Séura Outdoor TV

Séura builds weatherproof outdoor TVs (Storm and Shade lines) and indoor mirror / vanity TVs for the kinds of high-end residential and hospitality spaces GEM runs — a patio, a pool cabana, an outdoor kitchen, a spa bathroom. This driver controls a Séura set over the network using its serial-over-IP control protocol: power, volume, mute, inputs, the daylight/night backlight modes, aspect ratio, picture brightness, game mode, channels, and the full remote key set.

One Séura TV becomes one GEM device, and commands target that device directly. This driver creates no control zones of its own — but it is meant to be attached to an AV zone as that zone's display and Volume Device, so the zone's volume slider, mute button, and source buttons drive the set. See Use it in an AV zone.

Unlike some serial TV drivers, there is nothing to tune at the protocol level — the driver frames, encodes, and parses the Séura protocol internally. All you supply is the control interface's IP and TCP port.

How the TV is reached

Séura sets are controlled over a raw TCP connection to a serial-over-IP endpoint. Depending on the model and how it's wired, that endpoint is one of two things:

• The TV's built-in Ethernet control module, if the set has one — point GEM at the TV's own LAN IP and its control port.
• A serial-to-IP gateway (a Global Caché iTach IP2SL, a Brainboxes box, a MOXA NPort, or any TCP↔serial adapter) wired to the TV's RS-232 control port — point GEM at the gateway's IP and the TCP port mapped to that serial channel (for example 4999 on an iTach).

Either way GEM speaks the same protocol; it just needs the IP and port of whichever endpoint fronts the RS-232 control line. The port is model- and gateway-dependent — check the Séura installation guide (or your gateway's port map) for the value.

What's controlled

• Power — power_on, power_off, and power_toggle; get_power reads the set's power state back.
• Volume and mute — set an absolute level (volume), nudge it (volume_up / volume_down), and mute discretely (mute_on / mute_off). get_volume and get_mute read them back. See Volume, mute, and the arrow-key overlap — it matters.
• Inputs — jump to HDMI 1–3, Component, VGA, AV 1 / AV 2, or the built-in Tuner; input_menu opens the on-screen source list. get_input reads the current input back.
• Backlight (day / night) — backlight_day and backlight_night switch the outdoor sets between their high-brightness daylight mode and a dimmer night mode. This is the signature outdoor control — wire it to a schedule or a sun-based trigger so the screen stays readable at noon and comfortable after dark.
• Picture — aspect ratio (aspect_fullscreen, aspect_widescreen, aspect_zoom), a blank-panel screen_off, picture brightness (brightness plus brightness_up / brightness_down), and game_mode_on / game_mode_off.
• Channels (models with a tuner) — tune an absolute channel (channel), step (channel_up / channel_down), jump to the previous channel (channel_previous); get_channel reads it back.
• Remote keys — the directional pad, ok / enter, menu / exit, guide, display, closed_caption, sleep, and the number pad 0–9, for driving on-screen menus from a touchpanel.
• Live status read-back — power, volume, mute, and input are polled automatically and refreshed right after you change them. See Live status feedback.

Prerequisites

• A Séura TV with its serial-over-IP control interface reachable on the LAN — either the set's built-in Ethernet control module or a serial-to-IP gateway wired to the TV's RS-232 control port.
• The IP and TCP port of that control interface. If you're bridging RS-232 through a gateway, configure the gateway's serial channel for raw / transparent TCP (not Telnet) at the baud rate the TV's manual specifies, and note the LAN-side IP and the mapped TCP port.
• The control interface reachable from GEM on the same network.

