In an effort to bridge the gap with the cable content programmers, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers announced that Time Warner divisions HBO and TBS have joined its standards-setting program.
The SCTE said that HBO and TBS will be actively involved in the creation of national and international standards that will be based on accelerating the delivery of new digital video services that will attract and retain new customers, as well as contribute to the cable industry’s bottom line.
HBO and TBS joined Discovery Communications, which was an existing member in the SCTE’s standards-setting program.
“The growth of digital video has created a variety of situations where the needs of programmers often intersect with those of cable operators and vendors,” said Steve Oksala, vice president of standards for the SCTE. “Our hope is that more programmers will follow the lead of HBO, Turner and Discovery and work with us from start to finish, shaping standards that address the concerns of the entire industry.”
The SCTE Standards Program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and it’s also recognized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a forum for the development of cable telecommunications industry technical specifications.
The Digital Video Standards subcommittee has been responsible for more than two dozen industry standards, some of which were adopted into FCC regulations as part of the “plug and play” agreement between the cable and CE industries. The Digital Video Standards subcommittee roadmap is expected to include activity in such areas as high-definition video, 3-D video, audio and targeted advertising.
