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AWS Elemental MediaTailor
User Guide

AWS Documentation » AWS Elemental MediaTailor » User Guide » Ad Behavior in AWS Elemental MediaTailor » VOD Content Ad Behavior

VOD Content Ad Behavior

AWS Elemental MediaTailor handles ads for VOD content for HLS. MediaTailor inserts or replaces ads in VOD streams based on how the origin server configured the CUE-OUT/CUE-IN (or SCTE-OUT/SCTE-IN) markers in the master manifest, or whether the ADS sends VMAP responses.

For ad behavior by marker configuration, see the following sections.

No Cue Out or Cue In Markers

Although CUE-OUT/IN (or SCTE-OUT/IN) markers are the preferred way of signaling ad avails in a live manifest, the markers are not required for VOD content. If the manifest doesn't contain ad markers, MediaTailor makes a single call to the ADS and creates ad avails based on the response:

  • If the ADS sends a VAST response, then MediaTailor inserts all ads from the response in an ad avail at the start of the manifest. This is a pre-roll.

  • If the ADS sends a VMAP response, then MediaTailor uses the ad avail time offsets to create avails and insert them throughout the manifest at the specified times (pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll). MediaTailor uses all ads from each ad avail in the VMAP response for each ad avail in the manifest.

    Note

    When a segment overlaps an insertion point with VMAP for VOD content, MediaTailor rounds down to the nearest insertion point.

    Tip

    If you want to create mid-roll avails but your ADS doesn't support VMAP, then ensure that there are CUE-OUT (or SCTE-OUT) markers in the manifest. MediaTailor inserts ads at the markers, as described in the following sections.

Cue Out and Cue In Markers Are Present

CUE-OUT/IN (or SCTE-OUT/IN) markers allow AWS Elemental MediaTailor to insert ads throughout the manifest. If the manifest contains markers, and the CUE-IN marker immediately follows the CUE-OUT marker (there are no segments between them), this informs MediaTailor that it is an ad insertion request.

The CUE-OUT markers should have no duration (or a duration of 0) specified, such as #EXT-X-CUE-OUT:0.

For post-rolls, CUE-OUT/IN markers must precede the last content segment. This is because the HLS spec requires tag decorators to be explicitly declared before a segment.

For example, consider the following declaration. 

#EXT-X-CUE-OUT: 0
#EXT-X-CUE-IN
#EXTINF:4.000,
Videocontent.ts
#EXT-X-ENDLIST

AWS Elemental MediaTailor inserts a post-roll like the following.

#EXTINF:4.000,
Videocontent.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:3.0,
Adsegment1.ts
#EXTINF:3.0,
Adsegment2.ts 
#EXTINF:1.0,
Adsegment3.ts
#EXT-X-ENDLIST

You can't use multiple CUE-OUT/IN tags in succession to mimic ad pod behavior. This is because CUE-OUT/IN tags must be explicitly attached to a segment.

For example, the following declaration is invalid.

#EXT-X-CUE-OUT: 0
#EXT-X-CUE-IN
#EXT-X-CUE-OUT: 0
#EXT-X-CUE-IN
#EXT-X-CUE-OUT: 0
#EXT-X-CUE-IN
#EXTINF:4.000,
Videocontent.ts

The following declaration is valid.

#EXT-X-CUE-OUT: 0
#EXT-X-CUE-IN
#EXTINF:4.000,
Somecontent1.ts
#EXT-X-CUE-OUT: 0
#EXT-X-CUE-IN
#EXTINF:4.000,
Somecontent2.ts
#EXT-X-CUE-OUT: 0
#EXT-X-CUE-IN
#EXTINF:4.000,
Videocontent.ts

The preceding declaration results in an output like the following. 

Ad 1
Somecontent.ts
Ad 2
Somecontent2.ts
Videocontent.ts
Post-Roll Ad 3