Cablecast CG: How to setup L Bar mode

Last Updated:May 5, 2026

How To How To CG Cablecast Automation Cablecast CG Setup Guides VIO

Overview

The Cablecast Location Settings page with the I/O tab selected, showing a list of outputs. A red arrow points to the Edit button for a channel output.

In Cablecast, you have many options to customize and brand your channels in different styles for your station. Utilizing the VIO line of servers, you can run your channel in an "L Bar" mode. This puts your channel's video programming playback in a designated zone 24/7 — keeping your programming "squeezed" into a specific area, surrounded by an "L Bar" of Cablecast CG content. Here is an example of what L Bar mode could look like:

A simulated channel display showing L Bar mode. A red border highlights the video zone in the upper-right portion of the screen, where a fitness program is playing. The left side shows a "Get In Touch" bulletin with contact information. Below the video zone, a program schedule lists upcoming shows. A crawl runs along the bottom. Text above the image reads "Channel programming plays here."

Note: Although this "L Bar" layout may resemble your regular Cablecast CG bulletin board, it uses a separate Cablecast CG channel. This ensures that when your bulletin board is running in between programs, you do not have blank or empty areas in your display. This is explained further below.

Configuring Cablecast
To enable L Bar mode in Cablecast, go to Location Settings → I/O → Outputs, then select Edit for the channel you wish to use. Check Configure as "L Bar" Channel to enable the feature and select your desired Cablecast CG channel.

The Location Settings output edit form showing the Cablecast CG section with the "Configure as L Bar Channel" checkbox checked. A red arrow points to the checkbox. The Channel field shows "Your Town TV L Bar" and the Video Zone field is set to a dropdown with no zone selected yet.

Next, pick the zone you wish your programming to be displayed in and select Save. In this example, we will choose the YTTV Video Zone.

The Location Settings output edit form with the "Configure as L Bar Channel" checkbox checked and the Video Zone field set to YTTV Video. A red arrow points to the selected zone. The zone preview diagram shows the selected area highlighted in green in the upper-right portion of the layout.

Cablecast CG Player Configuration

Now that L Bar mode is turned on in Cablecast, you need to move over to Cablecast CG and configure your new L Bar CG Player. This will be different from the regular CG Player used to fill your program gaps with your bulletin board on a channel.

Go to Settings → Cablecast CG → Players. Select Edit for your new L Bar Player and make sure it is running the correct Cablecast CG channel. You may also want to edit the player name.

The Cablecast CG Players dashboard showing two players listed in a table. The L Bar player row is highlighted in green and a red arrow points to its Edit button on the right. Columns show Name, Address, TLS, Channel, Version, Type, and Status.

The Cablecast CG Player Information edit screen for the L Bar player. Fields shown include player details and a Channel section with a Default Channel dropdown set to "Your Town TV L Bar." A red arrow points to the Default Channel field.

After editing the L Bar player settings, it should look something like this:

The Cablecast CG Players list showing two players highlighted: "VIO L Bar" assigned to the Your Town TV L Bar channel, and "VIO Default CG" assigned to the Your Town TV CG channel. Both players show a status of active (green dot).

You may notice there are two CG Players for a single VIO output. This is because the VIO is handling two different Cablecast CG tasks:

The L Bar Player, which runs 24/7.
The Default CG Player, which runs the bulletin board during your programming gaps.

Your Default CG Player won't run full screen — it will run in the zone you selected when setting up L Bar mode. In this example, that is the YTTV Video Zone.

If both the L Bar Player and the Default CG Player were running the same Cablecast CG channel, you would get a CG "inception" effect (the same CG playing within itself) during your program gaps, which would look like this:

A simulated channel display showing the CG inception effect. The L Bar layout is visible with a weather/forecast bulletin on the left and a smaller version of the same L Bar layout repeating within the video zone on the right, creating a nested duplication effect. A program schedule and crawl appear at the bottom.

Preventing CG Inception

To prevent this, your Default CG Player should run its own Cablecast CG channel. This should be a single full-screen zone. Because L Bar mode is on 24/7, the Default CG Player will always be running within that YTTV Video Zone.

In this example, we created a separate channel (Your Town TV CG) that is a single zone sized at 1920×1080 — matching the VIO Player 1080i output setting. If you are running 720p, your zone would be 1280×720.

The Cablecast CG Edit Channel screen for "Your Town TV CG," showing the Layout tab. The Output Display Resolution field is highlighted and set to 1080p – 1920 x 1080. The Zone Layout section shows the YTTV Main CG Zone selected, with position set to Top: 0, Left: 0 and size set to Width: 1920, Height: 1080.

How to use Default CG Channel

Your Default CG channel is a single zone. This is used when you do not have scheduled programming playing. Create whatever bulletins you would normally want appearing in this zone. In this example, the Default CG channel zone is called YTTV Main CG Zone.

The Cablecast CG Manage Bulletins screen for the YTTV Main CG Zone, showing four active bulletins: Weather Bulletin, Sample RSS Bulletin, Station ID, and a Contact bulletin.

What About the L Bar Video Zone?

Keep it simple — this zone is more of a placeholder. In this example, the YTTV L Bar Video Zone only has a single bulletin showing a background graphic. Bulletins in this zone will not appear much on your channel, because programming will usually be layered on top of this area. Bulletins you want viewers to see should go in the Main CG Zone, or in one of the other zones on the left or bottom.

The Cablecast CG Manage Bulletins screen for the YTTV L Bar Video Zone. The bulletin list shows a single bulletin entry. The zone name is visible in the breadcrumb navigation at the top.

Properly Set Up L Bar and Default CG

When properly configured, your channel should look like this during your program gaps when Cablecast CG is running:

A simulated channel display showing a correctly configured L Bar setup during a programming gap. The left side displays a weather bulletin with current conditions (47°, 50°, 69°). The right side shows a "Word of the Day" Cablecast CG bulletin. Below, the "On Now" bar shows Feeling Fit Club - Day 1 with a crawl running along the bottom.