Overview
5centsCDN supports SCTE workflows in two ways:
1. SCTE Marker Pass-through
Markers are generated by your source encoder and carried through our pipeline with or without transcoding.
2. SCTE Marker Insertion (by 5centsCDN)
Markers are inserted by 5centsCDN at the CDN level—useful when your ingest does not provide SCTE markers (e.g., RTMP), or when you want scheduled/dynamic ad breaks controlled on our side.
We can then support either:
- Marker delivery (for Roku / FAST platforms to insert ads themselves), or
- SSAI (Server-Side Ad Insertion) where 5centsCDN inserts ads using your Ad Manager VAST URL.
Important: In all cases, Ad revenue belongs to the client. 5centsCDN charges only the technology/service fee where applicable.
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A) SCTE Marker Pass-through (from source encoder)
What it means
Your encoder inserts SCTE markers, and 5centsCDN preserves them through delivery.
Supported ingest/output
- Input: SRT only
- Output: HLS only
Pass-through supports markers with or without transcoding.
Transcoding note
If you enable transcoding, transcoding fees apply (see Pricing section).
Typical use cases
- You already have SCTE markers in your broadcast/encoder pipeline.
- You want to deliver HLS with SCTE markers to FAST platforms (Roku / Samsung TV Plus / etc.) so the platform handles ad insertion.
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B) SCTE Marker Insertion (by 5centsCDN)
What it means
5centsCDN inserts SCTE markers at the CDN level (even if your ingest does not carry SCTE).
Supported ingest
- Any ingest protocol supported by 5centsCDN can be used for marker insertion (SRT, RTMP, and others).
Insertion modes supported
Scheduled insertion
Define time-based ad breaks (e.g., every X minutes or fixed schedule).
Dynamic insertion
Ad breaks triggered/controlled dynamically (use-case dependent).
Output
- HLS with SCTE markers (for downstream platforms), or
- HLS with SSAI ads inserted (see section C).
Typical use cases
- Your encoder does not provide SCTE markers.
- You want 5centsCDN to control/standardize breaks across streams.
- You want SSAI without relying on upstream SCTE.
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C) SSAI (Server-Side Ad Insertion) using Ad Managers
What it means
5centsCDN inserts ads into the stream server-side using your Ad Manager VAST URL.
Requirements
- VAST version: VAST 3.0 or above
You provide
- VAST tag URL from your Ad Manager (Google Ad Manager is one example; all major ad managers are supported)
- Ad break strategy (pass-through SCTE, scheduled insertion, or dynamic insertion)
- Stream details (input/output)
Billing note
- SSAI has a service fee (technology fee).
- Client keeps 100% of Ad revenue (no revenue share with 5centsCDN).
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Alternative (no SSAI)
If you deliver HLS with SCTE markers to Roku/FAST platforms, they can do ad insertion on their end. In that case, SSAI fee does not apply (only your selected streaming/transcoding usage applies).
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Pricing & Billing Notes (high level)
- Transcoding has a fee (applies whenever transcoding is enabled).
- SSAI has a fee (applies only if 5centsCDN is inserting ads server-side).
- Marker pass-through without transcoding: no SSAI fee (transcoding fee only if used).
Exact pricing depends on plan and scale—contact Sales/Billing for the applicable rate card.
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Quick decision guide
- You have SCTE in your encoder + SRT ingest → Use Pass-through (SRT → HLS).
- You want 5centsCDN to insert SCTE markers → Use Marker Insertion (any supported ingest protocol).
- You want 5centsCDN to insert ads (SSAI) → Provide a VAST 3+ tag from your Ad Manager.
- You want Roku/FAST to insert ads → Deliver HLS with markers, platform inserts ads.
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What we need from you (implementation checklist)
- Stream ingest type: SRT, RTMP, or other supported protocol
- Output required: HLS
- SCTE method: Pass-through or 5centsCDN insertion
- Ad insertion: Platform-side or SSAI
If SSAI
- VAST tag URL (VAST 3+)
- Expected break pattern (timing/duration)
- Whether transcoding is required (ABR ladder needs)