Watched Folder Clarification
  • Hi,

    I just want to clarify one thing if I may.  I am presuming Airtime reads Meta data rather then filenames?  So, I have set up a watched folder.  Thinking weekly syndicate shows.  I want to set a linked weekly show "Top 40".  This comprises of 3 parts "Top40_1" "Top40_2" etc.

    So I set up the show to repeat each week.. all done.

    To update the show files each week I want to simply FTP them to the watched folder.  Am i right in thinking that the filename is nor relevent but the meta data is?  I have been playing and it seems this way but my brain is mashed so I want to get it right for sure.

    So, I am presuming that if the Meta Data in the original files reads..

    Top 40 Chart - Part 1
    Top 40 Chart - Part 2
    Top 40 Chart - Part 3

    The filenames can be anything such as
    DATE_Top40_1 etc

    But as long as the meta is always the same they will over write existing ones when sent to watched folder?

    In fact when I go to Library it appears that the filename isnt there at all and its only reading meta data (and I cant add filename to the columns).  Actually if I am right this will help significantly as we can make sure we always upload the latest shows but I want to be sure its the Meta that it goes by.

    Thanks for the clarification.
    Radio Streaming World - http://www.radiostreamingworld.com - for all of your streaming requirements and everything to make your online radio a success under one roof!
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  • I am doing similar but not the exact same. I have some anouncement tracks and then a huge podcast file which updates daily and automatically. I fill up the gat to the end of the show using silence-fallback". Did you click the refresh watched folder icon in Media Folders and the go into Library? You will see 'File Import in progress"? Then see what you have got?

    I am trying to automate this part in my auto RSS importer v2 and have asked where the program calls are - without response. When I have this working - its probably what you need.

    Post edited by John Chewter at 2014-05-13 06:52:21
    No longer using Airtime or Libretime.
  • EDIT:
    Didn´t work... did I do something wrong?

    1) Made a playlist containing FILE1,FILE2,FILE3
    2) Scheduled show containing playlist... all lovely and ready
    3) Overwrote with 3 different files but with the same meta data in watched folder
    4) Checked library, old files gone... not there... new files there.. perfect
    5) Checked scheduled show and old files (i can tell by the track lengths) are there not new ones...

    Any ideas?
    Radio Streaming World - http://www.radiostreamingworld.com - for all of your streaming requirements and everything to make your online radio a success under one roof!
  • It appears to have changed the files but still shows OLD times in the playlist thats scheduled... so not accurate timings... uff
    Radio Streaming World - http://www.radiostreamingworld.com - for all of your streaming requirements and everything to make your online radio a success under one roof!
  • Sounds like we are sort of in the same boat.

    The odd thing is this... I "changed" the filed via FTP and yes I refreshed the watched folder and when i go to the library the old files are gone and the new files there (same name but the length of the tracks shows which they are).

    Its just in the playlist scheduled within the show for tomorrow that the old lengths show.  Odly the files ow in the show have a little orange warning sign with "airtime is unsure about the status of this file" and when I click preview nothing plays...

    Odd!
    Radio Streaming World - http://www.radiostreamingworld.com - for all of your streaming requirements and everything to make your online radio a success under one roof!
  • I guess I could fix that in my import. But then..... if the smart block recalc'd and shuffled random stuff at play time - as per many requests in here - it would be unnecessay.

    No longer using Airtime or Libretime.
  • defo updating the library and preview playing the songscorrect in the shows but the track lengths in the show alread set are not updating... this is a real pain when programming to see if a show will over or under run
    Post edited by Mike Loeritz at 2014-05-13 10:11:03
    Radio Streaming World - http://www.radiostreamingworld.com - for all of your streaming requirements and everything to make your online radio a success under one roof!
  • That is why I cover the end of the show with 'silence' plays

    No longer using Airtime or Libretime.
  • Sure, that can be done but you  saying that this is normal behaviour of Airtime and not a blip in specific on my installations?

    If this is the case are you, or anyone able to confirm if the filename AND meta data need to be exact to overwrite and be sure weekly shows get changed or if just the meta data is taken into account when overwriting tracks in airtime?

    If this is a general blip surely this should be pretty high up on the list of fixes as its a fundamental part of proper radio programming to see the actual time of shows so you can build TOTH as close as possible!
    Radio Streaming World - http://www.radiostreamingworld.com - for all of your streaming requirements and everything to make your online radio a success under one roof!
  • The media is stored in one table, the show is in another and the content is in another. Media monitor does not update the show content table (which holds times). So, it is the normal behaviour of Airtime.
    If I knew at the start how bad the scheduler was... I would never have used Airtime.
    See the extensive wish & bug list. I am too deep in now but my fixes make it usable for myself. If the devs answered my question about firing Media Minitor on command... I would be a much happier bunny. Its all burried in Ajax, Jason, Python, undocumented black magic and absolutely not in the docs..
    Post edited by John Chewter at 2014-05-13 19:58:25
    No longer using Airtime or Libretime.
  • Annoying!  I set up a test show yesterday... scheduled for this morning and tried to overwrite the files.  I made it very obvious....

    3 Segments

    Test1, Test1, Test3 (filenames)

    Test Show 1, Test Show 2, Test Show 3 (meta)

    The initial files uploaded were 3x approx 14 mins

    I then over-wrote them with new files which had exactly the same meta but were standard songs, so each one 3 or 4 mins long.

    Show kicked in this morning... all good I thought (despite the schedule showing longer files than they really were) but then.... File 1 (13.5 mins originally) played, the song (3 mins) played to completion and the "track" continued to kick out silence for the remainder of the original 13 mins until the next track would have been played at the original lengths.

    This is a huge let down.. I know we cant complain when its open source lol but something like this is far more vital than many of the other "extras" they seem to be developing... Someone in Dev obviously knows the software inside out so I am not sure why they cant either link the two databases to repair this or point someone like you in the right direction when you have a "fix" pending!    grr
    Radio Streaming World - http://www.radiostreamingworld.com - for all of your streaming requirements and everything to make your online radio a success under one roof!