Apps

Consumer TV users can purchase apps through the LG Content Store, install, and use them on their TVs. Unlike consumer TVs, a commercial TV is intended for unspecified individuals. Commercial TV users can use apps, which are either pre-installed or installed via ASL.

 

Due to the nature of the hospitality industry, commercial TV users are always changing, and all their personal information such as user ID, password, and browser histories should be deleted when the TV is turned off. Once the user has changed, the prior user information should not be exposed to the new user. Therefore, the operator is responsible for the proper handling of user information.

 

To manage the private information, you can use the HCAP property "security_level", which is available since HCAP v1.17.0. The user credentials that are saved on the TV can be either kept or erased when the TV is turned off by using the security_level property. For more details, refer to HCAP Property.

 

Value	Description
1	[Default] Personal information is deleted when the TV is turned off.
2	Personal information remains undeleted when the TV is turned off.

 

Pre-loaded Apps

Version added 2016-11-09 16:54:00| Modified 10-Nov-2016

The apps, which can be launched on the Pro:Centric TVs, are provided with the firmware. To directly view and launch these apps from the TV launcher, you first need to place these apps on the Launcher by going to Installation menu > General > PRELOADED APP.

 

The app update is possible through the firmware update due to its firmware-dependency.

 

To launch the pre-loaded apps, follow the instructions below.

1.       Access Installation menu, and go to General > PreLoaded App. The pre-loaded apps will be listed.

Note. The supported apps may vary depending on the country and model.

 

2.       Select the check-boxes next to the apps you want to display on the Launcher.


 

3.       Press the SMART button on the remote control. The apps you selected in step 2 will be displayed on the Launcher.

 

ASL (App Side Loading) CP Apps

Version added 2016-11-09 16:54:00| Modified 14-Nov-2016

ASL allows you to install the CP apps to the commercial TV, which are downloaded from the LG Hospitality Content Store to the Pro:Centric IP server. With the ASL feature, it is easy to install and use the apps on the commercial TV like consumer TV. You cannot visit each guest-room to manually install apps on the TV and change its settings one by one.

 

When the <content> element contains the IPK_FIRMWARE as a type within the <appList> element on the LGService.xml, the TV automatically changes to the ASL mode.

 

The app files downloaded from the LG Hospitality Content Store are encrypted; during app installation, they need to be decoded with the decryption key called RO (Right Object), issued by the LG Content Store.

 

Note. The ASL feature is supported since the webOS 3.0 MR.

 

The following illustrates how the CP apps are installed on the Pro:Centric TV.

 

Follow the steps below to install the CP apps on your Pro:Centric TV via the ASL.

1.       Visit the LG Hospitality Content Store through the B2B Portal.
 

2.       Select and download the apps. The selected apps and the LGService.xml file will be downloaded to your computer.
 

3.       Open the downloaded LGService.xml file. Copy the whole <appList> element from the downloaded LGService.xml, paste it to the existing LGService.xml, and increase the version of the existing LGService.xml as you made changes to it. Then save the file.
 

4.       Upload the downloaded app files and modified LGService.xml file to the pre-defined directory of the Pro:Centric IP server.
 

5.       Every time the Pro:Centric TV is turned off, the TV compares the version of the LGService.xml files on the local storage and the Pro:Centric IP server. If different, the new app is installed or existing apps are updated. During the installation, the TV requests and receives the RO to and from the LG Content Store for app decryption.

 

Downloading ASL CP Apps

Version added 2016-11-09 16:55:00| Modified 15-Nov-2016

To download and install the CP apps, the following should be prepared prior to installation.

-         LG B2B portal site account.

-         TV model name.
You can find the model name on the back of the TV, or the TV manual provided with the TV, or the cover of the packaging.

-         Firmware version.

-         Internet connection.

-         Chrome browser.

 

Note. Currently, Google Chrome is the only browser supported for downloading the CP apps.

 

To download the CP apps and LGService.xml from the LG Hospitality Content Store, follow the instructions below. 

