v3.0.12.2 - stable

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radio42
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v3.0.12.2 - stable

Post by radio42 »

Version 3.0.12.2 is out!

What's New?
  • New AutoDuck feature (Input and Cardwall) added
  • Script-Line mode Random/Cardwall might now select a category
  • Advertising Manager enhanced by News Manager
  • New Overlay Scheduler Entry Play-Type 'News' added
  • New Script-Mode 'News' added
  • New dynamic embedded container type 'News' added
  • Fixed-Length Advert-Slot feature added
  • stable

New AutoDuck feature (Input and Cardwall) added
Each Mixer-Input-Channel now contains a new "Auto Duck" configuration parameter.
If checked, the volume of selected mixer output channels will be lowered during the time a certain input level is detected - once the input level falls below that level the output volume will be increased again.
The effective auto duck features can the be configured within the general settings, see section 'Mixing/Fading' and click on the 'AutoDuck Settings...' button.

a) Cardwall:
AutoDuck Cardwall I: If checked, the volume of the selected mixer output channels will be lowered during the time a card is playing.
AutoDuck Cardwall II: If checked, the volume of the selected mixer output channels will be lowered during the time a card is playing.
Attenuation: The dB value to use when lowering the output volume via the AutoDuck function.
Speed: The AutoDuck speed in milliseconds (the time it takes to slide the output volume to the defined AutoDuck dB value resp. back to its maximum).

b) Input:
Mixer Output Channels: The volume of the selected mixer output channels will be lowered during the time an input mixer audio signal is above the given threshold.
Attenuation: The dB value to use when lowering the output volume via the AutoDuck function.
Speed: The AutoDuck speed in milliseconds (the time it takes to slide the output volume to the defined AutoDuck dB value resp. back to its maximum).
Threshold: Defines the audio level in dB which should be used to identify silence in a mixer channel.
The mixer channel is considered silent, when the level falls below this threshold. If it raises above the AutoDuck function is triggered (which will lower the output volume).
Note: If you have enabled multiple mixer channels for silence detection all these mixer channels must be silent before any action is performed.
Delay: Defines the time in milliseconds a mixer input channel's level must stay below the defined threshold until the AutoDuck function is effectively deactivated (and the output volume is raised back again).
Note: If you have enabled multiple mixer input channels for the AutoDuck function all these mixer input channels must be stay below the threshold for the given time until any action is performed.


Script-Line mode Random/Cardwall might now select a category
Within the Script Library Editor you can now select a 'Category' as a script-line entry for the Modes 'Random' and 'Cardwall'.
This allows you to randomly pick an effective media resp. cardwall library out of the selected category and allows even more flexibility with the scripting.

In addition a new mode 'News' was added to the scripting. This mode allows you to select a new News-Category to be played (see below for details).
This 'News' mode plays 'Count' tracks out of the selected 'News-Category'.


Advertising Manager enhanced by News Manager
The existing ProppFrexx Advertising Manager is now called Advertising and News Manager - as it now contains a new news management module.
News are managed in a new 'News Management' window, in which you can define so called 'News Categories'.
A news category represents a folder underneath your main advert library folder in which the related news audio/track files are saved.
You can then use a 'News Category' within ProppFrexx ONAIR to schedule the play out of news tracks.
News can be scheduled either via the Overlay Scheduler or via regular script-lines, fix time elements or even as dynamic embedded containers.
When you schedule a News-Category you also specify 'how-many' news tracks you want to schedule (e.g. 3 means, that 3 news tracks should be taken from the related News-Category).

A 'News Category' has got the following parameters:
Name: The name of the news category.
Active: Is this news category active?
Description: A short description of the news category or any additional notes.
Opener: The news opener is an audio track which will be used in a resulting news block playlist as a track preceding the effective news tracks.
Separator: The news separator is an audio track which will be used in a resulting news block playlist as intermediate tracks in between two subsequent news tracks.
Closer: The news closer is an audio track which will be used in a resulting news block playlist as a track succeeding the effective news tracks.
Soundbed: The soundbed track is an audio track which will be used as a background track for each individual news track.
As such, when a regular news track is being played, this soundbed track is played as well in parallel looped mode.
Attenuation: The dB value to use to lower the volume of the soundbed track.
Default Media Entry Type: Select the default media entry type you want to use with this news category.
Track Usage: Defines how tracks should be scheduled within a news block (if multiple tracks are assigned to this news category).
Note, that the sequentiual mode ensures, that newest tracks (last modification date) are played first.
Max. Age: Defines the maximum number of days an audio track can have (related to its last modification date) before it will be automatically removed.
A value of 0 (zero) disables the automatic removal.

As such, when you effectively schedule a News-Category, the given number of news-tracks will be wrapped with the defined Opener/Separator and Closer tracks.
Everytime a News-Category is scheduled, it is ensured, that the related audio tracks are fully (re)loaded from within the related news folder, so that you might also manage your news files manually within the news folder.
The news folder is kept underneath the advert library directory in the sub-folder 'news'. Each news category then creates an additional folder underneath using the name of the news category.

