Download an open-source news play-out server template. Open-source templates provide you with the basic building blocks for programs. When you download a template, the basic functionality of your program is already laid out for you; you simply need to implement the functions for your idea. There are many sites that offer free online source code for news play-out servers. The Swedish news corporation SVT shares its server, called "CasparCG," for free on its website (see Resources).
Download a copy of Adobe Flash Professional. Flash Professional is the program used to modify the source code for news play-out servers like CasparCG. Although you can get a news play-out server up and running without this program, you will need it to change and modify the source code for expanded functionality.
Write a list of features that you want your server to have. Depending on the number of features you require, you may need to download components of multiple play-out server templates. For example, Media Server 1000 can support certain file types that CasparCG cannot support. If you want to maximize the file support of your server, consider going with multiple templates.
Modify the source code to fit your vision. It is important that your news play-out server be compatible with the file types generated by your studio recording equipment, and perform all the functions you need it to perform. Discard the code templates for functions that you do not need, and load the templates for functions that you want in Adobe Flash Professional. Editing the source code requires knowledge of programming for Adobe SWF format, whose syntax is very similar to C++. For basic adjustments, simply leave the commands intact and modify the text input between brackets (e.g., if the source code says delay = 0.05 and you want the delay time between programs to be 6 seconds, change it to delay = 0.06).
Debug and compile all code you have modified. Adobe Flash Professional comes with an editor, and editors for C++, PHP and other languages come packaged with the server templates that you can download on the Web. Debugging refers to checking over a piece of code for errors. Simple mistakes can be corrected by hitting the "debug" feature in the editor/compiler.