name Note screen image of keyboard may vary depending on type of Android device you are using 6 Use t...

Page 36: ...1 analogue input To assign a CD player 1 From the Main Drawer Feature Menu select External Source 2 Long Press the UNASSIGNED icon above the Line 1 text The configuration option screen for this input is displayed 3 To change image icon touch the image in the top right hand corner of the configuration screen The Select Image dialog screen is displayed 4 Select the Compact Disc image 5 To change the...

Page 37: ...Plato Complete Guide V1 3 0 Convert Technologies 36 6 Use the or the Delete key to delete the existing text 7 Type in new text 8 Select Done ...

Page 38: ...r other input devices There are a range of icons you can choose to match your connected device for general line and digital inputs Once all your inputs are correctly labelled it is very easy to see which port should be selected to allow playback from each connected device A typical example is shown below ...

Page 39: ...port Audio delay Applies a digital delay to the audio signal for lip synching with external audio processors Gracenote music recognition can be Enable or Disabled Tip leave as Enabled 5 2 Input Gain All input devices have a setting for Input Gain The pre amp applies gain to the input signal before it is fed into the ADC By adjusting the input gain it is possible to ensure the maximum range of the ...

Page 40: ...by warped records 5 4 Record Controls The record controls provide some control over the digital recording for this input source 5 4 1 Record default setting Set to Enabled to activate recording whenever this source is selected Leaving this set to Disabled means recording must be started using the media controls on the Now Playing screen 5 4 2 Record Bit Depth Set the digital bit depth to 16 24 bit...

Page 41: ... 2 Select the appropriate source by touching the appropriate icon For example Turntable your record player CD Player or Cassette Player The selected input is highlighted In the example shown this is the CD Player 3 Start playing music from the selected source For example press Play CD player 4 Select the NOW PLAYING tab to display the screen below Album Cover Artwork Powered by Gracenote Input Lev...

Page 42: ...net connection to return track information The album including artwork is determined by looking at a sequence of tracks and thus Plato may need to play multiple tracks before finding the correct match This is especially difficult for tracks which have been released on multiple albums e g best of collections As each track is recognised a new entry is added to the MEDIA LIST tab The MEDIA list tab l...

Page 43: ...rding could be distorted as the ADC input saturates clips The input level can be monitored via the level meters on the Now Playing screen For optimum recording the peak gain levels should not peak at over 6dB The input levels for both the left and right channels are displayed in the input level meter The input levels change as the music changes The current input levels go higher when the music is ...

Page 44: ... Technologies 43 If the levels are too low too quiet or are clipping you should adjust the input gain up or down using the appropriate Source Configure controls to correct this See section 7 2 for instructions on how to make adjustments ...

Page 45: ...n should be verified by playing music and noting the values showing on the level meters on the Now Playing screen It is desirable to choose a loud section of music during these tests to ensure clipping will not occur during any of your recording Tip Typical settings for the Input Gain levels 0db for CD DVD input 6dB for tape 6dB for high output DAC devices For a turntable input Plato provides a wi...

Page 46: ...t is possible to record multiple tracks without touching the record controls Plato has automatic silence detection which combined with the track detection algorithms mean it is able to accurately determine when one track stops and another begins Plato looks at collections of tracks in order to accurately determine which album is playing So to record an album simply cue up the record start the reco...

Page 47: ...ck and generates a FLAC file This process could take some time and the MEDIA LIST shows this as indicated Once the FLAC file has been generated and added to Plato s database the MEDIA LIST will show the track with a green dot Now the track or tracks are available for playback from Plato s internal database ...

Page 48: ...Plato Complete Guide V1 3 0 Convert Technologies 47 ...

Page 49: ...n list The library entries are listed in alphabetical order and the alphabetised slider on the far right hand side of the main library screen provides fast access to specific parts of the library 8 1 Playing music from your Library It is possible to descend the media hierarchy from artist album track by touching the appropriate icon The artist view displays images collected from Gracenote s lookup...

