Now Playing on Video: ID3 Timed Metadata in HLS
On the radio, listeners see the current song on the car display or in the app. When the station goes to video, that information should follow the stream too. In HLS, the usual way to do this is ID3 timed metadata.
What timed metadata is
Timed metadata is small pieces of information embedded in the stream at a specific moment. Because it travels inside the video segments, it stays in sync with what the viewer sees and hears, even with player delay.
ID3 in HLS
ID3 tags started as a way to label music files. In HLS, ID3 frames are carried in the stream, and players that support them raise an event when the frame is reached during playback. The player can then update the screen.
What a radio stream can carry
- Now playing: song title and artist.
- Up next: the next item in the playlist.
- Break state: whether the station is in a commercial break.
What you can build with it
- An on-screen "now playing" bar in your web or app player.
- Song history and links next to the player.
- Analytics that relate audience behavior to programming.
- Player behavior during breaks, coordinated with your ad workflow.
Timed metadata and ad markers are different
SCTE-35 markers tell ad systems where a break starts and how long it lasts. ID3 metadata is information for the player and the viewer. A radio channel on video benefits from both.
Fast Monkey Station reads what is on air from your radio automation and sends now-playing, next-track and break-state metadata with the video, alongside SCTE-35 break markers.