Boundaries
A boundary defines a section of a stream which may be replaced with ads or slate, or skipped entirely.
Requires Live Slicer version 16031400 or higher
Learn how to:
- Set up boundaries
- Handle boundaries during playback
Set Up Boundaries
Follow these rules when setting up a boundary:
- Define the start and end of a boundary through the boundary method in the Live Slicer API.
- Any boundary type (e.g., c3, c7, or halftime) may be specified when creating a boundary.
- Boundaries cannot overlap.
- Mark the end of the previous boundary before starting a new one.
- A boundary cannot overlap with a pod break.
- Mark the end of a pod before starting a boundary.
- Mark the end of a boundary before starting a pod.
- A boundary cannot span multiple assets.
- Mark the end of a boundary before the end of an asset.
Playback
A boundary type dynamically defines a section within a live stream where ads or slate may be inserted. How this section is handled in the manifest varies depending on whether the viewer is watching a live stream or on-demand content.
For example, a c3 boundary may identify an ad break within a live stream. Live stream playback and the asset created from this live event will include the commercials in that ad break. However, on-demand playback may either include the ads from the original airing, replace them with new ads, or skip them.
Live Streaming
How a boundary is handled during live stream viewing is determined by the boundary.<boundary_name> parameter (e.g., boundary.c3). Valid values for this parameter are described below.
Boundary Modes
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| ignore_as_content | Default. This mode plays the content within the boundary and treats it as standard content. |
| ignore_as_ad | This mode plays the content within the boundary and treats it as an ad. |
| replace_as_ad | If the ad parameter (e.g., &ad=myadcampaign) is present in the playback request, then this mode replaces the content within the boundary with dynamic ad(s). If there is insufficient ad content, then the stream will play ad slate until the end of the boundary. |
| replace_as_ad_return_early | If the ad parameter (e.g., &ad=myadcampaign) is present in the playback request, then this mode replaces the content within the boundary with dynamic advertisement(s). If there is insufficient ad content, then the stream will switch back to content once all ads have been streamed. |
| skip | This mode replaces the content within the boundary with slate. |
Sample URL:https://content.uplynk.com/<asset_id>.m3u8?ad=<ad_config>&boundary.c3=replace_as_ad
On-Demand Streaming
All boundaries defined within a live stream are retained by the asset created from that stream. How a boundary is handled during on-demand playback is determined by the boundary.<boundary_name> parameter (e.g., boundary.c3). Valid values for this parameter are described below.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| ignore_as_content | Default. The content within the boundary will be played normally and treated as standard content. |
| ignore_as_ad | The content within the boundary will be played normally and treated as an advertisement. |
| replace_as_ad | The content within the boundary will be replaced by dynamic advertisement(s) provided that the playback request includes the ad parameter (e.g., &ad=myadcampaign). |
| skip | The segment defined by the boundary will be omitted. In other words, the viewing experience will be seamless between the slices that occur right before and after the boundary. |
Sample URL:https://content.uplynk.com/<asset_id>.m3u8?ad=<ad_config>&boundary.c3=skip
Use Cases
The use cases described in this section assume:
- A sporting event was streamed as a live event.
- Several boundaries of varying types were added as the live stream was sliced. These boundaries are defined below.
| Start Time - End Time | Boundary Type (Live Slicer API) | Type of Content |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 - 12:00 | No Boundary | Live sporting event |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | c3 | An ad that is relevant for up to 3 days after the original airing. |
| 13:00 - 25:00 | No Boundary | Live sporting event |
| 25:00 - 27:30 | c7 | An ad that is relevant for up to 7 days after the original airing. |
| 27:30 - 35:00 | No Boundary | Live sporting event |
| 35:00 - 45:00 | halftime | Identifies special content. |
| 45:00 - 52:00 | No Boundary | Live sporting event |
| 52:00 - 53:30 | c7 | An ad that is relevant for up to 7 days after the original airing. |
| 53:30 - 60:00 | No Boundary | Live sporting event |
| 60:00 - 62:00 | c3 | An ad that is relevant for up to 3 days after the original airing. |
| 62:00 - 75:00 | No Boundary | Live sporting event |
On-Demand Streaming - Ad Replacement (c3)
In this scenario, on-demand playback takes place 5 days after the live stream. The following playback URL will:
- Replace all c3 boundaries with dynamic advertisements.
- Allow playback of the original c7 boundaries as advertisements.
- Skip the halftime boundary.
Sample URL:https://content.uplynk.com/<asset_id>.m3u8?boundary.c3=replace_as_ad&boundary.c7=ignore_as_ad&boundary.halftime=skip
| Start Time - End Time | Boundary Type (Live Slicer API) | Playback |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 - 12:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | c3 | Dynamic advertisement (length may vary) |
| 13:00 - 25:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event |
| 25:00 - 27:30 | c7 | Original advertisement |
| 27:30 - 42:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event; The content defined by the halftime boundary was skipped. |
| 42:00 - 43:30 | c7 | Original advertisement |
| 43:30 - 50:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event |
| 50:00 - 52:00 | c3 | Dynamic advertisement (length may vary) |
| 52:00 - 65:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event |
On-Demand Streaming - Ad Replacement (c7)
In this scenario, on-demand playback takes place 8 days after the live stream. The following playback URL will:
- Skip all c3 boundaries.
- Replace c7 boundaries with dynamic ads.
- Include the content defined in the halftime boundary and treat it as standard content.
Sample URL:https://content.uplynk.com/<asset_id>.m3u8?boundary.c3=skip&boundary.c7=replace_as_ad&boundary.halftime=ignore_as_content
The following playback URL is also valid since ignore_as_content is set by default.
Sample URL:https://content.uplynk.com/<asset_id>.m3u8?boundary.c3=skip&boundary.c7=replace_as_ad
| Start Time - End Time | Boundary Name (Given to the slice API) | Playback During On-Demand Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 - 24:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event; The content defined by the c3 boundary was skipped. |
| 24:00 - 26:30 | c7 | Dynamic advertisement (length may vary) |
| 26:30 - 34:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event |
| 34:00 - 44:00 | halftime | Original special content |
| 44:00 - 51:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event |
| 51:00 - 52:30 | c7 | Dynamic advertisement (length may vary) |
| 52:30 - 72:00 | No Boundary | Original sporting event; The content defined by the c3 boundary was skipped. |
Updated about 1 month ago