We are exited to announce the next major update to MetaRadio – Version 2.1. This update includes our new Data Rules feature, adds new systems, and fixes some bugs. Keep reading to find out about all the changes in this release.

This update is available free of charge to all MetaRadio users with an active support & maintenance agreement. All MetaRadio 2.0 customers currently have an active support & maintenance agreement.

MetaRadio is the best way to manage your station’s now-playing metadata. We help you connect to more radio broadcast systems than any other metadata system on the market – around 100 input and output systems are now supported.

New customers can sign up for a free trial now, or purchase MetaRadio online.

MetaRadio Screenshot showing some input systems

Data Rules

MetaRadio v2.1 has introduced Data Rules. Data Rules allow you to alter the data as it arrives in MetaRadio from your Automation System, using flexible and powerful custom rules. This means you can endlessly customise your incoming data before it is sent to other systems.

These are some examples of rules you could create:

  • Detect Ads/Sponsors and replace the text
  • Detect long-form pre-recorded programs and ignore the track
  • Override the incoming duration from your automation system

Read the Data Rule Guide to discover how to setup these rules.

New Systems

  • NPR MetaPub
    This input allows you to receive metadata from the PRSS Satellite. It can fetch the title/artist for program which have it available. You can schedule the satellite input to reflect your local program guide, and also time-shift live programs. This input in MetaRadio is currently considered a ‘beta’ input, and we welcome all feedback about how you would like to use this input.
  • BSI OpX
    We now support the BSI OpX Automation System’s native XML format via TCP IP.
  • Ots AV
    We now support the CSV and TXT formats in the Ots AV range of products.
  • Skylla Radio Automation
    We now support the Skylla Radio Automation’s native XML format via TCP IP.
  • Zeno.fm
    We now support receiving data from the Zeno.fm API. This can be used to relay song data from their Auto DJ service.
  • RCS NexGen File Input
    We have discovered some NexGen systems fail to send data via TCP. We have added the option to receive data via XML files instead.

Minor Changes & Bug Fixes

This release is packed full of various bug fixes and improvements.

  • New Lines – You can now use the {CR} and {LF} merge fields to place Carrage Return and Line Feed characters in your messages – particularly useful for Custom Outputs.
  • Merge Fields – Ensure DurationSecsRemaining field is kept up to date.
  • Merge Fields – Fix a Unicode error when using cross-system merge fields.
  • Allowed Asset Types – Account for empty asset type fields.
  • Data Delay – this feature has been temporarily hidden due to some ongoing issues. We expect it to return in a future release.
  • Web Config – Fix issues caused by browser translation plugins.
  • Licensing – Fix an error with parsing expiry dates.
  • Logging – Change log rotation and filenames.
  • Audemat RDS – Enable Message Rotation & Message Scheduler, and fix a setup error.
  • Dalet 5.1 – Improve character encoding handling.
  • DTS AutoStage – Fix some format details used by this output.
  • Ecreso RDS – Fix an error with setup.
  • Icecast Input – Fix a unicode error.
  • OmniPlayer – Catch empty messages and ignore.
  • OmniPlayer – Change method to get remaining duration on track.
  • UECP – Add options to make the connection Persistent or Transient, and disable the regular resend feature.

How to Upgrade

When you buy a license or sign up for the trial, you receive an email. This email contains the download link and license file. You can run the installation on your PC, provide the new license key, and you’ll be up and running in no time. You can also read the full installation instructions for new installs.

If you are an existing customer, you can request your download and license from this webpage, using the same email address you used to purchase your product originally.

Make sure you take a backup before you upgrade. If you are using a VM, we suggest taking a snapshot before upgrading.

Support

If you run into trouble and need support, please contact us via email for assistance.