Media Player User's Manual

Welcome to the Play Attention Media Player User's Manual!

Hardware and general software usage.

To get started, let's first make sure your equipment is assembled properly. Please carry out the following steps:

1. Be sure the USB adapter is plugged into your computer.
2. Be sure there are fresh AA Batteries in your Interface box. It's best to use brand-new high-end name brands. They cost a little more, but last twice as long.
3. Slide the Interface box into the armband sleeve.
4. Plug the blue cord from the armband sleeve into the Interface box.
5. Put the armband on. It doesn't matter where, (arm, leg, etc.), as long as it is in good contact with bare skin. The armband should be snug enough where it's not going to move around, but no "tight." Ultimately you want it to be snug but comfortable.
6. Turn the Interface box on by pushing the red button on the front. The light will initially flash green, then it will go solid red. If the light is ALREADY red, turn the box off first by holding the red button down until the light disappears. Wait five seconds, and then push the red button again to it back on.

Now that your equipment is assembled and attached, please open the Media Player application. Once open, you'll see the following screen:

The first thing you'll want to do is click the <SCAN> button to locate your device:

You will then be asked to choose which type of connection you wish to use, (this depends on your hardware).

You will then see this screen as Media Player attempts to find your BodyWave armband.

Once located, you'll be able to choose your device.

Click <OK>

Now that the proper device has been selected, you simply need to click the <Connect> button.

Once your device connects, Media Player is now reading your attention in real time, as you can see from the focus bar which will get larger or smaller depending on how well you are paying attention:

More orange equals more focus; less orange equals less focus.

You are now ready to open the media file or DVD you wish to play. For this example, we'll choose a media file already on the computer. As such, you would click the <OPEN FILE> button:

Locate the file on your computer you wish to play, and then simply click <OPEN>:

You'll now see the first frame of the selected media file:

Click the large circular <PLAY> button to start the video:

From then on, whenever you are focusing effectively, the media file plays. If you get distracted, or start daydreaming, the media file stops playing. However, the level of focus or non-focus required to start or stop the media can be adjusted.

Please note the delay box: 

The "specified amount of time" is displayed in seconds. You can set that to be whatever you wish. In the screen shot above, both values are set to 2 seconds. The top box indicates, "How long you must be above Attention needed to start playing (in seconds.)"

The bottom box indicates, "How long you must be below Attention before media pauses (in seconds.)"

Other noteworthy features are the time progression bar, which allows you to see how much of your media file you've watched/listened to, and how much is left: 

You can also pause the media file at any time with the <PAUSE> button: 

Network streaming formats, including: 

*Apply HLS 

*Flash RTMP 

*MPEG-DASH 

*MPEG Transport Stream 

*RTP/RTSP ISMA/3GPP PSS 

*Windows Media MMS

Subtitles, including: 

*Advanced SubStation Alpha 

*Closed Captions 

*DVB 

*DVD-Video 

*MPEG-4 Timed Text 

*MPL2, OGM 

*Substation Alpha 

*SubRip 

*SVCD 

*Teletext 

*Text file 

*VobSub 

*WebVTT 

*17M

Video coding formats, including: 

*Cinepak 

*Dirac 

*DV, H. 263 

*H.264/MPEG-4 AVC 

*H.265/MPEG HEVC, AVI 

*HuffYUV 

*Indeo 3 

*MJPEG 

*MPEG-I 

*MPEG-2 

*MPEG-4 Part 2 

*RealVideo 3&4 

*Sorenson 

*Theora 

*vc-l 

*VP5 

*VP6 

*VP8 

*\/P9 

*DNxHD 

*ProRes 

*WMV

Digital Camcorder formats, including: MOD and TOD via USB.

Part 3: Possible uses for Media Player.

Given the versatility of the compatible formats, there really is no limit to how Media Player can be used. Some suggested uses include:

• Improve listening comprehension
• Improve processing speed
• Ensure maximum attention to video or audio instruction
• Practice mindfulness while listening to your favorite/soothing music
• Maintain maximum attention to an audio recording from work meetings or phone conferences
• Use for transition before or after a session
• Use as a reward for earning Play Attention points
• Supplement your Play Attention training

The possibilities are endless, but one use that is often overlooked is to show a student that they CAN pay attention effectively. Often a new student will struggle with the Play Attention cognitive skill building exercises because the low in stimulation. However, by using the same BodyWave armband, yet with a media file that the student finds high in stimulation, we can show them that effective focus is possible for them. After all, developing cognitive skills is often about training a person to pay attention just as well to the boring stuff in life, as they already can the exciting stuff.

* Please note:

Media Player does not store student data files

Media Player does not report any stats after completing the activity

It is a stand-alone program.  It will open separately from your Play Attention program however; it does require your Play Attention BodyWave system.