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Automation based on SCTE

LTN Global
Updated

About: Automatically execute actions when SCTE events are detected in your live streams.

Schedule Version.png

Not sure how to start?
→ Learn about how to create a live stream

Overview

SCTE Automation monitors your live streams for SCTE markers and triggers actions based on rules you define. Use it to automate ad breaks, clip VOD content, switch to breaking news, or integrate with external systems via webhooks.

 

How It Works

SCTE Automation 10.png
SCTE Automation 11.png

 

Quick Start

Get your first automation running

SCTE Automation 1.png
SCTE Automation 2.png

Basic Steps:

  1. Click "Automation" button on main UI
  2. Select live stream to monitor
  3. Add a rule with condition (e.g., keyword = "ad_break")
  4. Add an action (e.g., Skip Element)
  5. Save changes

Configuration

Stream Selection

SCTE Automation 3.png

Choose which live stream to monitor for SCTE events.

Attention: HLS Stream Limitation
For HLS live streams, automation only supports SCTE messages embedded within the media segments. 
SCTE cues in the manifest file (m3u8) are ignored and will not trigger any automation rules. 

 

"Only use when currently playing" toggle controls when automation is active:

  • ON: Automation only executes when live stream is actively playing in the rundown
  • OFF: Automation executes continuously

 

Hint: If the selected live stream gets deleted from the system, the automation will also be deactivated.

 

Managing Rules

A rule consists of at least 1 condition and 1 action.

Rules can be deleted and newly created (there is no limitation on the number of rules).

 

SCTE Automation 6.png

Create multiple rules:

  • Click "+ New rule" to add automation rules
  • Each rule has its own conditions and actions
  • Rules are named automatically ("Automation rule 1", etc.)
SCTE Automation 7.png

Control rules:

  • Toggle individual rules ON/OFF without deleting
  • Edit rules with pencil icon
  • Delete rules with trash icon
  • Select "none" in the live stream selection to pause all automation

 

Conditions

SCTE Automation 4.png

Define up to 5 conditions that trigger your automation.

Three condition types:

1. Keyword Match

Search for text anywhere in SCTE event data

Example: "ad_break_start"

2. Variable Check

Match specific variable names and values

Example: segmentation_upid = "10.5239/DE7B-8FDC"

3. XPath Match

Target specific XML elements using XPath expressions

Example: //segmentation[@type="commercial"]

Hint: If multiple conditions are used, they all have to match to trigger an action.

Example configuration:

Condition 1: SCTE keyword = "Program End"
Condition 2: SCTE variable segmentation_upid = "10.5239/DE7B-8FDC"
Logic: AND

 

SCTE Log

Download a log with recent SCTE messages to inspect variables for rule building.

SCTE Automation 12.png

 

When the automation dialog is opened for the first time, or when live stream = none is selected, the log download is unavailable.

  • This restriction only applies to the initial setup
  • After saving with a live stream selected, the button remains functional when switching streams
SCTE Automation 13.png

 

Actions

SCTE Automation 5.png

Configure up to 5 actions that execute when conditions match.

Available actions:

  • Breaking live: Activate - Switch to breaking news live stream
  • Breaking live: Deactivate - Return from breaking news mode
  • Output Scaling: Activate - Enable video scaling
  • Output Scaling: Deactivate - Disable video scaling
  • PNG overlay: Activate - Enable PNG overlay
  • PNG overlay: Deactivate - Disable PNG overlay
  • HTML overlay: Activate - Enable HTML overlay
  • HTML overlay: Deactivate - Disable HTML overlay
  • Skip Element (GAP) - Create gap and skip to next item
  • Skip Element (MOVE) - Skip to next playlist element and move all items
  • Start publishing - Begin content distribution
  • Stop publishing - Halt content distribution
  • Webhook - Trigger external integrations

Action timing:

  • Set delays from 0-60 seconds
  • Actions execute in sequence with configured delays
  • Default: immediate execution (0 seconds)

Monitoring & Troubleshooting

Automation Status Display

Monitor your automation with real-time status indicators visible on the Automation button and within the Automation dialog.

Automation Status - Button.png
Automation Status - Dialog.png

 

Status Indicators:

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Automation Button - Playlist View:

  • The automation button displays the current status with colored LED indicators
  • Status updates in real-time as SCTE messages are received
  • Click button to open Automation dialog for detailed configuration

Automation Dialog Status:

  • Status indicator appears at the top of the dialog
  • Provides immediate feedback on connection and message processing
  • Helps identify configuration issues quickly

 

Notifications

SCTE Automation 8.png

Real-time notifications appear when automation executes:

  • Shows rule name and action taken

     

Automation Log (coming soon)

Track all automation activity:

  • View execution history
  • Monitor errors and failed executions
  • Analyze rule performance and timing

 

Common Issues

Live stream not available for selection

  • If the live stream uses RTMP it can't be used for Automation

No events detected

  • Verify stream contains SCTE markers
  • Check automation is active and rules are ON
  • Confirm stream is selected correctly

Conditions not matching

  • Verify keyword spelling and capitalization
  • Check variable names match SCTE data exactly
  • Test with simple keywords before complex XPath

Actions not executing

  • Ensure rule toggle is ON
  • Verify user has required permissions
  • Check automation log for error messages

Timing issues

  • Remember: delays are in seconds, not milliseconds
  • Start with 0-second delays, adjust as needed
  • Account for network latency in webhook calls

How to continue?

→ Learn about SCTE-35 Events

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