Page 50: ...n list in the top right hand corner of the display 3 Long Press your chosen album OR select the Play Menu option from the More Options icon 4 From the drop down list select the playback device on which you would like to play the track s 5 Select the appropriate playback options to play the track or add it to your listening queue The Play Menu dialog box provides the following playback options ...

Page 51: ... finished Add to queue Add this track or tracks to the end of the current play queue 8 2 Using media Search When the Media Library feature is selected the search icon can be used to search the selected server for specific material The search is text based and returns matches based on Artist name Album name Track name Select the Search Function and type in the name or part of a name of artist album...

Page 52: ...g the More Options icon shows the following menu options Play Menu Add to playlist Edit Delete Download Export As 8 3 1 Play Menu Use the Play Menu option to display the Play Now dialog controls as described in section 8 1 8 3 2 Add to Playlist Generating playlists is described later in this manual 8 3 3 Edit The edit option is described later in this manual in section 16 8 3 4 Delete The Delete o...

Page 53: ...he downloaded format to one which is supported on the target device usually 16 bit 48kHz FLAC or MP3 The download will begin once the option is selected Its progress can be tracked using the Android notifications available in the top left hand corner of the main screen on the mobile device 8 3 6 Export As The export option is only available if the selected server is a Plato device Export provides ...

Page 54: ... it is suggested that you import your images in year month day based folder hierarchies so you can keep track of your collection more effectively To view your images descend into the relevant folder to your chosen image by touching the folder icon It is possible to browse images in a selected folder by touching the image icon which will display the image fullscreen on your mobile device Scroll to ...

Page 55: ... and you will be directed to the Now Playing screen From this view it is also possible to display detailed media information by selecting the appropriate album artwork image in the list 8 5 1 Modifying the Play Queue It is possible to modify the Play Queue This could be useful if you want to modify the current playing order especially if you would like to save the current list as a PlayList for pl...

Page 56: ... hand corner of the display 8 5 2 Saving a Playlist from the Play Queue Once you are happy with the entries in your Play Queue you may decide to save this as a new Playlist for use at a later date To save the current Play Queue select Save This will display the Playlist dialog Select the device on which you would like to save the playlist normally this will be the default Plato device Enter a name...

Page 57: ... well as more comprehensive media access controls to allow Pause Play Fast forward Rewind Skip forward Skip back Two options on the right hand side of the media access controls provide some additional control of playback through the current Play Queue Random play Plato will randomly step through the current Play Queue Loop play Plato will continuously loop through the current Play Queue The progre...

Page 58: ...Radio 2 The screens and menus displayed will vary depending on which browse options you choose 1 Select Internet Radio 2 Select by Location 3 Select Europe 4 Select United Kingdom 6 Select Most Popular 6 Select Station Once the station is selected the Plato screen automatically changes to display the NOW PLAYING tab and shows an icon of the selected radio station Note that there may be a short del...

Page 59: ...and pause playing of the station Note that it is NOT possible to record radio based content 9 1 Saving radio stations to your PRESETS list When you find one of your favourite radio stations you can save it to your PRESETS list to make it easier to find again 1 Search for the radio station that you want to save 2 Long Press press and hold the selected station The Play now Add to presets option menu...

Page 60: ...or radio stations When the Internet Radio feature is selected Plato s search function will return matches on internet radio stations Using this feature it is possible to search for Stations by name Stations by genre Stations playing a certain artist album track Select the search option and type in your chosen station name music genre artist track Plato will interrogate internet radio providers and...

Page 61: ...elected from the PLAYLISTS tab its contents tracks will appear in the PLAYLIST tab where they can be modified There are 3 ways to create Playlists From the Media Library From the Play Queue See section 8 5 2 From the Mood Grid See section 10 5 1 10 1 To create a Playlist from the Media Library 1 From the LIBRARY tab find the artist album track you would like to add to a Playlist 2 Open the More Op...

Page 62: ...re Options menu 4 Complete the action from the Play Now dialog as described previously 10 3 Recently Added playlist The recently added playlist provides a list of recently added or recorded tracks in the order they were added or recorded This list can be useful in finding new tracks especially if some of the tags need to be modified after recording The number of entries stored in the Recently Adde...

