Major Dynamic Ad Insertion Advancements in MPEG-DASH

Today at Mobile World Congress, we announced how recent enhancements to Adobe Primetime will enable dynamic ad insertion (DAI) in MPEG-DASH streams using the same workflows and business rules that they’ve used to insert ads into HLS streams. The end result is a high-quality, stitched stream of ads and content that can reach viewers across the wide range of devices and browsers that support MPEG-DASH — including all HTML5-compliant browsers.

For consumers, this means they can access more high-quality content (including HD and 4K) with lower data and bandwidth usage, and media companies can deliver it with lower content delivery network (CDN) costs. Adobe Primetime is the only DAI technology available in both client- and server-side configurations, allowing for maximum reach and deployment flexibility.

We’ve made DAI in MPEG-DASH almost exactly the same as using HLS, with some significant advancements. Here’s a summary of Adobe Primetime’s use of MPEG-DASH and HLS for ad insertion:

• Creative Repackaging Service – Our creative repackaging works for MPEG-DASH just like it works for HLS. It takes all the same input formats and transcodes them to MPEG-DASH for smooth transitions between content and ads.
  • Compliance with Ad Insertion Rules – Adobe Primetime follows the same rules that a customer has for inserting ads into MPEG-DASH streams as it does for inserting ads into HLS streams. This includes honoring trick play settings, seek settings, and ad forgiveness settings, which specify the timeframes around which viewers should not be exposed to ads.
• Response to Ad Cues – MPEG-DASH has a unique method of specifying ad cues, which Adobe Primetime supports. The method is different from HLS because it requires parsing out custom ad cues from a manifest. Adobe Primetime manages that complexity.

Getting started with DAI in MPEG-DASH streams

Adobe Primetime is excited to help customers effectively monetize their programming by combining the power of the open MPEG-DASH standard with Adobe Primetime’s advanced ad insertion capabilities. For example, M6 (the largest broadcaster in France), is leveraging these capabilities to help stream this summer’s UEFA European Football Championship across screens. Please contact the Adobe Primetime team to get started with DAI into MPEG-DASH streams.