NovaStar TU20 Pro: splitting 3.9 Mpx across six Gigabit outputs

The NovaStar TU20 Pro is the TU15 Pro's big brother. It keeps the asynchronous, fixed-installation logic but raises loading capacity to 3,900,000 pixels and moves from four to six Gigabit Ethernet outputs. It is the only Taurus player able to drive a wall of nearly four million pixels on its own, without a dedicated controller.

In practice, six outputs allow a more flexible split: six vertical strips on an elongated façade, six zones on a concourse wall, or four active zones plus two backup ports on a critical installation. That flexibility is the real reason to choose a TU20 Pro over a TU15 Pro.

This tutorial covers sizing, the six-port splitting strategy, mechanical and electrical integration, configuration, publishing and monitoring. A discrepancy between two official sources on dimensions and power supply is flagged explicitly below: we do not arbitrate it.

1. Why six outputs change the design

A Gigabit Ethernet port carries roughly 650,000 pixels in 8-bit. With six ports the theoretical headroom reaches 3.9 Mpx, exactly the player's declared capacity: the design is balanced, each port able to run at its nominal maximum.

That symmetry has an important practical consequence: there is no hidden margin. If the project truly uses 3.9 Mpx, every port is fully loaded, and any move to 10-bit or a heavy calibration will exceed the limit. On a project likely to evolve, plan to load only 500,000 pixels per port.

• Six Gigabit Ethernet outputs against four on the TU15 Pro.
• Loading capacity of 3,900,000 pixels, roughly 650,000 per port.
• Split into six zones, or four active plus two backup ports.
• Asynchronous player: no live video input to manage.
• Same software chain as the rest of the series: ViPlex, NovaLCT, cloud.

2. Official specifications and a documented discrepancy

Loading capacity and output count are consistent across every official source consulted. Dimensions and power supply, however, differ between the NovaStar product page and the PDF specifications sheet. We report both values without picking one.

Unresolved discrepancy: the official product page states 445.0 × 383.0 × 49.9 mm at 100–240 V~, while the PDF specifications sheet states 211.7 × 185.0 × 50.6 mm at 12 V DC. Before ordering a mounting plate or sizing a power supply, get the exact part number and revision confirmed in writing by the supplier.

3. Sizing a wall up to 3.9 Mpx

The basic maths does not change: width in pixels × height in pixels, compared to 3,900,000. What changes is the scale of the projects involved. At 3.9 Mpx we are talking about a 6 × 3.4 m indoor wall in P2.5, or a 20 × 10 m façade in P10.

At those sizes two extra checks become mandatory: the per-port load after splitting, and the length of the Cat6 runs. A 20-metre-wide wall often means segments close to the 100-metre limit, with switch or fibre relays depending on topology.

4. Splitting strategies across six ports

Three splits cover most cases. The column split suits wide façades: six vertical strips, one per port, short and symmetrical cabling. The grid split suits nearly square walls: two rows of three zones. Finally the asymmetric split of four active zones plus two backup ports answers availability requirements.

In every case the golden rule is symmetry of cable paths. A port feeding a chain of twelve cabinets while another feeds three creates a load imbalance and complicates diagnosis: the technician can no longer reason by analogy between zones.

Number the zones in reading order — left to right then top to bottom — and match those numbers to the port numbers. It is the most intuitive convention for a technician meeting the installation for the first time.

5. Mechanical and electrical integration

Like the TU15 Pro, the TU20 Pro is meant to be integrated on the back of the structure. The dimensional discrepancy noted above makes physical verification of the footprint essential before ordering a plate or reserving a volume in the chassis.

The same caution applies to power: depending on the source, the unit runs on 12 V DC or 100–240 V AC. Reserve room for both options in the service enclosure until the delivered part number is confirmed, in particular space for a mains brick and its cable gland.

• Physically measure the delivered unit before drilling the mounting plate.
• Reserve enclosure space for both a mains brick and a 12 V feed.
• Allow airflow around the player.
• Leave 20 to 30 cm of slack on the six Cat6 cables to extract the player.
• Bring out a service Ethernet connector reachable without dismantling the screen.

