BLACKBOXPERSONAL AUDIO SYSTEM OPEN PLAYER

BLACKBOX / FIRST SESSION

Start with
your own files.

BLACKBOX is designed for Windows desktop and laptop use. The hosted browser player reads audio files from a folder you select; the Windows download also includes the local launcher and original console edition.

01 / First use

  1. Open the player.

    Use Open BLACKBOX from a desktop browser. Chrome or Edge is the recommended starting point.

  2. Connect your music folder.

    Choose CONNECT MUSIC FOLDER and select the folder containing your tracks. BLACKBOX scans supported audio files recursively.

  3. Start listening.

    Use the Library, Search, Queue, Favorites and Playlists views. Your selected music files remain where they are; BLACKBOX reads them from the folder you grant access to.

Folder picker note. The player must be opened from a secure browser context such as HTTPS or localhost. Do not open the hosted player by downloading and double-clicking its HTML file.

02 / Connect a portable drive

For portable settings, favorites, play counts, history, playlists and profiles, keep the BLACKBOX folders together on the drive. A typical layout is:

BLACKBOX-PERSONAL-AUDIO/
  MUSIC/
  Data/
  Playlists/
  Run-Music.bat
  index.html

In the player, open Settings → CONNECT DRIVE ROOT and choose the folder that contains MUSIC, Data and Playlists. Grant read/write permission when the browser asks.

Choosing only the MUSIC folder is enough for playback, but it does not let BLACKBOX write portable files beside it.

03 / Data and backups

BLACKBOX keeps browser settings and state in local browser storage. With the drive root connected, compatible data is mirrored into the Data folder and playlists can be written into Playlists.

Use Settings → EXPORT EVERYTHING ZIP to create a backup. The backup includes supported app data and custom artwork, but it does not include your music audio files. Keep a copy on another drive.

The website and your existing localhost copy use different browser origins. Their browser-only settings do not automatically sync. Export a backup from the old copy and import it into the hosted player, or connect a drive that already contains portable BLACKBOX data.

04 / Browser and audio support

Desktop Chrome and Edge are the recommended browsers for native folder access. The compatibility folder picker can load tracks in browsers that lack the native picker, but it does not provide persistent directory access or portable writes; reselect the folder after refreshing.

BLACKBOX indexes MP3, WAV, M4A, WMA, AAC and FLAC files. Actual playback depends on the browser and operating-system decoders. WMA is commonly unsupported in Chromium, and M4A/AAC/FLAC support can vary.

Crossfade is browser-scheduled and best-effort, not sample-accurate gapless playback. Output-device switching depends on browser support. The visualizer analyzes audio played by BLACKBOX, not sound from other apps.

05 / Troubleshooting

The folder picker is blocked

Confirm that you are using HTTPS or localhost and that the picker button was clicked directly. Try the BROWSER COMPATIBILITY PICKER if native folder access is unavailable.

The library is empty

Check that the selected folder contains supported audio files. If you selected a parent drive, confirm that its music folder is named MUSIC, or select the music folder directly.

Some tracks do not play

The browser may not have a decoder for that file format or encoding. Try the original Windows console edition included in the download bundle for formats supported by the native engine.

My settings did not appear

Browser storage is separate for each site address. Import your Everything ZIP backup or connect the drive root containing the portable Data files.

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