Video Ad Spec

The Video Ad is a component of the Video Pod, together with the Expandable Banner and the Leave Behind ad.

Formats Supported: .FLV, .SWF, .JPG, or Static .GIF

Player grayed out for purpose of displaying the ad unit


FLV Format

  • Dimensions – 480x360 (4:3 Standard) or 480x270 (16:9 Widescreen)
  • Flash version – Flash 7/Flash 8
  • Video length – no limit
  • Frame rate – same as source or 50% of source (15 – 30 fps)
  • Key frame – every 30-60 frames (2 seconds)
  • Video Data Rate – 600kbps (recommended)   
  • Audio Data Rate – 48kbps (recommended)
  • Total Data Rate – 648kbps (recommended)
  • Format – It is recommended to crop to TV-Safe Area and de-interlace. Video should not include a leader.
  • 3rd Party Serving – A single redirect (http:// or https:// path) to the FLV is permitted. Must contain the .flv extension in the creative return. Any other ad tags (JS, HTML, or IFRAME) are not supported within the Flash environment.

SWF Format (Rich Media)

  • Dimensions – 480x360 (4:3 Standard) or 480x270 (16:9 Widescreen)
  • Flash version – Flash 7/Flash 8
  • Video length – no limit. The length of the main timeline dictates the duration of the ad. A 300 frame movie will last 10 seconds (300 frames at 30 fps). Even if all animation is done inside movie clips, the main timeline needs to be extended to the length the ad should play.
  • Frame rate – same as source or 50% of source (15 to 30 fps)
  • Key frame – every 30-60 frames (2 seconds)
  • Requires a rectangle with a top left registration point at (0, 0) drawn on stage for the whole movie. The rectangle should be the desired size of the ad (480x360 or 480x270). This bounding box can have an opacity of 0%, but must be present so the Brigthcove player can size the ad properly.
  • Ad content should begin on or after frame 5. At this point, content can be inset from the stage borders or extend outside them without it affecting sizing.
  • A stop(); action should be placed in the final frame on the main timeline.
  • All code should be ActionScript 2.0.
  • Must not reference level0 in ActionScript. References should not be made to _root unless _lockroot=true.
  • Must not change player quality with ActionScript.
  • Preloaders are built into the players, so they should not be present in the movie.
  • To get the play/pause buttons to appear when using a SWF in the video ad slot, use the current Flash templates supplied by Brightcove, which support this functionality.
    If you are not using the templates supplied by Brightcove, make sure to add these lines of code to the first frame of the file:
    System.security.allowDomain("*");
    System.security.allowDomain("http://admin.brightcove.com");
  • You can manage a single-click through URL in Flash units. Read about how to code this.
  • 3rd Party Serving – A single redirect (http:// or https:// path) to the creative asset is permitted. Any other ad tags (JS, HTML, or IFRAME) are not supported within the Flash environment.

IMPORTANT: Writing methods and properties to any Flash object's prototype property will cause it to be added to all instances of that object. Avoid modifying the prototypes of Flash's built-in objects like MovieClip, TextField or Button in the creatives. Doing so will modify all instances of these objects in the Brightcove player, bloating the player and possibly causing erratic behavior. The recommended method for developing in Flash using ActionScript 2.0 is that prototypes are not modified and that instead classes are created that extend the built-in objects.



Static Image Format (.JPG or Static .GIF)

  • If using a .JPG, it must be non-progressive
  • If using a .GIF, it must not be animated
  • Dimensions – 480x360 (4:3 Standard) or 480x270 (16:9 Widescreen)