Download Player for Windows

The Download Player is used in over 55,000 locations, spanning 157 countries around the world, delivering foreground and background music and digital signage to retail and leisure outlets such as hotels, public spaces, restaurants, bars, shops and stores.

Capable of providing any number of zones from a single PC, the Windows Download Player is a complete audio visual music system.

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Typical Set-up

The software is flexible to be able to provide multiple audio or video zones, or a mix of both, from a single laptop, PC or server to reduce the cost per zone. Below are some popular set-ups:

If you need more zones or a specific build or configuration please contact us.

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Windows Hardware Requirements

The following are the minimum system requirements when using the Audio Download Player in a Windows environment.
If you are wanting video Download Player requirements, please see the video hardware recommendations.

Number of zones 1 or 2 1 to 8 9 or more Mission Critical
Hardware Windows based Desktop PC, Laptop or Netbook Windows based Desktop PC or Laptop Windows based Industrial PC Windows based fault tolerant industrial PC
Operating System Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 *1
CPU 1 GHz.
Intel Celeron
Intel Pentium
or better. *2
Dual Core 1.6 GHz.
Intel Celeron (1-2 zones)
Intel Pentium (3-4 zones)
Intel Core i3 (5-8 zones) *2
Dual Core 1.6 GHz.
Intel Core i5 (9-16 zones)
Intel Core i7 (17-32 zones)
Intel Xeon (33+ zones) *2
Dual core 1.6 GHz.
Intel Core i5 (9-16 zones)
Intel Core i7 (17-32 zones)
Intel Xeon (33+ zones) *2
RAM 4 GB 4 GB 8GB (9-32 zones)
16GB (33+ zones)
8GB (9-32 zones)
16GB (33+ zones)
Hard Drive Minimum of 80GB hard drive; plus 10GB to 20GB (for SD music) or 20GB to 40GB (for HD music)
of free hard drive space for music downloads per zone. *3
Sound Card Direct X compatible analogue or digital sound card per zone. Recommendations

The on-board sound card (headphone socket) is normally OK for short distances (less than 10 meters) between the PC and the audio system input.

For longer distances, or installations within electrically noisy environments, one of the following may be required: 1) unbalanced to balanced converter, 2) external sound card with balanced outputs or 3) Audio over Ethernet sound card.

An external analogue or Audio over Ethernet sound card is required.

Analogue sound cards with unbalanced outputs are normally OK for short distances (less than 10 meters) between the PC and the audio system input.

For longer distances, or installations within electrically noisy environments, one of the following may be required: 1) unbalanced to balanced converter, 2) external sound card with balanced outputs or 3) Audio over Ethernet sound card.

A high quality external analogue sound card with balanced outputs or Audio over Ethernet sound card is a requirement.
Redundancy Not required

Redundant hard drive
(RAID 1/RAID 5)

Redundant PSU

Automated SNMP fault reporting

UPS power supply

1 to 8 Zone Players

Number of zones 1 or 2 1 to 8
Hardware Any Windows based Desktop PC, Laptop or Netbook Any Windows based Desktop PC or Laptop
Operating System Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
CPU 1 GHz.
Intel Celeron
Intel Pentium
or better. *2
Dual Core 1.6 GHz.
Celeron (1-2 zones)
Pentium (3-4 zones)
Core i3 (5-8 zones) *2
RAM 4 GB
Hard Drive Minimum of 80GB hard drive; plus 10GB to 20GB (for SD music) or 20GB to 40GB (for HD music) of free hard drive space for music downloads per zone. *3
Sound Card Direct X compatible analogue or digital sound card per zone.
Sound Card

The on-board sound card (headphone socket) is normally OK for short distances (less than 10 meters) between the PC and the audio system input.

For longer distances, or installations within electrically noisy environments, one of the following may be required: 1) unbalanced to balanced converter, 2) external sound card with balanced outputs or 3) Audio over Ethernet sound card.

An external analogue or Audio over Ethernet sound card is required.

Analogue sound cards with unbalanced outputs are normally OK for short distances (less than 10 meters) between the PC and the audio system input.

For longer distances, or installations within electrically noisy environments, one of the following may be required: 1) unbalanced to balanced converter, 2) external sound card with balanced outputs or 3) Audio over Ethernet sound card.

Redundancy Not required

9+ Zones or Mission Critical

Number of zones 9 or more Mission Critical
Hardware Windows based Industrial PC Windows based fault tolerant industrial PC
Operating System Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
CPU Dual Core 1.6 GHz.
Core i5 (9-16 zones)
Core i7 (17-32 zones)
Xeon (33+ zones) *2
Dual core 1.6 GHz.
Core i5 (9-16 zones)
Core i7 (17-32 zones)
Xeon (33+ zones) *2
RAM 8GB (9-32 zones)
16GB (33+ zones)
Hard Drive Minimum of 80GB hard drive; plus 10GB to 20GB (for SD music) or 20GB to 40GB (for HD music)of free hard drive space for music downloads per zone. *3
Sound Card Direct X compatible analogue or digital sound card per zone.
Sound Card

An external analogue or Audio over Ethernet sound card is required.

