This page covers a playout that puts itself on air at start-up. For a screen that must never be black: a foyer display, a hall screen, a layer that is supposed to be there all day.
Switching it on
Settings → Playouts → Playout N always live (start at launch).
From then on, that playout goes live by itself when the program starts, with the cue that was live when you closed it. It picks up where it left off, which is exactly what a display that runs all day needs.
What it changes, and what it does not
It changes the start. No operator has to remember to press GO on that line after a restart or a power cut.
It changes nothing else. The playout keeps its cue list, its transport and its output. You can still fire cues on it, stop it, and edit its list while it runs — it is an ordinary playout that happens to start itself.
What to put on it
Something that stands on its own for a long time:
| Use | Typical cue |
|---|---|
| A screen that always shows the house card | A still, or a hold with a hold image |
| Information that updates itself | A web page |
| A looping background | A stills playlist, or a clip with follow loop |
| An overlay layer that must always be available | See overlay output |
Practical notes
Whatever was live when you closed comes back. So leave that line on the cue you want to find there tomorrow. If you stop it before closing, it starts stopped.
A permanent playout still needs an output. Always live means always broadcasting to whatever it feeds; with the output set to none, it is live to nowhere.
It starts as soon as the program does, which is the point, but it also means the cue on it is on air while you are still setting up. For a screen the audience can see, make sure that first cue is something you are happy to have seen.