# Schedule videos, playlists and experiences

Create time slots in TholusOS for videos, playlists and experiences. Check recurring days, overlaps, participant welcome and playback between sessions.

Canonical: https://docs.theusualnext.com/en/tholusos/media-server/scheduling/
Updated: 2026-10-22
Publisher: the usual neXt

**Schedule** starts videos, playlists and experiences on your chosen days and at your chosen times. Each slot connects content to a time interval; Live control shows what is actually playing and gives the operator control when an intervention is needed.

Use the calendar for recurring welcome sequences, screenings and sessions. For an immediate one-off intervention, follow [Playing video, audio and playlists](/en/tholusos/media-server/playback/).

## Requirements and preparation

Scheduling requires access enabled by your licence and content that is available on the Mac. Experiences also require access to Events and the preparation appropriate to their format.

Check the room, video output and audio first. Keep the Mac powered on, TholusOS running and the content drive connected during scheduled hours. Scheduling operates within the app, so include opening the workstation and checking the room in your staff procedure.

For educational activities, see [Running a session](/en/tholusos/schools/run-session/). A time slot organises the start; welcoming the class and facilitating the session remain part of the operator’s role.

## Prepare a reusable playlist

**Create Playlist** saves a sequence of videos that you can assign to one or more slots. Its panel includes playback order, repeat and background music.

1. Open **Schedule → Create Playlist**.
2. Enter a recognisable name, such as “Morning welcome”.
3. Select videos from the catalogue. Use search to narrow the list.
4. Check **Playback order** and use the move up/down controls to arrange the videos.
5. Enable repeat if the sequence should start again when it ends.
6. Choose a file under **Ambient Audio (optional)**. Enable **Ambient music only** to mute the videos’ original audio.
7. Select **Save playlist**.

Saving a playlist does not yet specify when it will start: the time slot provides that connection. Before using it with an audience, prepare it in Live control and check the content order and audio levels.

## Create a time slot

**Add Slot** opens the panel for choosing the content, start time, end time and recurring days. Saving immediately checks the schedule: a slot covering the current time can begin playback when scheduling has control. Use a future interval when preparing a later session.

1. Select **Add Slot**.
2. Choose Playlist, Video or Event under **Content type**.
3. Select a playlist, video file or experience from the available list.
4. Set the start and end hours and minutes in the time slot section.
5. Select the days and read the written summary. An empty selection is shown as **Every day**.
6. When the room is ready for any immediate playback, select **Save schedule** and check the resulting slot.

The **Day** view lets you inspect a date; **All time slots** shows the complete schedule. **Today** returns the view to the current date. Changing the inspection date lets you read that day’s schedule.

A slot can cross midnight: for example, Monday from 23:00 to 02:00 continues into early Tuesday. Its recurring day is the day on which it starts. Check the cross-midnight indication and the time zone shown on the row, particularly when comparing schedules between venues.

## Resolve overlapping slots

If slots may overlap, TholusOS displays an overlap warning before saving. You can return to editing, replace slots where replacement is allowed, or retain the overlap using **Force**.

For a clear daily programme, adjust the start and end times to give each session its intended interval. **Force** keeps the overlap: the content from the most recently started slot takes precedence.

**Replace** can be unavailable when replacing slots would also affect other days or periods that need to be preserved. Edit the existing slots separately in that case. Check All time slots afterwards to review the other recurring occurrences as well.

## Schedule an experience

An **Event** slot adds participant welcome and early-finish options. Choose these settings according to the duration and participation requirements of the selected experience.

Select an installed experience, then enable **Welcoming participants** when it needs a joining period. Set its duration and check the connected participant count and required minimum in Live control. Starting conditions depend on the experience.

The early-finish setting controls what happens when the experience finishes before its slot ends:

| Option | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| Keep last frame | Keeps the final image until the slot closes. |
| Repeat last video | Repeats the last video when one is available. |
| Waiting video or playlist | Uses the waiting content you selected. |
| Finish now | Finishes the activity without filling the remaining interval. |

Waiting content must remain available. If an option indicates a missing file or playlist, choose a replacement. Allow enough time in the programme for the audience to enter and leave; the slot’s end time remains the limit of the scheduled session.

## Intervene during operation

**Prepare in Live control** brings a slot’s content into Live control for preparation. The operator can start manual content and subsequently return control to the schedule.

In Live control, use **More controls → Return to schedule** to resume what is due at the current time. Manually started videos and video playlists use **Settings → General → Override duration**. During this timed override, the command menu also lets you extend it by 15 minutes.

A manually started experience suspends scheduling until you explicitly return to it, including after the experience finishes. Starting background audio alone does not activate the video override timer. Read the current playback state before expecting an automatic return.

**Stop** ends the current playback and keeps that scheduled occurrence stopped until you explicitly resume it or a later occurrence starts. Future slots remain saved. Deleting an active slot from the calendar also ends that slot’s scheduled playback: read the confirmation message before proceeding.

## Check the result and troubleshoot

A slot is ready when it displays the intended content and time, the file is accessible and the room is configured. When it runs, check the state in Live control and the actual room output.

| Problem | Action |
| --- | --- |
| No playlist in the list | Create and save a playlist containing at least one video first. |
| Experience cannot be selected | Check the installed content and Events access. |
| Saved slot does not play | Check its day, time, time zone, accessible files and manual playback state. |
| Unexpected content plays | Check overlapping slots and which slot started most recently. |
| Empty interval between sessions | Configure a suitable waiting video in Media library. |
| Playlist cannot be deleted | Edit or remove the slots using it first. |

If the schedule remains paused, follow the [schedule recovery checks](/en/tholusos/settings/troubleshooting/#why-has-the-schedule-not-resumed).