Scenes & Containers

Scenes and Containers are the building blocks of your Roku channel's visual layout.

How It Works

Scene
├── Branding Elements (logo, background, etc.)
└── Container(s)
    └── Content Blocks (video, image, text, etc.)

• Scenes are the screens of your Roku channel
• Containers define the layout geometry within a scene
• Content Blocks are the actual content (videos, images, text, etc.)

Scenes

A Scene represents a single screen on your Roku channel. Think of it as a canvas that holds your containers and branding elements.

Scene Features

• Flexible content: Scenes can display static content, rotate through multiple content sets, or follow a schedule
• Custom layouts: Each scene can have a completely different layout
• Branding: Add logos, backgrounds, and other branding elements at the scene level

Creating a NEW Scene

1. Go to CastConductor → Scenes & Containers
2. Tap blue Scene Manager button (top right above the Scenes & Containers stage)
3. Enter a scene name and tap the +Create Scene button. To edit a scene, tap the edit icon next to the scene you want to edit.
4. Tap the Appearance tab to set a background image and choose branding options.
5. Tap the Containers tab to add preset container layouts.
6. You can enable per-scene scheduling and scene rotation on the Scheduling tab. To enable rotation, just drag the rotation slider to the desired rotation percentage on two or more scenes. The default is 100% if only one scene exists.
7. To preview changes in the Containers Stage, tap the purple preview button on the scene you want to preview.
8. Tap the green "Activate" button to activate the desired scene. Only one scene can be active at a time, but if scheduling or rotations are set, they will be respected.
9. Save when complete

Scene Modes

Containers

Containers define the screen geometry — how content is arranged within a scene. Think of containers as layout templates.

What Containers Do

• Define zones/regions on the screen
• Hold content blocks in specific positions
• Use preset layouts for common arrangements

Container Presets

We provide preset layouts for common use cases:

Default Scene Layout

When you run the CastConductor Setup Wizard, a default scene is created using the Horizontal Thirds layout:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Location/Time (left)  │  Weather (right)  │  ← Upper Third
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         Animated Branding / Logo            │  ← Center Third
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   Track Info │ Shoutouts │ Promos │ Sponsors│  ← Lower Third (rotating)
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Default zone assignments:

• Upper Third (Left): Location/Time content block
• Upper Third (Right): Weather content block
• Center Third: Animated horizontal branding
• Lower Third: Rotating content — cycles through Track Info, Shoutouts, Promos, and Sponsors

Putting It Together

Example: Simple Channel

Home Scene
└── Full Screen Container
    └── Video Content Block (your main video)

Example: Multi-Zone Layout

Default Scene (generated by Setup Wizard)
├── Background image (branding element)
├── Logo (branding element)
├── Upper Third Container (split horizontally)
│   ├── Left zone → Location/Time Content Block  
│   └── Right zone → Weather Content Block 
├── Center Third Container
│   └── Animated branding Content Block
└── Lower Third Container (rotating Content Blocks)
    ├── Track Info Content Block  
    ├── Shoutouts Content Block 
    ├── Sponsors Content Block  
    └── Promos Content Block

Overlay Containers (Navigation Menus)

Overlay containers are hidden until triggered by a remote button press. Configure them using the Menu Builder (CastConductor → 🎮 Menu Builder) to create Netflix-style navigation menus.

What Are Overlay Containers?

Unlike regular containers that are always visible, overlay containers:

• Stay hidden until the viewer presses a trigger button (e.g., UP or Menu)
• Slide in from any edge of the screen with smooth animations
• Dismiss automatically when the viewer presses Back or selects an item
• Keep your main content playing in the background

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    LIVE STREAM (Playing)                     │
│                                                             │
│                       Your Branding                          │
│                                                             │
│                                                             │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │             📻 Podcast Archive (Overlay)                 │ │
│ │  ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐       │ │
│ │  │ Ep1 │ │ Ep2 │ │ Ep3 │ │ Ep4 │ │ Ep5 │ │ Ep6 │       │ │
│ │  └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘       │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                     (Slides up when UP pressed)             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Configuring Overlay Settings

To make a container an overlay:

1. Go to CastConductor → Scenes & Containers
2. Click the ⚙️ Scene Manager button (top right, above the stage)
3. Click the 🔗 Overlays tab
4. Find your container and set Display Mode to Overlay
5. Configure the overlay options:

1. Click Save Overlay Settings

Trigger Button Options

Position & Animation Combinations

Example: SoundCloud Feed Overlay

Create a browseable podcast/music menu that slides up when viewers press UP:

1. Create Container: In Scene Manager → Containers tab, add a container (e.g., "Podcast Archive")
2. Configure Overlay: In Scene Manager → 🔗 Overlays tab:
3. Find your container and set Display Mode: Overlay
4. Trigger: UP
5. Position: Bottom
6. Animation: Slide
7. Background: #000000CC (semi-transparent black)
8. Click Save Overlay Settings
9. Add Content Block: In Canvas Editor, create a content block with a Feed Layer using your SoundCloud RSS URL
10. Assign to Container: Assign your content block to the container
11. Assign to Scene: Ensure the container is added to your main scene

Now when viewers press UP on the remote, the podcast menu slides up while your live stream continues playing!

Remote Control Flow

Per-Scene Container Overrides

When you assign containers to a scene, you can override their default geometry and rotation settings on a per-scene basis.

Accessing Per-Scene Settings

1. Go to CastConductor → Scene Manager
2. Select a scene
3. Click the Containers tab
4. Enable/disable containers and adjust per-scene overrides:

Best Practices

Quick Links

• Video & Audio Support — Set up feeds and playlists
• Content Blocks & Canvas Editor — Design your content
• Channel Store Submission — Go live on Roku