This article describes the supported video and audio formats for uploading creatives in Ad Manager. It covers the upload requirements, supported file types, resolutions, bitrates, and transcoding process.
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Supported upload media
Ad Manager supports uploading audio and video creatives of common media codecs and mime-types. This includes:
- MPEG4, 3GPP, and MOV files: These formats typically support H264, MPEG4 video codecs, and the AAC audio codec.
- FLV, MP2T, OGG, and WEBM: These formats are also available for video-only creatives.
- AVI: This format is typically produced by cameras. The video codec is usually MJPEG and the audio codec is PCM.
- MPEGPS: This format typically supports the MPEG2 video codec and the MP2 audio codec.
- WMV, MP3: Common audio-only formats that usually contain AAC audio codec.
Ad Manager allows uploads of video and audio files up to 1.9 GB or 20 minutes.*
Ad Manager hosted formats
Ad Manager generates the following formats for video and audio creatives:
- MPEG4 and MOV files: These formats support H264 video codec, and the AAC audio codec.
Resolution and bitrate
MPEignored4| Resolution | Target video bitrate | Target audio bitrate |
|---|---|---|
| 320 × 240 | 192 kbps | 32 kbps |
| 176 × 144 | 56 kbps | 24 kbps |
| Resolution | Target video bitrate | Target audio bitrate |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 × 1080 | 4000 kbps | 128 kbps |
| 1280 × 720 | 3000 kbps | 128 kbps |
| 1280 × 720 | 2000 kbps | 128 kbps |
| 854 × 480 | 1500 kbps | 128 kbps |
| 854 × 480 | 1000 kbps | 128 kbps |
| 640 × 360 | 400 kbps | 96 kbps |
Streaming formats
Ad Manager supports the following streaming formats with varying bitrates and resolutions:
- HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)
- DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP)
Video creative profiles
If you use video creative profiles for streaming formats, it's recommended that you turn off bitrate and resolution filtering.
Resolution and bitrate
HLS/DASHResolution
For both HLS and DASH the variants will have a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1080, and a minimum of 320 × 180, in 5 second segments.
Bitrate
| Range | Target video bitrate | Target audio bitrate |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum | 7000 kbps | 256 kbps |
| Minimum | 120 kbps | 48 kbps |
Audio-only formats
Ad Manager supports the following audio-only formats. The high, medium, and low target bitrates are shown:
- MP4/AAC: 320 kbps, 128 kbps, and 64 kbps
- MP3: 320 kbps, 128 kbps, and 64 kbps
Transcoding
Ad Manager transcodes your video and audio files into as many as nine formats and sizes. This is dependent on the format and resolution of the files provided.
Due to the nature of transcoding, the following may not necessarily be the same as the original:
- Video duration: The video duration after transcoding may not be the same as the video duration before transcoding. If you need to use an exact video duration, use the duration after transcoding. Video files with a duration shorter than 0.3 seconds are considered invalid and are not transcoded.
- Video output bitrate: This may be higher or lower than the uploaded asset. When the uploaded asset is less complex (for example, contains a lot of black), encoding the data may require a lower bitrate.
When transcoding is complete, you can remove individual transcoded files using the controls in the "Active" column in the "Settings" tab of the creative.
Video and audio transcoding errors
Video and audio transcoding in Ad Manager will fail for the following reasons:
- Unsupported video or audio files.
- Unsupported audio inputs.
- Excessive file size.
- Bitrates that fall outside of the target minimum and maximum values shown for the individual formats previously listed.
Transcoding errors can include the following:
- Asset provided was invalid.
- Failed to process the video due to an unreachable server.
- Asset provided has an unsupported media type.
- No audio streams were provided.
- No video streams were provided.
- Audio channels provided were invalid.
- The length of the audio stream was invalid.
- The duration of the video is too long.
- An unexpected error was reached.
Should you receive a transcoding error in Ad Manager, ensure your video and audio files comply with the supported criteria and upload your content again.
Audio inputs and normalization in transcoding
For Ad Manager hosted creatives: mono, stereo, 5.1, and 7.1 audio inputs are supported.
During the transcode process, Ad Manager normalizes audio by setting a target loudness value of -24 LKFS. You can learn more about this normalization in the ATSC A/85 guidance from the Advanced Television Systems Committee.
* Applies to advanced and basic Ad Manager 360 accounts. See video features for all publisher contracts.
