How does Automation work in detail?

The information below gives a detailed explanation of automation command behaviour, if you're looking for more general information on Automation, please head to 'Getting Started with Virtual'.  Automation is best implemented by an experienced AV provider who can tailor the system requirements to your studio.

Automation command behaviour:

PLAYBACK START COMMANDS

The start command for a scheduled virtual class is sent according to the start offset, the default setting is 30 seconds before the start of a virtual class to allow the projector time to warm up, projector screen to unroll etc.

Scheduled virtual class video playback will always start at the scheduled start time, and will take priority over any other operation. This means a scheduled class will begin playback even if another video class has not yet completed as it was started manually, started later than the indexed time due to a fault, or is running late as a result of scrubbing along the playbar manually.

In this case no automation commands are sent until the scheduled class(es) complete - the equipment is already on and active.

PLAYBACK END COMMANDS

When video playback completes (scheduled or manual) and there is no scheduled virtual video classes to follow, the end playback command is sent immediately.

Where virtual video classes are set to run back to back, the end offset time can be used to prevent the end command from being sent between video class playback. The default setting for this is 300 seconds (5 minutes).

When a virtual video class completes:

- If the next scheduled class is set to start in 301 seconds, the end command will be sent immediately.

- If the next scheduled class is set to start within 300 seconds, the end command will NOT be sent.

During an On Demand slot, no command is sent unless someone selects content for playback. When two subsequent Ondemand playback sessions occur with a sufficiently large gap between one another (i.e, gap is larger than the End Offset setting), the automation suite will power off after waiting for the End Offset to elapse.  This ensures that the automation suite is not intermittently powered on and off between adjacent manual playback sessions.

Manual Playback Types

1. On Demand initiated (within an On Demand session) - lasts until the end of the selected content OR until the end of that scheduled On Demand slot (whichever is sooner).
2. Admin initiated - last until the end of the selected content OR until the start of the next scheduled class (whichever is sooner)

Note: An On Demand slot will only start once any previously-active scheduled playback has completed.  In other words, scheduled playback supersedes On Demand.

Pausing playback effect:

This will cause the playback to outlast the originally scheduled slot length.  If the App is left in a paused state, playback will resume once the next scheduled class starts and the previously paused class will stop where it was last paused.

In On Demand, a class that is paused will remain on the screen until the end of the On Demand slot or once playback is resumed and completes.

In admin mode initiated, the paused class will remain on the screen until the next scheduled class or the playback is resumed and completes