Page 63: ... of selecting your music As you import music Plato will automatically categorise it according to the mood the track evokes The mood grid provides a means of generating lists of tracks based on a mood rather than selecting them by hand The Mood Grid is available from the middle tab of the Playlist feature Like many other screens on Plato first select the device which contains your music collection ...

Page 64: ...n with the number of available matching tracks in brackets In this example we have selected Sensual which has 228 matching tracks The more options menu in the right hand corner of the mood grid screen allows you to select the number of available moods 100 or 25 list all excluded tracks and set the maximum playlist size for mood generated playlists 10 5 1 Building a mood based playlist Once you hav...

Page 65: ...w playlist and configure the maximum number of tracks in each generated list Note that this assumes you have more than the maximum number of tracks associated with this mood in your collection Use the Play Menu to play the playlist available from the more options menu in the track list The more options menu also allows you to exclude certain tracks from mood playlists or show media info associated...

Page 66: ...drop down list The IMPORT MEDIA tab provides automated controls to import from the connected USB device The File Manager tab provides more detailed controls to allow single files or directories to be imported one at a time Note that the import controls can all be activated from a remote device running the Plato app Each control screen contains a drop down device selector list which indicates which...

Page 67: ...n is correct and you would like to rip the whole CD click on Rip CD to begin the high speed ripping process Choose the appropriate format for the ripped data from the list and the process will start A progress bar at the bottom of the screen indicates progress through the ripping process and it is possible to abort the process at any time using the Cancel button The rip process progresses in 3 ste...

Page 68: ...ose to start the rip operation Note that it is possible to edit META data tags once the CD has been imported into Plato using the editing tools as described in section 16 11 1 2 Eject CD Choose this option to eject the CD immediately from the drive 11 1 3 Individual track ripping If you are not interested in ripping the entire CD it is possible to rip each track individually by selecting the Rip T...

Page 69: ... the appropriate button A progress screen indicates how much data needs to be imported Note that if Plato discovers tracks on the USB device which are already in its database it will prompt the user to decide whether to overwrite existing tracks or ignore and move onto the next track Note that the import process may take a considerable amount of time as Plato will scan the whole USB device for mat...

Page 70: ...ort image files into Plato for viewing on UPnP devices around the home As with video image tagging is highly inconsistent so Plato uses a folder based mechanism for cataloguing image files according to date Prior to importing image files should be sorted in up to 3 levels of folder as follows Year Month Day Each level will be preserved on Plato after the import process so it is possible to view im...

Page 71: ...opy Navigate to destination folder and press paste button from the menu bar This is useful to copying files off of Plato Do not use copy to import media files into Plato as Copy does not perform the database operations required for media files Import Imports selected file folder onto Plato Plato will decide where to store the files and for music files what to call them Details Details about the fi...

Page 72: ...rolled using a different control device tablet or smartphone 12 1 Streaming music out to remote wireless speakers The Plato unit automatically detects UPnP compliant wireless speakers 1 Choose a song album or playlist 2 Activate the device list to display available devices 3 Select the correct playback device In example right this is a Sonos PLAY 1 Media Renderer The speaker device is then shown a...

Page 73: ...ur main Plato unit if you want to watch on the HDMI TV connected to your Plato unit Or Any compatible TV tablet connected to your router to stream to that external device 5 Select Play now from the play option to start watching the selected video content on the selected device Note that for playback to be successful the device selected as the playback device must be capable of decoding the supplie...

Page 74: ...nd automatically log you in next time you access this feature unless you choose to logout from the previous session Now the BROWSE tab will show the HighResDownloads webpage where you can browse their content From this page it is also possible to go through the site checkout and purchase new material Once you have purchased new material it is possible to download it direct to Plato using the DOWNL...

Page 75: ...download manager will show the download progress Once the download is complete your files will be ready for playback in the Media Library as described elsewhere in this manual Note that the download manager synchronises with HighResAudio to manage your downloads Check the terms and conditions of the HighResAudio website for details of how many downloads are available per purchase ...

