SCTE Wins Tech Emmy Award For Local Cable Ad Standards

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers announced it is the recipient of an Emmy Award for Technology and Engineering for developing local ad-insertion standards for cable.

The professional and standards-development association will be honored during the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' 63rd Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards ceremony, to be held Jan. 12, 2012, at the Venetian Hotel Spa & Casino in conjunction with the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The standards efforts of both SCTE and the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) will be recognized for "Local Cable Ad Insertion Technology-Cable Digital Standards for Local Cable Advertising."

SCTE is being honored for its work in the development of the SCTE 35 -- colloquially referred to as "cue tones" -- and SCTE 104 standards. The SCTE 104 standard defines the communications applications programming interface between the commercial insertion automation system and the associated audio/video compression system, resulting in the insertion of trigger messages (defined by SCTE 35) for flagging the start and end points for commercials.

"Emmy Awards are emblematic of the highest levels of accomplishment in the television industry, as judged by our peers in the industry," SCTE president and CEO Mark Dzuban said in a statement. "We're grateful that the broadcasters, programmers, cable operators and other members of the National Academy's Engineering Achievement Committee have identified SCTE standards as being high-value contributors to the success of the media community."

Among other SCTE advertising-related standards is SCTE 130, a suite of open and expandable application interface standards that provide for dynamic selection and distribution of stored digital content to specific destinations based on placement opportunities and the business rules logic designated by the system operator. The design of the advertising system allows for content distribution through standard linear programming, video on demand, and leading-edge device applications.

SCTE currently is in the process of developing training materials and resources around its advanced-advertising technology standards such as SCTE 35, 104 and 130. The association anticipates that those materials will be available beginning in the first half of 2012.

The SCTE Standards Program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute.