General FAQs
Troubleshooting
General FAQs
What is GreenPlay Media Player?
GreenPlay Media Player is a simple-to-use software program that enables you to watch full-screen movies and TV programs in GreenPlay format directly from SD memory cards on any PC running Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP.
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How can I get GreenPlay Media Player software?
GreenPlay Media Player software is automatically loaded onto your SD card when you buy or rent movies or TV programs in GreenPlay format from a Download2Go™ digital download kiosk. The kiosk will always load the most recent version of the player onto your SD card.
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How do I launch GreenPlay Media Player?
The first time you insert your SD card into a GreenPlay-compatible SD card reader on your Windows PC, you’ll need to install the GreenPlay Media Player software. You do this by accessing your SD card in Windows Explorer via Start/Computer/GreenPlay and then double-click GreenPlay Media Player. Once you’ve run through the installation process, GreenPlay Media Player will launch automatically. After you’ve successfully completed this first run experience, GreenPlay Media Player will launch automatically every time you insert your SD card containing GreenPlay content into a GreenPlay-compatible SD card reader on your PC.
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I’m getting two User Account Control prompts when I install GreenPlay Media Player on Windows 7. Is that expected and should I say ‘Yes’ to both?
Yes, you should expect to see two User Account Control (or privilege elevation) prompts during installation. The first is to enable installation of the GreenPlay components and the second is to enable GreenPlay Monitor to run with the appropriate privilege to allow the player to access the license keys from the secure area of the SD card to play your movies. Once you’ve clicked through these prompts, you should not be prompted again to elevate privilege for GreenPlay Media Player as long as you allow GreenPlay Monitor to start automatically and continue running in the Windows System Tray.
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I see an application called GreenPlay Monitor in my Start menu and system tray. What is it?
GreenPlay Monitor is an application that is installed the first time you run GreenPlay Media Player. It runs in the System Tray on your Windows PC and watches for the insertion of SD cards containing videos in GreenPlay format. When it detects that a card with videos has been inserted, it automatically launches GreenPlay Media Player so that you can immediately begin watching movies without having to search for the program on your PC.
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Where can I find a GreenPlay-compatible SD card reader to use with GreenPlay Media Player?
Many PCs have built-in SD card readers, but not all SD card readers capable of accessing the keys required to unlock a movie in GreenPlay format for playback. Said another way, an SD card reader must be a secure reader to be GreenPlay-compatible. To guarantee that your PC is GreenPlay-compatible, we recommend using the GreenPlay SD Card Reader (a small, portable USB-SD card reader accessory which is available for sale near the kiosks), which instantly converts one of your available USB ports into a secure SD card reader. Alternatively, you can find a list of PC models with built-in secure SD card readers at http://www.greenplay.net/compatibility.
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What kind of playback experience can I expect with GreenPlay Media Player?
GreenPlay Media Player is designed to provide a DVD-like experience for watching movies and TV programs in GreenPlay format from an SD card. The player opens to the media library that showcases your movie and TV program titles, complete with original cover art. From the library, you can play your movies in a full-screen experience on your Windows PC or on any VGA or HDMI-connected monitor or television screen. The experience goes beyond DVD with integrated chapter images to make navigation easier and resume points that remember where you were in a movie when you stopped playback so you can pick right up at that point the next time you watch it … even on another PC or device.
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What are the system requirements for GreenPlay Media Player?
GreenPlay Media Player requires a PC with 1.6 GHz processor or greater running Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP. PCs running Windows 7 and Windows Vista must have at least 1GB of RAM, and PCs running
Windows XP must have at least 512MB of RAM. GreenPlay Media Player also requires certain software packages to be installed – DirectX 9 (or later), a Windows graphics technology, and .NET Framework 2.0 (or later), a Windows programming library. Newer versions of these required software packages are included in Windows Vista and Windows 7 so no additional installation is required. Some Windows XP users may need to install the required packages, if they have not been installed already. The software will prompt for download
of these packages if they’re missing.
