Schedule, live takeover and as-run report

For file-based channels (24/7 channels from files), the Enterprise plan adds everything a professional programme grid needs.

Available from Castreon 1.3.0, in the Enterprise plan.

Day / hour schedule

In the channel's Files (playout) source, turn on Day / hour schedule, then open Schedule (from the channel header). The weekly grid has one column per day; a click on an hour adds a block: a playlist (for example series in the afternoon, films in the evening) or a scheduled live takeover. Outside the blocks, the channel's playlist airs.

Date exceptions take priority over the usual week: a holiday playlist, a live event on a given evening. The grid also shows this week's exceptions and the “now” line.

When a block starts, the title on air is cut exactly at the block's time (on the nearest keyframe) and the block starts on time. The schedule applies without restarting the channel; Preview tells you what airs at a chosen time.

Allowed hours

For each file, Allowed hours says when it may start: for example only between 22:00 and 06:00, or only on certain days. The engine picks only what is allowed right now, and the EPG shows exactly that.

Live takeover

Go live (channel header) puts a live source on air — another Castreon channel (channel:slug), SRT, HLS, UDP, RTMP — for a duration or until stopped. The source is started and checked first: the programme is interrupted only once the live picture is ready, and the switch happens on a keyframe, with no black screen. A source that doesn't work is refused without touching the programme.

After the live, the channel returns on the clock (skipping what was missed, like a TV station) or where it left off — your choice. The live block shows in the EPG.

Ad breaks (SCTE-35)

SCTE-35 markers put breaks into the stream: between titles or every few minutes inside a title, with the chosen length and a playlist that airs during the break. Breaks are marked in HLS (#EXT-X-DATERANGE with SCTE35-OUT, #EXT-X-CUE-OUT / CUE-OUT-CONT / CUE-IN), for downstream ad insertion.

As-run report

The As-run log tab on the channel page shows exactly what aired on a given day: start and end time, duration, type (title, intro, break, live) and a note (trimmed by the next block, interrupted, part N). CSV downloads the report. How long it is kept: Settings → File-based channels (90 days by default).

API and several storage locations

• Everything the panel does for the library, playlists and schedule can also be done through the API, with an API token (Enterprise only).
• Several storage locations (mounted disks or shares), each with its own free-space threshold.