Setup

1. Bring the TV's control interface online — enable the built-in Ethernet control module, or wire the RS-232 port to a serial-to-IP gateway set to raw TCP — and note its IP and TCP port.
2. Open Devices, add a device, and choose the Séura Outdoor TV driver.
3. Set the Subsystem to AV and pick a Device Type for the set (a display / TV type). Give it a Label if you want a friendly name; otherwise the device name is used.
4. Fill in the connection fields:
   • IP Address (required) — the LAN IP of the Séura control interface (the TV's own IP if it has a built-in control module, or the gateway's IP if you're bridging RS-232). Enter the attribute exactly as ip.
   • TCP Port (required) — the TCP port the control interface listens on (model- or gateway-dependent; e.g. 4999 on a Global Caché IP2SL). Enter the attribute exactly as port.
5. Save and enable the device. GEM opens a persistent TCP connection and keeps it up, reconnecting automatically if the link drops.
6. On the device's Commands tab, run get_power, then power_on / power_off, an hdmi_1, and a volume set to confirm control end-to-end before wiring the TV into macros, an AV zone, or a UI.

No protocol tuning needed

Séura serial-over-IP is a byte-oriented protocol, but this driver handles the framing, encoding, and reply parsing for you. You do not set an encoding, request terminator, or response terminator — just the IP and port. (Contrast with the Sony / Samsung serial TV drivers, which need those transport fields set by hand.)

Volume, mute, and the arrow-key overlap

Séura exposes a real absolute-volume command, so volume control here is dependable — but two of the convenience commands are really remote-key presses, and that distinction matters on a job site.

• Absolute volume (recommended). volume takes a level argument and sends it straight to the set (VOL:<level>). Values are on the TV's own scale (0–100 on current Séura models). This is the command the AV zone's volume slider uses, and it's the reliable way to set a specific level.
• volume_up / volume_down are the arrow keys. These send the same frames as the remote's right and left arrows. They raise/lower volume only when no on-screen menu is open to capture the arrows — if a menu is up, they navigate it instead. For predictable behavior in a macro, prefer an absolute volume set.
• Mute is discrete. mute_on and mute_off mute and unmute; there is no mute_toggle command on this driver. When you drive the set as an AV zone's Volume Device, GEM tracks the mute state and the zone's mute button toggles between mute_on and mute_off for you — so a single mute control still works even though the driver has no native toggle.

The same overlap applies to channels: channel_up / channel_down are the up / down arrow keys, while channel (with a channel argument, tuned as a 3-digit number) sends an absolute tune.

Inputs

• Select commands: hdmi_1, hdmi_2, hdmi_3, component_input, vga_input, av_1, av_2, and tuner. input_menu opens the TV's on-screen source list if you'd rather pick there.
• Read-back names. When GEM reads the current input (get_input, and the automatic poll), it maps the set's numeric input id to a friendly name for HDMI 1–3, Component, Display Port, and HDBaseT. Other inputs (VGA, Tuner, AV 1/2) read back as their raw numeric id rather than a name — expected, not a fault.
• Display Port / HDBaseT have no select command. GEM can report that the set is on Display Port or HDBaseT, but there is no built-in command to switch to those inputs — only the eight listed above have select commands. If a source is wired to the panel's Display Port or HDBaseT jack, select it at the set (or via input_menu).

Backlight, aspect, and picture

• Backlight (outdoor daylight vs. night). backlight_day drives the panel to its bright daylight mode; backlight_night drops it to the dimmer night mode. On the Storm outdoor sets this is what keeps the picture visible in direct sun without being blinding after dark. A common pattern: a sun-based trigger runs backlight_day at sunrise and backlight_night at sunset.
• Aspect ratio. aspect_fullscreen, aspect_widescreen, and aspect_zoom set the picture shape.
• Blank the panel. screen_off turns the picture off (audio can continue) without powering the set down — handy for an "audio only" scene.
• Picture brightness. brightness takes a level; brightness_up / brightness_down step it. This is the picture brightness setting, separate from the day/night backlight modes above.
• Game mode. game_mode_on / game_mode_off toggle the low-latency picture mode.

