The Challenge:
Champions: BBC, EBU, VSF
Participants: Techex, Appear
Building a foundation for flexible, software-defined live production
The Multi-Vendor Software Live Media Exchange Accelerator investigated how broadcasters can exchange high-performance video, audio, and data between media functions using generic compute, containerisation, and open interfaces. The aim is to enable low latency, resilient, and vendor-agnostic live production facilities that can scale dynamically and interoperate across networks and clouds.
The challenge:
Most live production environments today remain built around hardware appliances and mixed standards. While live IP cores exist, the ecosystem still depends heavily on proprietary interconnects and fixed devices. This limits agility, scalability, and efficiency at a time when production teams increasingly need to move resources between on-premises facilities, central hubs, and the public cloud.
Kickstart Pitch:
PoC Results:
The Accelerator set out to demonstrate the benefits of a Media Exchange Layer, based on the EBU Dynamic Media Facility reference architecture.
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Media applications were run on clusters of generic compute, using containerisation and orchestration for resilience.
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Experimentation with a new open-source SDK, the MXL SDK,to handle multi-vendor, high-performance exchange of 10-bit 4:2:2 video, audio, and data.
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The goal was to show realistic workflows such as live capture, mixing, and output, performed across multiple vendors with joined-up timing and consistent metrics.
At the IBC pod, the team demonstrated how software-defined media functions can interoperate across different vendors and infrastructures:
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Low-latency media exchange between live functions.
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Containerised applications connected through the Media Exchange Layer.
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Real-time synchronisation and performance monitoring.
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Open source code contributions accessible at github.com/dmf-mxl/mxl.
The project underlined that no single vendor currently offers a complete solution for software-based live media exchange. By taking a “code first, standardise later” approach, the Accelerator has created a practical open-source foundation that others can build upon.
The roadmap includes:
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Iterating the MXL SDK through realistic milestones.
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Expanding support for different formats and workflows.
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Establishing governance and contribution policies for sustainable collaboration.
Multi-Vendor Software Live Media Exchange demonstrates a credible path toward software-defined, interoperable live production, helping broadcasters to achieve greater agility, efficiency, and resilience.
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