scheduling

[bobschm]

Is it even possible to schedule this in S2?:

- 10 minute animation show loops from 4pm til 6pm
- 30 second introductory music show loops from 6pm til 7pm
- Main show starts at 7pm and runs until shutdown seq finishes
- 10 minute animation show loops again until 12 midnite
- All lights off until 4pm next day

Would S3 be better for this?

[Guest wbottomley]

Build three shows and schedule them like you said above. S2 works just fine for that.

[Steven]

And don't use the Simple Show Builder. Your show is not "Simple."

[Don]

First, be sure your license level can do some of this.
http://www.lightorama.com/ShowtimeSoftwareSuite.html

Also, this description does not use the simple show editor. Uses the regular show editor and scheduler.

1) Create the following shows.
A) Name: AnimationLoop
Contents: The sequences you want run during the loop.

Name: IntroShow
Contents: The sequences that contain your intro music.

C) Name: MainShow
Contents: Your main show sequences and your shutdown sequence.


Now the schedule
4p - 6p Schedule the "AnimationLoop" show from above.
6p - 7p Schedule the "IntroShow" show from above.
7p - Whenever - Schedule the "MainShow" show from above.
Whenever - Midnight - Schedule the "AnimationLoop" show from above.


Note: You don't say how long you want the show to run. So the "Whenever" is your ending time of your show.

[bobschm]

So I'll need an accurate timing of the main show (which is just one time through the songs and done). The animation won't just start up when the main show ends?

[DownTown]

bobschm wrote:

So I'll need an accurate timing of the main show (which is just one time through the songs and done). The animation won't just start up when the main show ends?

Bob -

You don't need to know the precise time that the main show ends. Just schedule it to end whenever you want it to (say for example, 10:00 PM). At 10:00, LOR will gracefully end that show... it will finish playing the current song, and then run the shutdown sequence. If your shutdown sequence takes 3 minutes to run, then maybe you want to schedule your main show to end at 9:57. Then after the shutdown sequence ends, your animation sequence will start

HTH

D.T.

[bobschm]

Hmmmm. Sounds like a feature request is in order.
That main show is expected to grow as more sequences get completed. But I do want the entire show to play before entering the animation. So if the main show ends at 8 pm now, but grows by a seq or two to end at 8:30, I'll have to reschedule my stop time.

It'd be nice if the scheduler could be told to play some shows to the end vs a specific time.

[Guest Don Gillespie]

bobschm wrote:

Hmmmm. Sounds like a feature request is in order.
That main show is expected to grow as more sequences get completed. But I do want the entire show to play before entering the animation. So if the main show ends at 8 pm now, but grows by a seq or two to end at 8:30, I'll have to reschedule my stop time.

It'd be nice if the scheduler could be told to play some shows to the end vs a specific time.

Once you get used to the program it is very easy to make changes, it takes less than a minute to add a new sequence to your show, if and when you want to add a new sequence always do it the next day that way your show won't be interupted.

[caniac]

Don wrote:

First, be sure your license level can do some of this.
http://www.lightorama.com/ShowtimeSoftwareSuite.html

Also, this description does not use the simple show editor. Uses the regular show editor and scheduler.

1) Create the following shows.
A) Name: AnimationLoop
Contents: The sequences you want run during the loop.

Name: IntroShow
Contents: The sequences that contain your intro music.

C) Name: MainShow
Contents: Your main show sequences and your shutdown sequence.


Now the schedule
4p - 6p Schedule the "AnimationLoop" show from above.
6p - 7p Schedule the "IntroShow" show from above.
7p - Whenever - Schedule the "MainShow" show from above.
Whenever - Midnight - Schedule the "AnimationLoop" show from above.


Note: You don't say how long you want the show to run. So the "Whenever" is your ending time of your show.

what is the purpose of the Animation Loop?

[bobschm]

The animation loop will be some slow color shifts, as opposed to a static display (all lights on) when a show is not playing.

