The Schedulon playback and recording system gives PA system operators the freedom to schedule automatic playback of audio files while maintaining a high level of manual control. According to Vince Mitchell, IT support specialist at Penn State Schuylkill, the unit's networking capabilities and automatic playback of user-defined schedules were a perfect fit for the university's needs, while the inclusion of manual playback options added a special touch.
"The Schedulon allows me to build schedules and upload audio files from my desk using its self-generated web page," said Mitchell. "The all-in-one design stood out from other systems that required multiple pieces of equipment, keeping our costs down and minimizing rack space. The system reliably plays out the schedules, and the front-panel knob simplifies manual operation."
The Schedulon triggers the campus-wide chimes four times an hour from 8am-to-10pm daily, with alternative schedules built-in for special events. The unit's password-protected web page allows Mitchell to configure the unit from anywhere without special software to edit schedules and upload new audio files from any standard web browser.
The Schedulon is installed in a central rack room, feeding a digital processing system that distributes the audio to the public address system.
Technomad first introduced the Schedulon since 2008. The company recently announced the availability of Schedulon 3.0, which adds down-to-the-second scheduling, a nearly 200 percent increase in data transfer speeds, WAV file playback, enhanced password protection, and an updated user interface to enhance schedule building and remote content management.
(Jim Evans)