Live status feedback

GEM keeps the device's live values in sync automatically:

• It polls power, volume, mute, and input in the background about every 30 seconds (the status_interval, default 30000 ms — the first poll lands roughly 30 s after the device connects).
• After a power, volume, mute, or HDMI-input command, GEM re-reads that value about a second later, so a touchpanel or trigger reflects the change almost immediately instead of waiting for the next full poll.

Those reads populate the power_state, volume, mute_state, and input attributes. Channel is not on the automatic poll — it refreshes only when you run get_channel. If you need the front panel's own remote changes reflected faster, lower status_interval; if the polling is too chatty on a slow link, raise it.

Use it in an AV zone

A Séura TV is a single device that creates no zones — group it into a room by attaching it to an AV zone:

1. Open AV Zones and edit (or create) the zone for that room.
2. Set the zone's Volume Device to this Séura TV. The zone's volume slider now drives the set with an absolute volume command, and the zone's mute button toggles mute_on / mute_off (GEM synthesizes the toggle from the tracked mute state).
3. Power the display and pick its input from the zone's On / Off macros (or a UI button / macro that runs power_on / power_off and the right hdmi_* command) — for example, a "Watch Patio TV" macro that runs power_on, hdmi_1, and backlight_day.

If the room's audio actually comes from a receiver, amp, or soundbar rather than the TV's own speakers, leave that device as the zone's Volume Device and route the TV's audio away from its speakers, so you aren't fighting two volume controls.

Attributes

ip and port are the only attributes you set by hand. The status attributes are written by GEM as the TV reports — you don't create them, but type them exactly when you reference them in a trigger or macro.

Device — required

Attribute	Type	Description
ip	string	LAN IP of the Séura control interface (the TV's own IP with a built-in control module, or the serial-to-IP gateway's IP).
port	int	TCP port the control interface listens on (model- or gateway-dependent, e.g. 4999).

Device — status (set automatically)

Attribute	Type	Description
power_state	string	Last reported power state, on / off.
volume	int	Last reported volume level.
mute_state	string	Last reported mute state, on / off.
input	string	Current input — a friendly name for HDMI 1–3, Component, Display Port, and HDBaseT; the raw numeric id for other inputs.
channel	string	Last channel read back (only via get_channel; not on the automatic poll).

The driver also inherits the standard TCP tuning fields (status_interval, command_throttle, reconnect timing). The defaults suit a TV — leave them alone unless a slow gateway is dropping back-to-back commands (raise command_throttle) or you want faster/slower status polling (adjust status_interval).

Commands

Driver-declared commands appear on the device's Commands tab and can be used in macros, triggers, and on UI buttons. Commands with an argument take it as shown; the rest are fire-and-forget.

Power

Command	Action
power_on	Turn the TV on.
power_off	Turn the TV off (standby).
power_toggle	Toggle power.
get_power	Query power state → power_state.

Volume and mute

Command	Argument	Action
volume	level	Set an absolute volume (0–100). The reliable way to set a level.
volume_up	—	Remote right-arrow frame — raises volume only when no menu is open.
volume_down	—	Remote left-arrow frame — lowers volume only when no menu is open.
mute_on	—	Mute.
mute_off	—	Unmute.
get_volume	—	Query volume → volume.
get_mute	—	Query mute → mute_state.

Inputs

Command	Action
hdmi_1 hdmi_2 hdmi_3	Select HDMI 1 / 2 / 3.
component_input	Select the Component input.
vga_input	Select the VGA / PC input.
av_1 av_2	Select composite/AV 1 or 2.
tuner	Select the built-in tuner.
input_menu	Open the on-screen source list.
get_input	Query the current input → input.

