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Imagine your TV channel is a train that must leave every day at the exact time. Playout is the schedule and the automatic driver: you build the programming (what airs at 8, at 2, at 9 PM…) and the app sends those videos and graphics to vMix or OBS, which actually push the signal on air or to streaming.

Playout does not replace vMix/OBS: it works with them. You choose one of the two engines.

• Playout = brain (schedule, GC, ads, times).
• vMix or OBS = muscle (plays and sends the signal).

1. Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).
2. vMix or OBS Studio installed and open when you go on air.
3. A license (Demo, Annual, Full, or Premium) with your ID and KEY (sent by email or in My account).
4. Your videos organized in folders on the PC (e.g. Shows, Movies, Music, Separators).

Tip: also check the Requirements page. Playout and the engine run at the same time, so the PC needs headroom.

1. Download the installer from the email or from My account.
2. Run PlayoutStudio_Setup_….exe.
3. Install (default path: C:\PlayoutStudioTV).
4. Open Playout Studio TV.

When you open it for the first time, the activation window appears:

1. Paste the license ID.
2. Paste the KEY.
3. Activate and wait for online validation.

Golden rule: 1 license = 1 computer. If you change PCs, use Unbind computer (in the app or in My account) with Annual/Full/Premium. Demo is not transferable.

On the left rail you will see important buttons:

• CONFIGURE — channel settings, media, engine, GC, license.
• SCHEDULER — build the week schedule (MON–SUN).
• TEST — Logs, System Health, and 24-hour Simulation (before going on air).
• Sync schedule — aligns what you edited with what is on air.
• START BROADCAST — starts sending the schedule to the engine.

Mental order: configure → media → schedule → test → go on air.

1. Click CONFIGURE → Broadcast / Engine.
2. Choose vMix or OBS (only one).

vMix: open vMix → Settings → Web Controller (API) enabled (typical port 8088) → in Playout: Test connection.

OBS: OBS 28+ → Tools → WebSocket server settings (typical port 4455) → same password in Playout → Test connection.

PGM monitor (header): you can see a lightweight preview with virtual camera (same PC) or NDI. There you also set preview FPS. Turning off the monitor frees CPU; the broadcast does not stop.

In CONFIGURE → Initial setup:

1. Channel name.
2. Resolution (e.g. 1920×1080). Must match OBS/vMix.
3. Header logo (optional).
4. Interface language.
5. Save.

Playout does not upload videos to the Internet: it points to folders on your disk.

1. CONFIGURE → Media management.
2. Pick a category (Shows, Movies, Music…).
3. Choose folder and register.
4. Repeat for each content type.

Organize folders in Windows first. In Demo there is a file limit per folder.

In CONFIGURE → Categories, for each content type, mark which GC layers should appear on air (LOGO, NOW AND NEXT, CLOCK, WEATHER, PROMO…).

Easy example: in Shows you want logo + now/next; in Separators maybe only logo or nothing. You decide here.

1. Click SCHEDULER (another window opens).
2. Pick the day (MON… SUN).
3. ADD BLOCK: title, fixed time if needed, separators if you use them.
4. Inside the block add files or folders (drag from categories).
5. SAVE.
6. Optional: COPY DAY to other days of the week.

Backups: in the Scheduler use BACKUPS → Full channel ZIP from time to time (schedule, GC, clients…; it does not copy terabytes of video).

If you edit while on air: SAVE + Sync schedule in the main window.

1. CONFIGURE → GC Editor.
2. Pick the layer (LOGO, NOW AND NEXT, etc.).
3. Design on the 1920×1080 canvas: text, images, animations.
4. Use Test full GC to preview as on air.
5. Save the scene.

If you sell ad slots to clients:

• Clients — profile for each advertiser.
• Advertising (AdBreak) — video ad breaks that pause the show and return.
• Banner GC — ad graphic over the program.

Set days, times, and materials. Always save.

On the rail, open TEST:

• Logs — technical history (if something fails, you see it here).
• Health — OBS/vMix status, license, disk, network… and Diagnostics.
• Simulate 24 hours — walks through the day and warns if a file, GC, or engine response is missing before you are on air.

Quick checklist:

1. vMix/OBS open and connection OK.
2. Today\'s schedule saved.
3. Folders with files.
4. Basic GCs ready.
5. (Recommended) 24 h simulation in green.

Then click START BROADCAST. To stop: STOP BROADCAST.

Same PC (reinstall): make a ZIP backup → reinstall → activate → restore ZIP. Videos must stay in the same folders.

Another PC (Annual/Full/Premium):

1. ZIP backup.
2. On the old PC: Settings → License → Unbind computer (or from My account on the web).
3. On the new PC: install, activate the same ID/KEY, restore the ZIP.

There is an anti-abuse limit (few changes per year and waiting days). Demo cannot be unbound.