Digital Signage, Using playlists in Content Manager
A playlist provides a way to play the same template and content on multiple content players.
Overview
A playlist provides a way to play the same template and content on multiple content players.
Playlists are used to:
- Configure and schedule multiple identical signs;
- Play a “boilerplate” template on multiple signs not playing identical content;
- Play identically formatted event information on a group of meeting room signs; and
- Override the scheduled content on one or more signs, e.g., in order to play an emergency message.
Configuring a Playlist
To configure a playlist:
- In Content Manager under the Network Overview
- right-click a Location
- select New Playlist
- In the Properties Window
- Enter a Name
- Select a Behavior
- Click OK
- To edit, right-click the Playlist, and select Properties. The Properties window displays.
- To assign one or more template to a playlist, drag a template from the Template library and drop it on the playlist in the Network Tree.
- To schedule content on the playlist, drag a content item from the Content library and drop it into a region in the playlist’s template.
Playlist Properties
General Tab
Right-click a playlist, and select Properties. The Properties window displays. A player can support multiple playlists. For example, users may have a playlist on the top Location level and also Playlists in sub-Locations. The player looks inside its location for a playlist, and then it looks for playlists in its parent location, then its grandparent location, etc. The behaviors of the playlist apply, too. Changes made to a playlist’s properties have no effect on the signs until they are deployed to the Content Players.
- Name - Label for the playlist as it is to display in the Network Overview.
- Enabled - Used to deactivate a playlist (e.g., while it is under development) so it is not used by any signs.
- Behavior - Denotes how the playlist is used by the signs in the playlist’s location and sub-locations.
- Include only if player is empty - Playlist runs only if the Content Player itself contains no templates.
- Always include before player templates - Playlist runs prior to playing the other templates scheduled on the content player.
- Always include after player templates - Playlist runs after playing the other templates scheduled on the content player.
- Override player templates - Playlist runs in place of the scheduled templates on the content player.
Deploying a Playlist
Playlists are automatically deployed when a user deploys to any of the Content Players in the same location as, or in a sub-location of, the location that contains the playlist. For example, in the following Network Overview, the playlist applies to Player 1 and Player 2 since they are all in the same location (Location 1). The playlist also applies to Player 3 since it is in a sub-location of Location 1. However, the playlist does not apply to Player 4 since it is in a different location (Location 2).