Backlight and picture

Command	Argument	Action
backlight_day	—	Daylight (high-brightness) backlight mode.
backlight_night	—	Night (dimmer) backlight mode.
get_backlight	—	Query the backlight mode.
aspect_fullscreen aspect_widescreen aspect_zoom	—	Set the picture aspect ratio.
screen_off	—	Blank the panel (audio can continue).
brightness	level	Set picture brightness.
brightness_up brightness_down	—	Step picture brightness.
game_mode_on game_mode_off	—	Toggle low-latency game mode.

Channels (tuner models)

Command	Argument	Action
channel	channel	Tune an absolute channel (sent as a 3-digit number).
channel_up	—	Remote up-arrow frame.
channel_down	—	Remote down-arrow frame.
channel_previous	—	Jump to the previous channel.
get_channel	—	Query the current channel → channel.

Remote keys

Command	Action
up down left right	Directional pad.
ok enter	Select / confirm.
menu exit	Open / leave the on-screen menu.
guide	Program guide.
display	Show the info banner.
closed_caption	Toggle closed captions.
sleep	Sleep timer.
0–9 period	Number pad and dot (for direct channel entry).

Known limitations and quirks

• volume_up / volume_down are arrow keys, not volume steps. They send the remote's right/left arrow frames and change volume only when no on-screen menu is open. Use the absolute volume command for predictable results — the same applies to channel_up / channel_down (up/down arrows) versus the absolute channel command.
• Mute is discrete, no native toggle. Use mute_on / mute_off. As an AV zone Volume Device, GEM synthesizes a single toggling mute control from the tracked mute state.
• Display Port / HDBaseT can be read but not selected. GEM reports those two inputs by name but has no command to switch to them; only HDMI 1–3, Component, VGA, AV 1/2, and Tuner have select commands.
• Some inputs read back as numbers. VGA, Tuner, and AV 1/2 report as their raw numeric id rather than a friendly name — expected.
• Channel isn't auto-polled. Power, volume, mute, and input refresh automatically; channel updates only when you run get_channel.
• Single device, no zones. A Séura TV is one GEM device and creates no control zones. Attach it to an AV zone and group multi-room behavior at the AV-zone / macro layer.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Check
Device won't connect	Confirm IP Address and TCP Port point at the control interface (the TV's control module, or the serial-to-IP gateway's IP and mapped port — not the wrong device). Confirm it's reachable from GEM.
Connects, then drops every few seconds	If you're bridging RS-232, make sure the gateway's serial channel is in raw TCP mode (not Telnet) and that only GEM is connected to that port — many gateways allow a single TCP client, so a second controller will fight GEM for it.
Commands connect but the TV ignores them	Confirm the gateway's serial settings match the TV's control port (baud/parity per the Séura manual) and that the RS-232 cable is on the TV's control port, not a service port.
Volume slider is unreliable from a UI button	You're likely using volume_up / volume_down, which are arrow keys and only move volume when no menu is open. Switch to an absolute volume set, or drive volume through the AV zone's slider (which uses volume).
input attribute shows a number instead of a name	The input is one that reports as a raw id (VGA, Tuner, AV 1/2), or a model that numbers inputs differently. HDMI 1–3, Component, Display Port, and HDBaseT are the ones mapped to names.
Can't switch to Display Port / HDBaseT from GEM	Expected — those inputs read back by name but have no select command. Select them at the set or via input_menu.
Front-panel / remote changes are slow to show in GEM	Lower status_interval (default 30000 ms) so the background poll runs more often.

See also

• Global Caché (iTach / Flex / GC-100) — a common serial-to-IP gateway that fronts this driver when you're bridging the TV's RS-232 port (Brainboxes and MOXA NPort adapters work the same way).
• AV Zones — attach the TV to a zone and set it as the zone's Volume Device.
• AV Sources — define what's playing on the TV's inputs.
• Devices — adding and configuring devices.
• Attributes — editing device attributes such as ip and port.
• Commands — running and scripting device commands.
• Macros — build "watch" / power-off scenes that sequence power, input, and backlight.
• Triggers — run backlight_day / backlight_night on a sun-based schedule.