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Can GreenPlay Media Player allow me to block certain content from my children?
You can easily establish password-protected parental controls within GreenPlay Media Player and block playback of content based on its rating. Click on Settings in the upper right portion of the screen and then click on Parental Controls. From there you set a password that only you know and then check the boxes for the content ratings you want to hide from the library screen.
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How do I view more information about a movie, such as a plot summary and the list of actors?
From the library screen, simply click the “Details” button to view the movie summary, actors, director and producer information. You can also view the “run time” or the length of the movie and the movie rating from this screen.
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Which is more power efficient on my laptop: playing a movie from an SD card or playing a DVD?
Playing a movie from a DVD (or even your PC’s hard drive) uses up a lot of precious battery power because the drive consumes power to spin the disc. With the GreenPlay Media Player, the movies play directly from your SD card, a form of flash media. Flash media is the most power efficient storage in use today, commonly found on devices designed to play content continuously for many hours, such as an iPod or smartphone. GreenPlay Media Player and SD cards are an ideal way to watch movies while traveling.
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What other formats besides GreenPlay can GreenPlay Media Player play?
GreenPlay Media Player can only play movies and TV programs in GreenPlay format directly from SD memory cards. It cannot play any other media formats.
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Can I play movies with GreenPlay Media Player from my laptop using an external computer
monitor or TV screen?
Yes, you can play movies on an external monitor or TV screen but only in specific configurations. GreenPlay Media Player can only play on your main or primary display – the one that contains the Windows Start Menu and Taskbar. So you must configure your Windows display settings so that your external monitor or TV screen is your main display, or so that you are duplicating your laptop display on your external monitor. This setting can be configured in the Windows Control Panel.
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I’m running Windows 7 and GreenPlay Media Player doesn’t appear to support the Aero Snap feature. Is there a setting I can change to make this work?
Unfortunately the current version of GreenPlay Media Player does not support the Aero Snap feature of Windows 7. You can still maximize and minimize the window using the buttons in the upper right corner of the GreenPlay Media Player window. But you cannot drag the window to or from a maximized view or snap it to either side of the screen.
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Can I reuse or format the SD card after the content has expired?
Because any Class 4 or greater SDHC memory card can be used to download and play GreenPlay videos, you can easily reuse or repurpose the card when you’re done watching your movies. GreenPlay videos can also co-exist with other files like photos and music. You can delete the GreenPlay Media Player application and associated files by selecting and deleting them in Windows Explorer, but the movie files are in a hidden directory on the SD card and must be deleted using GreenPlay Media Player (choose Delete for each title in the library screen) or by reformatting the card from within Windows Explorer. Note that reformatting the card will delete all files from the card, including any personal data you’ve stored on it.
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Can I move or copy the movies from my SD card to another card or my PC’s hard drive and play it from there?
At this time, you can’t move or copy GreenPlay content from your SD card to another SD card or your PC’s hard drive. The content must remain on the same SD card used to load the content at the kiosk. We plan to enable this functionality in a product release later this year.
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Troubleshooting
I put my SD card into the GreenPlay SD Card Reader and inserted it into my PC but nothing happened. What should I do?
The first time you insert your SD card into a GreenPlay-compatible SD card reader on your Windows PC, you’ll need to install the GreenPlay Monitor software. You do this by accessing your SD card in Windows Explorer via Start/Computer/GreenPlay and then double-click GreenPlay Media Player. Once you’ve run through the installation process, GreenPlay Media Player will launch automatically. After you’ve successfully completed this first run experience, GreenPlay Media Player will launch automatically every time you insert your SD card into a GreenPlay-compatible SD card reader on your PC.
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I closed GreenPlay Media Player and want to run it again. How can I launch it?
