NovaLCT: configuring an LED screen from connection to saving

NovaLCT is the essential configuration software of the NovaStar ecosystem. It declares the screen geometry, the cabinet type and the wiring direction to the controller, then writes those parameters into the receiving cards' memory. Without it an LED wall remains a collection of unrelated panels.

It comes in two distinct editions, the first source of confusion for new users: one for synchronous control systems — sending-card architectures such as the MCTRL660 PRO or MCTRL4K — and one for Taurus series multimedia players. Manuals and downloads are separate.

This tutorial follows the synchronous edition: installation, connection, login, input source, lighting the screen, loading a configuration file and saving. We also state what the documentation consulted does not detail, to avoid approximate claims.

1. Two editions, two uses

The Synchronous Control System edition targets sending-card or independent-controller architectures: the video source is external and the controller distributes in real time. This is the edition used on MCTRL, VX and rental systems.

The Multimedia Player edition targets Taurus players, which store and play their own content. On those machines NovaLCT remains useful for low-level receiving card parameters, while content publishing goes through ViPlex.

Downloading the wrong edition is the most frequent mistake: the software installs but does not recognise the connected hardware. Check the exact title before installing.

2. Which version to install

Download mirrors do not always agree on the latest version: some list V5.9.1 as the most recent, while documents hosted on NovaStar's official domain — user manual and release notes — carry V5.9.2. We report that ambiguity without resolving it.

The practical rule is simple: download from the official NovaStar page rather than a reseller, and check the version shown in the software after installation. The V5.9.2 release notes mention in-app access to the user manual, loading NCP files from the cloud, support for new devices and chips, and calibration-related improvements.

• Download only from the official NovaStar page.
• Check the version in the application after installation.
• V5.9.2: in-app manual access, NCP loading from the cloud.
• V5.9.2: new devices and chips supported, calibration improvements.

3. Prerequisites and workstation preparation

NovaLCT is a Windows tool. The documentation consulted does not detail minimum operating system or hardware requirements: we do not invent them. In practice a recent Windows office machine is more than enough, as the computing load is light.

Preparation matters more than machine power. Before the job, gather the cabinet configuration file supplied by the panel manufacturer, the approved wiring diagram, the target wall resolution and the credentials for the software's advanced functions.

• Windows workstation dedicated to operations, without security software blocking USB ports.
• Cabinet configuration file supplied by the manufacturer.
• Approved wiring diagram, port by port.
• Target wall resolution, width and height in pixels.
• USB cable and service Ethernet cable.

4. Connecting the PC to the sending card

The manual's first step is the physical connection of the PC to the sending card, then establishing the logical link inside NovaLCT. That two-stage sequence explains most start-up failures: the cable is plugged in but the link was never established in software, or was established before plugging in.

Once the controller is recognised, NovaLCT shows its model and status. That is the check to validate before going further: trying to configure a screen while the controller is not properly identified leads to settings written nowhere.

• Physically connect the PC to the sending card or controller.
• Establish the link in NovaLCT after plugging in, not before.
• Confirm the controller model displays correctly.
• Log in with the credentials required for advanced functions.

If the controller does not appear, unplug and replug the USB cable while NovaLCT is open, then rerun detection. It is quicker than rebooting the workstation and resolves most cases.

5. Setting the input source

The manual places setting the input source as the first step of screen configuration. That is logical: the incoming signal's resolution and frame rate govern everything that follows, in particular usable surface and per-port load.

Depending on the controller, the list of available inputs varies — SDI, HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort. The setting must match the signal actually present: a source declared as 1920 × 1200 while it outputs 1920 × 1080 produces a black band or unexpected cropping.

• Select the input physically used on the controller.
• Verify the resolution and frame rate actually received.
• Fix the source output rather than compensating in the controller.
• Record the chosen format in the installation file.

6. Lighting the screen

The manual's second step is titled Light a Screen. It means making the panels functional by sending them the basic parameters needed to display, before any geometry work.

At this stage the goal is not perfect rendering but a coherent image on each cabinet. A panel that stays black or shows noise indicates a receiving card parameter or wiring problem, to be resolved before building the full mapping.

