Understanding Pre-Roll in SimLive
Quick definition: 'Pre-roll' is one of those words that means two different things inside the Sardius platform — and confusing them is one of the most common reasons a broadcast does not start the way you expected.
If you have ever asked your account manager 'how long is the pre-roll?' and gotten a different answer than you expected, you are not alone. Inside Sardius — especially when working with Advanced SimLive — the word 'pre-roll' is used in two completely separate contexts. Both are real, both are useful, and both live inside the same workflow. But they describe entirely different things.
Think of it like the word 'check' at a restaurant: it can mean the bill at the end of the meal, or the act of confirming the chef has your order. Same word, different jobs. Mixing them up in conversation guarantees a mess.
This guide untangles the two meanings of pre-roll so you can speak about them — and configure them — with precision.
The 30-second comparison
|
Aspect |
Pre-Roll Time (event lead time) |
Pre-Roll Bumper (Advanced SimLive) |
|---|---|---|
|
What it is |
A window of time before your scheduled event when the system warms up |
A short video clip that plays inside the broadcast before your main content |
|
Measured in |
Minutes (typically 3–5) |
Seconds to minutes of video (usually under 5 min) |
|
Visible to viewers? |
Yes — viewers see and hear it |
No — it is backstage prep |
|
Purpose |
Spin up the virtual encoder, confirm social outputs, and validate the path with branded content |
Welcome viewers, build anticipation, brand the broadcast |
|
Where you configure it |
Event scheduling settings |
Asset / playlist configuration |
|
Applies to |
All SimLive events (Standard and Advanced) |
Primarily Advanced SimLive workflows |
Meaning #1 — Pre-Roll Time (event lead time)
Pre-roll Time is the window of minutes before your scheduled event start when the Sardius platform quietly powers everything up behind the curtain and activates the player and/or channel experience. Specifically, this is when the virtual encoder spins up, claims its resources, and begins moving data through the streaming pipeline — even though no viewers are watching yet.
Why it exists
Live infrastructure is not magical. It takes time to allocate compute, warm up the encoder, validate the source feed, and establish the stream paths to every destination. Trying to do all that at the exact second your event is supposed to begin is a recipe for late starts and broken streams. Pre-roll time gives the system a runway.
It is the equivalent of arriving at the airport 90 minutes early for a flight: nobody enjoys the wait, but the alternative is missing takeoff.
How long it typically is
For SimLive events, the system reserves about 3 to 5 minutes of pre-roll time before the scheduled start. During this window:
- The virtual encoder boots and connects to the asset.
- The system verifies the file format and codec.
- After verification, the virtual encoder begins to play content so streaming paths can be activated and validated. If the pre-roll bumper is present, that bumper will be played. If not, your SimLive content will play instead.
- The validation process begins 90 seconds before the Sardius player goes live.
- Advanced SimLive pushes RTMP to Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and any other social destinations are established.
What viewers experience
When the pre-roll time arrives, the Sardius player is activated. Or, if you are using a Sardius Channel Layout, it transitions to the live state. Think of the earlier example with the flight at the airport. The flight leaves at a specific time, but boarding begins 30 minutes prior. When the player and/or channel experience activates, this is your viewers boarding the airplane.
How you configure it
Pre-roll time is part of your event scheduling settings inside the Control Panel. In most cases the platform handles it automatically. You set your event start time, and Sardius reserves the warm-up window in the background. If your stream is consistently starting late or dropping at the very beginning, increasing pre-roll time is usually the first place to investigate.
Meaning #2 — Pre-Roll Bumper (the video clip)
Pre-roll BUMPER is something completely different: it is a piece of video content that plays before your main asset begins. Viewers see it. Viewers hear it. It is part of the show. And it starts 90 seconds before your player goes live.