Page 76: ...pport extended functions allowing fine control of server based operations from any remote device using the icons as a guide to function If you are unsure what function each icon provides long press the icon and a small popup will describe the function Some functions are only available on Plato devices others are applicable to mobile devices running the Plato App The friendly name should allow you ...

Page 77: ...are revision numbers of all hardware components Sometimes this information is useful in dealing with support issues This information is sent automatically in all debug logs see section 14 1 6 EULA Select the EULA option to display the end user license agreement The EULA has to be agreed on the first run of Plato but can be viewed at any time using this option 14 1 2 Progress The progress page is u...

Page 78: ...Media rescan should only be performed at the request of Convert Technologies technical staff 14 1 5 Settings The settings page provides a means of configuring Plato for your specific system and requirements The following options are available Friendly Name Defines the UPnP friendly name displayed in Plato s device lists Standby Timer Defines the time to enter low power standby state after inactivi...

Page 79: ...mote mobile device If this option is disabled it is only possible to delete media data from Plato s touch screen Security PIN If set the security PIN will be required to perform delete operations on this server Show hidden files in file manager Enable this option to show hidden Android files in the file manager view 14 1 6 Debug Use the debug option under the instruction of Convert Technologies su...

Page 80: ...t name based on Plato device_info when the app starts This name is used in the Device Selection Lists on many of Plato s app controls With the Plato system itself and a number of tablets and smartphones also running the Plato control app it can get very confusing determining which device you are accessing if they all have the similar names Select this option to change the name of your Plato unit o...

Page 81: ...r This should be inserted into one of Plato s spare USB slots Note that you may need to reboot Plato after inserting the Air Mouse dongle Once the Air Mouse is plugged in and running its pointer should be visible on the HDMI screen As you wave the controller through space the on screen pointer will match your movements across the screen Instead of activating a control via the touchscreen simply mo...

Page 82: ... a song or album To access the edit menu for basic editing of song or album details 1 Press the More Options icon three vertical dots next to the track or album you wish to edit 2 Select Edit from the pop up menu Song Album details are displayed You can select non greyed out data and then use the Android keypad to change details Note You can edit ALL tags if you selected a single track but only al...

Page 83: ...ving the changes can be seen as a progress bar at the bottom of your screen Press the Clear button after saving edited tags Note that Android uses album title and album artist to define an album So all tracks with the same album title and album artist will be grouped into a single album on the Media Library view ...

Page 84: ...f Gracenote is unable to determine the track being played The following example shows changing a thumbnail image for Bob Marley s greatest hits Legends album 1 Obtain the correct image This requires you to use a web browser app 2 Use the selected web browser to search for a suitable image Then long press the artwork to either download image or save Image to your tablet This specific action is brow...

Page 85: ... on the version of Android running on your device 5 Select Save Tags to keep new artwork 16 2 Adjust start end points of a track In the event that Gracenote returns a track length that is different to what you have recorded you may want to edit the recorded audio file by trimming either the start or the end points This happens when Gracenote retrieves meta data from a track that has Short press he...

Page 86: ... track The edit screen is displayed In this example the window starts 2 minutes 46 secs into the recording and finishes 8 minutes into the recording This window is sufficient to contain the track Dreams which starts at 2 min 48 sec and finishes at 7 min 00 sec 3 Select Play and then press Mark Start at the point you want the track to really start Here the Mark Start button was pressed at 2 min and...

Page 87: ...rack 5 Select Save This will re write the flac Free Lossless Audio Codec file for Dreams with the new start and end points 6 Press the Android return button to return to the previous screen 16 3 Creating a missing track Occasionally a track can be missed out if it was not recognised by Gracenote as anything at all This means that a flac file for the track has not been created but the raw music rec...

Page 88: ... start end of track 4 Select the Adjust window edge right arrow several times to extend the window size to large enough to cover the track after Second Hand News 5 Select Play and then select the Mark Start button where the next track starts Here it was pressed at 2 min and 46 sec ...

Page 89: ...in and 00 sec 7 Select the New button This will set a new track that starts at 2 min 46 sec and ends at 7 min 00 sec 8 Use the pop up dialog to enter the track specific tags The album specific tags including the artwork will be copied from the current track track 1 Change the title and track number and press OK to save this new track ...

