PlayoutONE Pro hardware requirements

PlayoutONE Pro is a powerful automation system for radio stations. Each station is unique and will use PlayoutONE in different ways. However, to ensure the software performs to the standard we expect, some minimum requirements must be met for the computers it is installed on.

On this page, we'll outline our recommendations for setting up PlayoutONE and run you through the requirements for any computers on which it is installed.

Can my computer run PlayoutONE?

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Hardware requirements

When you first install PlayoutONE, it should be on a fresh copy of Windows 11 Pro. You don't necessarily need to purchase new PCs if you are moving from another automation system, but any trace of other automation software or previous SQL databases can cause issues.

PlayoutONE Pro must run on a dedicated workstation or server. The software is not supported on laptops or all-in-one PCs, as their integrated hardware components cannot easily be replaced or updated if required.

We recommend limiting additional software on broadcast-critical machines like servers or studio PCs. Production or office PCs can run other software alongside PlayoutONE without issue.

Running 1-2 radio stations

The minimum hardware specification we support for running PlayoutONE Pro with one or two stations:

Operating system	Windows 10/11 Pro
Processor	Servers or combined studio/server machines: Intel i7 8th generation or AMD Ryzen 7 3000 Series Standalone studios or control rooms: Intel i5 8th generation or AMD Ryzen 5 3000 Series
Memory	16GB
Storage	Operating system running on a solid-state drive
Network	1Gbps wired connection

Running 3+ radio stations

The minimum hardware specification we support for running PlayoutONE Pro with three or more stations:

	Server	Studios/Control room
Operating system	Windows Server 2019, 2022 or 2025	Windows 10/11 Pro
Processor	Intel Xeon with 8+ cores (produced in the last three years)	Intel i5 8th generation or AMD Ryzen 5 3000 Series
Memory	32GB	16GB
Storage	Operating system running on an SSD. Traditional hard drives can be used to store audio.	Solid state drive
Network	1Gbps wired connection	1Gbps wired connection

Production machines

The minimum hardware specification we support for running PlayoutONE Pro on production PCs:

Operating system	Windows 10 / 11 Pro
Processor	Intel i5 7th generation or AMD Ryzen 3 3000 Series
Memory	8GB
Storage	Solid state or hard disk drives supported
Network	1Gbps wired connection

How should I set up my network?

We recommend that, where possible, PlayoutONE Pro be deployed in a client-server setup.

We strongly recommend this setup because PlayoutONE Pro has several applications within the suite that must be running. Having these run out of sight is best, leaving the studio playback computers to concentrate on the most critical task—playing audio—and letting the server machine focus on all administration tasks.

The server houses the SQL Server and, as mentioned, all administration applications (FileCopy, Auto Importer, Monitor, etc.). WebVT is provided through the Windows IIS Service.

A port forwarding rule through the firewall is required for users to gain access to the service; alternatively, users may opt to use a self-configured VPN if port forwarding is an issue.

How does PlayoutONE store audio?

All audio imported into PlayoutONE resides within the designated audio folder, usually on your primary server.

PlayoutONE will copy the audio file when imported and rename it to UID.Extension. For example, if an MP3 file's UID is 1234, the file would become 1234.mp3.

This folder is then shared with all clients. Within the audio folder are copies of each audio file used within WebVT. These files are encoded in the .opus format.

Traditional hard drives can be used for data. 1TB is enough to store around:

5,000 .wav songs
6,000 .flac songs
12,000 .mp3 songs

Our recommendations

Antivirus

We recommend that users not install third-party antivirus software on their servers and studio PCs; instead, they should rely on Microsoft's built-in Windows Defender with the following exclusions.

C:\PlayoutONE
C:\MsSQL
D:\PlayoutONE (if users have additional hard drives)

This is to ensure no third-party antivirus software interferes with the smooth operation of PlayoutONE.

Firewall

We recommend that Windows Firewall remain switched on, as PlayoutONE can usually work when running.

SQL Server

PlayoutONE runs on Microsoft SQL Server. If you plan to host more than seven stations on one server, we recommend purchasing SQL Server Standard rather than using the free edition (Express) included with PlayoutONE.

Sound cards

PlayoutONE Pro & Standard can utilise any WDM soundcard compatible with Windows 11.

Windows Updates

We recommend disabling all Windows Updates on PlayoutONE servers and studio computers. A guide for disabling updates is available here.

We recommend that users schedule maintenance windows at least two times a year to enable updates and apply any needed updates. After the maintenance windows, Windows Updates should be disabled again.