> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/control-your-show/chapter-index/operate-a-media-sequence.md).

# Operate a media sequence

> *Availability — included in Broadcast and Enterprise. Available for Sport as the Media Sequencer add-on.*

This article covers what an operator does with a Media Sequence at runtime: changing how it advances, where it stops, and whether it freezes on a frame mid-clip — all from the Properties dock, while the sequence is loaded.

For how to build a sequence in the first place — adding clips, setting Cut In, configuring transitions, picking a Playback Role — see [Create a media sequence](/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-7/create-a-media-sequence.md).

## Where the operator controls live

Select the Media Sequence row in the Project List. Two Properties tabs hold the runtime controls:

* **Media Sequence** — the playback and end-behavior settings for the whole sequence.
* **Media List** — the clip table. Each row exposes per-clip **Cut In**, **Duration**, **Repetitions**, **Transition**, **Transition Time**, and **Hold Point**.

What you see on these tabs depends on the **Sequence Type** picked at design time (Continuous Sequence vs. Media List).

## Start Behavior

Picks what happens when you take the sequence on air after it has been stopped:

* **Start from beginning** — restart the sequence each time it’s played.
* **Resume from last position** — continue from where the last playback was stopped.

## Playback Order

Picks how the sequence walks its clips:

* **Sequential** — play clips in the order shown in **Media List**.
* **Random** — shuffle clip order each time the sequence advances.
* **No Change** — don’t auto-advance; the next clip is selected only when you tell the sequence to advance (via a button, a remote action, or a variable change). Use this when you want operator-driven pacing through a list.

## Stop Behavior

Picks what happens after the last clip:

* **Repeat sequence** — restart from the first clip; loops indefinitely.
* **Hold on final item** — freeze on the last clip after the sequence finishes. For a video clip, the freeze lands on the clip’s **Hold Point** (see below). For an image, the image stays on screen. In Media List mode this option is labeled simply **Hold**.
* **Stop playback** — end after the final clip; the sequence takes itself off air.

## Hold Point — pause mid-clip

A **Hold Point** freezes a clip at a specified frame and stays on that frame until you advance the sequence. Useful for quote-of-the-day cards, score cards, and slideshows where pacing should be human-driven.

Each clip row in **Media List** has a **Hold Point** column. Behavior:

* Blank or `-1` displays **End** and is the default: the clip freezes about two frames before its natural end.
* Any positive timecode freezes the clip at that point.

When the sequence reaches a Hold Point, playback stops on that frame. Trigger the sequence again (or fire the **advance** command from a control surface) to release the hold and continue.

## Tips for operating during a show

* Toggle **Start Behavior** to **Resume from last position** before a commercial break if you want to pick up where you left off. Switch back to **Start from beginning** afterward.
* If you set every clip in a Media List to **No Change** with operator-driven advance, you have a manual pickup list — fire each clip on demand from a button or hotkey.
* Hold Points are an operator-paced equivalent of a Media List: keep one Continuous Sequence and let Hold Points act as commit points instead of building lots of small sequences.

## Related

* [Create a media sequence](/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-7/create-a-media-sequence.md) — the design-side article: how to add clips, configure Cut In/Duration/Repetitions/Transitions, and pick a Sequence Type.
* [Assign playback roles for media clips](/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-7/assigning-a-playback-role-for-media-clips.md) — how to use a sequence as a Live Video Source or Transition rather than a normal media row.
* [Use Media Manager live](/control-your-show/chapter-index-2/media-manager-live.md) — for tile-based show control over many sequences at once.


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