Once the media has been added to the Media tab, the media can then be scheduled to play back on your screen or screens. Start by making sure you have selected the correct site. Click on the "Schedule" tab to start scheduling your media, start by making sure you have selected the correct site or site group.
The media you have created will be listed in the selector panel on the right. Drag the media you would like to see on your screen, into the schedule window on the left. The media will play back in the order that they're added to the schedule. If multiple pieces of media are present in the schedule they can be moved around by dragging them in the desired order to display them.
Within the media section there also existed a "Shared Media" folder where media from multiple sites and site groups can be accessed.
Playback Settings
Each piece of media has its own playback settings that determine when and where it will play. By default, there are no playback constraints and the frequency is set to every day, meaning the media will show on the screen on any date, at any time. To modify a playback settings click on the gear icon in the bottom right of a a piece of media.
Setting the playback constraints on a piece of media will instruct the playback to only show the media content during the scheduled time. In this example, the Cat-Wallpaper.jpg" media will be available starting on January 1st, 2030 and will expire on the end of the month. However the media will on show on Wednesdays. Add the playback constraints you would like on your media content. Multiple playback constraints can be combined. There are no playback constraints by default. Once the expiration playback constraints are reached the media becomes expired. Site constraints can also be set, however this option isn't useful unless the media is located in multiple sites or a site group, if so specific sites can be chosen not to publish the media content to.
Click the "Save" button to save your playback constraints.
Expiration
The expiration will set the valid date and time that the media content is allowed to play. The media will be eligible to play at the start date/time and will stop play at the end date/time. Some important items to note about message and media expiry:
- A message or media will not be automatically removed from the schedule when it expires.
- The start and end date/time of a message or media will be relative to the local time zone of the site.
- A site does not need to be "connected" in order for a message or media to stop playing
Frequency
Setting the frequency on a message or media is helpful when a message should play at set date or time intervals, such as every Monday. The frequency options are:
- Everyday: This is the default option and is the equivalent to not setting a frequency.
- Specific Days/Time: Enables the selection of which days of the week the message or media should play along with the times of the day the message or media is eligible for playback. Example: Play on Saturday and Sunday between 6am and 11am. This will reoccur weekly.
- Weekly: Enable setting a start and end day of the week and time. For example: Play on Tuesday starting at 8am and stop on Wednesday at 9pm. This will reoccur weekly.
- Monthly, by day: Enables setting a specific date of the month. For example: Play on the 1st of the month, reoccurring monthly.
- Monthly, by week and day: Enables setting a specific Day or week interval of a month. For example: Play on the 2nd Tuesday or the month, reoccurring monthly.
Copying Constraints
Constraints can be copied from one piece of media to another. Click on the copy constraint button to begin.
Once copying a constraint from a piece of media, the paste constraint option will then become available on every other media content. Select the paste constraint button on the desired media to mimic the copied media constraints.
Schedule/Publishing States
- Published: The schedule is live, or will be live at the site once the download is complete.
- Saved: The Schedule has been saved but any changes have not yet been published.
- Unsaved Changes: The schedule has been changed and not yet saved.
Publishing your Schedule
Continue to drag media into the schedule window. Once the desired piece of media has been added to the schedule window, click the save and publish button to save your schedule and then publish your new schedule. Publishing sends your new media to the screen for playback. Without publishing, your new media and schedule will not be updated to your screen(s).
Now that you've created and scheduled a piece of media, it should appear on your screen shortly, depending on the playback settings.