Analogue sound cards with unbalanced outputs are normally OK for short distances (less than 10 meters) between the PC and the audio system input.

For longer distances, or installations within electrically noisy environments, one of the following may be required: 1) unbalanced to balanced converter, 2) external sound card with balanced outputs or 3) Audio over Ethernet sound card.

A high quality external analogue sound card with balanced outputs or Audio over Ethernet sound card is a requirement.
Redundancy Not required

Redundant hard drive
(RAID 1/RAID 5)

Redundant PSU

Automated SNMP fault reporting

UPS power supply

If you are considering using a mission critical or Audio over Ethernet solution or have any questions, please contact us.

* 1 We strongly recommend using the latest version of Windows which is still supported by Microsoft; such as Windows 10.

* 2 We recommend using a processor with the equivalent performance of an; Intel Celeron (for up to 2 zones), Intel Pentium (for up to 4 zones), Intel Core i3 (for up to 8 zones), Intel Core i5 (for up to 16 zones), Intel Core i7 (for up to 32 zones), or Xeon (for more than 32 zones). We would advise not to use the Intel Atom processor.

* 3 This space estimation is based on an average audio only music profile using tracks of 4Mb (SD) or 8Mb (HD) in size. Some music packages may vary in size. Video players will reqire more space.

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Recommended Windows Hardware

Using the specifications above, click through to one of our preferred suppliers.

  • Dell
  • Hewlett Packard
  • Lenovo

Video Player Hardware


We can provide the player hardware pre-configured with our software and music so you can plug and play. We offer two industrial grade PCs in 1U rack mount or vesa form factors, should you require more zones please contact us for a quote.

1U Rack Mount Hardware

  • CPU: Intel Quad Core 2.0Ghz
  • Graphics: Intel with Quick Sync Video
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Hard-drive: 320GB SATA
  • Audio Outputs: x2 providing x4 channels on 3.5mm mini jack.
  • Video Outputs: x2 (HDMI & VGA) supporting up to 1920x1080
  • Remote control via website
  • Dimensions (mm): 489 x 285 x 45

Mini Hardware

  • CPU: Intel Braswell N3150
  • Graphics: Intel GEN8
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Audio Output: x1 providing x2 channels on 3.5mm mini jack.
  • Video Output: x1 HDMI supporting up to 1920x1080
  • Remote control via website
  • Dimensions (mm): 118.5 x 110 x 46

Prefer to supply your own hardware for your video player?

If supplying your own hardware please ensure it has at least:

  • CPU: Intel i3 2.0Ghz
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Video Card: A DirectX Compatible Video Card (Recommendations)
  • Sound Card: A DirectX Sound Card (Recommendations)
  • OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
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Recommended Sound Cards

The following sound cards have been successfully tested with the Download Player and are recommended for use.

 

Recommended Multi-zone Analogue Sound Cards

 

Sound Card Audio Outputs PC Interface Specification
StarTech USB Stereo Audio Adapter External Sound Card StarTech USB Stereo Audio Adapter 2 Channels
1x 1/8" / 3.5mm TRS (Unbalanced Stereo Jack)

USB

View Specification
Creative Soundblaster Play USB Sound Card Creative Soundblaster Play! 2 Channels
1x 1/8" / 3.5mm TRS (Unbalanced Stereo Jack)

USB

View Specification
PreSonus Audiobox 22VSL 2 Channel External Sound Card PreSonus Audiobox 22VSL
Discontinued
(Replaced with M-Audio M-Track Eight)
2 Channels
2x 1/4" / 6.3mm TRS (Balanced Mono Jack)
USB View Specification
PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL 4 Channel External USB Sound Card PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL
Discontinued
(Replaced with M-Audio M-Track Eight)
4 Channels
4x 1/4" / 6.3mm TRS (Balanced Mono Jack)

USB

View Specification
PreSonus Audiobox 1818VSL 8 Channel External Sound Card PreSonus Audiobox 1818VSL
Discontinued
(Replaced with M-Audio M-Track Eight)
8 Channels
8x 1/4" / 6.3mm TRS (Balanced Mono Jack)
USB View Specification
M-Audio M-Track Eight M-Audio M-Track Eight 8 Channels
8x 1/4" / 6.3mm TRS (Balanced Mono Jack)

USB

View Specification
ESI UDJ6 Sound Card ESI UD J6 4 Channels
4x RCA / Phono / Cinch (Unbalanced Mono)