6. Wiring six outputs without mistakes

Six identical cables in an enclosure are a major source of error. The method that works is double labelling: one label at the player end with the port number, one at the cabinet end with the same number and the zone name.

Then connect the ports in order, checking each zone as you go with a numbered test pattern rather than wiring everything and correcting afterwards. Across six ports, progressive verification always saves time.

• Label the six cables at both ends before connecting anything.
• Connect and verify port by port, in order, with a numbered test pattern.
• Respect the 100 m limit per shielded Cat6 segment.
• Separate data and LED power routes.
• Photograph the wired, labelled enclosure for the operating file.

7. Configuring the screen with NovaLCT

Screen configuration follows the standard NovaStar procedure: connect the PC to the player, load the cabinet configuration file supplied by the panel manufacturer, declare the wiring port by port, enter the final resolution then save to the receiving cards' memory.

On a wall this size, the most profitable step is systematically saving the complete configuration file to the site folder, in addition to writing it to the cards. A future intervention on a replaced cabinet is then settled by reloading the file instead of rebuilding the mapping.

• Connect the PC to the player then establish the link in NovaLCT.
• Load the cabinet file and declare the matrix for each of the six ports.
• Enter the exact final wall resolution.
• Save to the receiving cards and export the configuration file.
• Test recovery after a power cut before closing the structure.

8. Publishing and operating a large screen

Publishing goes through ViPlex Express or ViPlex Handy, then the cloud for day-to-day operation. On a wall of several million pixels, encoding becomes decisive: a single file encoded at exactly the wall resolution, in H.265, plays far more smoothly than a montage of elements rescaled on the fly.

Brightness also matters. A large surface consumes a lot and dazzles at night: scheduling brightness steps by time band, or slaving brightness to a sensor, is part of commissioning rather than an optional tweak.

• Encode a single file at the exact wall resolution, in H.265.
• Schedule brightness steps by time band.
• Fit a brightness sensor if the screen faces direct sunlight.
• Provide a fallback playlist and overnight shutdown.

9. Monitoring and preventive maintenance

A screen this size justifies active monitoring. The terminal binds to the cloud with its serial number; offline and temperature alerts must be enabled at commissioning, with a recipient who is genuinely reachable.

Preventive maintenance comes down to three annual actions: reading the year's maximum temperatures, visually inspecting the Cat6 connectors in the enclosure, and a deliberate power-cut recovery test. That last test reveals configurations not saved to the cards before a real outage does.

• Offline and temperature alerts enabled and tested.
• Annual reading of the maximum temperatures reached.
• Annual visual inspection of the six Cat6 connections.
• Annual recovery test with a deliberate power cut.

10. Troubleshooting a six-port installation

Faults almost always split between wiring, mapping and power. The table gives a quick read on the most frequent symptoms.

Commissioning procedure

1. Confirm the delivered part number

   Get the dimensions and power supply of the delivered model confirmed in writing, as official sources diverge on both points.

2. Validate capacity and split

   Compare the wall resolution to 3,900,000 pixels, then choose a six-column split, two rows of three, or four active plus two backup ports.

3. Prepare integration

   Physically measure the player, drill the plate, allow airflow and fit the service Ethernet connector.

4. Label and wire the six outputs

   Label each cable at both ends, then connect and verify port by port with a numbered test pattern.

5. Configure the screen

   Load the cabinet file in NovaLCT, declare the six-port matrix, enter the resolution and save to the cards.

6. Export the configuration

   Export the complete configuration file and archive it in the site folder, in addition to writing it to the cards.

7. Publish and monitor

   Send an H.265 file at wall resolution, schedule brightness steps, bind the terminal to the cloud and enable alerts.

Frequently asked questions

Official documentation

• TU20 Pro Multimedia Player Specifications (official PDF) — Datasheet
• Official Taurus series product page (NovaStar) — Manufacturer page
• NovaLCT / ViPlex — NovaStar downloads — Software

Related tutorials

• NovaStar TU15 Pro tutorial: 2.6 Mpx across 4 outputs
• NovaStar MCTRL4K tutorial: 16 ports and 8.8 Mpx
• NovaLCT tutorial: LED screen configuration
• VNNOX Standard tutorial: cloud publishing

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