• Send the basic parameters to make the panels functional.
• Check cabinet by cabinet that an image appears.
• Deal immediately with any black or noisy panel before mapping.
• Do not chase image quality at this stage.

7. Loading a configuration file

The manual offers two routes: load an existing configuration file, or configure the screen manually. The former is far preferable whenever the panel manufacturer supplies a file, because it brings the exact receiving card parameters and avoids approximate settings.

Always request that file from the supplier before the job. On a project delivered without a file, allow extra time and get the cabinet parameters confirmed in writing, otherwise manual configuration rests on successive trial and error.

• Request the configuration file from the panel manufacturer before the job.
• Load the file rather than configuring manually when one exists.
• Archive the file in the site folder, never only on the technician's laptop.
• V5.9.2 allows loading NCP files from the cloud.

A configuration file archived with the site folder saves half a day on every cabinet replacement. It is the most profitable deliverable of a commissioning job.

8. What the documentation consulted does not detail

The V5.9.2 manual's table of contents clearly sets out the first two steps of manual configuration — setting the input source, then lighting the screen. The subsequent steps of the full sequence are not reproduced here, having not been verified word for word in the body of the manual.

We prefer to flag that limit rather than paraphrase a procedure from memory. For the rest — detailed receiving card parameters, cabinet mapping, brightness and gamma settings, writing to the receiving cards — refer directly to the official manual, linked at the bottom of this page.

Manual configuration steps beyond lighting the screen are not detailed in this tutorial: they were not verified line by line in the V5.9.2 manual. Consult the official manual for the exact sequence and its numbering.

9. Saving to the receiving cards

This is the step people forget, and the most expensive one. Until the configuration is written to the receiving cards' memory it disappears at the first power cut: the wall restarts scrambled and the operator calls in a panic.

The check is simple and must be systematic: after saving, deliberately cut the screen's power, restore it and confirm the wall returns correctly with no software intervention. That thirty-second test validates the whole job.

• Write the configuration to the receiving cards' memory.
• Deliberately cut power then check the restart.
• Repeat the test after any later mapping change.
• Record the date and configuration version in the site file.

10. Additional functions and monitoring

Beyond screen configuration, NovaLCT covers brightness and colour adjustment, firmware updates and hardware monitoring. Those functions make it the reference tool for fleet maintenance, not only for commissioning.

Across a fleet of several screens, disciplined use of NovaLCT means documenting every intervention: software version used, configuration file applied, brightness settings chosen. Without that traceability, fleet maintenance becomes a series of investigations.

• Wall brightness and colour adjustment.
• Card firmware updates.
• Hardware status monitoring.
• Document every intervention: version, file, settings applied.

Configuration procedure

1. Choose the right edition

   Download the Synchronous Control System edition for sending-card architectures, or Multimedia Player for Taurus players.

2. Install and check the version

   Install from the official NovaStar page, then check the version shown in the application, as mirrors diverge between V5.9.1 and V5.9.2.

3. Connect the PC to the controller

   Physically connect the PC to the sending card, then establish the link in NovaLCT and confirm the controller model displays.

4. Set the input source

   Select the input actually used and confirm the declared resolution and frame rate match the signal received.

5. Light the screen

   Send the basic parameters to the panels and check cabinet by cabinet that an image appears.

6. Load the configuration file

   Apply the file supplied by the panel manufacturer rather than configuring manually.

7. Save and test

   Write the configuration to the receiving cards, deliberately cut power and confirm a correct restart.

Frequently asked questions

Official documentation

• NovaLCT for Synchronous Control System User Manual V5.9.2 (official PDF) — User manual
• NovaLCT — official NovaStar download page — Software

Related tutorials

• NovaStar MCTRL660 PRO tutorial: 6-port controller
• NovaStar MCTRL4K tutorial: 16 ports and 8.8 Mpx
• VNNOX Standard tutorial: cloud publishing
• NovaStar TB30 tutorial: asynchronous player

A screen configuration to redo?

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