USB

View Specification
ESI Gigaport HD+ Sound Card ESI Gigaport HD+ 8 Channels
8x RCA / Phono / Cinch (Unbalanced Mono)

USB

View Specification
RME FIREFACE 800 Sound Card RME FIREFACE 800
Discontinued
(Replaced with RME FIREFACE 802)
8 Channels
8x 1/4" / 6.3mm TRS (Balanced Mono Jack)
1 x FireWire 400
2 x FireWire 800
View Specification
RME FIREFACE 802 Sound Card RME FIREFACE 802 8 Channels
8x 1/4" / 6.3mm TRS (Balanced Mono Jack)
1 x FireWire 400
1 x FireWire 800
1 x USB 2.0
View Specification
Roland OCTA-CAPTURE (UA-1010) Sound Card Roland OCTA-CAPTURE (UA-1010) 8 Channels
8x 1/4" / 6.3mm TRS (Balanced Mono Jack)

USB

View Specification
Sound Card Outs Spec
StarTech USB Stereo Audio Adapter External Sound Card StarTech USB Stereo Audio Adapter 2 View Specification
Creative Soundblaster Play USB Sound Card Creative Soundblaster Play! 2 View Specification
PreSonus Audiobox 22VSL 2 channel external sound card PreSonus Audiobox 22VSL
Discontinued
(Replaced with M-Audio M-Track Eight)
2 View Spec
PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL 4 channel external USB sound card PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL
Discontinued
(Replaced with M-Audio M-Track Eight)
4 View Spec
PreSonus Audiobox 1818VSL 8 Channel External Sound Card PreSonus Audiobox 1818VSL
Discontinued
(Replaced with M-Audio M-Track Eight)
8 View Spec
M-Audio M-Track Eight M-Audio M-Track Eight 8 View Specification
ESI UDJ6 Sound Card ESI UD J6 4 View Specification
ESI Gigaport HD+ Sound Card ESI Gigaport HD+ 8 View Specification
RME FIREFACE 800 Sound Card RME FIREFACE 800
Discontinued
(Replaced with RME FIREFACE 802)
8 View Specification
RME FIREFACE 802 Sound Card RME FIREFACE 802 8 View Spec
Roland OCTA-CAPTURE (UA-1010) Sound Card Roland OCTA-CAPTURE (UA-1010) 8 View Spec

 

Recommended Multi-zone Audio over Ethernet Sound Cards

Recommended Audio over Ethernet protocols are: CobraNet, Dante and Ethersound (AVB under review)

Important Notes:

  • The Download Player currently supports Window Driver Model (WDM) and DirectX Windows audio interface drivers.
  • ASIO drivers are NOT supported.
  • Dante Virtual Soundcard Release 3.7 supports up to 16 channels via WDM.
  • The Dante PCIe-R does not support Windows audio interfaces (such as WDM/MME and DirectX) and cannot be used with common media players available for Windows, including the Download Player.
  • Redundant ring network topology is highly recommended for Ethersound deployments (NOT star network topology).

Sound Card Outputs Interface Specification
AudioScience ASI5308 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5308 8

CobraNet

PCIe

View Specification
AudioScience ASI5408 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5408 8

CobraNet

PCI

View Specification
AudioScience ASI5316 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5316 16

CobraNet

PCIe

View Specification
AudioScience ASI5416 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5416 16

CobraNet

PCI

View Specification
Dante Virtual Sound Card Dante Virtual Sound Card 16

Dante

View Specification
Sound Card Outs Spec
AudioScience ASI5308 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5308 8 View Spec
AudioScience ASI5408 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5408 8 View Spec
AudioScience ASI5316 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5316 16 View Spec
AudioScience ASI5416 Sound Card AudioScience ASI5416 16 View Spec

The ASI5308 and ASI5316 cards above have CobraNet/PCIe interfaces and the ASI5408 and ASI5416 have CobraNet/PCI interfaces.

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Recommended Video Cards

Video cards are only required where you plan to output video from your Download Player and not if your system is audio only.

We recommend one of the following video card suppliers:

  • NVidia GeForce
  • AMD Radeon

The following graphics card is fully compatible with the Windows Download Player and recommended for use:

Video/Graphics Card Outputs Interface Specification
NVidia GeForce GT 610 graphics card NVidia GeForce GT 610 Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI, VGA PCI Express 2.0 View Specification
Video/ Graphics Card Outputs Spec
NVidia GeForce GT 610 graphics card NVidia GeForce GT 610 Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI, VGA View Spec
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Download Player Help

If you are wanting to explore, get help with or learn more about your Download Player take a look at our online guides, which explain all you need to know about your player.

 

If you can't find the answers to what you are looking for, please call or email us using our support details or contact us online.