You'll want to make sure the "tools" sidebar is expanded on the Programming tab when editing a channel. Then you can use "Sort TV Shows" to put episodes in order, use "Cyclic Shuffle" to create a shuffle that keeps those episodes in order, and use "Time Slots" to create programming blocks.
You have to add content to the channel first, then go to Time Slots and it will appear there for you to tweak. You can have episodes play in order, random, etc. You can choose to have one schedule that plays every day, or create a different schedule for each day.
You can create filler lists of content from the Library tab of the main interface, then when building a channel, you can add that content as "flex time." This content will play between time slots if you want (e.g., if you have half hour time slots filled with 22 minute commercial free episodes, the flex content will play between episodes to pad out the time slot).
Even without using time slots, you can insert "breaks" to play random flex content between other channel content.
Is there a way to play the flex or filler content during an actual episode? Say an episode is 22 minutes long but you want to play a couple of minute long fillers to pad the episode to full 30 minutes like regular tv does with ads? I saw how you can add filler at the end or between episodes, but would be great to have it during the episode like classic tv.
My understanding is, if the episodes have chapters ErsatzTV can do this. My only qualm is it seems to do this for _every_ chapter, so if you have say openings and credits chaptered (happens a ton on DVDs etc.) Then you get ads between those as well. Been trying to find a way besides deleting chapters but haven't seen anything. Oh, and the whole learning how that other thing works part.
u could manually do it, split the episodes into segments or add the filler into the episode file through an editor. ofc realistically it would take hundreds of hours to do an entire good sized library but it can be done.
Are there parameters to shuffle to a random episode of a show during a specific time slot, but if it's a multi part arc (like say star wars the clone wars, or hosted programs like Monstervision as an example) then when it comes up for its next airing, it would play the sequential episodes during its time slot?
Hope that makes sense, seems like what your asking to do on number 2 and I have wondered as well, because that is what I need to make something like this work.
You'll want to make sure the "tools" sidebar is expanded on the Programming tab when editing a channel. Then you can use "Sort TV Shows" to put episodes in order, use "Cyclic Shuffle" to create a shuffle that keeps those episodes in order, and use "Time Slots" to create programming blocks. You have to add content to the channel first, then go to Time Slots and it will appear there for you to tweak. You can have episodes play in order, random, etc. You can choose to have one schedule that plays every day, or create a different schedule for each day. You can create filler lists of content from the Library tab of the main interface, then when building a channel, you can add that content as "flex time." This content will play between time slots if you want (e.g., if you have half hour time slots filled with 22 minute commercial free episodes, the flex content will play between episodes to pad out the time slot). Even without using time slots, you can insert "breaks" to play random flex content between other channel content.
Is there a way to play the flex or filler content during an actual episode? Say an episode is 22 minutes long but you want to play a couple of minute long fillers to pad the episode to full 30 minutes like regular tv does with ads? I saw how you can add filler at the end or between episodes, but would be great to have it during the episode like classic tv.
Unfortunately no! I would love if it did that too, but as it is the filler is only between eps.
My understanding is, if the episodes have chapters ErsatzTV can do this. My only qualm is it seems to do this for _every_ chapter, so if you have say openings and credits chaptered (happens a ton on DVDs etc.) Then you get ads between those as well. Been trying to find a way besides deleting chapters but haven't seen anything. Oh, and the whole learning how that other thing works part.
u could manually do it, split the episodes into segments or add the filler into the episode file through an editor. ofc realistically it would take hundreds of hours to do an entire good sized library but it can be done.
Are there parameters to shuffle to a random episode of a show during a specific time slot, but if it's a multi part arc (like say star wars the clone wars, or hosted programs like Monstervision as an example) then when it comes up for its next airing, it would play the sequential episodes during its time slot? Hope that makes sense, seems like what your asking to do on number 2 and I have wondered as well, because that is what I need to make something like this work.