ATHENSA + Hermes
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Main roadmap

From research copy to controlled 24/7 operation

Every stage is deliberately gated. Nothing reaches the on-air path until it has been tested, verified, and assigned a clear rollback.

01 · CompleteProduct discoveryIdentify the ATHENSA suite and intended channel workflow.
02 · CompleteDocumentation researchCollect public manuals and map the product family.
03 · CompleteExact-build analysisInspect the copied v7 installation without running it.
04 · NextLive read-only auditCapture real settings, logs, ports, paths, and sample playlists.
05 · PlannedOffline laboratoryBuild a separate test environment with copied content and no on-air connection.
06 · PlannedPlaylist MVPGenerate, import, validate, and atomically promote daily schedules.
07 · PlannedMonitoring & recoveryReconcile logs, detect faults, coordinate watchdogs, and alert operators.
08 · PlannedControlled rolloutShadow mode, limited automation, measured expansion, and documented rollback.
Complete Current boundary Not yet activated

24/7 channel automation project

Build a dependable playout operation that Hermes can prepare, monitor, and safely supervise.

The goal is not to replace ATHENSA’s frame-accurate broadcast engine. Hermes becomes the operational intelligence above it: preparing schedules, validating content, monitoring logs, coordinating recovery, and involving a human when a decision carries real broadcast risk.

Verified from the copied installation

The exact software generation

Static PE metadata and bundled ReadMe files agree. No ATHENSA executable was launched during research.

ATHENSA List
7.0.0.1257
21 April 2017

Offline playlist and schedule preparation. Supports 4K, HEVC/H.265, and AJA Corvid hardware profiles.

ATHENSA Playout
7.0.0.1257
21 April 2017

Internally identified as AirBox. Handles timed playout, recovery, logs, external events, RTMP, and output modules.

SafeBox
7.0.4.155
15 May 2017

Playout-safe media replication and metadata transfer. Its operational limitations directly shape our storage design.

ATHENSA Graphics
7.0.0.959
2 February 2017

Internally identified as TitleBox. Provides templates, dynamic data, API events, NetControl, tasks, and As-Run logs.

Operating model

Intelligence above, deterministic broadcast below

The safest architecture gives each layer one clear job. Hermes plans and supervises; ATHENSA owns frame-accurate execution.

Hermes control plane

Reason and supervise
  • Inventory media and maintain metadata
  • Construct and preflight schedules
  • Monitor processes, ports, storage, and logs
  • Compare expected versus actual playout
  • Report, alert, and request approval
  • Coordinate—never duplicate—recovery actions

ATHENSA media plane

Execute precisely
ListPlaylist preparation, imports, validation
PlayoutAirBox timing, output, recovery, logs
SafeBoxControlled media replication and transfer
GraphicsTitleBox templates, data, rendering, API events
  • Own frame-accurate timing and on-air state
  • Run local watchdog restart or bypass behavior
  • Produce authoritative System and As-Run logs

What we learned

Discoveries that changed the plan

These are the findings that materially affect how Hermes should interact with the channel.

Playlist path

Use ListBox imports before attempting native playlist generation

ATHENSA supports tab-delimited, CSV, and fixed-width traffic imports with reusable column mappings. Native .ply construction depends on a separate AirBox SDK that was not included. Our first MVP will let ListBox create the final playlist.

Daily schedule

Daily playlists have a deterministic filename contract

Scheduled playlists follow YYYY_MM_DD_HH_MM_SS.ply. Playout can load them automatically and catch up using the playlist start time and current system time after restart.

Watchdog

Playout already includes restart and bypass mechanisms

The copied installation contains watchdog dialog, relay, and restart plug-ins plus RestartModule.exe. Hermes must verify these actions rather than firing a competing restart.

Monitoring

System and As-Run logs are the safest source of truth

Playout produces mandatory System logs and optional tab-delimited As-Run logs. Graphics has per-instance As-Run logging. Hermes can reconcile planned versus actual output without continuously scraping the GUI.

