Interview

Moving VFX workflows to the cloud has proved challenging, but a US-based startup could be about to change that. Adrian Pennington reports.

Technical barriers are no longer an issue in the adoption of IP, says Camilla Powell from Disguise. SDI networks have long provided broadcasters with reliable, high-quality, low-latency data transfers, but the maturity of the technology means this is also now possible with IP. And proAV users want the same. However, the migration to IP comes with complications for both the broadcast and proAV sectors, meaning that standardisation and security are paramount.

AI tools and IP workflows have created exciting possibilities for the future of broadcast and proAV, but with their introduction comes great complexity and new hurdles. Standardisation, cybersecurity, sustainability, ROI, skills and training, and even potential political upheaval are all challenges to contend with for early adopters and integrators.

What were the emerging and dominant trends at ISE 2025? IBC365 spoke with key figures from the M&E and proAV industries to discover what technologies were prevalent at this year’s show. Looking forward, work continues on the adoption of AI to automate tools and processes but more immediate priorities are arguably driven by the maturity of IP workflows and standards, as well as new possibilities brought about by virtual production technologies.

As more UK consumers decline to connect their TVs to an aerial, UK broadcasters are looking to the Freely platform to ensure their continued relevance. CTO Orf Warr explains the technology choices underpinning the platform.

Norwegian battery developer Klvr launched its rack-mounted AA charger at IBC2024, intending to eliminate single-use batteries in media. Coming from a proAV background, CEO Stian Sagholen explains that the “interest at IBC was way higher than we had anticipated”, but that this further demonstrates the convergence between proAV and broadcast. Sustainability is a core principle of Klvr, which aims to improve the industry’s green credentials by providing a “solution for a simple problem.”

Sergio Ammirata from transport and transcoding specialist SipRadius sees major changes in three key areas: IP, low-latency and security. Broadcasters are increasingly adopting IP workflows while proAV users are demanding lower latency across transport and other functions. Cybersecurity is paramount to the adoption and transformation of both.

Corporate clients are increasingly using both broadcast and proAV equipment to create content for both external and internal use, according to Spiro Plagakis from Matrox. A key element to this is the development of standards such as IPMX that enables all of the equipment to be used together.

After more than a decade attending ISE, Martin Dyster from audio technology specialist Telos Alliance believes that the convergence between broadcast and proAV is evident from this year’s visitors, with an increasing number of broadcast professionals attending the show. For Dyster, the prevalent technology at ISE is cloud – for creation, distribution and consumption – with cloud being a key enabler for remote production.

Marc Wilson, Managing Director at Glensound, has seen significant growth in the convergence of audio and video in networking. This poses significant questions about what technologies to adopt, how they’re controlled, and how to ensure interoperability.