Creating a configuration

This topic shows how to create a configuration to start receiving content streams. It also shows how to provide an access point for downstream playback devices to request content.

You can use the AWS Elemental MediaTailor console, the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI)>, or the MediaTailor API to create a configuration. For information about creating a configuration through the AWS CLI or MediaTailor API, see the AWS Elemental MediaTailor API Reference..

When you create a configuration, don't put sensitive identifying information into free-form fields such as the Configuration name field. Identifying information can include things like customer account numbers. In addition, don't use identifying information when you work in the MediaTailor console, REST API, the AWS CLI, or AWS SDKs. Any data that you enter into MediaTailor might get picked up for inclusion in diagnostic logs or Amazon CloudWatch Events.

To add a configuration (console)

1. Open the MediaTailor console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediatailor/.

2. On the Configurations page, choose Create configuration.

3. Complete the configuration and additional configuration fields as described in the following topics:

   • Required settings

   • Optional configuration settings

4. Choose Create configuration.

   AWS Elemental MediaTailor displays the new configuration in the table on the Configurations page.

5. (Recommended) Set up a CDN with AWS Elemental MediaTailor for manifest and reporting requests. You can use the configuration playback URLs for the CDN setup. For information about setting up a CDN for manifest and reporting requests, see Integrating a CDN.

Required settings

When you create a configuration, you must include the following required settings.

Name

Enter a unique name that describes the configuration. The name is the primary identifier for the configuration. The maximum length allowed is 512 characters.

Content source

Enter the URL prefix for the manifest for this stream, minus the asset ID. The maximum length is 512 characters.

For example, the URL prefix http://origin-server.com/a/ is valid for an HLS parent manifest URL of http://origin-server.com/a/main.m3u8 and for a DASH manifest URL of http://origin-server.com/a/dash.mpd. Alternatively, you can enter a shorter prefix such as http://origin-server.com, but the /a/ must be included in the asset ID in the player request for content.

Note

If your content origin uses HTTPS, its certificate must be from a well-known certificate authority. It can't be a self-signed certificate. If you use a self-signed certificate, AWS Elemental MediaTailor fails to connect to the content origin and can't serve manifests in response to player requests.

Ad decision server

Enter the URL for your ad decision server (ADS). This is either the URL with variables as described in Step 3: Configure ADS request URL and query parameters , or the static VAST URL that you are using for testing purposes. The maximum length is 25,000 characters.

Note

If your ADS uses HTTPS, its certificate must be from a well-known certificate authority. It can't be a self-signed certificate. The same also applies to mezzanine ad URLs returned by the ADS. If you use a self-signed certificate, then AWS Elemental MediaTailor can't retrieve and stitch ads into the manifests from the content origin.

Optional configuration settings

You can optionally configure configuration aliases, personalization details, and advanced settings in the MediaTailor console, MediaTailor API, or the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI).

Configuration aliases

The following are optional configuration aliases that you can configure in the MediaTailor console, or with the MediaTailor API.

Player parameter variable

For dynamic domain configuration during session initialization, add one or more player parameter variables.

For more information about using player parameter variables to dynamically configure domains, see Using domain variables.

Log configuration

The following are log configuration settings.

Percent enabled

Sets the percentage of playback configuration session logs that MediaTailor writes to CloudWatch Logs. For example, if your playback configuration has 1000 sessions, and you set percent enabled to 60, MediaTailor writes 600 session logs to CloudWatch Logs.

When you enable this option, MediaTailor automatically creates a service-linked role that allows MediaTailor to write and manage session logs in your CloudWatch Logs account. For more information, see Using service-linked roles for MediaTailor.

Personalization details

The following are personalization details that you can configure in the MediaTailor console or with the MediaTailor API.

Slate ad

Enter the URL for a high-quality MP4 asset to transcode and use to fill in time that's not used by ads. AWS Elemental MediaTailor shows the slate to fill in gaps in media content. Configuring the slate is optional for non-VPAID configurations. For VPAID, you must configure a slate, which MediaTailor provides in the slots designated for dynamic ad content. The slate must be a high-quality MP4 asset that contains both audio and video. For more information, see Inserting slate.

Note

If the server that hosts your slate uses HTTPS, its certificate must be from a well-known certificate authority. It can't be a self-signed certificate. If you use a self-signed certificate, then AWS Elemental MediaTailor can't retrieve and stitch the slate into the manifests from the content origin.

Start bumper

The URL of the start bumper asset location. Bumpers are short video or audio clips that play at the beginning or end of an ad break. They can be stored on Amazon's S3, or a different storage service. To learn more about bumpers, see Inserting bumpers.

End bumper

The URL of the end bumper asset location. Bumpers are short video or audio clips that play at the beginning or end of an ad break. They can be stored on Amazon's S3, or a different storage service. To learn more about bumpers, see Inserting bumpers.

