Hot buttons, sequences and rotations
ArenaDirector has three ways to play media. They hold the same kinds of source and send them to the same destinations. What differs is who decides when an item plays.
| Who triggers it | Typical use | |
|---|---|---|
| Hot button | You, at the right moment | Goal horn, team intro, sponsor sting |
| Sequence | The sequence, one cue after the other | Walk-in music, a half-time package |
| Rotation | A loop that does not stop | Sponsor boards during play |
Hot buttons
A hot button is one button on a grid that plays the media you assigned to it. You push it at the right moment.
It behaves the same way every time, regardless of what else is playing, which page is open or how far into the match you are.
Hot buttons live on pages, which are tabs on the grid. A page only groups buttons so you can find one quickly under pressure. Pages have no effect on playback, and switching to another page stops nothing.
Each tab shows how many hot buttons are playing on its page, and a strip above the grid counts the ones playing across all pages. The sequences and rotations on air show in the top bar, so you can see everything that is playing without leaving the page.
One hot button can hold more than one source, so a single push can fire a sound and a video together.
A hot button that holds a live input stream does not end on its own. The stream stays on air until you push the button again or another item takes the canvas. Clips on the same button still end automatically.
Sequences
A sequence is a saved programme of cues that play in order. Within each cue, the media sits on lanes: one audio lane, plus one lane for each screen target of the sequence.
A sequence runs by itself. You start it, and it works through its cues while you do other things. You can also set a lane to wait for you, so a photo montage can hold each image until you decide to move on.
Use a sequence when the content has an order and a structure you prepared before the event. Use a hot button when the content has to start on something you cannot plan.
Rotations
A rotation is a looping list of images and clips that plays on a perimeter board for the whole event.
Where a sequence has a start and an end, a rotation has neither. Use one when you need to know which sponsor is on the board right now, and to make sure each sponsor got the airtime you sold.
An interruption does not move the loop. See Takeover and resume.
On a board with sections, each section has its own column of items, and all the columns share one cycle. You can connect an item to several sections so that it plays on them at the same time. The sections then wait for each other, and the wait shows as a gap.
How they work together
All three can play at once. At a typical match, a rotation runs on the perimeter, a sequence plays during a break, and hot buttons fire on top of both.
They share buses and canvases, and the rules for sharing are the same in every combination.