Netpresenter Slide Player installation
Introduction
The Netpresenter Slide Player installer can be used to deploy the following Netpresenter applications on Windows devices:
- Netpresenter Screen Saver
- Netpresenter Desktop Player
- Netpresenter Wallpaper
- Netpresenter Digital Signage Player
The Netpresenter support team will supply custom installation packages (.msi) for you to roll out. They can be rolled out using your preferred remote deployment method (GPO, SCCM, Intune…).
Based on the licenses you have purchased you will typically receive one installation package for workstations (designated “PC”) and one package for digital signage screens (designated “TV”).
Upon request, Netpresenter support can supply special installation packages digital signage screens in portrait mode (“TVP”).
System Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 or 11 (32- or 64-bit)
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster with 2 or more cores
- RAM: 2 GB or greater
- Network: internet connectivity is necessary to get content updates
- Storage: 1 GB free HD space (depends on the size of the presentation)
- Graphics card: card with hardware H.264 decoding (for HD/4K movies)
Installation
To install the Player/Screensaver on a single computer, and to simulate a remote deployment installation, it is best to use the following procedure:
- Open a Command Prompt as an administrator (it should say: C:\Windows\System32\)
- Browse to the location of the MSI file
- Use the following command to install:
msiexec.exe /i netpresenter_PC.msi /qb allusers=1
(If you want you can replace /qb by /qn for a completely silent install) - Reboot the machine.
Recommended configuration for PC Players
The Netpresenter Player & Screen Saver installation package that you received from our support team, will try to enforce the Netpresenter Screen Saver as the default screen saver, with a screen saver timeout of 600 seconds (10 minutes). If there are any existing screen saver Group Policies in place, they will be respected.
Group Policies
To optimize the effectiveness of the Netpresenter Screensaver, and to make sure it is shown to all users, it is necessary to apply the following Group Policy settings.
In Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization, set the following values:
- Do not display the lock screen => Enabled
- Prevent changing lock screen and logon image => Enabled
This will disable the lock screen so it will not interfere with the screen saver functionality.
In User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization, set the following values:
- Enable screen saver => Enabled
- Prevent changing screen saver => Enabled
- Screen saver timeout => 600 (seconds)
- Force specific screen saver => C:\Windows\Netpresenter.scr
- Optional, but recommended: Password protect the screen saver => Enabled
After a Group Policy update, these settings will be applied, and the Netpresenter Screensaver will appear after 600 seconds (10 minutes) of inactivity.
Recommended configuration for TV Players
The Netpresenter Digital Signage Player relies on the Windows screen saver technology to run the slideshow presentation. If you intend to use videos on your digital signage screens, please make sure to follow the configuration instructions regarding autologin and codecs below.
Auto Logon
It is necessary to log on automatically to Windows, to be able to play videos on the screensaver. A useful tool to enable this is Autologon.exe (Sysinternals.com).
Codecs
The Netpresenter Content Hub supports WMV, ASF, AVI, MPG and MP4 files by default. So, it is recommended to install at least some widely used video codecs for these file types. A few of them are already included in Windows Media Player. Installing the K-Lite Codecs pack includes most used codecs. You can get it here: https://ninite.com/klitecodecs/ninite.exe
Password protect the Screen Saver
By password protecting the screen saver, unauthorized access to the client device is prevented.
Also, Windows from other applications (antivirus, etc.) are hidden on the locked desktop and not on top of your presentation.
The Netpresenter installation package sets the ScreenSaverIsSecure registry value to 1, but you can also force this setting using a policy. Policies will always override the Netpresenter settings.
Screen Saver timeout
By setting the screen saver timeout to a low value, the client will start up your presentation directly after booting. If the screensaver is stopped for some reason, it will automatically come back after this brief period. The Netpresenter installation package sets the ScreenSaveTimeOut registry value to 15 (seconds), but you can also force this setting using a policy. Policies will always override the Netpresenter settings.
Group/Local Policies
To optimize the effectiveness of the Netpresenter Digital Signage Player, and to make sure it is shown to all users, it is useful to apply the following Group Policy settings.
In Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization, set the following values:
- Do not display the lock screen => Enabled
- Optional, but recommended: Prevent changing lock screen and logon image => Enabled
This will disable the lock screen so it will not interfere with the screen saver functionality.
In User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization, set the following values:
- Enable screen saver => Enabled
- Prevent changing screen saver => Enabled
- Screen saver timeout => 15 (seconds)
- Force specific screen saver => C:\Windows\Netpresenter.scr
- Optional, but recommended: Password protect the screen saver => Enabled
After a Group Policy update, these settings will be applied, and the Netpresenter Screensaver will appear after 15 seconds of inactivity.
Power Management settings
The Netpresenter Player can control the client’s power management settings, it will make sure the monitor does not power down and the device does not go into hibernation. It is possible to allow the monitor to power down and let the PC go into hibernation for a specific part of the day (e.g., from 6 pm until 8 am). Power management settings applied by group policies will override the Netpresenter settings.