Schedule Your EZPlayer Show
A schedule is complete when the show starts and ends the way you promised. In EZPlayer, build a calendar window around a verified playlist, decide what should happen near closing time, then check both the planned timeline and an actual rehearsal.
EZPlayer runs the show on the player computer. Optional cloud management does not replace that running computer. Finish installation, controller setup and a successful manual playlist test before relying on unattended playback.
Check the clock that runs the show
Confirm the operating system’s date, time and time zone on the show computer. When controlling it from a phone or another computer, compare against the player’s clock rather than assuming the browser device uses the same zone. The released player-time implementation retrieves player time for remote clients; the schedule implementation uses local calendar dates and hours.
Record the observed zone and clock check in the Mattos workbook. If your season crosses a daylight-saving change or your show crosses midnight, include that boundary in your rehearsal plan. This guide does not promise untested behavior for a skipped or repeated clock hour.
Create a simple first window
- Open the Schedule calendar and select the intended date. Check that you are editing the main schedule.
- Select the main playlist and give the calendar block a clear title. Add an intro and outro only when you want those lists to run.
- Enter From and To in 24-hour time. From belongs to the selected day. To can extend beyond midnight:
25:00means 1:00 a.m. the next day. - Choose a single occurrence, daily repetition or selected weekdays. Set the series end date deliberately.
- Review the resulting calendar, including a weekday, weekend and final occurrence where relevant.
These controls and the extended-hour convention are documented in Simple Schedules. When editing a recurring block later, check whether you are changing one occurrence or the whole series.
Decide how to fill the window
Compare the window with your content length. For example, a one-hour slot with a twelve-minute main playlist needs a deliberate decision about the remaining time. Playlist duration is a useful planning input; it is not a prediction of all schedule interruptions and closing behavior.
Loop repeats the main playlist. Shuffle uses random order. Choose one or leave both off; EZPlayer does not combine the two. A longer window can enable Loop automatically, so inspect the saved choice instead of relying on memory. With both off, a short playlist can finish before the window is filled. The official Schedule Options also explains how intro and outro timing affects the fit.
Choose the ending you can explain
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Your intention | End behavior to select | Tradeoff to rehearse |
|---|---|---|
| Be finished by the target | Finish at a song boundary on or before the end time. | The show can finish earlier than the clock target. |
| Keep playing through the target | Finish at a song boundary on or after the end time. | The show can run later than the clock target. |
| Stay close to the target | Use the nearest boundary rule, based on whether at least half of the next song fits. | The finish may fall on either side of the target. |
| Stop at an exact instant | Use the exact-time ending. | A song can be cut off mid-playback. |
If you advertise a firm closing time, rehearse the final main song and any outro together. The player considers the outro when deciding how much main content fits. Do not assume a particular final song will always be selected when runtime shuffle is involved.
Add overlaps only for a clear purpose
Priority belongs to the schedule entry. Low, Normal and High decide which overlapping schedule takes over; separate advanced settings determine immediate interruption and how an interrupted show resumes. A higher-priority event is useful when you intend that interruption. An accidental overlapping recurring block is a planning problem to remove.
Begin with one main block and no overlap. Add announcements or special events one at a time, then inspect their transitions. Background lighting has additional behavior and a version-specific blending limitation; use the dedicated backgrounds and integrations guide before introducing that layer.
Preview the full boundary, then rehearse it
Open Schedule Preview from the Schedule toolbar. Set a range that begins before the show and ends after closing, choose the relevant schedule filter and generate the preview. Inspect the detailed timeline for the first item, overlaps, repeats, outro and final ending. Expand the range to review recurring and overnight cases. See the official Schedule Preview guide.
Next, create a short rehearsal occurrence at a convenient time and observe its scheduled start and finish. Confirm that you did not merely start the playlist manually. Check the physical props, audience audio and idle state afterward. Record expected and observed times in the Mattos operating sheets.
Rehearse a normal restart too. On Windows and macOS, the documented automatic launch setting runs EZPlayer at sign-in, not simply at power-on; Linux uses its own service setup. See Player Settings. Reconfirm the clock and playback state after restarting.
The Player screen’s daily timeline is a plan, not proof of past playback. Use current status and actual observations for show-night decisions. Continue with Audio Setup and Show-Night Operations, and keep backup and recovery instructions available.
Documentation review: October 29, 2026, including the official EZPlayer v0.6.12 documentation. These are Mattos planning and operating guides. The workflows have not been run on an EZPlayer installation or physical display as part of this guide review; complete the suggested checks on your own system.
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