Scheduling

Let’s start with identifying the different things in a group.

• The group name is the name of your group.
• Your base playlist is the default playlist playing in this group. The base playlist is always playing unless there is a schedule or multiple schedules that override it. So in case, you make a mistake the base playlist will be playing on your TVs.
• Screens in this group are players (Connected to TV’s) added to this particular group.
• Publish has the same function as anywhere else in Play, it tells the players to download the latest content and changes including schedules.
• Remove Standard is where you click to remove this group. Keep in mind you cannot remove a group that has screens added.
• + Add schedule is for adding schedules to the group.
• The black tool icon on the right gives tools to navigate the timeline (Zoom, move, center, etc.)
• The base playlist will show you what is actually playing.

We will show you a couple of common use cases below, but before doing so we want to understand how content, groups, schedules, and players are linked. We often use the term “glue” when we talk about groups, groups are the glue between your content and your TV. You build playlists (That’s your content), you then create a group, you add your players (Those who are connected to your TVs) to your groups and you choose what content should be played in the group either all day long or based on time of day and dates.

Scheduling is a part of Group and Schedules.

Basic Schedules

Now that you know what is what, let’s start by creating a basic Scheduling in Digital Signage where you have one playlist playing in the daytime and another playlist playing in the nighttime or during closed hours. It is very common to not display anything outside opening hours and to do that you simply create a playlist with one slide being blacked out.

In this example, you’ll notice what plays when in the Result line. The daily playlist called Default (Always) is playing Monday to Sunday from 8 AM to 4 PM and outside this time range, we play the playlist called Night.

Schedules based on Morning and Afternoon

Playing different playlists throughout the day is the same as in our previous example. You simply limit the first rule and then create another schedule and in the timeline, you’ll be able to see what is playing when.

Weekend Schedules

As you’ve already noticed, it’s very easy planning what playlist is playing when, so adding something for the weekend, should be a walk in the park.

Date Specific Scheduling

The last thing we want to show you is how to create a schedule based on a date. You might want different content playing on holidays, at events, etc.

In previous examples, we have the Repeat daily ON. If you toggle this to OFF you will notice the date from and to is displayed on your screen instead. Here you can pick a start date and time and a stop date and time. Whereas a daily repeating schedule can be up to 24 hours long (as it repeats each day), the one-time schedule can be up to 90 days in one span.

Keep in mind that the last schedule created has precedence if more schedules overlap.

• You can add multiple playlists to any schedule. Adding more playlists in Playlists will play all playlists in a sequence.
• To delete a schedule, simply hit the red X next to the schedule on the timeline.
• You can change the schedule slots using your mouse. You can move the slots as well as expand or limit their time or date range.
• When adding a schedule using Repeat daily ON you will notice a date active from and active too, this gives you the option of setting and start and end date for the specific schedule.
• If you have a playlist with randomized slide order, the next playlist in sequence will be played once the last slide of a playlist is played. It may be that the last slide is randomized right away or it may take a while until it is randomly played.

Scheduling in Digital Signage does not start?

Most often if your device does not start playing schedule at the configured time, it is due to the player device having an incorrect time or time zone. Please review your time and time zone settings from the device’s operating system.

I have several schedules for the same period.

If the Scheduling in Digital Signage doesn’t start at exactly the same time (say schedule one starts at 09:00 for 2 hours, schedule two starts at 09:05 for 2 hours), then schedule one would be played from 09:00 – 09:05, and schedule two would be played from 09:05 until 11:05.

If both schedules are set to start at the same time, then the most recently created schedule (lowest on the list) will take precedence if you have several schedules starting at the same time.

Only the first playlist of the scheduled playlist sequence is played.

A playlist is considered “done” when the last slide in the playlist finishes. Due to the configuration options available in our editor, it is possible to set up a playlist in a way that the playlist never finishes:

• The last slide in the playlist has the “After this slide play X” option set, it will take precedence and play the specified slide instead of the next playlist in the sequence.
• The playlist contains a slide with a “play this slide forever” option, thus the player will never reach the last slide
• The playlist is set to randomize the slides, it may take a while for the last slide to be randomly played, only then will the next playlist in the sequence start.