SMPTE (the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) has “stabilized” a number of standards this year. Some examples available for purchase at Document Center Inc. are SMPTE ST 0012, SMPTE ST 0076, SMPTE ST 0168, SMPTE ST 0171, SMPTE ST 0190 and SMPTE ST 0223. What does the designation “stabilized” mean for these standards?
Under normal procedures for maintaining various standards, a developing organization routinely reviews a document once every five years. However, for some associations, this cycle is proving unnecessary for standards that address mature technologies with little likelihood of change.
So the concept of declaring a standard “stabilized” has been generated to flag documents that are still in force but that are not being reviewed any longer. Unless a request for modification occurs, the committee considers the document to be relevant for equipment or practices in use as is.
Our examples above deal with Screen Luminance for Drive-In Theaters – Film, unchanged since 1997, Motion-Picture Cameras – 16-mm and 8-mm Threaded Lens Mounts, unchanged since 1996, and so on.
For SMPTE, the term “archived” was previously used to describe these types of documents. So the two terms are synonymous. It should be remembered that since the documents are older, the style and format of the standard may be different than newer issues. SMPTE requests that “suitable care should be taken in interpretation.”
SMPTE standards are available from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com. You can also order by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). Because the SMPTE standards were renumbered a few years back, you may need assistance to confirm that you’re getting the correct document.