NovaStar VMP: controlling the COEX series beyond NovaLCT

VMP, short for Vision Management Platform, is the manufacturer software bundled with NovaStar's new generation of COEX all-in-one controllers, including the MX40 Pro. It carries over the historic NovaLCT functions — cabinet configuration loading, seam correction, color processing — but organizes them around a project logic and a visual topology that did not exist in the older software. This tutorial targets integrators migrating a COEX fleet away from a legacy NovaLCT workflow who want to know exactly what changes.

Unlike NovaLCT, VMP runs natively on both Windows and macOS, which simplifies life for crews carrying Apple laptops on rental tours. It also introduces the concept of a project: a single file grouping several screens, several screen groups and their settings, exportable and re-importable across machines — an organization NovaLCT never had, where each controller was configured independently with no global save structure.

We follow the logical order of a full commissioning job here: installation, adding devices, creating the project, screen topology, input sources, display correction, color processing, screen and output settings, then load verification and monitoring. Every menu and feature reference comes from the official VMP user manual, versions V1.2.0 and V1.4.0.

1. VMP versus NovaLCT: what actually changes

NovaLCT remains the reference software for classic MCTRL-series controllers and generic receiving cards. VMP, by contrast, is reserved for the COEX series: MX40 Pro, CX40 Pro, MX30 and related models. It does not replace NovaLCT on older fleets, but it becomes mandatory as soon as a COEX controller is involved.

The most visible difference lies in how work is organized: NovaLCT presents a flat set of functions, while VMP structures everything around a project containing screens and screen groups, with a graphical drag-and-drop topology view. A technician used to NovaLCT has to relearn where the same settings now live, spread across Device Management, Screen Configuration, Display Correction, Color Processing and Screen Settings.

• Exportable/importable project concept, absent from NovaLCT.
• Native macOS client, in addition to Windows.
• Screen topology shown as a graphical layout rather than a mapping table.
• Reusable configuration presets across sites.

If your fleet mixes classic MCTRL units with COEX controllers, keep both software packages installed: VMP does not drive older non-COEX receiving cards.

2. Installing on Windows and macOS

VMP is downloaded from the official NovaStar download center. Windows and macOS packages are separate; on macOS the installer asks for network and USB device access on first launch, a step with no equivalent under the historically Windows-only NovaLCT.

After installation, VMP automatically scans the local network for connected COEX controllers. Make sure the controller's control port and the admin machine sit on the same subnet before running discovery, otherwise no device shows up in the list.

• Download the package matching the OS from the NovaStar download center.
• Grant network access on first launch on macOS.
• Check that the controller and the machine share the same subnet.

3. Adding online and offline devices

VMP distinguishes physically connected devices, detected over Ethernet cable or the local network, from offline devices, added manually to prepare a project before the hardware arrives on site. This offline-adding capability is particularly useful in event rental, where the project is built at the office before deployment in the control room.

A device added offline keeps its planned model and settings; once it is physically wired and detected, VMP offers to match the offline entry to the real hardware, avoiding a full re-entry of the configuration.

• Online connection via direct Ethernet cable or the local network.
• Offline addition to prepare a project before the hardware is received.
• Automatic matching proposed between an offline entry and a detected device.

4. Managing the project list

The project list is VMP's central organization: each project can hold several screen groups, themselves made up of several individual screens. This tree structure lets you apply a unified setting — brightness, input source — to a whole group in a single action, whereas NovaLCT required repeating the setting controller by controller.

Exporting and importing a project as a file lets you duplicate a validated configuration from one site to another equipped with the same controller model and screen, or keep a backup before a risky field intervention.

• Create a project, then a screen group, then a screen, in that order.
• Add controllers via IP search directly inside the tree.
• Apply a unified setting to an entire screen group in one operation.
• Export the project file for backup or duplication on another site.

Always export the project right before a controller firmware update: if something goes wrong afterwards, re-importing restores the configuration within minutes.

5. Screen topology and cabinet setup

Topology configuration happens in three stages: set the canvas size, configure the screen topology through visual drag-and-drop of the cabinets, then set up the cabinets themselves. This graphical approach replaces the coordinate-table entry used by NovaLCT and greatly reduces the risk of a swapped row or column on a wall made of several hundred cabinets.

The MX40 Pro's optical ports can be configured in 20-port or 40-port mode directly within this same section: this choice determines how many equivalent Ethernet outputs sit behind each 10G optical link, a COEX-specific setting that does not exist on classic controllers driven by NovaLCT.

• Set the canvas size before laying out any cabinets.
• Drag and drop cabinets in the graphical topology view.
• Choose the optical port output mode: 20-port or 40-port.

A wrongly sized canvas set before laying out cabinets forces you to redo the entire topology: confirm the final wall resolution with the panel manufacturer before starting this step.