To schedule a News-Category from within the Overlay Scheduler Entry specify 'News' as the type and specify 'news category|maxTrackCount|maxSeconds' as the 'Playing' parameter.
This will play out a news category block using either max track count or max seconds (whatever is reached first).

To schedule a News-Category from within a Script or FixTimeElement, just specify 'News' as the script-line mode and specify the 'News-Category' as the entry. The 'Count' parameter of the script-line then defined the max number of tracks to use (you can not specify max. seconds from within a script)!


Fixed-Length Advert-Slot feature added
Within the ProppFrexx Advertising and News Manager you can now also define fixed length advert slots.
In the advert slot configuration dialog you can now mark an advert slot with the 'Ensure Length' option. If checked the minimum length of the slot will be ensured.
If the effective slot play out results in less tracks than the defined slot length (i.e. too less campaigns have been assigned to the slot), sweeper tracks will be used to fill the remaining gap, so that the exact slot length will be reached.
However, if you already overbooked the slot and the effective play out length exceeds the slot length, no further action will be taken.
Tip: To make a slot a real fixed length slot specify the same length for the minimum and maximum slot length and check the 'Ensure Length' option.

The sweeper tracks (to fill any slot length gap) are defined in the sub-folder 'filler' of your advert library directory (in the special sub-folder called 'filler') and should contain various tracks of various length (at best tracks of 1, 2, 3, 5, 10sec. length etc.).
You need to maintain this folder manually, eg. copy all your sweeper/filler tracks into this 'filler' sub-folder.
If multiple tracks with the same length do exist (e.g. the filler folder contains 5 tracks each having a length of 1 seconds), the gap filling takes place randomly. Meaning a possible slot length gap is filled randomly using all your filler tracks starting with the longest available track possible.


P.S.: v3.0.12.1 just contains a few little optimizations regarding the News Management.
P.S.: v3.0.12.2 contains a Script-Editor bug-fix (when using the library selector with the new category selector)
andre
Posts: 42
Joined: 11 Apr 2012 18:28
Re: v3.0.12.01 - stable

Post by andre »

Thanks for the update Bernd, i like the AutoDuck feature.
alexbryntesen
Posts: 10
Joined: 09 Jul 2013 20:06
Re: v3.0.12.2 - stable

Post by alexbryntesen »

In many cases "in the news" headers and important news sent first, then the less important news in the end (in the same news block). It should be possible to selected priority on the news files to organize this, regardless whether sequentiual or random play.
bebo_saed
Posts: 87
Joined: 16 Sep 2012 20:54
Re: v3.0.12.2 - stable

Post by bebo_saed »

Great Update Bernd very useful options are added, only in the news management sector first i can see that when assigning a slot in the advertising manager it can be only assigned to news, in this case that means that there is no normal advert can be played before/after the news segment in this slot?

if i want to set an advert after or before the news as a sponsor how can it be done with this system?
i suggest that the news segment is treated as a normal slot with a priority that can be adjusted to control the existence of the news before/after sponsored AD, that can be easily done if the news assigning to the slot is done from the news segment itself as in the normal AD campaign (single, dynamic or assign option)so that it allow multiple news/AD types to be assigned to the same slot.
bebo_saed
Posts: 87
Joined: 16 Sep 2012 20:54
Re: v3.0.12.2 - stable

Post by bebo_saed »

NO your way is just right and it solves the problem as i used this option before, i think it's up to you to add this option or not only extra code is needed :) but if you don't want your solution will just go super fine :) thanks bernd.
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radio42
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Re: v3.0.12.2 - stable

Post by radio42 »

Good point - I'll consider this!
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Re: v3.0.12.2 - stable

Post by radio42 »

The concept of Slots and its assignments does allow you to define News, as they are completely separate items.
However...
...if you want to play an Advert before or after News, you need to create 2 separate Overlay-Entries.
If you for example want to play them out right after the other one, you might create the Advert-Slot entry just e.g. 10sec. after the News entry.

Note, that within ProppFrexx ONAIR (see general settings, section 'Scripts/Scheduler') you have an 'Combine Parallel Overlays' option.
If checked, overlay entries which are almost starting in parallel will be combined within the current Overlay-Players playlist into one playlist (the new overlay tracks will actually be added to it).
In order to combine overlays certain conditions must be met:
- the current overlay must be still waiting for at least 10 sec.
- the new overlay can not be of type 'Input'
- the new overlay can not have the option 'AsPlaylistInsert'
- the new overlay must have the same 'Suspend Program' option
Note:
The first overlay defines the play out options!
The order in which overlays are shown determines how tracks are combined. NOT only the StartTime of the overlay is relevant, but also the 'Show in Advance' time is considered!

If you don't use the 'Combine Parallel Overlays' option, the overlays are played out separately one after the other one.

So I don't really see the need to add an extra 'Slot' option for News, as the current Overlay-Scheduler already allows you what you are looking for.
Or am I overseeing anything...?

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