SafeBox

Mapped drives cannot be used as production SafeBox sources

The bundled SafeBox notes explicitly prohibit mapped HDD source folders. The shared Z: folder is research-only; production storage must use an approved local or tested UNC arrangement.

Performance

Copying and startup can disturb playout

High-speed content copying may cause storage hiccups, and SafeBox startup is resource-intensive on a shared host. Transfer operations and restarts must be isolated or carefully scheduled.

Graphics

TitleBox exposes narrow integration surfaces

Graphics supports NetControl ports, matching channel IDs, API events such as EVENT 1001, Windows Named Events, FileLink, XML, RSS, HTML, ODBC, tasks, and scripts. We will prefer constrained data/network bridges over letting Graphics launch arbitrary automation.

Evidence

A historical Graphics freeze confirms monitoring is essential

The copied folder contains a 2020 freeze report for ATHENSA Graphics. It does not prove a root cause, but it confirms that graphics health, bypass behavior, and recovery verification belong in the design.

First automation deliverable

The playlist MVP

This is the lowest-risk path from an editorial schedule to an ATHENSA daily playlist.

Inventory

Scan approved content and record paths, duration, codec, aspect, audio, and metadata.

Construct

Build the schedule with timing, categories, fixed events, graphics metadata, and fallback rules.

Preflight

Reject missing files, unsupported formats, overlaps, gaps, zero duration, and invalid dates.

Import

Write a delimited traffic file and process it through a verified ListBox import mapping.

Verify

Inspect the resulting playlist independently and compare duration and item order to the plan.

Promote

Move the approved file atomically from staging into the daily-playlist folder.

Non-negotiable boundaries

Safety rules for the on-air system

No direct experimentation on the live channel

Every integration begins in a copied offline environment and enters production only through staged approval.

No native .ply synthesis yet

Use ListBox import until the AirBox SDK or verified production samples establish the exact format.

No mapped-drive SafeBox source

The research share may remain on Z:; a production SafeBox source may not.

No automatic deletion at the beginning

SafeBox deletion stays disabled until dry runs, scope guards, backups, and explicit approval are proven.

One owner per recovery action

ATHENSA watchdog, Windows startup, and Hermes escalation must never issue conflicting restarts.

Never replace the currently playing item

Schedule updates touch only future content and are validated before promotion.

Keep an emergency playlist ready

A known-good fallback must remain independent of daily schedule generation.

Human approval remains meaningful

Deleting content, changing output, going live, or bypassing safeguards requires explicit authorization.

Current boundary

What happens next

Research on the copied folders is complete. The next stage gathers the real machine’s configuration without changing it.

Next milestone

Live read-only audit

Capture what the program-folder copy cannot contain: actual runtime state, paths, ports, jobs, logs, and Windows integration.

  • Registry and application settings
  • ListBox import mappings and production samples
  • Daily playlist folder and emergency playlist
  • System and As-Run log locations
  • Graphics channel ID and NetControl ports
  • SafeBox jobs, queues, and source/destination paths
  • Windows startup tasks, shortcuts, and services
  • Output hardware, drivers, and network endpoints

Then: an isolated laboratory

The production audit becomes a specification for a separate test environment. The first tests will have no connection to an on-air destination.

  • Copy known-good test media
  • Create staging and quarantine folders
  • Build the first import mapping
  • Generate and validate a test daily playlist
  • Exercise restart and catch-up behavior
  • Confirm log parsing and alert rules
  • Document rollback before production entry

Project evidence

Files and research locations

Research-only ATHENSA copy

Private internal network share — path redacted for public hosting
  • Never modified during research
  • No vendor executable, BAT, CMD, or VBS was run
  • Contains List, SafeBox, Playout, Graphics, examples, notes, and help

Hermes research pack

Local Hermes project folder — path redacted for public hosting
  • Public manuals and exact-build analysis
  • Machine-readable inventory and static findings
  • Decompiled local AirBox, TitleBox, and Clip Trimmer help
  • Flattened searchable help corpora