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Managing Media

Media gives HyperSpin its visual identity. Wheel images, backgrounds, videos, themes, box art, marquees, and bezels all live under your HyperSpin media folders. HyperHQ helps you browse, audit, and add those files without editing every folder by hand.

What is Media?​

In HyperSpin, media means the images, videos, documents, and themes shown around your systems and games.

  • Wheels - logo images shown in wheels and game lists
  • Backgrounds - artwork shown behind the wheel
  • Videos - gameplay clips and preview videos
  • Themes - complete visual layouts with animation and artwork
  • Box Art - box, cart, disc, and cover images
  • Marquees - arcade marquee artwork
  • Bezels - screen borders and overlays
  • Manuals - PDF manuals and other documents

Good media turns a plain game list into a usable arcade frontend.

Media Sources​

HyperHQ works with media from several places.

Local HyperSpin folders​

Your installed media lives in your HyperSpin folder. HyperHQ reads those files and shows what exists for each system and game.

Common folders include:

HyperSpin/
  Media/
    [System Name]/
      Wheel/
      Images/
      Video/
      Themes/
      Artwork1/
      Artwork2/
      Artwork3/
      Artwork4/

System media and game media use the same system folder. Game media usually uses filenames matching the game name.

HyperTheme​

The Media sidebar page opens the HyperTheme media browser. This page shows local HyperTheme media as a tile grid. Use it to browse theme media available in your local HyperTheme library.

The Media page is not split into media-type tabs. Media type selection happens in Media Audit.

EmuMovies​

EmuMovies provides artwork, videos, manuals, and other game media. Access depends on your EmuMovies account tier.

No account

  • Basic public content, when available

Free account

  • Wheels and logos
  • Backgrounds
  • Box art
  • Screenshots
  • Marquees and related artwork

Paid subscription

  • Video snaps
  • Manuals
  • Larger media sets
  • Faster download access

Connect your account from Settings using the EmuMovies credential fields.

Browse Media​

Use Media in the sidebar to open the media browser.

The current Media page shows a tile grid for local HyperTheme media. Select a tile to inspect available details and preview the item. This page is for browsing media, not bulk downloading every media type for a system.

Audit System Media​

Use Media Audit when you need to check missing media, compare available files, or add media for systems and games.

To audit system media:

  1. Open Systems from the sidebar.
  2. Find the system in the systems list.
  3. Select the chart-bar Media Audit button.
  4. Choose the media type in the Media Audit view.
  5. Review the results.

The media type selector is inside Media Audit. Use it to switch between wheels, backgrounds, videos, themes, artwork folders, and other supported media types.

Audit Game Media​

To audit media for games:

  1. Open a system.
  2. Go to its games list.
  3. Select the chart-bar Media Audit button.
  4. Choose the media type in the Media Audit view.
  5. Review which games have media and which games need media.

Media Audit helps you find missing game artwork, video snaps, and other assets without checking folders one by one.

Add Custom Media​

HyperHQ supports custom media through Media Audit and folder workflows.

Drag and drop​

  1. Open Media Audit for the system or games list.
  2. Select the media type.
  3. Drag a supported media file onto the matching audit item.
  4. HyperHQ adds the file to the correct media location.

Right-click Select Media​

  1. Open Media Audit.
  2. Select the media type.
  3. Right-click the item you want to update.
  4. Choose Select Media.
  5. Pick the file from your computer.

Use this when you already have a specific file for one system or game.

Add Media folder​

Use Add Media when you have a folder of media to import. HyperHQ uses the selected media type and the files in the folder to update your media library.

Add Overrides folder​

Use Add Overrides when you want a folder of override media to take priority over the standard media path. Overrides are useful for custom art sets, alternate themes, or per-setup changes you do not want mixed into the default media folders.

For more detail, see Media Overrides.

Media Types Explained​

Wheel Images​

Wheel images are logo graphics for systems and games.

  • Where they show: main wheel and game selection views
  • Common format: PNG with transparency
  • Typical use: fast visual identification

Tips:

  • Add wheels first for a cleaner game list.
  • Use readable logos with strong contrast.
  • Keep naming aligned with the system or game entry.

Background Images​

Background images sit behind the wheel or layout.

