AWS Elemental MediaTailor now supports ad trickplay personalization and compact DASH manifest optimization via dynamic transcoding

Posted on: May 6, 2026

AWS Elemental MediaTailor now enhances streaming ad personalization with support for trickplay features in HLS and DASH formats. This update also introduces compact DASH manifests for more efficient manifest delivery. Previously, these capabilities required a custom transcode profile. They are now supported natively through dynamic transcoding, eliminating that requirement.

MediaTailor provides server-side ad insertion (SSAI) to personalize ads in video streams. As streaming platforms increasingly support trickplay navigation, ensuring that advertisements are properly transcoded with trickplay variants and associated image streams is critical for a seamless viewer experience. These variants must match the specifications of the origin content. With this update:

  • Ad Trickplay Personalization: Trickplay personalization matching is now fully supported for both HLS and DASH workflows via dynamic transcoding. MediaTailor ensures that advertisements include trickplay variants and associated image streams that align with origin content specifications. This delivers a consistent experience when viewers fast-forward or rewind through content. A custom transcode profile is no longer required to enable this capability.

  • Compact DASH Manifest Support: MediaTailor now supports compact DASH manifests via dynamic transcoding. This optimization elevates the SegmentTemplate element from individual Representation elements to the AdaptationSet level, reducing overall manifest size. Thise results ins more efficient manifest delivery and improved compatibility with players and workflows that rely on compact manifest structures. A custom transcode profile is no longer required to enable this capability. 

AWS Elemental MediaTailor’s ad trickplay personalization and compact DASH manifest optimization are available in all AWS Regions where MediaTailor is available, including US East (Ohio), US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon); Africa (Cape Town); Asia Pacific (Hyderabad, Malaysia, Melbourne, Mumbai, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo); Canada (Central); Europe (Frankfurt, Ireland, London, Paris, Stockholm); Middle East (UAE); and South America (São Paulo). There is no additional cost for this feature. To learn more, visit the AWS Elemental MediaTailor User Guide.