You can configure VMware Blast options for remote desktop and published application sessions that use the VMware Blast display protocol.

For administrators - You can configure the VMware Blast HEVC and proxy server options so that end users cannot change them by setting keys in the /Library/Preferences/com.vmware.horizon.plist file on the Mac client. To configure the HEVC option, set the Allow HEVC key to one of the following values.

  • 1 activates High Efficiency Video Decoding (HEVC)
  • 0 deactivates High Efficiency Video Decoding (HEVC)

To configure the proxy server option, set the Blast via Proxy Mode key to one of the following values.

  • 1 activates Allow Blast connections to use operating system proxy settings
  • 0 deactivates Allow Blast connections to use operating system proxy settings

You can configure H.264 decoding before or after you connect to a server. H.264 is an industry standard for video compression, which is the process of converting digital video into a format that takes up less capacity when it is stored or transmitted.

After you connect to a server, the VMware Blast setting is visible only if VMware Blast is the preferred protocol.

Prerequisites

To use High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), your environment must meet the following requirements:
  • Horizon Agent 7.13 or later must be installed.
  • For increased color accuracy with YUV 4:4:4, Horizon Agent 7.13 or later must be installed.
  • Client system must have a GPU that supports HEVC decoding.

Depending on the Horizon Agent version that is installed, a Horizon administrator can use agent-side group policy settings to activate or deactivate VMware Blast features, including H.264. For information, see "VMware Blast Policy Settings" in the Horizon Remote Desktop Features and GPOs document.

Procedure

  1. Start Horizon Client.
  2. Tap Settings at the bottom of the Horizon Client window and tap VMware Blast.
    If you are logged in to a server, the VMware Blast setting is visible only if VMware Blast is the preferred protocol.
  3. To allow H.264 decoding in Horizon Client, tap and toggle the H.264 option to on.
    When this option is selected (the default setting), Horizon Client uses H.264 decoding if the agent supports H.264 software or hardware encoding. If the agent does not support H.264 software or hardware encoding, Horizon Client uses JPG/PNG decoding. When this option is deselected, Horizon Client uses JPG/PNG decoding.

Results

Changes take effect the next time a user connects to a remote desktop or published application and selects the VMware Blast display protocol. Your changes do not affect existing VMware Blast sessions.