Page 90: ... the save has finished the screen will have been updated for the new file The new start will have been set to the end of this file and the new duration will have been set to 3 minutes This makes it as easy as possible to create the next track if that is needed ...

Page 91: ...appeared on multiple albums over the years so Gracenote can t be 100 sure which album you are recording Again Plato has editing tools to help merge all songs into a single album as described below If you have only just recorded this album then the easiest way of modifying all of the tracks is to use the Recently Added playlist 1 Download the correct album artwork as in Section 16 1 This will be us...

Page 92: ... select the tracks that make up the album If this album was the last thing you recorded then these tracks will be at the top of this playlist 5 Short press the more info three dots icon adjacent to one of the selected correctly tagged tracks and select edit from the pop up menu ...

Page 93: ...ensure all the tracks are recognised as part of a single album Correct the album artwork if needed and set a disc number or leave blank for asingle disk album 7 Press the Save Tags button This will edit all of the tracks 8 All of the tracks will now be in a single correctly named album in the Media Library view Select this album to bring up the Album Details page ...

Page 94: ...ert Technologies 93 9 Some or all of the tracks listed may need to be edited to correct the track number and track title This can be done one at a time using the Edit option in the More Options menu available on the Album Details view ...

Page 95: ...ice continues during the backup process However it should be remembered that any backup however carefully implemented requires additional system resources to do its job so some reduction of performance may be detected during backups For this reason we suggest you schedule your backups during quiet periods of use or inactivity Remember once the first backup has completed Plato will only backup chan...

Page 96: ... moving it all the way to the left hand side This reduces the exisiting FAT32 32Gb partition to zero and increases the NTFS partition to use the full amount of available space on the drive 17 2 Configuring your backup As described in section 14 1 the backup feature is available in the Server Settings and Status controls on the advanced options menu The main backup screen shows the current backup s...

Page 97: ... To restore your data from a previous backup ensure your previous backup drive is connected to Plato and turned on Then check the backup path is correctly configures to point to the folder containing the backup data Now select either Restore All or Partial Restore Restore all will attempt a restore of all data from the last complete backup It will re install all data from the backup location to yo...

Page 98: ...e app to your device Note that the app is free to download but support will only be provided to Plato customers To access all of Plato s features it is recommended that you use an Android tablet or smartphone The iOS control app provides access to the most commonly used features The general look and feel of the iOS app is very similar to the Android version and some understanding of the Android ap...

Page 99: ...Plato Complete Guide V1 3 0 Convert Technologies 98 19 The Plato Range ...

Page 100: ... x Line analogue input 1 x Coax digital input 3 x Optical digital inputs 1 x Analogue pre amp output 2 x Optical digital output Video Formats Suppoprted Video formats H263 H264 BP MP HP MPEG 4 SP ASP MPEG2 VP8 MJPEG Xvid Video playback up to HD 1080p 30fps Video formats H263 H264 BP MP HP MPEG 4 SP ASP MPEG2 VP8 MJPEG Xvid Video playback up to HD 1080p 30fps Video formats H263 H264 BP MP HP MPEG 4...

Page 101: ...al benefits first the current induced noise in the amplifier as a whole is now proportional to the output volume and secondly there is less thermal stress on the output transistors because they operate at lower temperatures These factors result in lower noise than a traditional Class A amplifier at a given volume and less distortion Class A region of operation 8 Ohms load 0 25Watts 8 Watts maximum...

Page 102: ... Analogue pre amp output 2 x Optical digital output 2 x Speaker output via 4mm plugs or Neutrik connectors Video Formats Suppoprted Video formats H263 H264 BP MP HP MPEG 4 SP ASP MPEG2 VP8 MJPEG Xvid Video playback up to HD 1080p 30fps File Formats Supported Audio formats AAC LC PLUS ALAC FLAC MP3 VORBIS PCM WAVE AIFF Audio playback record at 24 bits up to 192kHz Power Source 220V 240V 50Hz 60Hz P...

Reviews: