This article will show how to use a BREAK BLOCK to create Ad Breaks that interrupt your regular Playout, and will return after.
In this article:
→ Using Break Blocks as Ad Breaks
→ Schedule Break Block
→ Using Action Buttons for Ad Breaks
→ Fill a timed Break from a folder
→ Attach Overlays to the Break Block
→ Attach SCTE Marker to the Break Block
Using Break Blocks as Ad Breaks
This is fairly simple: You create a new Content Block in your Playlist with one difference: The Block ends as BREAK BLOCK (instead of STOP or PAUSE). For this we select the Block and click on the BLOCK END Icon (or Double-Click the Block end). Then we select BREAK BLOCK.
After Break you choose where Playout continues when the ads are done:
- Return to last position
- Return to clip from beginning
- Continue with next clip
Interrupt current clip is on by default. PLAYDECK then hard-cuts into the Break at the scheduled time. Uncheck it and the current clip is allowed to finish first — the Break plays as next, it does not cut.
This BREAK BLOCK behaves like this: Once it reaches its end, it will return to the clip and position (or other), which was playing BEFORE entering the BREAK BLOCK from OUTSIDE. Meaning: You can jump from anywhere to anywhere in the BREAK BLOCK, and it will remember where to return to.
Schedule Break Block
You can schedule the Break Block like any other Block Type by selecting the Block and clicking the SCHEDULE Icon:
In this example we start our Break Interruption every day at 11:00 o’clock and will repeat this every 2 and half hours for the remaining of the day. There will be no Ad Breaks between 0:00 and 11:30.
A scheduled Ad Break will NEVER fire on its own: If nothing is playing, there is nothing to interrupt and return back to. Consequentially a scheduled Ad Break will NEVER fire within another Ad Break. This also presents opportunity: You can program repeating Ad Breaks with collisions on purpose and have the first one get priority and ignore the other one.
With Interrupt current clip enabled, the Break starts at the scheduled time. With it disabled, PLAYDECK waits for the current clip to end. Live or endless clips never reach a clip end, so a Break with Interrupt off will not start while they are playing. Stop, CUE, or playing a different clip cancels a waiting Break. Pause keeps it.
Using Action Buttons for Ad Breaks
Instead of scheduled Break Blocks, you can also use Action Buttons. For this simply click an empty Action Button and select to play the related Ad Block:
After Block the Action can use its own return method:
- Do nothing — uses the Break Block End (After Break)
- Return to last Clip/Position
- Return to last Clip/Position (−3 Seconds)
- Return to last Clip/Position (−10 Seconds)
- Return to last Clip and play from beginning
Continue with next clip exists only on the Block End, not on the Action. If you select Do nothing, the Block End will be used, like in our example above. If you select any other Option, the Return method of the Action will be used over the Block End method. This gives new options:
- You could use both return methods, depending if the Break Block starts via scheduling or via Action Button
- If started via Action Button, you can leave the Break Block EARLY and still return
The second option is perfect for looping Break Blocks, as you return to the previous playout if you click the Action Button a second time.
To fill the Break from a folder and only play what fits in the Break length, see Fill a timed Break from a folder below.
Fill a timed Break from a folder
A Break Block can hold a pool of commercials — fixed files in the playlist, or a folder that stays in sync.
Recipe: ~2 minute Break from a folder
- Make the Block a Break Block (Block End → Break). Choose After Break (return to last position, from beginning, or next clip) as usual.
- Open Clip Shuffle / Sync on that Block:
- Check Sync clips and set the folder (Filter optional — extensions and/or filename patterns).
- You can use Sync alone (No Shuffle) if you only want the folder mirrored.
- For a timed fill: set Shuffle time → up to
00:02:00(or your Break length).
- Each time the Break is entered (Schedule or Action), PLAYDECK deals a take: only as many clips as fit in that time. Leftovers stay gray (↷) for this Break. Returning from the Break does not deal a new take on the return target.
Alternatives
- Shuffle only N (e.g. 1) — one new spot per Break entry; the rest stay gray until the next deal.
- Shuffle all Clips — full random order of the synced pool (every active clip in the take).
Folder Sync runs in the background only while the Break Block is not Current and not Next (cooldown ~10s, ~30s when clips were added). Details: Playout Rules — Clip Shuffle / Sync.
Limit how often each spot plays
On a spot, open Playout Rules (pause icon) → Limit Playout, e.g.:
- Max playouts (per Day) = 5
- optional weekdays, primetime, campaign dates
Automation never picks a gray or limited spot. You can still fire one by hand.
Important with Folder Sync: new files from the folder become new clips. Existing Limit settings are not copied onto them. Before you rely on Sync:
- Set Limit Playout on one clip (e.g. Max 5 per day).
- Check Default for new clips in that dialog and OK.
- From then on, every newly added clip — including Folder Sync — gets those defaults.
Full guide: Playout Rules.
Attach Overlays to the Break Block
Oftentimes you want Overlays to start automatically together with your Break Block Content. We therefore recommend the following articles:
- Automate Overlay Lower Third with Clips
- Create L-Band Ads via second Channel
- External Overlays with ClassX (and other)
Attach SCTE Marker to the Break Block
If you want to signal your Streaming Server or Broadcasting System to insert Ads for the duration of your Break Block, we recommend the following article:
