IMA tag only for html5 Environment. (Liverail )

[Baris BIRBAS]

Hi Google team,

Hope everything is fine.

I'm trying to implement a google passback to Liverail. With their IMA v3 Integration. I'm able to use google tag with Flash environment with support from Liverail's Ad Manager.

However LR's ad manager is not working on HTML5 environment and they are also aware of this problem and asked us to get a js compatible IMA tag so without their ad manager we are able to see video only ads.

For making the IMA tag js friendly what should we add as a parameter ? (I'm only using this tag dor In-Stream Video since Liverail allows only Video ads.)

Cheers,

Baris

[Tyler Sidell (IMA SDK Team)]

Hi Baris,

What you are looking for sounds like a VPAID creative. These creatives are Javascript based and can play in an HTML5 SDK environment. You would need a VAST ad tag URL that points to a VPAID JS creative. There are some, but unofficial sample VPAID ads in this GitHub repo you can use in order to test.

If you were looking for different types of tags, we have a sample page that you can check out.  Please make sure that you are using media files that are supported by the HTML5 version of the SDK.

Let us know if you need anything else,

Tyler Sidell

IMA SDK Team

[Baris BIRBAS]

Hi Tyler,

Thanks for your quick answer.

Actually I'm just trying to add Google as a buyer. But Liverail Ad Manager is not able to handle html5 environment.

Below link works flash only. But html5 is not working (If you select FLowplayer html5 or any other html5 env.) it is not working.

Liverail is aware of this issue and they told me that I need a js vpaid tag from google's end.

flash env. : http://liverailplayer.com/player/index.php?player=flow&LR_PUBLISHER_ID=152793

html5 env. : http://liverailplayer.com/player/index.php?player=flow5html5&LR_PUBLISHER_ID=152793

Would it be possible to check above links ?

[Tyler Sidell (IMA SDK Team)]

Hi Baris,

Were you able to take a look at the Github repository that I sent over?  You should be able to find a JS VPAID tag there and at the following page that Liverail can use for testing.

Thanks,

Tyler Sidell

IMA SDK Team

[Arthur Hulsman]

I believe i am having the same issue using the default Liverail HTML5 VPAID integration. If not, then sorry for hijacking this post. The Flash player works. The HTML5 doesn't.

We generate an AFG tag from AdSense - selecting direct SDK. Something like this:
http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?ad_type=video_text_image&client=ca-games-pub-2574241244046080&description_url=http%3A%2F%2FTesting+html5+player&videoad_start_delay=0&hl=en&max_ad_duration=30000

The tag is then simply planned within Liverail. But for some reason the HTML5 player doesn't show the ads, but the Flash player does.

Now on a side note, the Flash player doesn't give a callback when its closed or stopped, but this is something i am working out with Liverail itself.

Anyway, you're talking about this JS VPAID tag, but i don't see how this is relevant to us. As we use a Liverail integration as publishers, not as an advertiser?

Best Regards,

Arthur

[Tyler Sidell (IMA SDK Team)]

Hi Arthur,

Thank you for reaching out.  When I tested your sample tag provided in our VSI inspector, it worked for both the Flash and HTML5 SDKs.  Also, you can test the tag with our Advanced HTML5 Example to see the ad play in an HTML5 environment.  

On a side note, you are correct that creating the JS VPAID tag may not be relevant for your particular use case.  It's provided as some guidelines and as a reference to the features that we do support.

Since we are able to get the ad to play in both our inspector and in our examples, the issue could be from the particualr implementation.  Do you have a live example, reproducible steps, and/or error logs that you can share with us so we can see the reported behavior in action?

Thanks,
Tyler Sidell

IMA SDK Team

[Arthur Hulsman]

Hi Tyler, here are examples of AFG full slot running within default VPAID Liverail player:
http://ad-cdn.spele.nl/liverail/html5.html - doesn't work
http://ad-cdn.spele.nl/liverail/flash.html - does work

We run this player as a preroll before loading a game for our users. The player serves ads through liverail. Now we want to include Adsense For Games. Especially AFG full slot Overlay ads.  

Our problems, regardless whether its the liverail or IMA:

1. We can't dictate the AFG full slot ad to be non-linear within the vpaid tag. - ?ima?
   
2. The close button of the full slot ad doesn't give a callback, so we can't close the preroll. - ?liverail?
   
3. The html5 integration of liverail simply gives an adError while flash doesn't (http://ad-cdn.spele.nl/liverail/html5.html) - ?*?

I am aware of the following btw:

"As a result of publisher feedback we have made improvements to the Full-Slot Overlay ad format served via the IMA3 HTML5 SDK to AdSense for Video, AdSense for Games, Ad Exchange Video, and Ad Exchange Games publishers. This new format, shown below, will launch in the week commencing November 30, 2015. "

Now according to OP we need something from google to make this work, as Liverail is not responding to this issue at the time. We already filed a complaint to our liverail account manager about this. Hopefully you can give some insight on where or whom to call for further help, or even pull some strings @ liverail, so stuff works between al advertisement type of parties?

Best regards,

Arthur

PS: again, sorry OP for hijacking your post, hopefully my replies are of any use to you.

[Tyler Sidell (IMA SDK Team)]

Hi Arthur,

There are a few clarifications that I would need about your HTML5 implementation. In the source code example that you provided, there is no reference to our SDK.  This might be included in the code provided by LiveRail but I do not see any reference to our SDK.  Can you please confirm that you are using the IMA SDK?  Please go through the Getting Started with HTML5 IMA SDK, to make sure you are not missing any steps. You should be including either of our two SDK binaries, ima3.js or ima3_debug.js. The latter provides a higher debugging level.  But right now your implementation is using neither of these binaries nor set up with the IMA SDK.

After you set up the LiveRail player to use our SDK, 

1. Q: We can't dictate the AFG full slot ad to be non-linear within the vpaid tag. 
   A: Currently, all full-slot ads are rendered as non-linear but we are deprecating that behavior.  This information is supplied on the AFG-side.  On the server-side is where you set up if a creative should be non-linear.  The SDK does not handle this information but instead this information is contained in the VPAID tag and when the SDK requests the ad, it simply reads this information to provide the behavior specified in the tag.  However, as you've noted there are some changes coming to the way our SDK handles AdSense non-linear and full-slot ads within the next few weeks. 
   
   
2. Q: The close button of the full slot ad doesn't give a callback, so we can't close the preroll. 
   A: The SDK does have an Ad Event called USER_CLOSE that you can listen for.  You can also set up a close function on the user click for the VPAID.  
   
   
3. Q: The html5 integration of liverail simply gives an adError while flash doesn't (http://ad-cdn.spele.nl/liverail/html5.html) 
   A: In your Javascript at the bottom of the page you are writing to the console: 
   console.log('Ad Error');},'AdError'); 
   Although the SDK does return Ad Errors, this is not through the SDK as it has not been implemented into your example.

Thanks,

Tyler Sidell

IMA SDK Team

[Arthur Hulsman]

Thanks for the elaborate replies! Quite special to get quick responses like this in the online advertisement branche. :P

Anyway, i guess we can safely say that we need to harass liverail to update their player. Or otherwise build our own.

[Arthur Hulsman]

I created an ima player (http://ad-cdn.spele.nl/liverail/ima.html) according to the google documentation and added the liverail tag (http://ad4.liverail.com/?LR_PUBLISHER_ID=160868&LR_SCHEMA=vast2-vpaid&LR_TITLE=demo&LR_VIDEO_ID=1&LR_AUTOPLAY=0&LR_TAGS=demo&LR_FORMAT=application/javascript) . Seems its not getting the proper ads, right?

[Tyler Sidell (IMA SDK Team)]

Hi Arthur,

If you check the browser console in your example, you'll see the following error message at the time of ad playback:

Ad error: AdError 901: An unexpected error occurred within the VPAID creative. Refer to the inner error for more info. Caused by: Error: Error: No fill

This error is more creative specific rather than SDK-related.  I would suggest making sure that the VPAID specs are being followed. 

Thanks,
Tyler Sidell
IMA SDK Team

[Arthur Hulsman]

gl confronting the advertiser for not following the specs. :P