Types of timing for actions

There are several ways to specify the timing for an action:

• Fixed – Perform the action at a specific time that you specify.

  For most actions, the specified time must be at least 15 seconds in the future. For input prepare actions, the specified time must be at least 15 seconds before the start of the associated input switch.

• Immediate – Perform the action as soon as possible.

  You don't specify a time.

• Follow – Perform the action just before the specified input switch starts, or just after the currently running input has finished.

The following table shows the types of timing that apply to each type of action. To read this table, find an action in the first column, then read across the row for the applicable types of timing.

Type of action	Supported types of timing
	Fixed	Follow (Note A)	Immediate
Switch the input (perform an input switch)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Prepare the input (perform an input prepare)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Activate a static image overlay	Yes		Yes
Activate a motion graphics overlay	Yes		Yes
Deactivate a static image overlay	Yes		Yes
Deactivate a motion graphics overlay	Yes		Yes
Insert a SCTE 35 message	Yes	Yes	Yes
Insert ID3 metadata	Yes		Yes
Insert an ID3 segment tag	Yes		Yes
Pause or unpause one or both pipelines	Yes		Yes

Note A

With a follow, the applicable action can follow an input switch. It can't follow other types of actions. Therefore, the action that is being followed is always an input switch. The action that does the follow is an input switch, an input prepare, or a SCTE 35 message.