Using RA System version 6.5, you can insert audio/video files in the system, describe their parameters, generate playlists manually or automatically, create schedules for broadcasting ads, generate reports and statistics.

RA System, version 6.5 consists of the following modules:

RA System	Module
Broadcasting (RADIO)		Player
Broadcasting (TV)		TVPlayer
Registration of audio/video files, description of their parameters Creation of playlists History of all broadcasted items in the playout module		MediaManager
Control of the system users and their access rights Initializing system global parameters		Tune
Description of ads, setting dates and hours for their broadcasting Manual creation of playlists with ads Statistics and reports for the advertisers and consultants		Adv
Reports, statistics and certificates		Reports
Automatic backup of audio/video files and database Hot backup		AServer
Regional ads broadcasting		adPlayer
Monitoring of one or more playouts		RAMonitor
Automatic system for playout monitoring		RARecorder
Management of database and automatic operations		DBAdmin
Management of active drives and access to the playout		FileAdmin
RA System registration and activation		Register

Playout/Audio Player/Video Player

• Real-time operations;
• Pre-Fader Listening (PFL);
• Preview and editing of the mix between items in the playout;
• Automatic playing of "marking" jingles over the songs;
• Great number of quick buttons and their playback in real time;
• Displays text information from the News Room module;
• Operations with preliminarily created program blocks from the Media Manager module;
• Operations with program schemes created by the Selector sub-module;
• Allows remote administration;
• Registration of everything that has been broadcasted on-air;

It is used for playback of preliminarily registered audio files. In automatic mode it loads and executes program blocks and playlists created by the Media Manager module. There is an option to arrange the playlist manually or make corrections.

Characteristic feature is also the multiple (2) sound card support. In this case, the radio presenter is able to see preview of every item from the current playlist during the program broadcasting, as well as to preview and edit the mix between items.

Media Manager

• Registration of audio files and description of their parameters;
• Generates playlists with unlimited duration;
• Possibility for preliminary programming of mixes between the items;
• Two different types of validity test of the files (allows detection of invalid or corrupted audio files). That test does not affect the playout operation;
• Preview of all items that have been actually broadcasted on-air and generating reports and statistics;
• Data package processing (for easier recategorization of numerous items or creating backups of a number of files from the playout, etc.);
• Searching by numerous parameters;
• Creation of schemes (templates) for multiple use;
• Automatic filling of preliminarily created schemes;

It provides basic functional options for registration, management and administration of the playout and database. Through this module you can register in the system every supported file, edit its data, delete or disable separate items or a group of items. This module also provides a detailed information about all items that have been actually broadcasted by the playout module and enables to view and edit all main indexes in the system.

Selector sub-module is entirely designed for automatic selection of the items and for generating playlists. It allows the user preliminarily only with some clicks just for a few minutes to generate a complete playlist for the next 24 hours or even more. Items selection is based on preliminarily prepared templates where the required parameters for the respective hour are described. There is no limitation to the number of templates. The user is allowed to use the same template or templates with different structure for every day and every hour. During items selection, the system considers various factors, some of which could be: frequency of broadcasting each item, its type, parameters, applied restrictions to it and many others. All prepared and filled-in templates are very dynamic. The user is free to make new changes in the items regarding each specific case, to check and edit mixes of the songs, as well as to add fixed items that he choose.

Settings/Tune

• Description of users authorized to operate with the system and setting their access rights;
• Remote administration of the playout;
• General settings of the players;
• General settings of the Selector and the selection rules;

Through this module, the system administrator can set all necessary global parameters required for the system’s normal operation. It allows managing the database with all users, their access rights and many others.

Adv/Ads

• Insertion of advertising contracts for broadcasting, description of the respective ads to the contracts and broadcasting schemes;
• Statistics for the period of broadcasting the ads and for the used commercial airtime;
• Automatic and manual generation of playlists with ads;
• Catalog of advertisers;
• Automatic and manual checking of expiry of the ads;
• Tariffs;

This module is designed mainly to manage the ads in the system. With its help, the user can describe only once the way of broadcasting each ad and then it will be automatically distributed in the playlist where necessary. This description may be done in two very easy ways, depending on whether there is any periodic dependence in the broadcasting schedule or not. Besides a description of dates and hours, there are many other parameters that are supported for each ad, such as voice, branch, commercial break, type, etc., in order to achieve maximum efficiency during broadcasting and prevent consecutive broadcasting of ads with similar parameters.

