Playback behaviour overview

Position

How players execute breaks: expecting the ad types named by breakType, preference order for multi-valued breaks, nonlinear overlap and display visibility constraints.

Spec section

§2.4

Scope

linear · nonlinear · display

Player behaviour

• 1Single-valued breakType: the player expects that type and may ignore ads of other types
• 2Multi-valued breakType: any listed type is acceptable, the first preferred; linear,nonlinear means prefer linear and accept an overlay when no linear ad exists
• 3The player should first interpret the VAST document in the context of the first type, retrying in the next type's context when there is no ad
• 4Nonlinear breaks may overlap: if a new one arrives before the previous nonlinear ad finished, the player may disregard the later one
• 5Display breaks map to companion ad spaces outside the player and execute only while visible; invisible in full-screen they may be ignored, and the most recent may run once the space becomes visible again
• 6Whether a break can be skipped is negotiated between publisher and vendor; the specification does not regulate it

Invalid forms

• ✕Treating the first value of a multi-valued breakType as the only acceptable type
• ✕Forcing a display break while in full-screen mode

Related chapters

• The AdBreak element
• Error handling and error codes
• Responses with no ad break