POWER STUDIO

Item Download

The Item Download plugin creates download tasks that become macros in the Clock Format editor.

Use it for:

  • News bulletins.
  • Weather or traffic updates.
  • Syndicated programs.
  • Prerecorded shows.
  • Podcasts
  • Dynamic files from file shares or local folders.
  • Dynamic files from HTTP or HTTPS.
  • Dynamic files from SFTP or FTP servers.

Basic Workflow

  1. Open Options and Settings > Plugins.
  2. Select Item download plugin.
  3. Configure a download task.
  4. Add the macro to a Clock Format line.
  5. Generate the playlist.
  6. Test the macro before relying on it on air.

When the playlist is generated, Power Studio inserts a placeholder. Shortly before playout, the plugin downloads or copies the file, renders it if needed, and replaces the placeholder.

The plugin can process a file from a local drive or file share, an HTTP URL, an FTP URL or an SFTP URL. Use the protocol that matches the provider. For a file share, make sure the on-air computer can access the path using the same account that runs Power Studio.

Important Fields

Name is the internal description shown in plugin settings.

Title is the title shown in the playlist after the item is processed.

Macro title is the title shown while the placeholder is still waiting to be processed.

Artist is used for the placeholder and rendered item.

Macro duration reserves time in the generated playlist. Keep it close to the expected real duration.

The source file can use wildcards for date, hour or other repeatable patterns. Use wildcards when a provider publishes a different file each day or each hour.

The minimal duration setting can remove a downloaded item when it is shorter than expected. This is useful for short traffic or information files where a provider may publish a "nothing to report" file that the station does not want to play.

Enable Fallback on error for important recurring downloads where the previous successful file is safer than removing the macro from the playlist. With this setting, Power Studio can reuse the last successful download when the next download fails. Use it carefully for time-sensitive content: it may keep the station on air, but it can also repeat an older bulletin or program if nobody investigates the failure.

Imaging And Timing

The plugin can render the downloaded item with a bed, close file and timing markers. Use the volume envelope to lower the bed under spoken content.

Use Test configuration after changes. Listen to the rendered result and adjust timing before using it in a live playlist.

Timing markers can be set for the downloaded file, bed and close file. Use them to trim silence, start spoken content at the right point and make the bed or closer end cleanly.

The plugin can also split a downloaded file into multiple parts based on silence. This is useful when a provider delivers one long file that contains separate items such as news, weather and sport. Split parts can be separated by a separator sound, and individual parts can use their own bed or closing bed. Always test split settings with several real provider files, because silence levels and durations can vary between bulletins.

When using beds, separators and close files, review the pre-start timing. A pre-start can make a bed or close file start before the previous part has fully ended. That gives more control over the transition, but it also means small timing changes are audible.

External Processing

The Item Download plugin can call an external process before inserting the final audio. Bulletin Builder is the common example: the source file points to a Bulletin Builder .config file, and the external process renders the final bulletin audio.

When using external processing, test the full command on the same workstation that will execute the macro. The workstation must have access to the source files, output folder and any encoders required by the external tool.

Fallbacks

For important downloads, keep fallback content in the playlist or configure a fallback strategy. If a syndicated program fails to download, the station should still have music or other content available.

For podcast or HTTP downloads, check the provider's file naming and feed behavior during setup. Providers may change file extensions, publish unusual file names or send RSS dates in unexpected formats. Use Test configuration after provider-side changes and after Power Studio updates.

Generated and downloaded audio can be used together with the Local Asset Cache. For reliable playout, the download and rendering steps must complete before the item is needed on air. The Local Asset Cache will cache the final audio when Power Studio requests or prepares it. Schedule macro pre-request timing early enough for larger files or slower remote providers. Usually the default time of 5 minutes is more than enough.

Plugin settings can be local to a computer. Use backup and restore options when moving settings between machines.

Restart Power Studio after enabling the plugin or changing plugin settings that are loaded at startup.