Tag: Schedulon

Schedulon Playlist Feature

After over a year of work on the Schedulon… we’ve implemented PLAYLISTS.

7 playlistWhy are playlists a big deal? They are a huge time-saver, and unlock new uses for the device. Previously, if you wanted to create a music mix you’d have to schedule each song (to the second). Or you’d have to make the mix in an external program, then import as a very long file.

Now you can build playlists containing as many songs as you like by using a new tab on the same easy web-interface that you’re used to. Then, just schedule a playlist by name, eg

Play ‘Musicmix.m3u’ AT 12:00 UNTIL 17:00 WITH REPEAT 5x

You can edit the playlist content at any time, and all the scheduled playlist events update automatically. And we’ve added the SHUFFLE option – every time the playlist repeats, the songs order changes for a natural feel.

Bonus feature: Now you can assign playlists to the front knob for instant on-demand playback of music mixes. Same options as for single tracks – ONCE, LOOP, PUSH – and with the new SHUFFLE option too.

Good news: if you already have a Schedulon 4.0, you’ve got the hardware needed to run the new software. Contact Customer Care to make arrangements for your upgrade.

The Schedulon offers a remarkable combination of web-based media management and programming, on-board recording, super-accurate internal real time clock, remote control, and other advanced features in a compact, reliable package.

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Technomad Schedulon Feeds Audio to Cowboys Stadium Perimeter

Schedulon delivers event information to fans as they enter the stadium based on user-defined, automatic playout schedules

BOSTON, September 7, 2011 – The game of football is all about timing. From running a slant pattern on offense, breaking up the pass on defense, or booting the extra point through the uprights, precise execution is essential to success.

The Technomad Schedulon audio playback and recording system is all about precision, giving facility operators, PA engineers and other users the freedom of scheduling automatic playback of audio files down to the second, while maintaining a high level of manual control. The Schedulon is also a reliable message repeater, playing back audio messages on a schedule created by the operator.

The Dallas Cowboys, with one of the more storied histories in the National Football League, opened its approximately 80,000-seat stadium (expandable to 100,000 seats) in 2009. The stadium has since hosted major events including Super Bowl XLV in February and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. The facility operations staff uses the Schedulon to welcome home-fans and visitors to the stadium.

The Schedulon connects to the perimeter loudspeaker system outside the stadium, providing information and directions for Cowboys games and other live events. With ten entrances to the stadium, the Schedulon plays out event details as fans enter the Pro Shop entrance at the northwest gate, and Club and Suite guests at the northwest, southwest and other entrances. The Schedulon also welcomes and informs reserved ticket holders at six other entry points. Operators can schedule audio events for automatic playback at specific times on specific days to coincide with games and events.

Technomad recently began shipping Schedulon v3.0, delivering down-to-the-second scheduling and a 200-percent increase in data transfer speeds to vastly improve file upload times. An updated, more intuitive user interface enhances schedule building and creation as well as remote content management. New user-protection and operator-access features provide multiple password levels for administrators and general system operators.

The Schedulon includes an internal power backup option that provides up to 20 minutes of battery-powered operation. The battery keeps scheduled playback events on target for approximately 75 minutes. The Schedulon immediately ‘wakes up’ at the current time to resume playback of all scheduled content after battery power expires and the unit is restarted.

The Schedulon functions as the audio source for a single PA system (in the same way a CD player or iPod can), or to feed audio to large scale paging/background music systems. Scheduling can be as straightforward or complex as desired, down to the exact time of day. All recording, uploading and scheduling tasks can be achieved without the need for a computer or web browser to minimize the risk of crashes and viruses.

Photos credited to Ralph Cole Photography/Courtesy DCFC.

Technomad PA Systems Deliver Professional Audio for Gymnasiums

Technomad’s leadership in audio quality, coverage and rugged durability is well-known in the sound contracting community – especially in harsh environments for stadium and other outdoor installations.

The same traits that make Technomad a leading choice for outdoor systems are ideal for indoor systems that require clear speech and/or pristine musical reproduction over short and long distances.  One such example is the gymnasium, where Technomad loudspeakers and Turnkey PA systems are regularly installed for high school and intramural sports such as basketball, as well as presentations and musical events.

Alan DeMartino, sales engineer at Syracuse Time & Alarm Co., Inc. in Syracuse, NY., is putting the final touches on an indoor Technomad system for South Lewis CSD Middle School in Turin, NY.  The system features four Noho loudspeakers for a gymnasium that is part of a school-wide renovation project, and will be replicated in a second gymnasium.

“I introduced Technomad to the engineer who specified the systems for the project, and suggested the Noho would be a very good loudspeakers for a gym installation because of the sound quality, wide dispersion pattern and construction,” said DeMartino.  “He has been using them ever since.  I have always found that the ease of installation provides a variety of simple mounting options, and I am still impressed with Technomad loudspeakers I installed nine years ago.”

Technomad offers a variety of loudspeakers for purchase separately or as part of a Technomad Turnkey PA system for stadiums, gymnasiums, restaurants, retail businesses and mobile projects among other applications.  Turnkey PA systems include a 6RU shock-mount rack, a pre-wired amplifier with audio source inputs (iPods, mp3 and CD players), a six-channel mixer, a dynamic wired microphone, cables and connectors.  Options include a wireless microphone and the Schedulon mp3 player and recording system to inject audio files and snippets into live events on a scheduled or manual basis.