The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) today announced the approval of a variety of new standards projects that are intended to help cable system operators deploy new products, reduce costs and provide services that comply with regulatory requirements.

SCTE announced the Engineering Committee of the SCTE Standards Program has approved the development of standards for: Stereoscopic 3D for Cable; Environmental Requirements for equipment to be used within cable facilities; and recommended practices for Emergency Alert System upgrades for Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) compliance. 

Project approval is the first step in the standards process in each of the three areas.

“As the diversity of products available via and within cable has increased, our members have, under the direction of SCTE, aggressively sought to provide the industry with the standards that ensure seamless and cost-effective operations and rollouts of new services,” said Steve Oksala, vice president, standards for SCTE. “The projects currently in development are intended to enable operators of all sizes to improve their bottom lines through a combination of new business lines and improved efficiency.”

Designed to ensure that the cable industry is prepared to act on the widespread deployment of 3D, the stereoscopic 3D project has been designed as a two-stage effort. Phase 1 will define the video related formatting, signaling and encoding parameters for frame-compatible stereoscopic 3D (S3D), while Phase 2 will define requirements for full resolution stereoscopic 3D video systems.

The Environmental Requirements standard is the second document that is being created by SCTE’s new Sustainability Management Subcommittee to meet the industry’s need for more sustainability in the standards for the equipment used in cable operator facilities. It is intended to address such key areas as energy efficiency, recycling, air flow and quality, temperature, humidity, vibration and shock, electrical/power and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

The EAS compliance recommended practice is being designed to help small operators in particular to meet the FCC deadline of Sept. 30 for compliance with Common Alerting Protocol regulations.

www.scte.org