2.1.40 b449: BREAKs in Playlist have strange Duration

Archive mAirList 2.x (English)
1

This applies to BREAK items loaded in from a Playlist and BREAKs Inserted into the current Playlist.

Duration of BREAK items is sometimes the Backtiming, sometimes the sum of durations of the previous two or three items, etc., etc. I think it should always be zero, same as a COMMAND item (COMMAND item Durations are fine, it’s only BREAK items that are weird).

BFN
CAD

2

This is a feature, originally requested by Charlie IIRC. The break items display the duration since the last break, or since the top of the playlist.

Do you think this should be configurable?

3

If that is the intention, BREAK items do not always show the correct ‘duration.’ Sometimes it is correct, sometimes it is not: in particular, when the Playlist contains two items with an identical start time (e.g. two items where the first is a 0:06 jingle used as a sweeper, the second is a music track, and the jingle has a local Start Next point set at about 0:03), and the BREAK is after that in the Playlist. The BREAK ‘duration’ also sometimes goes wrong when the BREAK is dragged to a different place in the Playlist.

Is the Pope Catholic?!? (In other words: YES please!) I’m sure Charlie (if it was his request) has a good reason for it, but I do think it we should have the option to show a genuine (zero) Duration for a BREAK. Charlie’s way would definitely confuse some of our people!

BFN
CAD

4

This was one of mine, actually :wink: I think because it would be nice to know how big each segment in-between BREAKs were - and also as other timing info (such as Scheduled OnAir Time) is already displayed, and at the time, the BREAK duration was duplicating already available data…

5

Well, I dunno how you use BREAKs Charlie, but in my case I use them to ‘automate’ ad. break playout (two playlists: one for music, one for ads.) and not much else.

If a ‘gap time’ is useful to you, then fine; but in my case, I know that some people would look at a BREAK with a duration >0 and assume that that would be x minutes of dead air or ‘a fault.’ ::slight_smile:

BFN
CAD

6

OK guys, this is a good one ;D.

The first (and ONLY the first) BREAK in a Playlist incorrectly shows the projected start time of day in its Duration; for example: 17:01:24 (one hell of a long break, right?).

All subsequent BREAK items in a Playlist correctly show the length of time since the previous BREAK item.

Should be easy enough for Auntie :wink: Torben to correct, I would think?

BFN
CAD

7

From v.42, you can switch of the duration display.