
SCTE 35 and SCTE 104 are two standards developed by the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) that are used in modern digital television systems to signal commercial insertion points and trigger advertisement insertion.
SCTE 35 is the standard that specifies the format for signaling ad insertion opportunities, known as “time-based” triggers, in a video stream. It allows program providers to signal the start and end of commercial breaks in a video stream. Specifically, SCTE 35 signals are carried in the MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS) stream, which is the format used to transmit video content in cable and satellite TV systems.
SCTE 104 is the standard that provides a mechanism for triggering the actual ad insertion based on the SCTE 35 signals. Specifically, SCTE 104 communicates the SCTE 35 ad insertion signals to the ad decision server, which is responsible for determining which ads to insert based on a predefined set of rules. The ad decision server selects the appropriate ads for insertion and sends these ads, along with the SCTE 104 signals, to the ad insertion system for insertion into the video stream at the appropriate time.
In summary, SCTE 35 signals are used to indicate where commercial breaks begin and end in the transport stream, while SCTE 104 signals are used to trigger the insertion of actual ads into the video stream, based on the SCTE 35 signals. Together, SCTE 35 and SCTE 104 enable seamless ad insertion in digital TV systems and have become an industry standard.
Yes, SCTE 35 and SCTE 104 signals can be inserted on the server side manually. However, it is often easier and more practical to use a specialized software or platform designed for this purpose instead of manually inserting the signals.
Many modern ad insertion systems and software solutions include built-in support for SCTE 35 and 104 signals, allowing program providers to easily insert and manage ad cues and triggers programmatically without requiring manual insertion. These systems often include features for schedule-based ad insertion, dynamic ad insertion, and targeted ad insertion based on viewer demographics or interests.
However, in situations where it is not practical to use a dedicated ad insertion platform, SCTE 35 and SCTE 104 signals can be inserted manually into the transport stream using specialized tools or software. This requires a good understanding of the SCTE 35 and SCTE 104 standards and the underlying technical details of the video transport stream.
////
A video transport system is a set of technologies and protocols used to transmit video content from one location to another. It comprises of hardware and software elements that are responsible for encoding, transmitting, receiving, and decoding video signals.
In digital television broadcasting, the video transport system is typically based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS) format, which is a standard for transmitting video over a variety of networks, including cable, satellite, and terrestrial networks.
The video transport system typically includes several components, including:
1. Encoder: This device is responsible for encoding the video signal into a compressed digital format that can be transmitted over a network.
2. Transport Stream Multiplexer: This device combines the compressed video and audio streams with other necessary metadata and generates a single MPEG-2 Transport Stream for transmission.
3. Modulator: This device modulates the MPEG-2 Transport Stream onto a carrier signal suitable for transmission over a particular network.
4. Transmission system: This includes the physical transmission medium, such as satellite, cable or terrestrial networks, which delivers the digital signal to the end-users.
5. Receiver and Decoder: These devices receive the signal from the transmission system, demodulate, and decode it to display the video on compatible display devices.
Overall, a video transport system is designed to transmit video content from the source location to the destination while maintaining the quality and integrity of the video signal throughout the transmission.
////
A video transport stream is a container format used for transmission of video and audio over a variety of networks, including cable, satellite, and terrestrial networks. The video transport stream comprises several components, including:
1. Packetized elementary stream (PES): The PES packet is the fundamental unit of data in a transport stream. It contains a single audio or video elementary stream along with associated timing and synchronization information.
2. Program map table (PMT): The PMT is a table that defines the mapping of the elementary streams into programs. It lists the program numbers, program clocks, and the stream type and PID values.
3. Service information (SI): The SI provides descriptive information about the programs and services, including program names, descriptions, and other relevant details.
4. Conditional access system (CAS): The CAS is a security system that uses encryption and decryption to control access to the transmitted services, such as pay-per-view channels.
5. Time and date information: The transport stream includes accurate time and date information, which is essential for the synchronization of the audio and video streams.
6. System information (SI): The SI provides information about the network, such as the network identification number, network name, and other details.
7. Navigation information: The navigation information includes information about the position of the streams in the overall transport stream, such as the PAT, which identifies the location of the PMT.
Overall, the various components of a video transport stream work together to deliver high-quality video and audio over a variety of networks, while ensuring accurate signaling, synchronization, and security.
