Ribalta Overview

The Ribalta desktop app was designed with the main intention of running events that utilize a Media Wall Display. Even though you can also use the Ribalta desktop app to setup and run events that don't use media wall displays, Most people find it easier to do that from the Ribalta Mobile app.

With the Ribalta Desktop app, you can design and customize your event. You can drag and drop in custom Billboard images, background images and even change the highlight colors. You can completely customize your the look of your event Media Wall allowing it to match perfectly with your event.

It is essential to understand the work flow of the Ribalta desktop app so that you can set up Ribalta to best fit your needs. Ribalta is made up of two apps: the main Ribalta app and the display app. The main app contains all the controls that you use to set up and manipulate Ribalta. It is designed to stay on your main computer display so that you can see and control Ribalta. In the main app, you can create and edit multiple different event profiles to match the specific events that you use Ribalta at. You can also set view modes, filter messages, start and stop events, and more. During your event, you would also use the main app to approve messages for viewing in both the event gallery and the display app media wall. You can see an example of the display app Media wall in action in the video below.

See the Ribalta display in action...

The display app outputs your events Media Wall, so that your audience can see and interact. The display app is designed to be displayed on your computer's second screen, other wise known as your extended desktop. In this case your second screen is the TV or projector that is connected to your computer. By design, this TV or projector should be set up facing your audience. During your event the display app will show approved pictures and messages to the screen as well as any advertisements or custom images that you have added for viewing at your event. The display app also shows a QR code with instructions for your audience to post pictures and messages to the screen.

The Getting Started documentation will help you learn enough to get going using Ribalta, and the video above gives a short tutorial. This help documentation provides detailed instructions on how to operate every component in Ribalta. But before you get started, it is important for you to know what a event profile is.

A Ribalta event profile is a visual scheme that can be personalized for each individual event. The event profile contains the name of the event, settings for the event, and pre-loaded media content that will be shown during the event. You can add pictures/video content to each event profile. It can be entertainment, advertisements or informational content. This content will be displayed periodically throughout an event. You can make as many different event profile as you want. You can duplicate, edit and delete event profile as well as refine and customize them as you desire.

A Ribalta event is a period of time when Ribalta is actively displaying pictures at your event. It is the period of time when you your guest can interact with Ribalta, by taking and sending pictures that will appear in your Gallery & Media Wall. When you arrive at your venue, you will select an event profile and click Play to start your event. When your event is over, you will click Stop to end the event. Ribalta automatically logs all events in your event history, with the date and start time. Ribalta automatically saves all the pictures that you received during that event into the Ribalta gallery. The Gallery is viewable during and after the event. The gallery can also be shared by anyone who has the event specific QR code or event link. This is useful especially in the case of a private event such as a wedding. While the bride and groom wait weeks for professional pictures, you can deliver them instant gratification from their special day. It also gives them the ability to share pictures with all their family and friends, including the people who couldn't attend.

There are endless ways to use and set up Ribalta to fit your needs. Bars, clubs and club DJs can use Ribalta as a fun tool to entertain their patrons and promote their sponsors or drink specials, while mobile DJs can use it as another tool to up-sell at their events. Ribalta is the perfect Live Sharing, Media Wall & Photobooth: All In One App providing your audience with fun as they take pictures and see themselves on the displays as well as in the shared gallery at your event.

Let's get started.

Mac OS users will see the following message box appear when launching the Ribalta Display for the first time.

This is because Ribalta needs screen information to detect motion on the screen. We do not store any information from your screen in Ribalta or on our servers. In order to use detection mode in Ribalta, you will need to grant access. To do this, click on the Open System Preferences button. You will see a second pop-up asking you to allow this setting. Click allow. Ribalta should work correctly now.

You can also select this setting by going to Privacy & Security and scrolling to screen & system audio recording in the your Mac OS System Preferences as shown below.

Find the RibaltaDisplay app in the list and make sure you enable it. Once you do that, you will get a prompt to quit Ribalta. Click Quit Now if you are ready to quit out of Ribalta. Ribalta needs to restart in order for the permission to take effect.

That's it! Now you can use detection mode with no issues.

To better understand why macOS is asking for permission to “record your screen”...

In order for any software to function, it has to temporarily store data into memory. So if an app wants to view the screen of your computer, the app also has to temporarily store this data into memory. macOS considers the storing of any data from your screen as “recording the screen”, even if the software is only temporarily storing this data to perform a function, then clearing the data. That is exactly what is happening with Ribalta Video Detection. Ribalta views the screen to determine if a video is playing or not, then it clears the data. Ribalta does NOT save or store any data, pictures or video from your screen locally on your hard drive or on our Ribalta servers.

To reset your password, simple go to My Account and hit Forgot password link. Follow the instructions to reset your password.

Ribalta runs on both macOS and Windows. Choose the platform you want. Use the DJ software you want, or no DJ software at all. Ribalta will integrate seamlessly into YOUR existing setup.

