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Scheduled Playback on the TV

Once a TV is paired to a calendar, FreePlay runs it for you. It downloads the week ahead, switches content at the scheduled times, and keeps playing from its own storage if the internet goes out. A teacher or volunteer can still pause, skip, and jump around with the TV remote.

Before You Begin

What the TV Does on Its Own​

  • Opens straight to the schedule - When a paired TV starts FreePlay, it goes directly to the scheduled player
  • Downloads ahead - FreePlay downloads every file scheduled for the next 7 days, plus the default loop, and plays from those downloads
  • Plays by the clock - At each scheduled start time the screen switches to that content. When nothing is scheduled, it plays the group's default loop
  • Checks for changes - FreePlay checks FreePlay Admin for calendar changes regularly and downloads anything new
  • Fixes bad files - If a downloaded file won't play, FreePlay skips it and downloads it again

Before the first files arrive, the screen shows Loading schedule... or Downloading X of Y files. If nothing is scheduled and the group has no default loop, it shows Nothing is scheduled right now.

The Info Panel​

Press Select on the remote to open the info panel. It closes on its own after a few seconds. The panel shows:

  • Top right - Ready through followed by a date when everything up to that date is downloaded, or Downloading while files are still coming in. Below that, how many files are downloaded and a progress bar
  • Bottom left - The name of what's playing (or Default loop), which item is on screen, and what's coming up next and when
  • Last checked - When FreePlay last checked for schedule changes

The panel also has three buttons:

  • Pin This Playlist - Keep the current content playing in a loop and ignore the calendar. Select Unpin Playlist to go back to the schedule
  • Browse Content - Leave the scheduled player to browse your connected providers
  • Settings - Open FreePlay settings, where you can unpair or pair to a different calendar
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To go back to the schedule after browsing, close and reopen FreePlay. A paired TV always opens to the scheduled player.

Remote Controls​

Remote ButtonAction
SelectOpen the info panel
Play/PausePause or resume. A play icon shows while paused
Right arrowNext slide or video
Left arrowPrevious slide or video
Up arrowOpen the slide overview to jump to any slide
Fast ForwardJump ahead 10 seconds in a video
RewindJump back 10 seconds in a video
BackClose the slide overview or info panel, or open the info panel

Next and previous stay within the content that's playing now. They only wrap around from the last item to the first when the schedule is set to loop. Fast Forward and Rewind only work during a video. They do nothing on a slide.

Jumping to a Slide​

Press Up to open the slide overview. It shows every item in the current playlist or lesson. Move to the one you want and press Select to jump straight to it.

Teacher Paced Lessons​

When a schedule is set to Teacher paced, image slides don't move on by themselves. The teacher moves forward with the Right arrow. A video plays to the end and then moves on to the next item.

A teacher paced lesson stays on screen past its scheduled end time until the teacher reaches the last slide and it finishes. Then the screen moves on to whatever is scheduled next. This keeps a class that runs long from being cut off in the middle of the lesson.

Presenting from a Browser​

You can also play a screen's calendar in a web browser. In FreePlay Admin, open the screen from the Screens page and click Present in browser. The browser follows that screen's calendar the same way the TV does, and the controls bar shows what's coming up next. Use Space to pause, ← / → to skip, F for fullscreen, and Esc to exit.