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NovaStar Taurus multimedia players (TB30, TB40, TB50, TB60) drive a large share of the world’s active LED displays: LED walls, billboards and LED posters. Because they run Android, the Pickcel player app installs right on the Taurus. NovaStar keeps driving the LED hardware, and Pickcel adds cloud content management, so your LED screens sit in the same console as the rest of your digital signage. This guide covers how Pickcel fits on a Taurus, the install steps, and sizing content for an LED wall.

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Why run Pickcel on a NovaStar LED screen

  • One console for LED and LCD. Manage LED walls next to your TVs, kiosks and video walls.
  • Cloud scheduling. Publish compositions and schedules to any number of LED screens over the internet.
  • Live apps. Play weather, news, dashboards and social feeds on the LED wall, not just videos and images.
  • Remote visibility. See which LED screens are online and check playback reports from anywhere.

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How Pickcel works with NovaStar Taurus

A Taurus player does two jobs. Its sending card drives the LED cabinets (screen size, brightness, receiving cards), and its Android side runs the content. Pickcel runs on the Android side, so NovaStar and Pickcel each handle what they do best.

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Supported NovaStar models

Pickcel plays in asynchronous mode (the Taurus plays content from its own storage). On TB40, TB50 and TB60, synchronous mode shows the HDMI input instead, so keep the player in asynchronous mode.

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Install the Pickcel APK on a Taurus player

Prerequisites:
  • A Taurus player that is already configured to drive your LED screen
  • A Windows PC with ViPlex Express installed, on the same network as the Taurus
  • The Pickcel Android APK, downloaded to that PC
  • The Taurus admin password (printed on the device label; older firmware uses 123456)
  • Internet access on the Taurus (Ethernet, Wi-Fi or 4G)
1

Connect to the Taurus in ViPlex Express

  • Open ViPlex Express. If it asks for a mode, choose Async.
  • Select your Taurus in the screen list and click Connect.
  • Log in with the player password.
2

Open the User Software screen

  • On the ViPlex Express home screen, type novasoft on your keyboard. Nothing shows while you type.
  • Click User Software in the menu that appears.
On ViPlex Express 4.x, go to Settings > Advanced Login, enter novasoft, then open Debugging > Debugging Tool.
3

Log in to the player

  • Select the Taurus and click Connect.
  • Log in as admin with the player password.
  • Wait for the link icon to turn green.
4

Turn off PlayService

  • Select the Taurus and switch off PlayService.
  • PlayService is NovaStar’s own content player. With it off, Pickcel plays the content and NovaStar keeps driving the LED screen.
5

Install the Pickcel APK

  • In the software path, select the Pickcel APK you downloaded.
  • Check Automatically run after installation and Auto launch on startup.
  • Click Install and wait a few minutes.
  • Confirm Pickcel appears under Installed Applications.
6

Restart the player

  • Click Restart Now.
  • Pickcel opens automatically and shows a six-digit Screen Registration Code on the LED screen.
7

Register the screen in Pickcel

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Match your content to the LED wall resolution

LED walls rarely use standard TV resolutions. A wall of six 192×192 cabinets, for example, is 576×384 pixels. Content built for 1920×1080 gets scaled and can look soft or cropped.
  • Get the LED screen’s width and height in pixels from ViPlex Express or your LED installer.
  • In Pickcel, create a custom layout and set Layout type to Custom with that exact width and height.
  • Build your compositions on that layout.

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Turn PlayService back on

  • Open User Software in ViPlex Express and log in to the Taurus.
  • Switch PlayService back on and uninstall Pickcel from Installed Applications.
  • Restart the player.

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Troubleshooting and FAQs

Yes. ViPlex Express’s User Software tool installs Android APKs on Taurus players. With PlayService off, the installed app plays content on the LED screen.
  • Check that PlayService is off and Pickcel is listed as running.
  • On TB40, TB50 and TB60, make sure the player is in asynchronous mode, not showing the HDMI input.
Reinstall the APK with Auto launch on startup checked.
  • Click inside the ViPlex Express window first, then type novasoft.
  • On ViPlex Express 4.x, use Settings > Advanced Login, then Debugging > Debugging Tool.
Your layout size doesn’t match the LED screen. Create a custom layout with the wall’s exact pixel width and height.
Use ViPlex Express or the ViPlex Handy mobile app. Brightness is set on the Taurus sending card, not in the Android player.
LED cabinets have no speakers. Every Taurus model has a stereo AUDIO OUT connector, so wire it to an amplifier or powered speakers.
Yes. Synchronous controllers (MCTRL, VX, NovaPro) and H series video wall splicers (H2, H5, H9, H15) have no built-in player, so connect any Pickcel-supported media player, such as a Windows PC or Android box, to an HDMI or DVI input.If the processor spreads one input across several LED surfaces, build one custom layout at that input’s full resolution and let the processor crop each part.