The HyperCaster’s flexible programming features can be used to broadcast advertising spots on your channel without the need for additional ad insertion equipment or groomers. Ad runs are logged in the HyperCaster, and these reports can be exported for billing purposes.
Here are three different ways to use the HyperCaster to schedule ad runs in your programming lineup:
The Continuity Playlist (Run of Schedule) remembers which item played last, and the next time the Channel goes to continuity, the playlist will pick up at the beginning of the next video in the queue. This ensures that ads in the playlist start cleanly, and that all ads will eventually be broadcast. All RoS Ad playouts are logged in the As Run log for billing.
Example: in the illustration below, “Squirrel” is the program. Between the three segments of “Squirrel” are two 1-minute gaps. (To create the one-minute gaps in the schedule, click the “Modify” link in either Calendar View or Classic View and schedule the segments accordingly.) The HyperCaster will automatically fill these gaps with your Continuity Playlist. Ads that are organized into a Continuity Playlist will play out in the un-scheduled slots in between the three “Squirrel” segments:
To organize and play Ads as a Continuity Playlist, follow these steps:
First, to build the playlist:
The Continuity Playlist you just created then needs to be assigned to a Channel, and Enabled:
If you are in live programming, and you want to interrupt the live stream with the ads in a Continuity Playlist:
Reports: Ads that run in the Continuity Playlist will show up in the As Run Reports as Continuity Playlist events.
This method groups several ads to run together as a Block (for example, grouping four 30-sec ads into a 2-minute block), usually to be scheduled in between periods of longer-form programming. Using the Block Copy/Paste feature, you can create and name any number of different blocks of ads, and then schedule these into an unlimited number of programming timeslots.
To organize ads into a Block, the videos can be anywhere in the programming schedule:
To Create a new Block, Name your Block in the “Save selected events to Block” field under the “Manage” heading at the bottom of the pop-up. Save, and your new Block has been created.
To Schedule the Ad Block:
To schedule the Ad Block into live programming, it is recommended to first set the live feed as “Continuity”, then schedule your ad block for as close to the current time as possible. Once the ad has run, the HyperCaster will return to the Continuity Live Stream.
Reports: Ads that run in blocks will show up in the As Run Reports as Playout events.
This method works best when a specific ad needs to run at a specific time.
Schedule just as you would any other video.
To play an individual ad into live programming, it is recommended to first set the live feed as “Continuity”, then manually play the specific ad:
Reports: Ads that run as individual files will show up in the As Run Reports as Playout events.