Question: How to insert mid-ad (get from own ad server) into the content when using packager HLS stream?

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

ad_cues <start_time[;start_time]>
List of cuepoint markers separated by semicolon. The start_time represents the start of the cue marker in seconds (double precision) relative to the start of the program. This flag preconditions content for Dynamic Ad Insertion with Google Ad Manager. For DASH, multiple periods will be generated with period boundaries at the next key frame to the designated start times; For HLS, segments will be terminated at the next key frame to the designated start times and ‘#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY’ tag will be inserted after the segment in media playlist.

I have some questions about this description.

This flag preconditions content for Dynamic Ad Insertion with Google Ad Manager.

1. Whether this ad options only works with Google Ad Manager or not.
   Before packager the HLS stream， I have request the pre-ad, mid-ad and post-ad
   from our own ad server. I found ad_cues <start_time[;start_time]> only support
   adding parameter start_time, Can't set the ad url. If not support setting ad url, please
   give some advice how to implement this feature.

For HLS, segments will be terminated at the next key frame to the designated start times and ‘#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY’ tag will be inserted after the segment in media playlist.

2. I have searched the HLS draft. https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-23#section-4.3.4.1 . I'm sorry, nothing has found about the #EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY tag.
   Also, I searched the ExoPlayer, the player also do nothing about this Tag. Please hope give some useful information.

[kqyang]

Shaka Packager does not insert the Ads itself. What it does is to precondition the content for Ad insertion.

#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY is a Google extension for Ad Insertion. If you don't use Google Ad Manager, what you can do is to replace #EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY with #EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY followed by Ad segments (#EXTINF...) yourself.

@Romantic-LiXuefeng Does that answer your question?

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

Because of the Chine Internet firewall, i can't use the Google Ad Manager, so that I can't run a example with the options ad_cues <start_time[;start_time]> to check the result HLS manifest.

1. Whether the Shaka Packager only add a #EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY Tag. The packager result like this.

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-VERSION:6
## Generated with https://github.com/google/shaka-packager version <tag>-<hash>-<test>
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:2
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD
#EXT-X-MAP:URI="bear-640x360-video-init.mp4"
#EXTINF:1.001,
bear-640x360-video-1.m4s
#EXTINF:1.001,
bear-640x360-video-2.m4s
#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY
#EXTINF:0.734,
bear-640x360-video-3.m4s
#EXT-X-ENDLIST

from https://github.com/google/shaka-packager/tree/master/packager/app/test/testdata/hls-audio-video-text-with-ad-cues

I want to know when to insert the ad? If not insert ad, the player how to play ?
In my opinion, the Manifest should like this:

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:10
#EXT-X-VERSION:4
#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:0
#EXTINF:10.0,
ad0.ts
#EXTINF:8.0,
ad1.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:10.0,
movieA.ts
#EXTINF:10.0,
movieB.ts

[kqyang]

#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY is the place to insert mid-roll Ads. As mentioned earlier, you can just replace it with your Ad segment tags.

For example, you have a mid-roll ad segment you want to insert: mid_roll_ad.ts

Packager pre-conditioned playlist:

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-VERSION:6
## Generated with https://github.com/google/shaka-packager version <tag>-<hash>-<test>
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:2
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD
#EXTINF:1.001,
bear-640x360-video-1.ts
#EXTINF:1.001,
bear-640x360-video-2.ts
#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY
#EXTINF:0.734,
bear-640x360-video-3.ts
#EXT-X-ENDLIST

You can replace #EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY with your Ad segment:

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-VERSION:6
## Generated with https://github.com/google/shaka-packager version <tag>-<hash>-<test>
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:2
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD
#EXTINF:1.001,
bear-640x360-video-1.ts
#EXTINF:1.001,
bear-640x360-video-2.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:1.000,
mid_roll_ad.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:0.734,
bear-640x360-video-3.ts
#EXT-X-ENDLIST

As for pre-roll and post-roll ads, you can just insert it before all media segments and after all media segments respectively. They don't really need ads pre-conditioning.

If not insert ad, the player how to play ?

It should just work as the player ignores unrecognized tags according to HLS specification.

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

ok! Thanks for your help.

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

@kqyang Just doing as your suggestions to insert the mid ad. Not play correctly using ExoPlayer. I have report a issue to ExoPlayer. But I can't confirm whether the bug of ExoPlayer. # google/ExoPlayer#6444

[kqyang]

Have you tried Shaka Player?

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

@kqyang I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with Shaka Player, and try to play with it. If have some result, I will report. I also have sent the content to shaka-packager-issues@google.com.

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

@kqyang I followed the description in https://github.com/google/shaka-player/blob/master/docs/tutorials/basic-usage.md. Can't start to play. I also start to play the stream using Safari browser. It plays well.

[kqyang]

@Romantic-LiXuefeng You can just use the demo player at: https://shaka-player-demo.appspot.com/demo/#audiolang=en-US;textlang=en-US;uilang=en-US;panel=HOME;build=uncompiled.

Looks like ExoPlayer team has already figured out where the problem is :)

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

@kqyang The ExoPlayer team has fixed the problem. Hope to support muxing all the streams into TS container for reducing the process of demuxing ads into separate streams.

Also, there is a bug, Using Docker with latest version to insert multi mid ads, e.g. 60s and 120s. Only the first mid ad can generate #EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY Tag. others failed.

/ # packager 'in=/media/google_io_2017.mp4,stream=video,segment_template=/media/mp4_to_hls/h264_1080p/h264/$Number$.ts,playlist_name=/h264_1080p/h264.m3u8' \
>    'in=/media/google_io_2017.mp4,stream=audio,segment_template=/media/mp4_to_hls/h264_1080p/aac/$Number$.aac,playlist_name=/h264_1080p/aac.m3u8' \
>     --ad_cues 60;120 \
>             --segment_duration 10 \
>     --hls_master_playlist_output /media/mp4_to_hls/h264_master.m3u8
[0923/015017:INFO:demuxer.cc(88)] Demuxer::Run() on file '/media/google_io_2017.mp4'.
[0923/015017:INFO:demuxer.cc(160)] Initialize Demuxer for file '/media/google_io_2017.mp4'.
Packaging completed successfully.
/bin/sh: 120: not found

[kqyang]

@Romantic-LiXuefeng Can you provide the source stream you were using? We can try if we can re-produce the problem.

[Romantic-LiXuefeng]

@kqyang I have sent the source stream to shaka-packager-issues@google.com.

[kqyang]

@Romantic-LiXuefeng It works for me. Note that ";" is a special character in some Linux shells, so remember to enclose it (e.g. enclose in '': '60;120') or skip it (i.e. 60;120) if you run the command in Linux shells.

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-VERSION:6
## Generated with https://github.com/google/shaka-packager version 3aa0bd6938-debug
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:20
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD
#EXTINF:10.000,
1.ts
#EXTINF:16.000,
2.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
3.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
4.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
5.ts
#EXTINF:9.800,
6.ts
#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY
#EXTINF:10.680,
7.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
8.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
9.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
10.ts
#EXTINF:12.440,
11.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
12.ts
#EXT-X-PLACEMENT-OPPORTUNITY
#EXTINF:10.000,
13.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
14.ts
#EXTINF:19.920,
15.ts
#EXTINF:9.960,
16.ts
#EXTINF:0.360,
17.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
18.ts
#EXTINF:9.960,
19.ts
#EXTINF:3.680,
20.ts
#EXT-X-ENDLIST