MAKING A MARK WITH SCTE The SCTE protocol is typically used as a flag for ad breaks. But with the right control systems in place, it can be a lot more
One of the most important applications of this remote set-up was the effective control and managing of SCTE-35 markers. SCTE (pronounce it ‘scutty’ to sound like an insider) markers are a standard created by ANSI and the Society of Cable and Telecommunications Engineers (thus the name), establishing how to put time-stamped markers in a broadcast transport stream to signal where advertising breaks begin and end. The standard has expanded beyond its original ad marker remit. SCTE replaces the DTMF (dual-tone multi-frequency) signalling system, which was based on the old touch- tone phone system. Older TV watchers
uring the pandemic, broadcasters needed to keep control of essential workflows, like newsroom automation, playout,
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scheduling of events and device control – but they needed to do it remotely. TSL’s Flex, a distributed network of device nodes consisting of a network control processor, button panels to trigger commands and data conversion solutions, allows them to securely keep services running with minimal on-site staff. “Operators could sit at home with any of our range of control panels and command their facility remotely,” explains Ian Godfrey, president of TSL and head of control systems.
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may remember occasionally hearing a rapid trill of touch tones before eighties TV ad breaks, when a transition wasn’t as smooth as planned. “SCTE is used to insert triggers or metadata within media, so that downstream devices can act upon that information. The common use case is for when to go to ads – and when not to,” says Godfrey. “But we’ve seen customers put in a person who watches the live action, using one of our control surfaces to manage the insertion of SCTE markers. Another
A SIMPLE TOUCH Control units are versatile, able to manage a host of operations
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