Known limitations

Known limitations mainly result from some features not working in some devices/browsers.

  1. Fullscreen mode / midrolls
  2. Autoplay limitations
  3. Features not supported on mobile, in native mobile players

Fullscreen mode / midrolls

The Equativ HTML5 Video Plugin has two modes of implementation:

  • sharing the same <video> tag with content player - only for iPhone
  • creating a separate <video> tag for ads and display the Equativ Video Plugin above the content player

With default controls in the main content <video> tag, clicking the fullscreen button would apply the fullscreen mode only to the content <video> tag. In this case, the Equativ Video Plugin could not be displayed above the content player.
However, with custom controls the fullscreen step can be applied to another DOM element, preferably to some common parent element of content and ad player. This mode is called "Seamless Fullscreen".

Sample of DOM element structure for JW Player with Equativ Video Plugin with Seamless Fullscreen ensured: 


						<div id='the_div_id'></div> // Main container	
					
				

						jwplayer('the_div_id').setup({some parameters});
sas_adplayer.registerPlayer('the_div_id');
Which results in : 

					<div id=’the_div_id’> // Main container
	<div> // JW Player container
		<span>
			<span>
				<video></video> // Content’s video player
			</span>
			<span>…</span> // Controls put full screen on the ‘the_div_id’
		</span>
	</div>
	<div> // Main ad container
		<div></div>
		<video></video>
		<div></div> // Controls put full screen on the ‘the_div_id’ too
		<div></div>
		<div></div>
	</div>
</div>

In the plugin configuration, make sure you set the variable html5SeamlessFullscreen in order to notify the Equativ Video Plugin that your content player provides Seamless Fullscreen. For more, see the publisher section in the Video Plugin configuration section.

Autoplay limitations

Some browsers (e.g. Chrome, Safari) block autoplayed video with sound. Blocking algorithms are complex and exceptions exist: for instance, Chrome may autoplay a video with sound on a site you visited frequently.

Equativ's Video Plugin checks if the browser supports autoplay and then plays the ad with sound or without (muted).

In most cases, if autoplay with sound is blocked:

  • the ad is played without sound (muted) if the content player has activated the autoplay option.
  • the first ad has the same volume as the content player if the content player's autoplay option is off and the user has to click to start the video; if the player is muted, the ad will also be muted; if the content is played with sound, the ad will be played with sound as well

Note: The Equativ Video Plugin cannot set the correct settings for the content player. Thus, make sure your content player is always muted if it tries to use the autoplay option on the browsers mentioned above.

Features not supported on mobile, in native mobile players

On specific devices, the following limitations apply:

  • iPhone
    If the content video cannot be played in inline mode, but only in the native player (fullscreen mode), nothing can be displayed over the player. Thus, midrolls, overlays, custom controls and clickthrough are not supported.
  • iPad
    Equativ has removed the fullscreen button from the custom ad controls on the iPad because with the native iOS video player (Quicktime) used in fullscreen mode, one loses the ability to display anything above this player (click through area, custom controls, skip button, labels).
    Also, on the iPad, the implementation with two separate <video> tags is used (main content player and ad player above it) and ads cannot be played in fullscreen mode only. Midrolls are not supported (prerolls and postrolls only). User experience for midrolls would be poor because you would have to leave fullscreen mode prior to playing the ad and because the fullscreen mode for the following linear ad cannot be forced.