Product Features

Monetise Live and On-Demand Streaming with a World Class Technology Solution

stv-player-ipadIn both live and on-demand streaming, yospaceCDS Advanced Streaming technology delivers a seamless mid-roll experience that is consistent across web, streaming set-top boxes, tablets and mobile platforms.  Our technology operates as middleware between your existing ad serving infrastructure so you can enjoy the same campaign management and ad performance tracking you are already used to.  In live streaming applications, you can benefit from advanced features such as rights-driven program blackout, automated live-to-VOD asset creation, and time-shifted linear playback.  For on-demand video, our flexible and customisable client-side SDKs perform functions such as trick-play management, ad clickthrough, overlays and ad tracking, while delivering enhanced telemetry essential for third-party analytics platforms.

Personalised Ad Insertion

Each online user, whatever the device, creates an individual request to the ad server, so you can track your precise audience demographics and tailor each replacement ad specifically, even down to the individual.

A Broadcast User Experience

Consumers want a broadcast-like viewing experience with no buffering wheels, freezes or flashes of underlying content.  Our solution combines frame-accurate signalling with server-side stream manipulation to deliver seamless and frame-accurate transitions betweens ads and content.

Increased CPM rates with Interactive Ad Units

The commercial value of inserted ads is improved by interactivity and tracking features.  With an easy-to-integrate Ad Management SDK for key platforms, our service supports clickable and dynamic overlay ads in both VOD and live streaming.  You can extend support for more features within your own application.

Conditional Blackout and Programme Replacement

Flexible blackout capabilities are afforded through server-side content replacement.  Now, it is possible to embargo content for arbitrary audience groups without the need for additional encoding or packaging equipment.  You don't have to replace programming with slate; you can replace it with alternative content.

Automated Live-to-VOD Workflow

Create VOD assets from live programming that are trimmed to the first and last frame, with the ad content removed.  VOD assets can be automatically uploaded into a third-party OVP with cue point metadata or delivered by yospaceCDS with server-side ad insertion.

Fast Track Implementation

When there is no option to be late to launch, we can deliver a single 1U server appliance, the LSEM, to acquire, transcode, condition and contribute your live stream into our cloud-based solution.  The LSEM includes full Event Signalling and Management automation integration capabilities.

Playout Automation Integration

Our Event Signalling and Management Server (ESAM) offers integration with leading live playout automation systems and multiscreen encoders, to deliver frame-accurate signalling with virtually no changes to your existing playout workflow.

End-to-End High Level Architecture for Live Streaming DAI

Live Stream Acquisition, Transcoding & Event Conditioning

Responsible for acquiring the live signal and transcoding it into HLS or MPEG-DASH with SCTE-35 break markers.  The ESAM Playout Automation Gateway is an optional Yospace component that can take real-time data from your automation system to inject SCTE-104/35 markers into your source stream.  We have integrated services encoded and packaged by third-party vendors that include Elemental, Harmonic, Ericsson (Envivio), Anevia, and MediaExcel.

Origin Server

The encoding live stream is placed onto an origin server, or a CDN entry point, such as AkamaiHD.  It is from this location the yospaceCDS service pulls a copy of the stream manifest.  This architecture allows DAI enablement to "layer" on top of your existing non-DAI workflow which simplifies the roll-out of your DAI streams.

Analytics Repository

The yospaceCDS solution includes a Telemetry API for real-time statistics on user engagement, ad server performance and key metrics essential for optimising the revenue from your streams.

Ad Management SDK

SDK responsible for handling ad performance tracking.  Available for iOS, Android, HTML5, Roku (Q1 2017) and Flash. 

Ad Server Integration

yospaceCDS integrates with VAST/2.0 or VAST/3.0 compliant services through simple UI-based configuration.  The service is currently active with customers using FreeWheel MRM, Google DFP, RealMedia 24/7, Ooyala Pulse, Tremor Media, Videology and SpotX.  Advertising copy is automatically transcoded by yospaceCDS and placed onto a nominated delivery CDN.

Ancillary Integration Touchpoints

The yospaceCDS solution supports a variety of touch points to implement business requirements: Programme Replacement Policy -- an external service responsible for determining whether programming should be subject to blackout or alternative content; POIS -- an external service to enrich the metadata associated with a break, allowing for enhanced targeting, or removal of placement opportunities based on business rules; Replacement Assets can be uploaded manually, through an API or through MRSS feeds.  

