With climate change in the news daily, companies are increasingly looking at ways they can do their bit for the planet and fulfil their environmental, social and governance responsibilities.
In this interview with Production 360, Adrian Davis, Director, Product Management, MediaKind explains how broadcasters can slash their CAPEX, OPEX, & energy rates using the latest ‘green’ video encoding technologies.
How important is it to commit to meeting ESG benchmarks for broadcasters today?
Companies are more committed to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards than ever, and an increasing number regard integrity, transparency, and responsibility as crucial factors for doing so.
Efforts to reduce the carbon footprint are now widely acknowledged as the industry strives to discover methods to accomplish and convey advancements in the media and entertainment space.
Tell us more about this video encoding innovation, how does it work, and how does it serve broadcasters?
Video encoding demands substantial resources; were you aware that it consumes nearly a third of the computational capability within a data center?
This poses a conundrum for the industry: harmonizing top-tier performance alongside expenditure and ecological repercussions.
Fortunately, the latest technology comes to the rescue! Deploying more services on a single device in contrast to conventional software-based live encoders has the potential to facilitate the delivery of up to 100 channels using just a single 1RU server.
This maximizes spatial efficiency, reduces expenses, and diminishes carbon emissions during live video streaming.
Moreover, this technology can sustain numerous channels at Ultra High Definition (UHD) resolution, all while utilizing notably less space and power compared to previous methods.
Can you explain exactly how GPU solutions can liberate main CPUs for other tasks while achieving energy savings?
GPU-based solutions offer a significant level of versatility. Rather than relying on the primary CPU to handle the computationally demanding live encoding, this task is offloaded to specialized GPUs.
These GPUs demonstrate improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Consequently, the primary CPU remains unoccupied, meaning it can be allocated for other functions such as managing the control system or conducting additional processes like multiplexing and packaging – all within the confines of the same unit.
This consolidation conserves a substantial amount of rack space and contributes to notable reductions in power usage and associated expenses.
How can this encoding technology reduce the carbon footprint of video streaming and enable significant cost savings for content providers?
Due to its high efficiency, this technology consumes significantly less power than a conventional software-only solution. Certain usage scenarios are witnessing a remarkable 70% decrease in power consumption.
Naturally, this leads to cost reductions as well, and over a standard 5-year operational cycle, it can result in savings amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Anything else you’d like to add?
We are still at the beginning of this journey. While tangible improvements are attainable today, standard system lifecycles are measured over several years. This might necessitate further change in order to meet the new benchmarks for the future.