Wegener Communications 6420 user manual Playlists

iPump 6420 User’s Manual

3.4.2.Playlists

“Playlists” give the user the opportunity for insertion command indirection that makes localization convenient (see Figure 1-2), while allowing for more powerful file-based audio functions. By defining the same playlist name on many field iPump6420s, but each pointing to its own local files, the network, by requesting an audio insert with that playlist, can get a group of field i6420s to do a synchronized local insert. These inserts execute simultaneously at all sites, with each unit using its own local content.

In the iPump6420, a playlist is an ordered set of one or more audio file specifications. Each of those file specifications may 1) explicitly name a file by path and filename, 2) name a file as before but using an asset alias in the path (see section 3.4.6), or 3) use a keyword to select a file from an asset folder (see section 3.4.5). Any or all playable file types may be used in a single playlist. When a playlist play is invoked as a temporary insert, the typical use, the live audio feed is muted and then all the files are played, in order, once, and then the audio decoder (port) output returns to the live satellite audio feed. This is a non-volatile operation, and, if the unit reboots, that audio decoder (port) will resume on the permanent live satellite audio feed. The temporary playlist insert aborts not only after resets, but also after any change to a Decoder permanent setting or by special Abort command.

The alternative to the temporary playlist insertion is to permanently assign an i6420 Audio Decoder (port) to be a “virtual channel”. This is a permanent non-volatile setting. It is done by assigning a playlist to play under the rule “Loop Forever”. Under this assignment, the audio output from that Decoder will play one file after another until the playlist is complete, then repeat from the top. This repeats endlessly, even through unit reboots, as long as power is applied. It only stops when the Decoder receives a command to go to another permanent setting (e.g. play live audio from the incoming Transport, if available).

Playlists are often built in the Compel/MediaPlan system and either 1) downloaded to the field iPump6420s as discrete playlistname.xml files into the /u/user/.system/playlists folder, or

2)built on the i6420 using Compel playlist build commands. The local user, through the web Playlist tab, may also build, edit, and delete playlists. Note that the names of playlists are allowed to contain whitespace.

Logging: All temporary playlist plays are logged to the As-run Log. Relevant indicators are:

1.PLAYBACK LED on during play of playlist audio, whether temporary or permanent

2.“Playlist does not exist” fault indication

3.“File-not-found” fault indication

Relevant user controls are:

1.Create a playlist (local, or using Compel playlist build command)

2.Download a playlist as a file

3.Edit a playlist: Adding, removing, moving, changing line items (only a local operation)

4.Delete a playlist: by name, using wildcards (Compel only), or “all”

5.Temporary File insertion by named playlist, with optional Profiles (see section 3.4.4)

6.Permanent virtual channel using loop-forever playlist

7.Abort playlist play (explicitly, only a local operation, but any perm setting of the Decoder will abort temp or perm playlist play)

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