1.       In your Chrome browser, go to the B2B Portal and sign in to your account.
 

2.       Go to LG Hospitality Content Store > Store. You will be taken to the Store website.


 

3.       Select your country, TV model name, and firmware version on the drop-down list.



Based on your selection, downloadable apps will be listed.


 

4.       Select the apps and click Download at the top of the list.


 

5.       The app and LGService.xml files for your selected apps will be downloaded to your computer.

Note. When downloading the apps from the LG Hospitality Content Store, the file names are marked by a number rather than the app title in the download progress bar. Refer to the <data> element of the LGService.xml for each app filename.

 

Modifying LGService.xml

The LGService.xml file is downloaded with the CP apps when the CP apps are downloaded from the LG Hospitality Content Store (refer to Downloading ASL CP Apps). The <appList> element is added to the downloaded LGService.xml file. The TV downloads the LGService.xml file from the Pro:Centric IP server, and compares it with one on the local storage. If the <appList> element contains the <content> element containing the IPK_FIRMWARE type in the LGService.xml file downloaded from the LG Hospitality Content Store, the TV changes to the ASL mode. And the apps will be installed one by one in order as described in the <appList> element.

 

Once the CP apps are installed via the ASL, the Pro:Centric TV provides the ASL CP apps, without providing the pre-loaded apps. For more details on LGService.xml, refer to LGService.xml.

 

You can adjust the order of the apps shown in the Launcher based on the—importance or user preferences of the apps. The order of the apps described in the LGService.xml file determines the display order of the apps in the Launcher. To arrange the apps as your selection, simply select and copy the <content> element from <content> to </content>, and paste it before another <content> element.

 

To modify the LGService.xml file, follow the instructions below.

1.       Open the downloaded LGService.xml file and modify the items below.

   1.       subversionNumber: Specify the version number of each individual appList by the model name.

   2.       modelName: Specify the TV model name. It include the screen size and the ending prefix. The update is intended for the same TV models.

   3.       visible: Specify whether to display the app on the Launcher. (0: invisible, 1: visible)

2.       Select and copy the <appList> element.

3.       Open the existing LGService.xml file and paste it before the <content> element. Note that the <content> element we refer to is not the <content> element nested within the <appList> element. The <content> element is under the <setup> element for the other types such as EPK_FIRMWARE, SPLASH_IMAGE, CH_MAP.

4.       If you have more than two TV models, you can set up the multiple TV models separated by <modelName> within the <setup>element as below.

<service>

     <setup>

          <versionNumber>1</versionNumber>

          <modelName>43UW761H-ZA</modelName>

          <priority>NORMAL</priority>

          <appList>
               <subversionNumber></subversionNumber>

               <content></content>

          </appList>

     </setup>

     <setup>

          <versionNumber>1</versionNumber>

          <modelName>49UW761H-ZA</modelName>

          <priority>NORMAL</priority>

          <appList>
               <subversionNumber></subversionNumber>

               <content></content>

          </appList>

     </setup>

</service>

5.       Save the modified LGService.xml file into the /procentric/system directory of the Pro:Centric IP server. The following is an example of the LGService.xml file.