Why it exists
Even with perfect pre-roll TIME, you usually do not want your broadcast to begin the instant the clock strikes the hour. Most broadcasts benefit from a runway of their own — a countdown, a welcome message, a sponsor logo, a worship song, a 'broadcast starts in 5 minutes' graphic. The pre-roll bumper gives early viewers something to watch while the audience settles in.
Think of it like the lobby music and slide deck at a conference: the doors open at 9:00, but the keynote does not start until 9:15. The pre-roll bumper is what plays during those first 15 minutes.
What it looks like in practice
Pre-roll bumpers vary by ministry, brand, or production style, but common examples include:
- A 5-minute countdown timer with worship music underneath.
- A welcome graphic with the event title and start time.
- An 'on the air shortly' bumper loop.
- Recap content or testimonies from previous broadcasts.
- Sponsor recognition or upcoming event promotions.
How it is delivered inside Advanced SimLive
In an Advanced SimLive workflow, the pre-roll bumper is can be built into your asset or playlist.
Alternatively, the bumper can be a separate MP4 file that is sequenced as the first item in a playlist that the SimLive even will play through. When the event goes live, viewers see the bumper first, then the main content, then any post-roll you choose to include.
As a best practice, the pre-roll bumper should be a video you create, upload, and arrange.
How long it should be
As a requirement, this video should be at least 90 seconds long.
Most teams land somewhere between 2-5 minutes. Long enough for viewers to load the stream and settle in; short enough that loyal viewers who joined on time do not lose interest before the main event.
Why these two get confused
Three reasons:
- Both involve the word 'pre-roll' and both happen before the main content plays.
- Both are 'a few minutes' in scale, so the numbers feel interchangeable.
- In casual conversation, people say 'add some pre-roll' when they could mean either one — and the listener has to guess.
The fix is simple: when you are talking to your team, your account manager, or a vendor, name which one you mean. Say 'pre-roll TIME' for the system warm-up window and 'pre-roll BUMPER' for the video clip. The proper terminology can save hours of confusion.
A quick decision guide
Use this checklist when you are planning your next SimLive event:
- Do I want viewers to see a countdown, welcome graphic, or sponsor logo before the main content? → Build a pre-roll BUMPER into your asset or playlist.
- Why is my content playing early? → Did you create and add a pre-roll Bumper?
- Do I want both? → Schedule with sufficient pre-roll time AND include a bumper at the top of your file/playlist. The two coexist; one does not replace the other.
- Am I unsure why something is not working? → Identify which pre-roll you are debugging before you change settings. Adjusting the wrong one will not fix the actual problem.
Common misconceptions
“My pre-roll bumper should match my pre-roll time.”
No. Pre-roll time affects the player’s activation and the Sardius Channel experience. The pre-roll bumper is intended for the virtual encoder to validate the streaming paths and provide early content to the player.
"If I add a longer bumper, I can skip the pre-roll time."
No. Pre-roll time is for the system to power up and to allow viewers to log in without crashing the experience. The bumper is for your audience to watch during this process. They run in parallel concepts and serve different jobs.
"The pre-roll bumper counts as part of my scheduled event time."
Yes. The bumper is delivered to viewers as part of the live broadcast, so whatever duration it takes is part of the total runtime of the event.
"Pre-roll time only matters for Advanced SimLive."
Not true. Both Standard and Advanced SimLive use a pre-roll TIME window to warm up the encoder and streaming path. Advanced just uses it differently because it also has to establish connections to social platforms.
Action plan
- Map your event timeline on paper. Mark the scheduled start, your bumper duration, and your main content. Add 90 seconds to your bumper’s duration to compensate for the startup times.
- Inside the Control Panel, confirm your event has the right pre-roll TIME reserved (3–5 minutes is typical).
- Build your pre-roll BUMPER and upload to the Sardius Control Panel
- Add the bumper to your channel settings
- Run a test event before your real broadcast to confirm both behave as expected.
- If something goes wrong, identify which 'pre-roll' is involved before changing settings.