There are many ways to launch GreenPlay Media Player again once you’ve run it the first time. The simplest method is to remove your SD card (or your GreenPlay SD Card Reader) and reinsert it into your PC. GreenPlay Media Player will launch automatically. Another option is to run GreenPlay Media Player from the Windows Start Menu, which will launch GreenPlay Media Player as long as it’s on your SD card and already in your card reader. A third option is to double-click on the GreenPlay Monitor icon in the Windows System Tray. You can also right-click on this icon and choose Play.
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I closed GreenPlay Monitor by right-clicking and choosing “Exit” in the System Tray. Can I restart it?
Yes, you can manually launch GreenPlay Monitor by locating it in the Windows Start menu and selecting it. On Windows Vista or Windows 7, you can type “greenplay” in the Start/Search box and you will see GreenPlay Monitor at the top of the search results. On Windows XP you will need to look in the All Programs menu for the GreenPlay folder and select GreenPlay Monitor. Alternatively, GreenPlay Monitor will run automatically every time you restart Windows. Note that if you exit and then start GreenPlay Monitor manually from the Start menu, you will be prompted for administrator credentials the next time you run GreenPlay Media Player on Windows 7 and Windows Vista. This is expected and will only happen on the first launch of GreenPlay Media Player. You will not see this prompt if GreenPlay Monitor starts automatically when you boot Windows.
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I installed and ran GreenPlay Media Player without any problems but the next time I put my SD card into the GreenPlay SD Card Reader and inserted it into my PC nothing happened. What should I do?
First, check to make sure GreenPlay Monitor is running in your system tray. If it isn’t launch it from the Start menu. If it is running, try removing your SD card from the reader reinserting it, as occasionally Windows fails to detect the presence of either the SD card reader or the SD card itself when they’re inserted into the PC.
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I received an error message about HDCP when I tried to play movies from my laptop on my television screen. Why did this happen and can I fix it?
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of copy protection to prevent copying or recording of digital audio and video content as it travels across digital display connections, such as HDMI or DVI, to a digital monitor or TV screen. The movie and TV studios who license content for distribution in GreenPlay format require that all digital display connections support HDCP. Most computer monitors and TVs purchased in the last few years support HDCP, which is also required for playing Blu-Ray movies and many other high quality digital media formats. Check your monitor or TVs specifications to see if it supports HDCP before attempting to use it to play videos in GreenPlay format. If your TV or monitor supports HDCP and you’re still receiving this error, try updating the graphics driver on your PC by visiting your PC manufacturer’s support website. Another possibility is that you have your external monitor connected via an HDMI switch that doesn’t support HDCP. If this is the case, try connecting your HDMI cable directly from your PC to your monitor.
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I received an HDCP error when playing movies on my laptop screen with no other monitor attached. Why did this happen and how can I fix it?
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of copy protection to prevent copying or recording of digital audio and video content as it travels across digital display connections, such as HDMI or DVI, to a digital monitor or TV screen. Most laptops are already configured to enable the content to play on the built-in screen. Some older models may need an updated video driver to allow the content to play. We suggest you visit Windows Update or your PC manufacturer’s website to install the most current video driver. If that doesn’t work, then you will need to use a different PC to play the movies.
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I don’t plan to rent of buy movies in GreenPlay format again. Can I remove GreenPlay Media Player?
Yes, you can remove GreenPlay Media Player by uninstalling it via the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Windows Control Panel. Should you ever buy or rent a movie in GreenPlay format in the future, you can reinstall GreenPlay Media Player by following the same instructions you used to install it the first time.
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I set a Parental Controls password but don’t remember it. How can I reset it?
Once you set a Parental Controls password, you must enter that password in order to change it in the future. If you cannot remember your password, you will need to either call our Customer Service Center so a representative can walk you through the steps to reset it or you can do it yourself by deleting the entry “Password= …” in the SonicModConfig.ini file that appears on your SD card in the GreenPlay Media Player Files \ Filters folder.
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I’m done watching my movies and I’ve deleted GreenPlay Media Player from my card. But the card is telling me that it’s still nearly full. How can I fix this?
