Calendar View

The Calendar View under the Programming tab shows today’s date at the top of the page and a grid displaying the day’s programming. Each empty row in the grid represents the time until the next slot defaulting to 30-minute timeslots. Admins can configure the default timeslot duration via the Config –> Schedule –> Calendar Block Duration setting.

Scheduling

Calendar View allows you to schedule by dragging-and-dropping video thumbnails or live sources from the left sidebar on to the scheduling panel on the right. One or more scheduled events can also be dragged from one place in the schedule to another. This reschedules (moves) the events.

Completed events can be multi-selected so that they may be used as a basis for block copy/paste, or to drag and drop schedule in the future.

Should you drag an event into a slot that conflicts with an existing event, a window will alert you to the conflict, and offer the following options:

Channel and Media/Source Selection

Channels – to see programming for a particular output channel, select that channel from the drop-down list.

Media/Playlist/Stream/Input/Switch/NDI – to toggle between a list of available media, playlist, and live source, choose your selection from the drop-down. Media will display in the scroll bar as a series of thumbnails. Available Playlists and Live sources will display as a list. Not all Live source types are available on all server variants. You can also configure your system to show a Filename list for media instead of thumbs if you prefer via the Config –> Content –> Only Show Filenames On Content Sidebar setting.

Switch Output (HyperCaster AIO only) – where applicable, displays a list of available switch outputs.

Live Sources

To schedule a live source, first select the source type from the source pulldown (Media/Stream/Input/Switch/NDI) at the top left of the Calendar View page:

The same scrollbar that previously displayed media thumbnails will now display a list of available live sources. To schedule a live source:

  • Drag the live source name into the programming schedule, and a popup will ask you for Duration.
  • Enter the duration of the window in which you would like this live event to air in HH:MM:SS
  • Click “submit”, and your live event has been scheduled.

Playlists

To schedule a playlist, first select Playlist from the source pulldown. The scrollbar will now display a list of available Playlists. Drag and drop the playlist into the programming schedule.

Views

To see the programming for an earlier date, click the double arrows << to the left of the date.  To see the programming for a later date, click the double arrows >> to the right of the date.  You can also jump from date to date by clicking on a date on the calendar under the Calendar tab on the left side of the page.

The field names across the top of the Calendar View are:

  • Time – the time of day when the event in this slot begins.  When no programming is scheduled the empty sections are divided into 30-minute time slots.
  • Program – the program name of the playout, record, or other event scheduled for that time slot as taken from its metadata. If scheduled programming does not fill the 30-minute slot, the display shows how much open time remains before the next 30-minute time slot.
  • Episode – the name of an episode in a series, if available in the metadata.
  • Source – the source of the playout or event, such as a filename or live feed.
  • Start – the exact time the playout or event will start, in HH:MM:SS format. Double click on the Start column for an event to edit the Start time directly from the Calendar.
  • Stop – the exact time the playout or event will end, in HH:MM:SS format.
  • Duration – the length of time this event will run in hours, minutes, and seconds.  If the event is starting late or ending early, the duration shown will be shorter than the event’s actual duration.
  • Options – the available options or actions for this event, such as modifying it.

Calendar (Month)

To display the schedule for a different month, click on the left-arrows (<<) or right-arrows (>>). To select a date, click on that date.

Content Search

The Search window (on the left, under the calendar) lets you narrow the list of content thumbnails displayed. Enter a keyword and press Search. Any content that matches the criteria is displayed in the scroll bar.

To search on specific criteria such as category, duration, or how many times an event has played, click on the down arrow on the right of the search field to open the Advanced Content Search options.

Click the Search button at the bottom of the window. The search results are displayed in the scroll bar.

For example, suppose you have a schedule with a 15-minute gap to fill.

  1. Click Advanced Search to see the selection criteria.
  2. Suppose you have a category called Fillers to fill these small gaps in the schedule.  Select Fillers from the Category drop-down list.  Set the Min Duration to 5 minutes and the Max Duration to 15 minutes.
  3. Click Search.  The results are displayed in the Search Results section.

You can also filter content by duration that fits into a given time slot on the calendar by clicking the Filter Content For Slot link within a slot. The content results will be sorted by duration with the longest duration at the top to prioritize content that will maximally fill up the time slot.

Unschedule

To remove an event from the schedule, select it and click the Unschedule button. The application asks you to confirm the removal. Click on Yes (OK) to unschedule the program. Otherwise click on No (Cancel), and the application leaves the programming schedule unchanged.

Copy and Paste

Click on the Block Copy button to open the same copy/paste functions you have in the Classic View.

You can also use the standard Ctr+click copy/paste functions on a Mac or PC.  

  • To select a block, click on the first line of programming, then Shift+click on the last line of programming in your chosen block.
  • To copy that block to a new timeslot:
    • Cmd+C. All items in the block you define will now be outlined in dotted lines.
    • Click on the new timeslot, and an orange bar will appear.
    • Click on the orange bar, and your block will be copied into that timeslot.

Add Overlay Event

This action is only available in a HyperCaster with Overlays enabled.

Click “Add Overlay Event” to open the same Overlay scheduling window you would see in Classic View.

Add Record Event

This action is only available in a HyperCaster with SDI, NDI, or IP Capture Recording enabled.

Click “Add Record Event” to open the same Record scheduling window you would see in Classic View.

You are free to use Classic View or Calendar View – or both – to schedule programming for your server. Use whichever method is convenient.