In the Adv module every ad could contain one or several spots. Another feature is the option one ad to contain not only spots, but also undefined items with different types. So you can attach to each ad a song, signal or another item, but if you are using the Selector sub-module, this item will be different at every broadcasting of that ad.

News/News Room (not supported)

• Adding text information to be read on-air for any day and time;
• Automatically sends already entered information to the playout program;
• Automatically receives information or files via e-mail;
• Sends information as e-mail;

This module is entirely designed for the needs of the News team. It allows quickly and easily to describe news and emissions, to send them on-air with one click and provides automatic synchronization between several such modules working in network.

It allows monitoring of a given e-mail address for receiving news from Internet, but also provides option for sending news to a mailbox with only one operation.

Reports

• Generating certificates for the broadcasted advertising spots:
• Report for the used commercial airtime for a given month;
• Report for broadcasted songs during a specified period of time;
• Songs chart for one week, month or year;
• Shows statistics for the total commercial airtime sold in advance (up to 1 year ahead);

This module gives a possibility for more detailed analysis of the information related to everything that has been broadcasted on-air. With its help, the user is able to generate a certificate for the broadcastings of the current ad with only a few clicks; to make a chart of the most played music per one week, month or year; to get a complete list of the broadcasted music in several different formats; to obtain statistical data for the already sold total commercial airtime up to 1 year ahead, to receive average data for the value of a minute commercial time, as well as many other statistical data and system indicators.

Archive Server

• Provides centralized data backup;
• Works as hot backup server;

This module enables to archive files and databases centralized. This procedure is completely automatic. The server can work as hot backup, which allows temporarily to remove items from the playout and to send them to archive without losing any data. Then, if necessary, these items can be restored to the playout and used by the system again.

AdPlayer

• Provides playback of regional ads;
• Allows multiple regions support on one computer;
• Control via LAN or by DTMF codes embedded in jingles or signals;

* It requires additional hardware module.

RA System Tools

• Monitor allows monitoring of one or more playouts and displaying information about what is playing at the moment in:

• File - 3 different formats (for publishing on the web);
• FTP - 3 different formats (for publishing information on the web);
• Shoutcast and Icecast2 servers;
• RDS - via COM port or over the Internet via Lan2Com;

• RA Recorder - an automatic system for playout monitoring (recording). It allows you to record every audio captured by the sound card on its audio input in several different audio formats;

DBAdmin

DBAdmin (from Database Administrator) is a module used for management and control of data access to different playouts. Launched, the program is located in the system area next to the system clock from where with right click on its icon, a menu is displayed and you can make all required settings as follows:

• Access to databases – define database access, change, delete;
• Automatic operations – archive, check for available playlists, monitoring of the local ad players, etc.;
• E-Mail or SMS notification for missing playlists and for the activity of the regional ad players;
• Votes and greetings collection;
• Creating database backups;
• Restore from backup operations;
• Import of problem Playlog data;

FileAdmin

FileAdmin (from File Administrator) is a module used for management of audio/video files in the playout and for access control to the playout. Launched, the program is located in the system area next to the system clock from where with right click on its icon, a menu is displayed and you can make all required settings. Here you can specify active drives to be used by the software and allowed IP addresses for access to the playout.

Registration and Activation of RA System

Use the Register program to register and activate RA System.

The first step is to select type of registration - local or remote. Local registration is used when you run the Register module from the playout computer. Otherwise, you should select Remote registration and enter the IP address or name of the playout computer. When you move to the next step the program checks if there is any installed and configured playout module on the specified IP address and if not, you will not be able to proceed with the registration process

The next step is to enter user number and product number (contact us to provide you these numbers; they are individual for each Radio/TV). After that, select method of registration - online or by e-mail.

• For online registration you need to specify the registration server (register.parallel-bg.com) and proxy settings (if there is any proxy).
• For registration by e-mail, first enter name of file which contains the registration request and then click the Export button to create the file. When it is ready, it should be sent by e-mail to register@parallel-bg.com. In the Subject field type the word REGISTER. When the e-mail is received, the registration server completes the registration and automatically returns reply that contains file for activation. It is specified in the File field with registration information provided by our company. Finally click the Import button.

The next step is the actual process of registration. If any problem occurs, the program will display a relevant message. If it is successful, you will receive information about the name of the person or organization that is licensed to use the software and the expiration date of the activation.

Title Manager

Using the Title Manager program you can easily display various objects on the screen – image, logo, plate, text, clock, etc.