  • Where they show: system and game views
  • Common format: JPG or PNG
  • Typical use: system mood, game art, or theme support

Tips:

  • Use darker backgrounds when wheel logos need contrast.
  • Match image size to your display when possible.
  • Use game-specific backgrounds only where you need them.

Videos​

Videos show gameplay or preview content.

  • Where they show: theme video areas and game previews
  • Common format: MP4
  • Typical length: 30 to 60 seconds

Tips:

  • Videos use the most disk space.
  • Start with favorite systems before adding full video sets.
  • EmuMovies is the common source for video snaps.

Themes​

Themes are complete visual packages.

Themes often include:

  • Layout files
  • Background art
  • Animation
  • Sounds
  • Video placement
  • Wheel styling

Use the Media page to browse local HyperTheme media. Use Media Audit to check theme files tied to systems or games.

Box Art​

Box art includes cover and package images.

Common types include:

  • Boxes-2D - flat front covers
  • Boxes-3D - rendered box images
  • Boxes-2.5D - angled box images
  • Cart Art - cartridge images
  • CD/DVD Art - disc images

Marquees​

Marquees are arcade cabinet header images.

  • Where they show: marquee displays and themes with marquee support
  • Common format: JPG or PNG

Only add marquees if your layout, theme, or cabinet uses them.

Bezels​

Bezels are screen borders and overlays.

  • Where they show: around game screens in supported setups
  • Common format: PNG with transparency

Bezels help fill unused space around games with narrower aspect ratios.

Manuals and Documents​

Manuals are usually PDF files. HyperHQ treats them as document media when available.

Box Art Priority​

Choose which box art type appears first from Settings > Media Display.

To update the order:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Select Media Display.
  3. Find Boxart Priority.
  4. Drag formats into your preferred order.

HyperHQ checks box art in priority order. The first matching file is used.

Example priority:

Boxes-3D > Boxes-2D > Boxes-Front

Results:

  • A game with Boxes-3D and Boxes-2D shows Boxes-3D.
  • A game with only Boxes-2D shows Boxes-2D.
  • A game with only Boxes-Front shows Boxes-Front.

Within each format, JPG files are preferred when both JPG and PNG versions exist.

Media Organization​

HyperHQ reads and writes media using the HyperSpin folder structure.

Folder Structure​

HyperSpin/
  Media/
    [System Name]/
      Wheel/         - wheel images
      Images/        - background and image media
      Video/         - gameplay videos
      Themes/        - theme packages
      Artwork1/      - theme artwork layer 1
      Artwork2/      - theme artwork layer 2
      Artwork3/      - theme artwork layer 3
      Artwork4/      - theme artwork layer 4

Each system has its own media folder. HyperHQ handles standard placement when you add media through Media Audit.

File Naming​

Game media files should match the game entry name.

Example:

Game: Super Mario Bros
Wheel: Super Mario Bros.png
Video: Super Mario Bros.mp4
Background: Super Mario Bros.png

If media does not appear, check names first.

Media Display Settings​

Media display options live under Settings > Media Display.

Use this section for display preferences such as box art priority. Account settings, including EmuMovies credentials, live in Settings fields for those services.

Disk Space Planning​

Media size grows quickly with videos and themes.

Approximate planning ranges:

  • Wheels: 1 to 5 MB per system
  • Backgrounds: 10 to 50 MB per system
  • Videos: 100 MB to 1 GB or more per system
  • Themes: 50 to 200 MB per theme

Start with wheels and key artwork. Add videos after you know how much storage you want to use.

Troubleshooting​

Media is not showing in HyperSpin​

  • Verify files are in the correct system media folder.
  • Check filenames against game names.
  • Check whether the theme expects a specific media type or artwork folder.
  • Restart HyperSpin after making file changes.

Media Audit does not show the expected type​

  • Open Media Audit from the systems list or games list.
  • Use the media type selector inside Media Audit.
  • Confirm you are auditing the correct system.

Custom media was added to the wrong item​

  • Check the selected media type before adding the file.
  • Use right-click Select Media on the specific audit item.
  • Rename the file to match the intended system or game.

Videos do not play​

  • Prefer MP4 files.
  • Check file integrity by playing the video outside HyperSpin.
  • Confirm the active theme supports video display.

What's Next?​

After your media is organized, build custom lists with Creating Collections.

Need controller setup next? See Controller Setup.