Lifetime Movie Network is now using Scientific-Atlanta Inc. encoding
upgrades, allowing cable operators to add local commercials to its network
programming in the digital tier.
Lifetime is now transmitting digital-program-insertion signals using the
'DVS-253' standard in a trial to make sure the signals can be accepted by most
major server and ad-insertion vendors. If all goes well, commercial deployment
among cable operators will start later this year.
S-A's 'PowerVu Plus D9120' encoder creates an overlay to the existing
dual-tone multiple-frequency cue-tone system, which marks the position of the
local ad for the operators. The encoder then injects the DPI signal based on
those cue triggers.
'Scientific-Atlanta has worked well with Lifetime to get the DVS-253
signaling operating in our encoder,' said Doug Joseph, director of engineering
for Lifetime Television.
'We expect that as one of the first programmers to provide digital local
avails, LMN will be extremely valuable to those cable operators deploying
digital ad-insertion equipment,' he added.
