Software and IP technologies have revolutionized live event broadcasting over the past decade. However, evolving media consumption habits have outstripped the capabilities of traditional hardware-centric broadcast infrastructures. Broadcasters face increased market fragmentation and pressure to produce more content with fewer resources. IT and cloud computing innovations offer promising solutions but transitioning from hardware to IT-based architectures poses challenges. Unlike broadcast's clock-driven real-time synchronization, IT equipment operates asynchronously, necessitating a shift in how live video is managed. This paper explores a new paradigm in software-based broadcast infrastructure, capable of bridging broadcast and IT domains while meeting high broadcast standards. It will cover: Synchronous vs. asynchronous operations System architecture, including framework design, media microservices, timing, and application control Empirical data showing time savings from asynchronous processing Benefits for live production, such as scalability, reliability, agility, and composability
Understanding the transition from hardware-centric to software-centric live production facilities in the broadcast industry. Recognizing the advantages of using IT equipment like it was intended to operate–asynchronously while contrasting this with the clock-based deterministic nature of synchronous processing. Exploring the capabilities of an asynchronous media framework as a foundation to build agile, scalable, and reliable live production systems capable of large-scale deployments.