SCTE-104
Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Standard 104
SCTE-104 is a standard developed by the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) that focuses on the insertion of digital program insertion (DPI) cues and messages into a video signal. These cues are essential for the automated insertion of advertising, program content, and other types of media into a digital television stream. While SCTE-35 is widely used for signaling in MPEG transport streams, SCTE-104 is utilized primarily in the production and post-production environments, specifically for uncompressed video signals.
The SCTE-104 standard specifies a method for embedding these digital cues directly into the vertical ancillary data space (VANC) of a standard-definition (SD) or high-definition (HD) video signal. This method allows for the carriage of the digital program insertion information along with the video content as it moves through the production and post-production chain. These cues include information similar to SCTE-35, such as the duration of ad breaks, the type of content to be inserted, and other parameters crucial for managing content insertion.
In practice, SCTE-104 plays a vital role in ensuring smooth and coordinated transitions between regular programming and inserted content, such as advertisements or other segments.
By providing a standardized way of embedding and transporting these cues, SCTE-104 facilitates the automation of content insertion processes in live and pre-recorded programming. It's especially useful in live production environments, where signals are often uncompressed and require a different approach than the compressed MPEG transport streams used for broadcast distribution. The adoption of SCTE-104 has been integral in enhancing the efficiency of operations in the television industry, particularly in streamlining the workflows related to advertising and program insertion.
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