6. Input sources, layers and redundancy

VMP configures external sources (HDMI, DP, SDI depending on the controller), their resolution and refresh rate, as well as internal sources specific to all-in-one mode. In all-in-one mode, several layers can be stacked on the screen, each tied to a different source, with a scaling mode configurable up to full screen fill.

Output Ethernet port redundancy protects the wall against a dropped link: if one port fails, the second automatically takes over playback. This is set in the same screen configuration section as the topology, which makes it easy to verify after any wiring change.

• Declare each external source with its resolution and refresh rate.
• Stack layers in all-in-one mode, each tied to a distinct source.
• Enable output Ethernet port redundancy to secure playback.

Test the redundancy failover cold, before the event: deliberately unplug the primary port and check the recovery time on the secondary port.

7. Seam correction and multi-batch correction

Seam correction compensates for brightness or hue differences visible between adjacent cabinets, especially after a partial wall replacement or uneven LED aging. VMP also lets you erase an existing seam correction if the hardware has been factory recalibrated or fully replaced.

Multi-batch correction goes further: it addresses differences between cabinets or modules coming from different manufacturing batches, a common case when a wall is extended months after the initial install with panels from a later production run. This function was already present in NovaLCT but is now integrated into the same visual workflow as the topology.

• Apply seam correction to the joining areas between cabinets.
• Erase an existing correction after recalibration or a hardware swap.
• Run multi-batch correction to harmonize different manufacturing batches.

8. Advanced color processing

The color processing module bundles color replacement, 14-channel correction, color curves, 3D LUT and Dynamic Booster. Color replacement swaps a displayed hue for another without touching the source content, useful for fixing a localized color drift with no graphic resource. 14-channel correction refines several color ranges independently, more precise than a simple global RGB adjustment.

Importing 3D LUT files, at an accuracy of 33x33x33 or 65x65x65 depending on the controller, lets you apply a full color calibration prepared beforehand by a specialist provider, a feature NovaLCT never offered at this granularity. Dynamic Booster adjusts saturated color rendering in real time based on the content shown.

• Color replacement to fix a hue without touching the content.
• 14-channel correction for fine adjustment per color range.
• Import 3D LUT files at 33x33x33 or 65x65x65 for full calibration.
• Enable Dynamic Booster for real-time saturation handling.

Keep the validated 3D LUT file inside the VMP project folder: it must be re-imported after any controller swap to recover the reference color rendering.

9. Screen settings and output parameters

Screen settings cover brightness, LED Image Booster, calibration effect, thermal compensation and EOTF adjustment. Thermal compensation corrects the brightness drift caused by LED heating during prolonged operation, a sensitive point on outdoor installations exposed to direct sunlight.

Output parameters bundle bit depth, low latency mode, sync parameters, frame multiplication, shutter fit and the 3D function. Low latency mode is particularly sought after on sports broadcast or live capture installations, where every millisecond of delay matters.

Low latency mode can disable some advanced image processing functions: check the color rendering after enabling it, especially if a 3D LUT calibration is in place.

10. Load verification, monitoring and presets

Before closing out a commissioning job, load verification confirms that the pixel count declared per Ethernet port and per optical link stays within the controller's limits. Screen monitoring then displays receiving card status, temperature and supply voltage continuously, letting you spot drift before it becomes visible on the image.

Presets let you save a bundle of settings — color processing, screen settings, output parameters — for instant recall on another controller of the same model, a feature built for rental fleets where the same profile must be replicated across dozens of identical units.

• Check the load per port before considering the commissioning job done.
• Enable continuous monitoring of temperature and supply voltage.
• Save a preset as soon as a color setting is validated on site.
• Recall the preset on identical controllers across the fleet.

Commissioning procedure

1. Install VMP

   Download the Windows or macOS package from the NovaStar download center and grant network access on first launch.

2. Add the COEX controllers

   Detect online devices over the local network or add offline devices to prepare the project before the hardware is received.

3. Create the project and topology

   Build the project, the screen group and the screen, set the canvas size, then lay out cabinets by drag-and-drop.

4. Configure sources and layers

   Declare external and internal sources, stack layers in all-in-one mode, and enable Ethernet port redundancy.

5. Apply display corrections

   Run seam correction then multi-batch correction to harmonize cabinets from different origins.

6. Tune color processing and output

   Import a 3D LUT file if needed, adjust 14-channel correction, then set bit depth and low latency mode.

7. Verify load and save a preset

   Check the load per port and per optical link, enable monitoring, then save the validated settings as a reusable preset.

Frequently asked questions

Official documentation

• VMP Vision Management Platform User Manual V1.2.0 (official PDF) — User manual
• VMP Vision Management Platform User Manual V1.4.0 (mirror) — User manual
• NovaStar download center (COEX software) — Software

Related tutorials

• NovaLCT tutorial: reference screen configuration
• NovaStar MX40 Pro tutorial: flagship COEX controller
• NovaStar CX40 Pro tutorial: compact COEX controller
• NovaStar MX30 tutorial: entry-level COEX controller

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