BROADCAST ENCODER · GPU HARDWARE ACCELERATION
GPU hardware acceleration ·
H.265 cuts bandwidth in half.
Broadcast Encoder is an NVIDIA NVENC hardware-accelerated encoder. Full H.264 / H.265 / AV1 support, 4K UHD real-time encoding, 5–10x faster than software pipelines. Live streaming and VOD transcoding share one appliance, with GPU resources allocated automatically by workload. Cut your CDN bill in half and put your encoder farm back into a single rack.
×5-10
Faster than software
↓50%
H.265 bandwidth savings
4K
UHD real-time encoding
AV1
Next-gen codec ready
WHY NOW
From multi-core CPU encoder farms, to NVENC GPU acceleration,
this is the engineering shift for broadcast encoding.
Pure software encoding pegs the CPU, runs hot, and chokes on real-time 4K. One live channel ties up one box, VOD jobs queue for days, and the CDN bill grows by the gigabyte until the end of the month. Broadcast Encoder moves encoding onto the GPU: NVENC delivers 5–10x throughput, H.265 cuts bandwidth in half, and AV1 is ready for the next decade. Live and VOD share one appliance, scheduled automatically.
LEGACY · SOFTWARE ENCODING
CPU x265 / x264, encoder farms, runaway bandwidth
Pure CPU encoding saturates cores; real-time 4K H.265 strains every box; multiple channels mean multiple machines; VOD transcoding queues for days; H.264 distribution drives heavy CDN spend; AV1 software encoding is too slow; rack space and power eat the budget.
BROADCAST ENCODER · POINT MEDIA TECH
NVENC GPU, real-time 4K, half the bandwidth
NVIDIA NVENC GPU acceleration; rock-solid real-time 4K H.265; multi-channel parallel encoding on a single box; live and VOD share workload; H.265 / AV1 dramatically reduce bandwidth; CDN bill cut in half; high rack density, low power draw.
CAPABILITIES · THREE LAYERS
Three capability layers, threaded into one
hardware-accelerated encoding chain.
Codec engine → live + VOD dual mode → system integration. Each layer can be evaluated independently, licensed by encoding channel count, and scaled later.
Codec engine and formats
NVIDIA NVENC hardware acceleration; full H.264 / H.265 / AV1 support; SD / HD / 4K UHD; CBR / VBR / two-pass; HDR10 / HLG color; tunable encoding parameters.
- H.264 / H.265 / AV1
- SD / HD / 4K UHD
- CBR / VBR / two-pass
- HDR10 / HLG
Live and file dual workload
Live streaming (CBR / low latency) and VOD transcoding (VBR / two-pass) share one appliance; multiple profiles run in parallel; GPU resources allocated automatically by workload; live takes priority while VOD queues.
- Live CBR / low latency
- VOD VBR / two-pass
- Multi-profile concurrency
- Automatic GPU allocation
System integration and outputs
REST API and webhook into Playout / Caster / MAM; SRT / RTMP / HLS / MPEG-TS outputs; watch-folder triggers; unified dashboard for every encoding job.
- REST API + webhook
- SRT / RTMP / HLS / MPEG-TS
- Watch-folder triggers
- Unified dashboard
WORKFLOW
Broadcast Encoder is the signal-to-bits translator,
compressing broadcast quality into a CDN budget.
From input signal to distribution endpoint, Broadcast Encoder handles every step on a single appliance.
FIGURE 01 · BROADCAST ENCODER WORKFLOW (SOURCE → DECODE → ENCODER → MUX → OUTPUT)
SPECIFICATIONS
Engineering specifications.
A complete spec sheet and live evaluation are available through a technical consultation.
| Codecs | H.264 / AVC · H.265 / HEVC · AV1 · MPEG-2 (transport stream) · ProRes (transcode) |
|---|---|
| Hardware acceleration | NVIDIA NVENC (RTX / A series) · multi-GPU parallelism · CUDA-accelerated filters · NVDEC decode |
| Resolution & framerate | SD / HD / 4K UHD · 24 / 25 / 30 / 50 / 59.94 / 60 fps · HDR10 / HLG / Dolby Vision |
| Input signals | SDI (HD-SDI / 3G-SDI / 12G-SDI) · IP (SMPTE ST 2110 / NDI) · RTMP / SRT pull · file input |
| Output protocols | SRT (Haivision) · RTMP / RTMPS · HLS · MPEG-TS over UDP · MP4 / fMP4 / TS files |
| Workload modes | Live CBR / low latency · VOD VBR / two-pass · multi-profile concurrency · automatic GPU allocation |
| Deployment & licensing | Linux / Windows · single node or cluster · licensed by channel count and resolution · software license + annual maintenance |
HOW TO START
Three steps, from evaluation to go-live.
Request a trial
Submit the contact form. Our sales team responds within one business day and schedules an assessment with a solution architect.
Integration assessment
Our solution architects review your existing sources, output protocols, and target bitrates, and plan the connection points to Playout / Caster / MAM.
Deployment and go-live
Complete configuration, run acceptance tests (real-time 4K H.265, parallel live + VOD, output protocol verification), and roll out in phases so existing operations are not disrupted.
READY?
Ready to cut your CDN bill
in half?
Book a demo and see how NVENC + H.265 / AV1 reshape broadcast encoding.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Which video codecs does Broadcast Encoder support?
Broadcast Encoder supports H.264, H.265/HEVC, and AV1 across SD through 4K UHD, covering live streaming, OTT distribution, and broadcast-grade contribution workflows.
What are the concrete advantages of hardware-accelerated encoding versus software encoding?
Broadcast Encoder uses GPU acceleration to deliver 5-10x faster encoding than pure software pipelines. H.265/HEVC reduces bitrate by roughly 50% versus H.264 at the same quality, significantly lowering CDN and distribution costs.
Can Broadcast Encoder integrate with our existing streaming systems?
Yes. Broadcast Encoder exposes standard APIs and integrates with Kaster Playout, Caster Transport, Media Asset Manager, and other systems. It supports both real-time streaming output and batch file transcoding.
How is Broadcast Encoder licensed?
Broadcast Encoder is licensed by encoding channel count and output resolution, with tiers from single-channel to multi-channel scale-out. Contact a sales consultant for a detailed quote matched to your actual encoding requirements.
What are the system requirements for Broadcast Encoder?
Broadcast Encoder requires NVIDIA GPUs for hardware acceleration and runs on Linux and Windows. Exact specifications depend on channel count and target codecs — our solution architects will help size the right configuration.
How do we start evaluating Broadcast Encoder?
Submit the contact form and our sales team will respond within one business day to schedule a technical assessment and plan a trial tailored to your encoding requirements.
Is GPU hardware acceleration or pure software encoding better for a broadcast facility?
It depends on the use case. Hardware-accelerated encoders (Point Media Tech Broadcast Encoder uses NVIDIA NVENC) deliver 5-10x the throughput of software encoders for 4K H.265 real-time workloads, with low CPU utilization — ideal for 24/7 broadcast playout. Software encoders such as x265 offer more tuning flexibility, better suited to offline post-production transcoding. For live broadcast scenarios, hardware-accelerated encoders should be the default choice for stability.
How do live streaming and VOD encoding specs differ, and can one encoder handle both?
Live streaming requires constant bitrate (CBR), low-latency settings, and uninterrupted encoding. VOD transcoding can use variable bitrate (VBR) with two-pass encoding for better compression efficiency. Broadcast Encoder supports multiple profiles concurrently, so a single appliance can run live outputs and VOD transcode queues in parallel, with GPU resources allocated automatically by workload — reducing hardware investment.