Minimum Requirements: Windows 10 or macOS Mojave (Intel & Silicon); Internet connection; Connection to second display for output

Recommended Hardware: Intel i5/i7, 8GB RAM, 5GB free disk space, and Intel HD 4000 or better GPU

Getting Started

We recommend first trying Ribalta in a setting that is not a live event so you get to know exactly how all the features work. Ribalta uses two displays: your primary computer display and a secondary screen, which will display the content that your audience sees. Although your second display is not required to launch or set up Ribalta, we recommend having a second display connected in order to test and fully understand how Ribalta works.

Step 1: Connect the second screen

For best testing practice, connect your second monitor or TV to your display output on your computer. This connection is normally HDMI, VGA, DVI, Display Port, Mini HDMI, Micro HDMI or Mini Display Port. Check your computer and display manuals or contact the manufacturer to find out whether the devices are compatible and what cables you will need to connect your devices. If you do not have your second display screen at this time, you can still continue to the next step.

For best results, we recommend running your display at 1080p resolution (1920x1080). The Ribalta display is designed specifically for 1080p. However, Ribalta will continue to run at lower and higher resolutions. Ribalta will always display the media wall at a 16:9 aspect ratio screens.

Step 2: Log into Ribalta

Launch Ribalta. You will be prompted to log into your account. Use the same username and password that you setup when you signed up for Ribalta. After downloading your account data, you will be directed to the main Ribalta application.

Step 3: Event Profile

The first screen you see after all your account data is downloaded is your Event Profile page. You will be instructed to create a new Event Profile. All Event Profiles have a QR code that is unique to that Event Profile. To get started, select the Ribalta Event Profile you created and hit start.

Please note that you can create, duplicate, edit and delete Event Profile as you need. By creating additional Event Profiles, you can customize Ribalta for each event. Each Event Profile that you create will have its own unique QR code. See the operating instructions later for more on how to setup, use and customize Ribalta.

What is an Event Profile?

A Event Profile is a visual scheme that can be personalized for each individual event. The Event Profile contains the name of the event, settings on texting and email, and pre-loaded media content that will be shown during the event. You can add pictures/video content to each Event Profile. It can be entertainment, advertisements or informational content. This content will be displayed periodically throughout an event. You can make as many different Event Profiles as you want. You can duplicate, edit and delete Event Profiles as well to refine and customize them as you desire.

Setting up a Event Profile

Click the + button above the Event Profile selector section to create a new Event Profile. You can enter a name when creating the Event Profile. Double click on the Event Profile name to rename it. Click the duplicate button to duplicate a Event Profile. To delete a Event Profile, highlight and then click the trash button.

Updating media content (Pro plan or higher)

To add media content to a Event Profile, drag and drop the desired pictures and advertisements directly from your computer's hard drive to the Event Media Items list or to the Event preview screen.

The files you dragged will load directly to the selected Event Profile. Drag the image title up or down in the Event media items list to change the order in which they will display. Items closest to the top will display first. After all items have been shown, Ribalta will restart the rotation with the topmost item. The recommended media size to use for full screen billboards is 1920 by 1080px resolution, but any 16:9 aspect ratio will fill the screen. The recommended media size for overlay banners is 1850 by 100px (the overlay size banner is only necessary if you are using Detection Mode or Banner Mode). Ribalta is smart enough to determine which images are full screen billboards (full Screen size) and which images are the overlay banners. There is no need to specify a banner differently from a billboard. There is also no need to organize them in a different location inside Ribalta. Simply load all your media into the desired Event Profile, and let Ribalta sort it out for you. You can also drag existing media that does not match the recommended size guidelines; Ribalta will do its best to fit these items on the display correctly.

To delete a media item, select the item and click on the trash can icon.

All new Event Profiles are created with default Ribalta images. These are placeholder images. You can remove the default Event media items: click on each item and press the trash icon to remove it. We recommend replacing the defaults with at least two full-screen banners; the Ribalta display is optimized with this in mind. If you are running Detection Mode or Banner Mode, we also recommend that you add two overlay banners. For more information on the display, see the Display section.

Highlight a media item to see a preview of that item above the Event Profile items list. If the item is a video, it will play the video and display a volume slider. Use this slider to adjust the volume level that will be used when this video is played. Slide it all the way to the left to mute the video. If your media item becomes corrupted, you can re-download it from your account. Click the refresh icon above the preview to re-download the media item.

You can also view the media items exactly as they will appear at an event by launching the Ribalta display. You do not need to be in an event to run the display; simply click on the TV monitor icon on the upper right corner of Ribalta to launch the display. While Ribalta is not in an event, the display app will rotate through your Event Profile items in the order you specified.

Note that you can only see the rotation by double clicking the display to make it Full Screen or by putting Ribalta into Full Screen mode

By default, Event media images will show for 8 seconds in full screen mode and 5 seconds in banner mode. If you would like an item to display longer, drag it into the Event Profile more than once back to back. Ribalta will double the amount of time spent on that item. See the Display section for more information.

