SMPTE is a global professional association that sets over 800 technical standards for the media and entertainment industry, covering broadcast, film, digital cinema, and audio recording. Its standards ensure interoperability and quality across production and distribution workflows, making it a foundational body for engineers and technologists. Through education, conferences, and an engaged membership community, SMPTE drives innovation and best practices in motion imaging and television. The organization's century-long legacy and focus on technical excellence distinguish it as a key standards developer rather than a commercial vendor.
SMPTE has announced its 2026 honorees, recognizing 32 individuals and organizations for significant contributions to media technology standards and production workflows. The awards, which include honors for advancements in ATSC 3.0, ST 2110, and software-defined production, will be presented at the SMPTE Media Technology Summit in November 2026.
SMPTE has transitioned its entire library of engineering standards, recommended practices, and guidelines to a completely free, open-access model. Supported by major corporate sponsors including Amazon AWS, Apple, Google, and Disney, the move aims to eliminate financial barriers to implementation and accelerate global media interoperability. The organization is also modernizing its workflows, transitioning to GitHub-based version control and structured HTML publishing.
Open Services Alliance (OSA) is a service offering from SMPTE.
SMPTE announced it will host its annual Media Technology Summit from November 16-19, 2026, at the Pasadena Convention Center. This peer-reviewed, non-commercial conference focuses on media innovations, solutions, and technologies. The event attracts C-suite executives and offers programming, exhibits, and networking opportunities.
The Rocky Mountain SMPTE chapter is hosting a social mixer for SMPTE Standards Committee attendees on June 8, sponsored by Key Code Media. This event provides streaming professionals an opportunity to engage with the technical initiatives and ongoing standards-development process from the Standards Community. Attendees can take a guided tour of the Mountain Media Center.
Raymond Yeung, head of content standards at Amazon MGM Studios Technology, has been named SMPTE Standards Vice President for 2025. In this role, Yeung will focus on media supply chain advancements and standards development.
Jonathan Jobin, with 19 years of experience at CBC/Radio-Canada and an upcoming role at Grass Valley, is seeking a board and Treasurer position at SMPTE. He aims to enhance SMPTE's sponsorship programs and integrate emerging technologies using his background in media production workflows. His past contributions to SMPTE include improving sponsorship and event management.
SMPTE is hosting an in-person workshop organized by CBC on October 21, 2025, focusing on CBC's e250 and Memory eXchange Layer (MXL) projects. The session will include presentations by François Legrand and Mathieu Rochon from CBC/Radio-Canada, covering the EBU DMF reference architecture, MXL project, and the e250 project, along with a practical MXL hands-on workshop.
This article, published by SMPTE, posits that "immersive sound" has transitioned from being a differentiating feature to becoming a fundamental expectation within the media and entertainment industry.
This article from SMPTE emphasizes the industry's role in protecting creative work in the context of Artificial Intelligence, especially where current legislation is insufficient or lacks global jurisdiction. It highlights the need for collective action within the media landscape to navigate changes brought by AI. The piece stresses that the industry must build together to establish safeguards for intellectual property in the AI era.
Fox Television's WTTG/WDCA in Washington D.C. has implemented SMPTE ST 2110 for a new IP-based local television station. A report on this project was presented by Jim Beahn and Nikhilesh Kumar.
Chris Lapp
Membership VP, 2026-2027
