FixTime Elements vs Track Restrictions

You have a question or need an advice about how to do something? Ask it here!
Post Reply
sokl1
Posts: 33
Joined: 15 Apr 2020 18:20
FixTime Elements vs Track Restrictions

Post by sokl1 »

Dear support,

We noticed a special behavior while using "EndsAt" start type for "FixTime Script Elements". A track matching the required duration has been picked to complete the hour but that particular track has restrictions to not being picked when "date range 15.01.2021 - 25.11.2021 [X] Repeated (ignore Year)".
We intended to trust the restrictions for the Christmas songs present in the library. So it was clear that they should never be picked automatically out of Christmas period.

SuppressGlobalRestrictions, SuppressTrackRestrictions and SuppressLocalRestrictions are all disabled (unchecked) in the concerned script.

Could you please check there's no bug regarding the last or EndsAt track selection ? I didn't found an easy way to test it and it didn't reproduce until now.

Thank you in advance. Best regards
User avatar
radio42
Site Admin
Posts: 8295
Joined: 05 Apr 2012 16:26
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Contact:
Re: FixTime Elements vs Track Restrictions

Post by radio42 »

No, there is no bug. Currently any special element, like FTE, overlays etc. are excluded from any TrackRestriction (RuleSets as well as Track related scripting restriction) and this is by design.
The reason behind is, that those special elements typically have a very special purpose, e.g. playing out a top-of-the-hour jingle or a like and that therefore by default all restrictions are suppressed, as you always want to play out that element.

But I see your point, that it should not happen for FTE's !
I am not sure about your use case, and why you play a 'normal' track as an FTE? Can yo explain this...

But let me check, if I can add the TrackRestriction check also for FTEs?!
sokl1
Posts: 33
Joined: 15 Apr 2020 18:20
Re: FixTime Elements vs Track Restrictions

Post by sokl1 »

Sorry for my late reply. The idea in using FTE was to close the hour as properly as possible at 59:59 each hour. We have news on top hour with an undetermined duration (3-6 minutes), temporarily via MODStream and soon via Line-In and dry-contact for beginning/end. If the script is generate each hour, it works quite well with "TryToEnsureExactLenght" but if the hour is planned in advance we don't know how to deal with that +/- 3 minutes delta. Do you have any suggestion ?
By the way, regarding the MODStream, would it be possible to buffer it and start playback with time-delay? The best would be to detect the cue-in and align it after a jingle a few seconds later.
User avatar
radio42
Site Admin
Posts: 8295
Joined: 05 Apr 2012 16:26
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Contact:
Re: FixTime Elements vs Track Restrictions

Post by radio42 »

I assume, there is no ‚in advance solution’ for the issue you are describing.
If the timing (length of the news and as such the effective length of the program) in unknown upfront, it can not be pre-generated upfront to guarantee and exact length with no cut-off of any track.
Eg. this is exact the reason, why ProppFrexx tries to calculate all almost in real-time.
As such, this is a logical issue, to which no real solution exists. Except keep the news to a steady and fixed length.

Related to your 2nd question, I must say, that a MODStream is playing a URL, eg. playing a live, continuous stream.
A continuous live steam can not be paused or buffered, it can only be muted/unmuted. You can also not detect any cue-in with a live stream (URL).
Else an Overlay sounds like the better solution (if it is not a live stream you are playing).where all that is being done, but wouldn’t work well with live streams.

Post Reply