Customizing the display (Pro plan or higher)

You can change the background and color scheme, as well as add transparency to the text boxes. These options allow you to customize Ribalta with a background picture of your bride and groom, your logo, or any other image. Match the color scheme of the wedding or holidays such as St Patrick's Day or Halloween

• Theme Type: Select either a Dark or Light theme. The Dark theme will display messages in black boxes where the Light will show them in white boxes. The Light theme is useful for outdoor or other bright settings.
• Highlight: Click on the colored box to select a highlight color. This will change and save the displayed highlight color of the select Event Profile. You pick a different color for each one of your events.
• Transparency: Move the slider to select the amount of transparency for the overlay media boxes in the display.
• Background Image: Click the + button or drag an image from your desktop in Ribalta to add a background image to your display. You can also drag an image from the ribalta or gallery. You want to drag and drop the image to the rectangular area thats labeled Background. Click on the trash icon to remove the background image.

  Note: The background image will only show when the Ribalta display is in fullscreen mode. There is no background image in banner mode.

What is a Ribalta event?

A Ribalta event is a period of time when Ribalta is actively searching for new images from the Internet and showing them in the display. When you first launch Ribalta, there is no event in progress. When you arrive at your venue, select a Event Profile and then click PLAY to start your event. Pressing play does a few things.

• Event information is shown on the Ribalta app, including the name of the event, the QR Code, and how long the event has been running. The name of the event will be the name of the Event Profile you selected before pressing play.
• The Ribalta display app will launch. As long as you have a working Internet connection, Ribalta will give the audience instructions to scan the QR code to send pictures or celebration messages to the screen. Ribalta will also display approved pictures and messages on screen.
• Ribalta will search for new pictures to post on screen.
• The message feed and control window will begin to show pending messages. As messages come in, they will appear in both locations.
• Event Profile selection will be disabled. You cannot select a different Event Profile while an event is in progress. You can, however, add or remove media items in your selected Event Profile.

When your event is over, click STOP to end the event. Ribalta automatically lists every event with the date and start time on the event history page. The Ribalta display will stop showing pictures and messages. If the Ribalta display app is open, it will only show a rotation of the media items of the selected Event Profile. However your audience will continue to have access to the Gallery via the Ribalta web app, by using the same event QR code. You can goto the Event History page and delete any individual pictures or entire events that you do not wish to keep active for your audience to see. See the Display section for more information on how Ribalta displays messages.

Starting and stopping an event

To start an event, select the desired Event Profile and press the green play button at the top of Ribalta.

Once the event has begun, use your mobile device to Scan the QR code thats in your Event Profile. This will allow you to view your event as a guest. From there you can test the event & share the event link. Remember delete any test galleries that you make, so that they are not viewable to the guest when you start the real event.

Note that you must have a working internet connection to begin an event. If you have not already launched the display, it will automatically launch when you press play. Drag the display to your second screen and double click it to make it full screen for your audience to view. Ribalta will remember the last position of your display screen when you quit the display app. So the next time you launch the display it will auto launch on the second screen in full screen. The only time this will not happen is if you have changed your screen configuration. In that case, Ribalta will detect this and launch on the first screen.

At the top of Ribalta you will see the selected Event Profile displayed. You will also see a time count to the right of the play and stop buttons. The counting clock displays how long you have been in your event.

There is no pause button to pause an event. However, if you need to pause showing Ribalta content, you can close the display, then later relaunch it. Click on the TV monitor icon in the upper right corner of Ribalta to toggle the display off. Ribalta will continue running the event, but the output will not be shown to the audience. Click the TV monitor icon again to launch the display when you want to resume the Ribalta event output. The TV monitor icon will be green if the display is running and red if it is closed.

Note that if you stop an event, Ribalta will no longer show the messages and pictures from that event. You should not end an event until you are sure that you no longer want to show the media from that event. You can also close Ribalta without ending your event (for example, if you need to reboot). When you close Ribalta, it will prompt you on whether to end the ongoing event. Press No to keep your Ribalta event open. Ribalta will keep your event running for up to two hours while the app is closed.

To end an event, press the red stop button at the top of Ribalta. Note that the display app will continue displaying your pre-loaded Event Profile items after your event has ended, but it will stop displaying messages and pictures. Remember that you can still view all pictures in the Gallery on the Phone Web app. Use the same event QR code to open the phone app & navigate to Gallery. To close the display, either press the TV monitor icon on the upper right corner of Ribalta, or close the main Ribalta app.

View all past events

Click on the Media Feed icon in the toolbar, then click History to view the History. Use the pull down menu to select the past event that you want to view. On this page, you can view past events, summary stats on the event, along with pictures from the event. You can export individual pictures from events. You can do this from the Desktop app, from the mobile app or from the Ribalta webapp that your guest use to participate in your event. Anyone with the event link or QR code can share and download the event photos.

Deleting an event

You can delete any event from the History list. Highlight the event you want to delete. Click on the (i) icon and then click delete.

Note: This cannot be undone, so proceed with caution