<service>

     <setup>

          <versionNumber>1</versionNumber>

          <modelName>43UW761H-ZA</modelName>

          <priority>NORMAL</priority>

          <appList>

               <subversionNumber>1</subversionNumber>

               <content>

                    <type>IPK_FIRMWARE</type>

                    <data>YouTube.ipk</data>

                    <appTitle>YouTube</appTitle>

                    <appId>youtube.leanback.v4</appId>

                    <appSignature>5fvdKiV2+/d7v</appSignature>

                    <appVersion>1.0.0</appVersion>

                    <visible>1</visible>

                    <frequency>2059</frequency>

                    <programNum>0</programNum>

                    <cTag>1</cTag>

               </content>

               <content>

                    <type>IPK_FIRMWARE</type>

                    <data>accuweather.ipk</data>

                    <appTitle>Accuweather</appTitle>

                    <appId>accuweather</appId>

                    <appSignature>b+ARcvkGYce4d</appSignature>

                    <appVersion>1.0.0</appVersion>

                    <visible>1</visible>

                    <frequency>2059</frequency>

                    <programNum>0</programNum>

                    <cTag>1</cTag>

               </content>

          </appList>

     </setup>

     <setup>

          <versionNumber>1</versionNumber>

          <modelName>49UW761H-ZA</modelName>

          <priority>NORMAL</priority>

          <appList>

               <subversionNumber>30</subversionNumber>

               <content>

                    <type>IPK_FIRMWARE</type>

                    <data>bbcnew.ipk</data>

                    <appTitle>BBC News</appTitle>

                    <appId>bbc.news.3.0</appId>

                    <appSignature>q+1Aadfg5Ghde</appSignature>

                    <appVersion>1.0.0</appVersion>

                    <visible>1</visible>

                    <frequency>2059</frequency>

                    <programNum>0</programNum>

                    <cTag>1</cTag>

               </content>

               <content>

                    <type>IPK_FIRMWARE</type>

                    <data>bbcsport.ipk</data>

                    <appTitle>BBC Sport</appTitle>

                    <appId>bbc.sport.3.0</appId>

                    <appSignature>Asd1fG34Hjk2l</appSignature>

                    <appVersion>1.0.0</appVersion>

                    <visible>1</visible>

                    <frequency>2059</frequency>

                    <programNum>0</programNum>

                    <cTag>1</cTag>

               </content>

          </appList>

     </setup>

</service>

 

Installing ASL CP Apps

Version added 2016-11-09 16:55:00| Modified 20-Nov-2016

The apps are automatically installed, defined in the <content> elements within the <appList> of the LGService.xml file. The installed apps are displayed in the Launcher and listed to the PRELOADED APP menu. If any app is installed abnormally, the PRELOADED APP menu shows the app with the failure reason. For the failure reason, refer to Installation Failures.

 

To install the CP apps, follow the instructions below.

1.       Copy or move the app files (. ipk) to the /procentric/system directory of the Pro:Centric IP server. Make sure that the modified LGService.xml file is saved in the same directory.

2.       When turning the TV off, the ASL CP apps are automatically installed.

Note. It will take a couple of minutes to install the CP apps from the Pro:Centric IP server. DO NOT turn the TV on until the installation is complete.

3.       When turning the TV on, go to Installation Menu > General > PRELOADED APP. In this menu, you will be able to see that the default pre-loaded apps are changed to the CP apps, and the check-boxes selected according to the <visible> value of the app set in the LGService.xml file.


Press SMART on the remote control to check if the CP apps are installed and displayed in the intended order.

 

If any installation failure occurs while the apps are installed one by one, the installation will be stopped for the rest of the apps. Next time the TV is turned off, the TV will check the installed apps and install again the rest of the apps, not installed.

 

The following error messages can be displayed on the PRELOADED APP menu.

-         "Prepare Install" : The TV is turned off during the app installation.

-         "There is no available space to install App" : There is not enough storage space for the app installation.

-         "Request version is different with ipk version" : The ipk version of the downloaded file is different to the ipk version on the LGService.xml.

 

LGService.xml

Every update for internal TV settings and firmware is required to have a metadata file called LGService.xml in the pre-specified directory. 

 

The LGService.xml file contains essential information of your system files, e.g. version, model name, content type, and file name. The LGService.xml file is not necessary to provide all the content types, and the user can pick and choose what type of content they want to manage in this manner. Each model and a device screen size must be fully specified and have its own description. Models and screen sizes can share files so a single TLL file can be used for multiple models and screen sizes.

 

When the LGService.xml file is downloaded from the Pro:Centric IP server, the Pro:Centric Smart compares the version of the downloaded LGService.xml and the existing one saved in the local storage to decide whether an update is necessary. If the version of the new LGService.xml is higher than that of existing one, the update will be performed internally.

 

This metadata file is referenced in Warm mode by turning the TV off or waking up by LAN (WOL). The warm mode refers to a status where the TV is powered off but a board is active for downloading updates for TV configurations, CPU/MICOM software, and splash screen image from the Pro:Centric IP server. 

 

Once the update is complete, the LGService.xml file is stored in a local storage on the TV. It carries a version number of the LGService.xml file, which allows the TV to check for the availability of new image updates.

