Other settings for channels included an end clip, which is a media file that plays between programs in a channel, and a no scheduled clip, which is filler for programs that don't fill their allotted times. It was simple to create a variety of programs that could be easily assigned to various channels. When creating a program, we could give it a full name and description and could choose from any media file on the streaming server or link to live broadcasts. Any program can be run on demand simply by pointing a link to the actual media format file. StationManager's comprehensive scheduling capabilities let us easily create days' worth of programming for channels on a Webcast site.
Programs can run at a specific time, can loop a number of times or run at the same time every day.
Channels and programs can be easily embedded in Web pages because they are created in the streaming server's standard format. StationManager automatically creates full-featured online program guides that show what programs are on and when and provide detailed information about each program. We also evaluated Lariat's Media Reports 2.0, which makes it possible to build comprehensive reports on traffic through a Webcast site. Combining streaming media content management with channel creation and editing, Lariat Software's updated StationManager provides a much-needed management platform for Webcast sites. Streaming media is seeing very rapid change, and StationManager's lack of support for QuickTime and its inability to cleanly deal with remote servers could be a problem as sites move to outsource many of these capabilities.