Building your first playlist
An introduction to setting up and using HoloQ Player / Author.
Documents
Manuals, specs & integration guides
Everything needed to set up, author for, and integrate with HoloQ Player — from a five-minute first-boot to the full serial protocol reference.
Video tutorials
More added regularlyWiring up jump triggers and talk back
Connecting a controller, interactive jumps, and status reporting.
Controlling playback
Pause, resume, speed control, and reverse playback in action.
Guides
For setup, everyday use & playlist authoringHoloQ Player — User Manual
Connecting the board, setting up a USB drive, and a simple first playlist — the fastest path to your first working display.
HoloQ Author — User Manual
Installing the authoring tool, building a playlist on the canvas, configuring items, and validating before you save.
Technical references
For integrators & controller developersOptional: start-signature handshake. HoloQ Player now supports an opt-in handshake for controller-driven deployments that want extra protection against spurious commands during power-up — off by default, so auto-play/no-controller setups are unaffected. Covered in the Serial Protocol Guide (§3.1) and Configuration Specification below.
Playlist Specification
The full playlist.hlq JSON format — item fields, ID resolution, validation rules, and a complete worked example.
Configuration Specification
Every config.json field — serial link, buffering, audio routing, storage, and the command-code byte map.
Serial Protocol Integration Guide
Build the controller side from this document alone — every byte the Player sends and listens for, with timing guarantees and worked examples.
Supported media formats
HoloQ Author doesn't transcode media — prepare source files in one of these formats before adding them to a playlist.
Video
| Codec | Profile | Hardware performance |
|---|---|---|
| H.265 / HEVC | Main10 | Hardware decode up to 4K@60fps, or 6K@30fps |
| VP9 | Profile 2 | Hardware decode up to 4K@60fps |
| H.264 / AVC | Baseline, Main, High | Hardware decode up to 4K@30fps |
| AVS2 | JiZhun, 10-bit | Hardware decode up to 4K@60fps |
| VP8 / MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 / H.263 / WMV9-VC-1 | — | Playback supported at 1080p, 60fps |
Images
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| JPEG / HD JPEG | Recommended for photographic content |
| PNG | Recommended for transparency or sharp graphic edges |
| BMP | Supported; uncompressed, larger file sizes |
| GIF | Supported as a static image only |
| TIF | Supported |
Need the installer to go with these?
Grab HoloQ Author for your tier and platform on the Downloads page.