FFmpeg compile option to support SCTE-35

SCTE-35 is a standard, developed by the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), that specifies a message signaling protocol used in digital cable television and IPTV systems to precisely insert and remove commercial advertisements and other content segments within a digital program stream. It allows for precise ad insertion timing and enables functionalities like ad replacement and blackouts.
 

To enable SCTE-35 support when compiling FFmpeg, you need to ensure that FFmpeg is built with the following dependencies and options:

1. Enable libzvbi (for teletext & SCTE-35 parsing)

./configure --enable-libzvbi

2. Enable Bitstream Filters (for SCTE-35 extraction)

Ensure that bsf (bitstream filters) are included:

--enable-bsf=scte35_muxer --enable-bsf=scte35

3. Enable MPEGTS and HLS support

--enable-demuxer=mpegts --enable-muxer=mpegts --enable-muxer=hls

4. Check for Required Libraries

• SCTE-35 is handled as "Timed Metadata", so ensure your FFmpeg has metadata support enabled:

  --enable-libfreetype --enable-libass

5. Optional: Enable Debugging for SCTE-35

If you need debugging capabilities for SCTE-35 packets:

--extra-cflags="-DDEBUG_SCTE35"

How to Verify SCTE-35 Support

After compiling FFmpeg, you can check if the SCTE-35 bitstream filter is available:

ffmpeg -bsfs | grep scte35

If it outputs:

scte35 scte35_muxer

Then SCTE-35 support is successfully compiled in.