Automation

From MediaLooks Knowledge Base

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Sub-playlists, scheduled titling and 24/7 scheduling.

Overview

Use special tags, sub-playlists and scheduling features to fully automate the broadcasting process.

Automation is available with the Playout Automation and Broadcast Automation editions of the Broadcast Automation Platform. Automation requires Playout and Character Generator.

With tags it is possible to:

Stop, pause and play a playlist. While on stop, live video background can be displayed.
Loop playback of a specific clip.
Load CG configurations and display CG items or compositions.
Create sub-playlists within a current playlist. It is possible to switch to a sub-playlist (such as an ad block) and return back to the previous position on the playlist (see more on scheduling below).

Each clip in the playlist can contain any kind of metadata - title, time, location, name of presenter or any other comments. It is possible to:

Display this data during clip playback (such as name of person when he first appears in a story).
Define time of display (on start of playback or at a specified time) and length of display.
Display it again when playback switches back to the clip after a sub-playlist (such as movie name after ad break).
Display data from the next clip in the playlist (notify the viewer about what's coming next).

Automation supports 3 types of scheduling.

1) Scheduling within a specific clip (seconds from start of clip or seconds till end of clip):

Seamlessly switch to a clip or sub-playlist and back to original clip at specified time. Repeating is also possible (such as switch to an ad break every 30 minutes).
Show/hide CG items, compositions, load configuration files, change item properties.
User-defined events (such as external device control).

2) Schedule playlist within a specific day (24h scheduling):

Start, stop, pause playout at a specified time of day.
Start clip or sub-playlist at a specified time of day.
Seamlessly switch to a clip or sub-playlist and back to original clip at specified time. Repeating is also possible (such as switch to an ad break every 30 minutes).
Show/hide CG items, compositions, load configuration files, change item properties.
User-defined events (such as external device control).

3) Schedule playlists for a week and more (24/7 scheduling):

Load playlist on a specific day/time. Create daily playlists (24h scheduling) and load them via 24/7 scheduling.