Movie files in GreenPlay format are stored in a hidden directory on the SD card and must be deleted using one of the following three methods:
- Launch GreenPlay Media Player and choose Delete for each title in the library screen. This will only work if you
have not yet deleted GreenPlay Media Player from your card.
- Right-click and Format the card from within Windows Explorer. Note that this will delete all data from your card,
including personal data if you have any stored on it.
- Show hidden files in Windows Explorer and delete the GP_DATA, SD_SDDAT, and SD_SDKEY directories.
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I removed my SD card from my PC while the player was running and received a very technical error message. Did I break anything?
It’s always a good practice to exit the player application before removing your SD card from your PC. However the error message you saw is expected and you can ignore it. The player and your movies will work fine the next time you launch the player. This error message only appears on Windows XP. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are more robust when handling removing the SD card while the player is still running.
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I changed the player’s subtitles setting to another language but I’m not seeing subtitles. How does this work?
GreenPlay Media Player supports subtitles but movies from GreenPlay-compatible kiosks currently do not include subtitles. Therefore changing the subtitles setting in the player has no effect at this time. Subtitles are planned to be added to the movies in the future.
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I have deleted an expired movie and now a different movie on my SD card is listed as expired when I use GreenPlay Media Player. How do I fix this?
If you believe that GreenPlay Media Player is inaccurately listing a movie as expired, close the Media Player and restart it. The movie that was inaccurately listed as expired should now be available for viewing.
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The video playback display skips when the chapter menu is opened or closed in GreenPlay Media Player. Is this a problem?
If you find the playback of your movies skipping or stuttering during navigation of the menus while using GreenPlay Media Player, try waiting a moment to see if the issue resolves itself. If after thirty seconds the stuttering continues, try closing and restarting GreenPlay Media Player.
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How do I turn the volume down completely?
To reduce the volume completely, mute the volume on the player or on your PC. To mute the volume on the player, you can click the speaker icon on the Playback Control panel. You will see an ‘X’ that indicates that the volume is muted. Click the speaker icon again to listen return the volume to normal.
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How do I resize GreenPlay Media Player?
The GreenPlay Media Player window can be resized from the right bottom corner while in windowed mode. When the player is in full screen mode, click the Restore icon at the top of the player window to change from full screen mode to Windowed mode. You can then resize the player by clicking and dragging the bottom right corner of the window.
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I forgot to stop the movie that I was watching before I removed the SD card from my PC. Will that cause problems for my card or computer?
It is not recommended to remove your SD card from your PC while using GreenPlay Media Player to play your movie. However, if you forget to pause or stop your movie, it will not damage or disrupt either your SD card or your PC. The primary effect is that GreenPlay Media Player will not “remember” where you were in your movie when you removed your SD card, but searching by chapter will allow you to find where you left off when you choose to resume viewing.
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Is there a way to return to the GreenPlay Media Player default settings?
There is currently no automatic way to return GreenPlay Media Player to its default, or “factory” configuration. However, none of the user-adjustable settings should harm the quality or playback of your movies, and you can simply adjust them to your liking.
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I can close the Playback Control panel when the player is in full screen mode, but how do I close the panel when the player is in Windowed mode?
The Playback Control panel cannot be closed while the player is in Windowed Mode, but you can move the panel to another portion of your screen that you prefer.
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I inserted my SD card into my PC and Windows is prompting to fix errors. What do I do?
Windows will sometimes display a prompt indicating a problem was found on an SD card when inserted and recommend that the card be scanned for problems and fixed. This can occur if Windows hasn’t completed writing a file or updating file system information on the card before it was ejected from the card reader. Running the scan and fix utility will clear up the problem but you can only do this when GreenPlay Media Player is closed. So be sure to exit GreenPlay Media Player if it launched automatically when you inserted your card, and then run the Scan and Fix utility. You can avoid this issue by always choosing the “Eject” your SD card or card reader from “Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media” icon in the Windows system tray.
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