Continuity is automatic programming that plays to fill gaps when no other programming is scheduled for a channel. For example, some installations play a bulletin board or broadcast digital signage such as InfoVue when no other programming is scheduled.
To navigate to Continuity, click on any Channel name located in the Dashboard tab, or go to the Config tab and select “Channels”. From the Channels page, click on the channel where you want continuity to play. Checking “Enabled” will open up new options.
If you enable Continuity, choose one of the available sources based on your configuration: file, stream, input, switch input, or playlist. Only one source may be selected; selecting another will automatically cancel a previously selected source. On a multi-channel system, you can have different continuity on different channels.
- Enabled – To enable Continuity for this channel, check this box.
- Log As-Run – Check this box to include Continuity File, Stream or Playlist playouts in As Run Reports.
- Resume – “Resume” controls where in a file or playlist the continuity begins to play again after scheduled programming finishes. Checking Resume will prevent viewers from seeing the same piece of the continuity clip over and over again.
- To restart the continuity at the beginning of the file or playlist after the scheduled programming finishes, leave the Resume box unchecked.
- To resume the continuity at the point where it left off, check the Resume box. For a Continuity File, resume will pickup where it previously exited that file. For a Continuity Playlist, resume will pick up at the start of the next item in the playlist.
Note: If the continuity file does not support random access (playing a file at any point), then the resume feature will not work for that particular file, and checking Resume will have no effect.
- File – Select a single file to play in a loop when nothing else is playing on this channel.
- Stream – Select a live streaming source feed from the drop-down list to be used as continuity. Examples are networked IP Transport streams from an IP encoder or IP satellite receiver, RTMP & HLS streams. It is important to make sure the streaming source properties are compatible with your downstream equipment for pure IP environments, or use a ProVue decoder.
- Input (HyperCaster AIO only) – Select an available SDI input port as the source for continuity. You can have any SDI source plugged into the input, such as the output of a digital signage player, satellite receiver, or an output port from an SDI video routing switcher. Inputs have the following advantages over Switch Inputs for AIO models:
- Inputs are auto-sensing, so automatically detect format changes
- Inputs are automatically up & down-converted as needed for the specific channel output, so don’t require downstream converters
- HyperCaster AIO Graphic overlays can be displayed on top of Input sources.
- Switch Input – If your HyperCaster is controlling a downstream video routing switcher and the corresponding output channel is plugged into the switcher as one of the inputs, you can use a Switch Input as a continuity source. Select the switch input port to automatically switch away to when in continuity. If your video routing switcher supports breakaway audio, you can optionally enable breakaway and select both the video and audio switch inputs to be used for continuity. To enable breakaway, go to the Switch Configuration section.
- Playlist – Select a playlist to play in a loop when nothing else is playing on this channel. If your HyperCaster is controlling a downstream video routing switcher, the corresponding output channel is plugged into the switcher as one of the inputs, and your switcher supports breakaway audio, you can optionally select the audio feed – such as a radio station – separately. To enable breakaway, go to the Switch Configuration section. See instructions on how to Create a Playlist.
- Randomize? – from v5.5+, a continuity playlist can be randomized. Selecting this checkbox will cause the playlist to play in a random order each time through.
When you have finished entering the continuity information for this channel, click the Save button at the bottom of the section.
To return to the Channels page without making changes beyond what you have already saved, click the Cancel button.
