LCD and M-Play Zini Software

One of the key features that sets the Zalman HD160XT off from the rest of the crowd is the integrated 7′ LCD with touch screen capabilities.  The 7′ (diagonal) Zero Pixel defect TFT LCD has a native resolution of 800×600 but will accept (and scale down) an image as large as 1024×768.  The LCD uses a standard VGA interface and can be used as the primary display or configured as a secondary display device.  The touch panel connects to the PC via a USB interface.

 

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The row of buttons below the LCD provides access and control for navigating the LCD setup menu.  The display can be turned off and a tiny power indicator light on the left side glows red when off and green when on.

 

Zalman bundles M-Play Zini multimedia software with the HD160XT.  The software is actually a full suite of programs and drivers that enables much of the special functionality incorporated into the HD160XT HTPC. 

 

M-Play Zini key features:

 

·         Automatic Fan Control (AFC): M-Play Zini can automatically control the HD160XT case fans by monitoring internal temperatures via the two included temperature probes and adjusting the fan speed accordingly.

·         Windows XP MCE compatible: M-Play Zini fully supports Windows XP MCE including remote control functions.  It can also report information on the installed software and hardware.

·         MediaBay: MediaBay supports MCE functionality even if Windows XP MCE is not installed.

·         Remote control of other software: M-Play Zini enables remote control of certain programs once they are registered/configured.

·         Multimedia Information: M-Play Zini enables visualization and graphically displaying information from programs like Media Center, MediaBay, Winamp, Windows Media Player, etc.

·         PC Sound: Graphic analyzer display of music and sounds.

·         CPU/Memory Usage: Displays real-time CPU and Memory usage.

·         Network Usage: Display real-time network usage.

 

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Once the hardware is installed and all the wires/cables have been routed and attached, you should be able to load your operating system and video card drivers.  Note: Make sure you have your display properties setup for 800×600 @60Hz for the LCD display.

 

The Zalman HD160XT comes with a printed M-Play QuickStart Guide and software on CD-ROM.  These are also available for download from the Zalman website.  The installation guide is well written and clearly illustrated — here is a brief overview of the installation process.

 

M-Play Zini USB Driver Installation:

 

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After inserting the bundled CD, the following screen should appear.  The first step in the software installation is to install the USB drivers.

 

Touch Screen Driver Installation:

 

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Next, follow the onscreen procedure to install the touch screen drivers and then perform the 4-point calibration.

 

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