 

End-to-End High Level Architecture for VOD Streaming DAI

VOD Asset Creation Workflow

The yospaceCDS Dynamic Ad Insertion for VOD solution leverages your existing VOD asset creation workflow.   Create and transcode content as you would normally, placing it on to one or multiple CDNs, and use yospaceCDS to dynamically fetch content from the CDN and deliver ad-stitched VOD assets.   The decoupling of asset management and the yospaceCDS means that not only is the service extremely easy to integrate, but can also support on-the-fly ad insertion into "long tail" cloud PVR assets.  

 

Ad Management SDK

SDK responsible for handling ad performance tracking, and trick-play policy enforcement.  Available for iOS, Android, HTML5, Roku (Q1 2017) and Flash. 

Ad Server Integration

For VOD DAI, yospaceCDS integrates with VAST/2.0, VAST/3.0 or VMAP/1.0 compliant ad decisioning systems and can be configured easily through the yospaceCDS Management Console.  Advertising copy is automatically transcoded by yospaceCDS and placed onto a nominated delivery CDN.  

 

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Q: What protocols and DRM schemes are supported?
A: We support HLS and MPEG-DASH.  We have legacy support for HDS with Adobe Access DRM in OSMF-based Flash players.  Because this is primarily concerned with the server-side manipulation of manifest files, it is largely agnostic to DRM systems, which are usually concerned with protection of the content segments.  Many of our customers operate with either full "studio grade" DRM or encrypted HLS.
Q. How do you do the ad targeting?
A: Our solution leverages your existing ad server and audience tracking solutions to perform the user targeting.  VAST or VMAP compliant ad platforms are supported.  A wide range of configuration options make integration and validation really straightforward.
Q: Does your solution handle high traffic volumes?
A: Yes, our geographically distributed platform is specifically designed to support the large audiences that are associated with live sport and event television.  The service is trusted by some of the world's largest sporting rights holders. It is designed to work alongside your existing single or multi-CDN strategy for the delivery of the binary video data to end users.
Q: Do you perform transcoding of the ad assets?
A: Ad transcoding is a core function of our solution.  By normalising ad content we can not only better guarantee the user experience from a qualitative perspective (such as audio level normalisation), but it also guarantees stream integrity -- ensuring that an ad cannot "break" a user's streaming experience.  Ad transcoding takes place automatically, although we have APIs to allow pre-loading of ad assets as part of the ad trafficking process by your ad operations teams.
Q: Does your solution require Client-side SDKs?
A: We provide the Ad Management SDK which is optional for live streaming, but required for VOD streaming.  The Ad Management SDK is available for iOS, Android, HTML5, Flash and Roku and provides enhanced functionality for live streaming such as client-side ad tracking, clickthrough and overlays.

Live Streaming

Q: Do you support MPEG-DASH for live streaming as well?
A: Yes we do, however please bear in mind that many packager vendors have yet to support SCTE-35 signalling for live MPEG-DASH, so you should
check with your packager vendor for their support and roadmap. If you are packager vendor and would like guidance on how to implement SCTE-35 signalling support within your product, please contact us.
Q: What if I don't have SCTE-104/35 in-band in my live source?
A: For source signals that don’t already have in-band SCTE-35 signalling identifying ad breaks, we provide a software component, the ESAM Automation Gateway, that integrates with live automation data to determine programme and ad breaks, which are then injected into the stream for onward processing by your encoding workflow.
Q: Our live content is highly dynamic, can your solution cope with this?
A: Our solution is designed for highly dynamic ad break patterns.  Unscheduled breaks, early or crashed returns into content are supported.

VOD Streaming

Q: Do we have to replace our current VOD encoding workflow to support server-side ad insertion?
A: We require that you have encoded your VOD catalogue in either HLS or MPEG-DASH – how you achieve
that is entirely up to you. To achieve frame-accurate ad insertion, your VOD encoding should ensure that
segment boundaries coincide with the known insertion points.
Q: We want frame-accurate insertion but our current encoding workflow cannot support this. What can we do?
A: We support acquisition and encoding of VOD titles as part of the solution which includes frame-accurate segment conditioning.
Q: Does your solution support VMAP for VOD insertion?
A: Yes and this is our recommended approach.  We do however support single pod VAST responses in combination
with a "placement template" that you define.