Hello all,
Hello all,
We need a recommendation on a utility to download and manipulate files. For example, we want to move a newscast from the "Current" folder on the media server to the "Past" directory, then download the latest newscast via HTTP to the "Current" folder. Any suggestions?
We would like a built-in scheduler and some kind of logging.
Thanks a lot,
sw
There are thousands of programs out there to download and handle files,a Google search returns over a million hits! I use Free Download Manager for newscasts,weather forecasts,rss feeds...it does it all.
And its FREE!
To some degree, it depends on your software configuration. And I always use the credo that simplest is best (has the most chance of working reliably).
We use Zara Radio, which allows you to execute files (including batch files) on events. Batch files allow you to pretty much do anything in terms of file moving, renaming, etc. Wget is a nice, simple program to download files.
I've been using WGET for automated file downloads using Windows Scheduler. As long as the file names don't change it handles itself.
I would think one could write a simple batch file to copy/move files from one folder to another and even rename the files. I don't archive the files but use the Scheduler to delete the old files before downloading the new ones.
The files play in ZaraRadio.
Whatever your software needs, be sure to check:
Here's the slash-and-burn report on what I found. I'm sorry for the lack of details, I wasn't anticipating writing a response to my own posting 🙂
Well, the requirements list was a bit longer than my first post indicated. Our requirements were:
File move, rename, delete
Built-in scheduler
Keystroke logger / macro builder
Multi-protocol downloads (HTTP, FTP, various credentials, etc.)
Task ordering (do this first, that second, etc.)
Run external tasks (call MP3gain after downloading a new MP3)
Task / event logging
Error handling (do something else if Plan A fails)
I reviewed the specifications on two dozen different automation tools, file downloaders, sync / backup utilities, and keystoke loggers / macro builders. Most were missing key required features. Also, any utility costing more than $200 was dropped from the list. Your budget may allow for several other possiblities such as RepliWeb or MOVEit -- mine did not.
I installed and trialed VisualCron, Do It Again, Free Download Manager, Automise, AutoIT and RoboTask. I created five identical jobs in each utility [or attempted to, anyway].
VisualCron had fatal errors when creating macros on our quad-core Windows Server 2008 64-bit machine. It also has a very cumbersome method of creating new tasks but a lovely user interface.
Free Download Manager was great for downloading, but lacked other required features.
Do It Again is a great keystroke logger / macro builder but lacked other required features.
Automise lacked key features. FDM, Do It Again, and Automise all required external scripting, use of the Windows Task Scheduler or both.
AutoIT was too complicated. More than what we needed.
It is possible, as some here have suggested, to stitch together a home-grown content automation system for "free" using Do It Again, Free Download Manager, Windows command line scripts, and the Task Scheduler. What is your time worth? For me, the price of RoboTask was less than the amount of time it would take to roll my own system.
RoboTask seems to be the best-of-breed for us. It is a single utility with rich functionality, a simple task creator, very thorough logging, a multitude of triggers to launch tasks (for example, if a new file is dropped into a monitored folder I can trigger MP3gain to normalize automatically), and is less expensive that many other products in the genre.
This article is not a plant. We're a startup Part 15 AM / Internet radio station on a budget. Sound familiar? Perhaps this info will help a fellow broadcaster.
All the best,
Steve in Delaware
Great work and great info - and one of my favorite topics.
Thank you!!!