“Program Guides” are graphics that are used to display a list of upcoming programs. Program Guides can be displayed on-air in one of two ways:
- As full graphic “slide” running in the main playout video window, just like when videos are played. For this, Program Guides can be scheduled as Slide events, or added to Playlists as Slides, or set as Slide Continuity. Other graphic overlays can then run on top of Program Guides when they air, and the Program Guides can be squeezed back just like videos. Slides are only supported on HyperCaster models with internal ProVue Decoders, so are no supported on external ProVues managed by a separate HyperCaster.
- As an actual overlay, in which case other video programming will be running underneath. For this, Program Guides can be scheduled just like any other Overlay. If displaying a program guide as an actual overlay, it is not advised to actually design as a full screen graphic, as programming running underneath may have audio and this would be confusing to your viewers. Instead, consider lower thirds or sidebars, for example, using squeezebacks, and only show a few program items as a time. For full screen on-air Program Guides that show more upcoming programs at a time, schedule using the Slides method.
To create a program guide, select New –> Program Guide from the Overlay tab.
You can start by selecting a Preset Type from the pull-down (Basic Program Guide, or an existing Program Guide you have already designed).
This will pre-populate fields to match the preset, which are then easy to customize to your specifications. Here are the choices you can make:
- Background Properties – defines the layout and properties of the program guide background. The available fields are as follows:
- Type: Select a type of background for the program guide. The background will always appear behind the program guide. Choose None, Image, or Color:
- “None” will have no background. You should use drop shadow text with contrasting colors for the Text Properties if you have no background to make sure your program guide is visible no matter what video content is playing behind it.
- “Color” allows you to choose a color band, plus an optional border, and set the width, height, and placement of that band of color. As with the “tickers”, you get color choices for Background and Border. You can set the transparency of the background band using the slider widget in the color picker.
- “Image” allows you to upload your own background as a .png file that also supports alpha channel.
- You can drag the color band or image on the stage to position it, or set the X and Y coordinates directly in the Background Properties.
- PNG File: The background image to use. Any manually uploaded image will not be scaled. Only empty resolutions will be populated with a scaled image.
- Background Color: The program guide’s background color. Transparency can be controlled via the color picker slider widget. Colors can be selected using the spectrum grid, or entered as RGB values in the text field at the bottom of the color picker.
- X: This distance from the left edge of the screen to place the top-left corner of the background. Value must be a positive integer less than resolution width.
- Y: This distance from the top edge of the screen to place the top-left corner of the background. Value must be a positive integer less than resolution height.
- Width: The width of the color background.
- Height: The height of the color background.
- Border Color: The program guide’s border color. Transparency can be controlled via the color picker slider widget. Colors can be selected using the spectrum grid, or entered as RGB values in the text field at the bottom of the color picker.
- Border Width: The program guide’s border width in pixels. Value must be a positive integer less than half the resolution height and/or width.
- Type: Select a type of background for the program guide. The background will always appear behind the program guide. Choose None, Image, or Color:
- Static Text – defines the layout and properties of the program guide Title to display. The available fields are as follows:
- Text: Enter text to be used as a title for the program guide. You can drag the title Text field on the stage to position it, or set the X and Y coordinates directly in the Text Properties.
- Bottom Left: The distance from the left edge of the screen to place the text.
- Bottom Right: The distance from the right edge of the screen to place the text.
- Color: The color of the static text text.
- Font: The font to use for the static text.
- Size: The font size to use for the static text.
- Drop Shadow Offset: The distance in pixels between the shadow and the actual text.
- Drop Shadow Angle: The angle at which the shadow is offset from the actual text.
- Drop Shadow Color: The color of the shadow.
- Data Grid – defines the general layout and properties of the program items listed in the Program Guide. The available fields are as follows:
- Number of Events: Select the number of events to show in the program guide. One row will be created for each event. The left column will display the time of the event. The right column will display the program. The program guide will only display programs in the next 24 hours.
- Empty Guide Text: Enter text to be displayed when the program guide airs but there are no events in the next 24 hours.
- X: This distance from the left edge of the screen to place the top-left corner of the data grid. Value must be a positive integer less than resolution width.
- Y: This distance from the top edge of the screen to place the top-left corner of the program guide. Value must be a positive integer less than resolution height.
- Width: The width of the data grid in pixels.
- Height: The height of the data grid in pixels.
- Color: The color of the data grid text used for each program item in the listing.
- Font: The font to use for the data grid.
- Weight: The font weight to use for the data grid.
- Size: The font size to use for the data grid.
- Drop Shadow Offset: The distance in pixels between the shadow and the actual text.
- Drop Shadow Angle: The angle at which the shadow is offset from the actual text.
- Drop Shadow Color: The color of the shadow.
- Data Grid Left Column – defines additional layout and properties of the time column for the program items listed in the Program Guide. The available fields are as follows:
- Width: The width of the left column of the data grid in pixels.
- Text Justify: Select how to justify the text in the left column of the data grid.
- Text Padding: Enter the number of pixels to pad on the left and right of the text in the left column of the data grid. Must be a positive integer.
- Data Grid Right Column – defines additional layout and properties of the program info column for the program items listed in the Program Guide. The available fields are as follows:
- Format: Select which metadata field or fields are used for populating Program Guide title information. Available options include just the Program metadata field, just the Episode metadata field, or combined Program: Episode.
- Width: The width of the right column of the data grid in pixels.Width: The width of the right column of the data grid in pixels.
- Text Justify: Select how to justify the text in the right column of the data grid.
- Text Padding: Enter the number of pixels to pad on the left and right of the text in the right column of the data grid. Must be a positive integer.
When saving changes, click the Save For All Resolutions to apply your changes for all stages. Otherwise any changes will only save for the resolution on which you are working.
Once created, a Program Guide Overlay can be scheduled like any other graphic overlay as follows:
- As a scheduled event by choosing the “Add Overlay” option in Programming → Classic View.
- Automatically through Overlay Rules.
- You can also manually turn Program Guides on and off on the Overlays tab by clicking the slider for the Overlay on the desired channels. Note that if you manually turn on a Program Guide, it will remain on-air until you manually turn it off.
Additionally, a Program Guide Overlay can be scheduled as a Slide event, used as a Slide in Playlists, and used for Slide Continuity.
