About: Flexible Playback Mode changes the behaviour of the playlist in a way that it allows the user to instantly play every element in the playlist without interruption.
Overview
The Flexible Playback feature introduces the ability to move the playhead to a playlist element from either the past or the future. This enhances control over playlist playback and allows for dynamic adjustments to the scheduled content.
Activate Flexible Playback
To use Flexible Playback,
1. it must first be activated in General Settings under the section Playlist behaviour.
When Flexible Playback is active, there are several indicators in the UI:
2. Flexible Playback Mode Active indicator on top of the day headers.
3. Playlist elements have indices showing their position in the playlist.
4. The Play Button is now available on all elements, including already played elements.
Key Functionalities
Skip to an Element in the Future
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How it Works:
- Use the Play button on a playlist element in the future.
- The system skips directly to the selected playlist element.
- All skipped elements are moved into the history with their original planned lengths preserved.
Skip to an Element in the Past
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How it Works:
- Use the Play button on a playlist element in the past.
- The system jumps back to the selected element and resumes playback from there.
- The start times for all subsequent elements in the playlist are shifted forward to align with the new playback timeline.
System Behavior Changes
These apply when Flexible Playback Mode is active:
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History Behavior:
- Skipped elements are now retained in the history with their full planned durations, even if playback is skipped before the planned time is reached.
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Locked Elements:
- If a playlist contains locked elements, the "Play" functionality will only allow skips to elements up to the next locked item in the future.
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HOLD Flag Preservation:
- If an element is skipped and later replayed, its HOLD status is preserved.
- This applies to repeated playlists as well.
API and Bitfocus Companion Integration
In addition to the UI-based skipping functionality, Flexible Playback can also be controlled via API or our companion / streamdeck plugin. Options to configure the jump to a specific element are:
- Jump to and play a specific playlist element ID
- Jump to a certain position of the rundown and play this element. (Playlist line numbers are displayed when flexible playback mode is activated.
- Dynamically jump to and play the first element in the playlist that contains a specific name.
- Dynamically jump to and play the first element in the playlist with a specific custom key.
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- A numeric order ID is available to specify the target playlist element.
- This can be used to trigger skips to specific positions in the playlist.
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- Skips can be triggered using Bitfocus Companion commands for seamless integration with external control systems.