The Challenge:
Proposed by Champions: BBC R&D, EBU
This project explores a new approach to Live Media Exchange, leveraging high-speed interconnect technologies originally developed for high-performance computing and now widely used in cloud data centers. As live broadcast workloads shift to virtualized and containerized software applications, current media exchange protocols are proving insufficient to fully utilize modern data center infrastructure. This initiative will collaborate with IT and broadcast vendors, alongside the EBU Dynamic Media Facility team, to investigate, test, and demonstrate new solutions that enhance performance, sustainability, and automation.
By building on technologies used for cloud data center connectivity, the project aims to enable real-time or faster transmission of high-bandwidth video and audio. This will support flexible production workflows, greater resilience, and improved resource sharing—key benefits identified by the Connect & Produce Anywhere (CAPA) Accelerator. Unlike existing protocols that were not designed for live media, this new approach will eliminate proprietary lock-ins and allow broadcasters to take full advantage of modern IT hardware and network capabilities.
Through hands-on experimentation with emerging solutions, this initiative will help define future specifications for live media exchange. It will also explore potential testing environments, such as the CAPA test cluster, to validate real-world performance. The findings will contribute to the broader industry shift toward software-defined, cloud-enabled production workflows, ensuring greater efficiency and interoperability across media organizations.