File failed QC: Video Header

If your QC report shows Video Header in red, your file doesn't start with the pre-roll (slate and black) your ad needs.

Video Header – reading the QC report

• If a pre-roll is found and it's correct, the report shows Yes next to Video Header.
• Any other value, such as 0, means the pre-roll is missing or not the right length.
• To check whether your ad needs a pre-roll, and how long it must be, see Which technical specification should I use for my ad?

Video Header – what it means

Some countries, such as the UK and Japan, need every TV ad to start with a pre-roll: a clock or slate showing the ad's details (such as its unique code and title), followed by black. The ad itself starts after the pre-roll.

For example, the UK pre-roll is 10 seconds: a 7-second clock/slate, then 3 seconds of black.

The pre-roll is not counted in the ad's duration. The QC uses the pre-roll to work out where your ad starts and ends. If the pre-roll is missing or the wrong length, the QC can't measure the ad correctly, and other checks, such as Frame count or Mute Frames, may fail too. Fix the Video Header first. The other errors often clear once the pre-roll is right.

Video Header – likely cause

This is usually a file fault. Common causes:

• The file was exported without the slate and black.
• The slate or the black is the wrong length, for example an 8-second slate instead of 7.
• The file was made for a country that doesn't need a slate.

Video Header – fix

1. Click View Specs on your ad to see the pre-roll your file needs.
2. Make sure the slate and black are there and are exactly the right length, then re-export using the matching Export Guide.
3. Upload the file again.

Video Header – when to contact Customer Success

• You’ve exported the file using the specification shown by the View Specs link for the ad in your campaign, but it still fails this check.