Personalization threshold

Defines the maximum duration of underfilled ad time (in seconds) allowed in an ad break. If the duration of underfilled ad time exceeds the personalization threshold, then the personalization of the ad break is abandoned and the underlying content is shown. For example, if the personalization threshold is 3 seconds and there would be 4 seconds of slate in an ad break, then personalization of the ad break is abandoned and the underlying content is shown. This feature applies to ad replacement in live and VOD streams, rather than ad insertion, because it relies on an underlying content stream. For more information about ad break behavior, including ad replacement and insertion, see Understanding MediaTailor ad insertion behavior.

Live pre-roll ad decision server

To insert ads at the start of a live stream before the main content starts playback, enter the URL for the ad pre-roll from the ad decision server (ADS). This is either the URL with variables as described in Step 3: Configure ADS request URL and query parameters, or the static VAST URL that you are using for testing purposes. The maximum length is 25,000 characters.

Note

If your ADS uses HTTPS, its certificate must be from a well-known certificate authority. It can't be a self-signed certificate. The same also applies to mezzanine ad URLs returned by the ADS. If you use a self-signed certificate, then AWS Elemental MediaTailor can't retrieve and stitch ads into the manifests from the content origin.

For information about how pre-roll works, see Inserting pre-roll ads.

Live pre-roll maximum allowed duration

When you're inserting ads at the start of a live stream, enter the maximum allowed duration for the pre-roll ad avail. MediaTailor won't go over this duration when inserting ads. If the response from the ADS contains more ads than will fit in this duration, MediaTailor fills the avail with as many ads as possible, without going over the duration. For more details about how MediaTailor fills avails, see Live ad stitching behavior .

Avail suppression mode

Sets the mode for avail suppression, also known as ad suppression. By default, ad suppression is off and MediaTailor fills all with ads or slate. When the mode is set to BEHIND_LIVE_EDGE, ad suppression is active and MediaTailor doesn't fill ad breaks on or behind the avail suppression value time in the manifest lookback window. When the mode is set to AFTER_LIVE_EDGE, ad suppression is active. MediaTailor doesn't fill ad breaks on or behind the avail suppression period, which is the live edge plus the avail suppression value plus buffer time.

Avail suppression value

The avail suppression value is a live edge offset time in HH:MM:SS. MediaTailor won't fill ad breaks on or behind this time in the manifest lookback window.

Advanced settings

The following are optional settings are advanced. You can configure these in the MediaTailor console, with the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI), or using the MediaTailor API.

CDN content segment prefix

Enables AWS Elemental MediaTailor to create manifests with URLs to your CDN path for content segments. Before you do this step, set up a rule in your CDN to pull segments from your origin server. For CDN content segment prefix, enter the CDN prefix path.

For more information about integrating MediaTailor with a CDN, see Working with CDNs.

CDN ad segment prefix

Enables AWS Elemental MediaTailor to create manifests with URLs to your own CDN path for ad segments. By default, MediaTailor serves ad segments from an internal Amazon CloudFront distribution with default cache settings. Before you can complete the CDN ad segment prefix field, you must set up a rule in your CDN to pull ad segments from the following origin, like in the following example.

https://segments.mediatailor.<region>.amazonaws.com

For CDN ad segment prefix, enter the name of your CDN prefix in the configuration.

For more information about integrating MediaTailor with a CDN, see Working with CDNs.

DASH origin manifest type

If your origin server produces single-period DASH manifests, open the dropdown list and choose SINGLE_PERIOD. By default, MediaTailor handles DASH manifests as multi-period manifests. For more information, see Integrating an MPEG-DASH source.

DASH mpd location

(Optional as needed for DASH) The media presentation description (mpd) location. Choose DISABLED for the following situation:

• You set up CDN routing rules for accessing MediaTailor manifests.

• You use client-side reporting, or your player supports sticky HTTP redirects.

For more information about the Location feature, see DASH location feature.

Transcode profile name

The name that associates this configuration with a custom transcode profile. This name overrides the dynamic transcoding defaults of MediaTailor. Complete this field only if you have already set-up custom profiles with the help of AWS Support.

Ad marker passthrough

For HLS, enables or disables ad marker passthrough. When ad marker passthrough is enabled, MediaTailor passes through EXT-X-CUE-IN, EXT-X-CUE-OUT, and EXT-X-SPLICEPOINT-SCTE35 ad markers from the origin manifest to the MediaTailor personalized manifest. No logic is applied to the ad marker values; they are passed from the origin manifest to the personalized manifest as-is. For example, if EXT-X-CUE-OUT has a value of 60 in the origin manifest, but no ads are placed, MediaTailor won't change the value to 0 in the personalized manifest.