[caniac]

bobschm wrote:

The animation loop will be some slow color shifts, as opposed to a static display (all lights on) when a show is not playing.

explain please?

[bobschm]

Well, what happens when it's dark out but there's no show playing? Either the lights are all off and the house is dark, or all the lights are on and static, I'm guessing. I'd prefer to have a few shrubs slowly fading from red to green, for example.

My thinking is this:
It's a small neighborhood. This is my first year of this. I'd rather have a finite show, then send everyone on their way and clear out the street. I don't think it wise to run continuous shows from dusk til midnite here.

So if the show starts at 7 pm and it's 5 pm and dark, and the FM transmitter isn't even on yet, what do I with the lights? Hence the animation sequence to keep the lights on and gently moving.

[caniac]

bobschm wrote:

Well, what happens when it's dark out but there's no show playing? Either the lights are all off and the house is dark, or all the lights are on and static, I'm guessing. I'd prefer to have a few shrubs slowly fading from red to green, for example.

My thinking is this:
It's a small neighborhood. This is my first year of this. I'd rather have a finite show, then send everyone on their way and clear out the street. I don't think it wise to run continuous shows from dusk til midnite here.

So if the show starts at 7 pm and it's 5 pm and dark, and the FM transmitter isn't even on yet, what do I with the lights? Hence the animation sequence to keep the lights on and gently moving.

ok, I have these ceramic pumpkins that are part of the show but right now I only run the show from 7-9. so if I want the pumpkins to be on but slowly fading up and down then create a sequence that only does that then have it play before and after the show?

[DownTown]

bobschm wrote:

Well, what happens when it's dark out but there's no show playing? Either the lights are all off and the house is dark, or all the lights are on and static, I'm guessing. I'd prefer to have a few shrubs slowly fading from red to green, for example.

My thinking is this:
It's a small neighborhood. This is my first year of this. I'd rather have a finite show, then send everyone on their way and clear out the street. I don't think it wise to run continuous shows from dusk til midnite here.

So if the show starts at 7 pm and it's 5 pm and dark, and the FM transmitter isn't even on yet, what do I with the lights? Hence the animation sequence to keep the lights on and gently moving.

Hey Bob -

My thinking is this...

If you have a specific show time, ALL of your viewers will HAVE to be there at the same time to see it. This could create a large crowd, and traffic issues. If you repeat the show all night, they can come and go as they please, diluting the crowd that is there at any one time.

Common sense I think...

D.T.

[bobschm]

I hear you. And I am conflicted by this. I've seen all those Marty Slack style videos with lines of cars crawling by all night long and figure the neighbors will torch my truck if I do that to this quiet street. Plus I'm near the corner of a heavy commuter cut thru. I don't want cars rearending each other because my light show distracted them at rush hour. :shock:

So lights on at dusk. Show starts at 7 ( after rush hour). And do the neighbors really want my lights flashing until all the way til midnite?:X

If I get positive feedback this first year, then next year....:cool:

[Don]

caniac wrote:

ok, I have these ceramic pumpkins that are part of the show but right now I only run the show from 7-9. so if I want the pumpkins to be on but slowly fading up and down then create a sequence that only does that then have it play before and after the show?

Yes. Create a show with that sequence, and schedule it to run before/after your 'main' show.

[BillyT]

I only run my show till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. I don't have the volume of traffic to support it during the week, and if I did, that would be reason enough to cut back. I do believe running short continuous shows keeps the traffic flowing to an acceptable level. Be forewarned, if you get local media coverage, traffic will increase exponentially (quickly too).

[DownTown]

BillyTRichVa wrote:

Be forewarned, if you get local media coverage, traffic will increase exponentially (quickly too).

Good point... remember the words of a wise old man (you again, Jeff) who said that media interviews are a no-no... word of mouth is plenty of advertising.

D.T.

[bobschm]

I haven't told anyone about this. My wife, however,.....:shock:

[caniac]

Ok, created a "startup" show with my startup sequence. and did my filler for my pre-show, then my show, then filler to shut down. it is a total of 4 shows, is that the just of it?