| When creating playlists, it is important to understand how Centova Cast will select tracks when multiple playlists are activated. At the end of each song, Centova Cast performs a number of checks, in a specific order, to determine which playlist to select a track from next.
Note that Centova Cast will never interrupt a track to change playlists. That is, if a playlist is scheduled to start at 10:30, and a 10 minute track starts at 10:25, the scheduled playlist will be deferred until 10:35 to allow the track to finish. This is a common cause for concern for stations which play “mix tracks” which may be an hour or more in length.
The following checks are performed in the order shown to determine which playlist to select a track from:
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Immediate Playlists. If an Immediate playlist is enabled, it will always take precedence over all other playlist types, and it will be played through to completion before any other playlists will be consulted, even if this requires interrupting another playlist. Upon completion, the status of the Immediate playlist will be set to disabled to ensure that it is not repeated.
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Scheduled Playlists. If it is time to play a Scheduled playlist, it will always take precedence over all other playlist types (except Immediate playlists). Once a Scheduled playlist starts, it will be played through to completion, or to its scheduled stop time, before any other playlists are consulted.
If two Scheduled playlists conflict (i.e., if one is scheduled to start while another is still playing), Centova Cast will consult the active playlist's “Interruptible” flag. If it is configured to be interruptible, Centova Cast will immediately abort the active playlist (leaving the remaining tracks unplayed) and begin the second playlist. If it is not configured to be interruptible, the second playlist will be deferred until the active playlist finishes.
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Interval Playlists. If it is time to play an Interval playlist, it will always take precedence over General Rotation playlists.
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General Rotation playlists. If no other playlists are due for playback, a track will be selected from one of the General Rotation playlists. Selection of tracks from General Rotation playlists is “weighted” as described under General Rotation Playlist Options above, to ensure that tracks from “heavier” playlists are chosen more often than those from “lighter” playlists.
If a General Rotation playlist has been configured for only a specific time period, it will only be included in the rotation during that time period. During that period, it will be treated just like any other General Rotation playlist, and included in the rotation based on its weight. Outside of the configured time period, the playlist will be treated as if it is disabled.
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