 

Fields	Required	Description
service	✓	The root tag.
setup	✓	The identifier which marks the collection of the setup information.
versionNumber	✓	The version number of the tag transmitted from a server. The number MUST be incremented by 1 for every app update. When the maximum value is reached, the value should be reset to 0 again. Note. When a 'factory-reset' is applied to a TV, versionNumber is reset to 0 and the current LGService.xml file is deleted from the local storage on the TV. Value range: (integer) 0 to 65535.
modelName	✓	The device's model name. The size and ending prefix (i. e. -UA or -ZA) are necessary qualifiers and the device will not be able to update images, if modelName value does not match its exact model name.
priority	✓	The priority associated with the modelName. For a future expansion, the priority field is fixed to NORMAL.
subversionNumber	✗	The version number of each individual upgrade image. Note. Keeping the same subversion number on images that have not changed but incrementing the versionNumber and modified image subversionNumber allows incremental change management of images.
content	✓	The identifier which marks the collection of the upgraded images.
type	✓	The type of content being upgraded. ¡¤         - CH_MAP: Configuration information such as channel map and installer menu items are being sent. When the configuration information is created, it should be copied to the system directory. Only used for North America. The format is ".tlx". ¡¤         - INSTALLER_MENU: Configuration information such as channel map and installer menu items are being sent. When the configuration information is created, it should be copied to the system directory. Only used for Europe. The format is ".tll". ¡¤         - PTC_FIRMWARE: Software updates for the PTC sub-micro used in a TV. These updates and the correct file will be supplied by LGE and no user files are allowed. Used for both North America and Europe.  ¡¤         - PAK_FIRMWARE: Software updates for the main CPU used in a TV. These updates and the correct file will be supplied by LGE and no user files are allowed. This type indicates that a .PAK file is being transmitted. ¡¤         - EPK_FIRMWARE: Software updates for the main CPU used in a TV. These updates and the correct file will be supplied by LGE and no user files are allowed. This type indicates that an .EPK file is being transmitted. ¡¤         - SPLASH_IMAGE: Boot logo shown at startup. Using an incorrect image can result in improper operation. ¡¤         - IPK_FIRMWARE: Software updates for the downloadable CP apps in a TV. Used for both North America and Europe.
data	✓	The filename of an upgrade image. Note. The file should be located in the system directory where the LGService.xml file is saved.
frequency	✓	The physical method that the update will be received on. In the RF environment, the channel frequency in hertz is specified to let the device know where it should tune to receive the upgrade image. ¡¤         - Set to 1 to use the default Pro:Centric RF channel or to use IP multicast streaming. ¡¤         - Set to 0 to use HTTP IP environment.
programNum	✓	The program number of the stream on how the upgrade images are received for RF or IP multicast configurations. ¡¤         - Set to 0 to use HTTP IP environment.
cTag	✓	The component tag of the carousel data for each data element. This value should be set to the same value as the programNum for future expansion. ¡¤         - Set to 0 to use HTTP IP environment.
appList	✓	The identifier which marks the collection of the upgrade images that is the 'IPK_FIRMWARE' type.
appTitle	✗	The title of the app as shown in the Launcher bar and at the top of the app window.
appId	✓	The app ID. Every app has a unique app ID, formed from reverse DNS naming conventions. e.g procentric.developer.lge.com
appVersion	✓	The app version number, in the dot-donation format. The version should be the same as the version of the SDP server.
appSignature	✓	The verification of the app to be installed. The default value is 0. ¡¤         - If it contains 0, the verification does not need during the app installation. ¡¤         - If it contains any string, the verification needs when the app is installed on the TV.  ¡¤         - If the TV fails to check the appSignature during app installation, the apps will not be installed. Note. The apps developed by an SI can be installed using the ASL mode like the CP apps. However, unlike CP apps, SI apps can only be installed without a verification. Therefore, this item is optional for SI apps.
visible	✓	The flag to show the app icon in the Launcher. ¡¤         - Set to 1 to show the app in the Launcher. ¡¤         - Set to 0 not to show the app in the Launcher.