MacOS / OS X

In this section we'll show you how to install and configure Google Chrome as the browser that is used for channel playback. We also describe what you should do to have the Mac shut down automatically and startup everything automatically when you switch it on again.

Google Chrome Installation

  1. If Google Chrome is not yet installed, open your current web browser and go to http://google.com/chrome and then download and install the latest version of Google Chrome as instructed.
  2. When asked, set Chrome to be your default browser.
  3. If Chrome is already installed you can set it as the default browser:
    1. In the menu bar choose Chrome > Preferences....
    2. In de section Default browser, click op Make default.
  4. Now make sure that videos with sound can play correctly:
    1. Type chrome://settings/content/sound in the address bar.
    2. In the section Allow press the Add button.
    3. Type [*.]nl and press Add.

Disable Energy Saving Mode

To make sure that the screen does not turn black after a few minutes, do the following:

  1. Go to Apple Symbol > System Preferences > Energy Saver
  2. Move the Computer sleep slider all the way to the right (Never)
  3. Move the Display Sleep slider all the way to the right (Never)

Automatic User Login

If a password has been set for the user account with which you log on to this computer, then this password should be removed/disabled to prevent a login screen when the computer starts.

On OS X

  1. Go to Apply Symbol > System Preferences > Security & Privacy.
  2. Click on the lock at the bottom of the screen with the text Click the lock to make changes and type the account password.
  3. Select the General tab.
  4. Uncheck the Disable automatic login option.

On MacOS

Follow these instructions by Apple.

Automatically Start Chrome On Startup

To make Google Chrome start automatically when MacOS / OS X starts, do the following:

  1. Download this zip file and unpack it to the Desktop of your computer. Place the files start-chrome-osx.command and playr_loader.html on your Desktop.
  2. To make the start-chrome-osx.command file work for your computer you will need to change one line (around line 21) in the file (you can edit the file by right clicking on the file and choosing the Open with option and then selecting TextEdit or a text editor of your choice)
  3. Change the user-name in the line playr_loader_file="/Users/user-name/playr_loader/playr_loader.html" to the username used on this computer. E.g. if your username is john, the line should read: playr_loader_file="/Users/john/playr_loader/playr_loader.html".
  4. Save the file.
  5. Test if it works by right clicking (or (left-)click while holding the option key) on the start-chrome-osx.command file and selecting Open. If you get a pop-up window with a security warning, click the Open button.
  6. Google Chrome should now open in full screen mode.
  7. Press ⌘ + Q to quit Google Chrome.
  8. Open System Preferences > Users & Groups.
  9. The "Current user" should be the user account with which you are logged in. Click on the Login Items tab.
  10. You now see a list of programs that are automatically started when the user logs in. Click the plus button at the bottom of the list and browse to your desktop to find and add the start-chrome-osx.command file to this list.

Automatic Startup And Shutdown

To turn your Mac on and off automatically do the following:

  1. Go to System Preferences > Energy Saver.
  2. Click the Schedule... button at the bottom of the window.
  3. For automatic startup check the Start up or wake box and select the appropriate day(s) and time.
  4. For automatic shutdown check the box on the second line and select Shutdown from the pull down selector. Select the appropriate day(s) and time.
  5. Click OK.

Testing Full Screen Mode Manually

In any browser, you can switch to full screen mode by simply clicking on the browser window when the Compete Narrowcasting "loading icon" is shown. However, MacOS will automatically snap the browser out of full screen mode when the channel is reloaded or content is updated. To prevent this, you need to start Chrome in "kiosk mode". This is the same command that is used in the start-chrome-osx.command file described above. Here's how to do this:

  1. Make sure Chrome is not running.
  2. Click on the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner (Spotlight), type Terminal and press Enter.
  3. In the window that appears, paste the following text, after you have replaced <YOUR WEB ADDRESS> with the address of the channel you like to play (or http://narrowcasting.compete.nl/play if you want to play as a registered player): 
    open -a "/Applications/Google Chrome.app" --args --disable-translate --kiosk "<YOUR WEB ADDRESS>";

Chrome should now be started in permanent full screen mode. To stop Chrome, press Option + ⌘ + Esc to open the Force Quit dialog. Then select Chrome and quit it.