- MXL is an open-source SDK designed for high-performance and container-friendly shared media exchange across on‑premise or cloud environments.
- It provides an open and non-proprietary exchange layer, helping to promote interoperability by avoiding the need for conversion between vendors. Such a layer is required by the EBU Dynamic Media Facility Reference Architecture.
- This repository contains an open-source SDK that specifies MXL through implementation, including how video, audio and data payloads are represented in shared memory, and the timing of those payloads.
MXL:
- is implemented in C++, exposed via a C API with Rust bindings available
- supports for V210 video, Float32 audio and ANC data
- implements zero-copy media sharing or low-copy media movement
- is asynchronous by design
- is a thin library with minimal external dependencies
- can be deployed on local (on-premise) or cloud compute
- is suitable for use in containerised environments
Enables shared-memory access for zero-copy media workflows.
Enables memory sharing through controlled data movement.
- A good hands-on way to start is with the cbcrc/mxl-hands-on repo. This provides a guided workshop/tutorial tht helps the user set up and MXL hands-on through exercises.
- The MXL SDK, can be built using a devcontainer or CMake. For more details see here.
- Information about example tools to work with MXL, including GStreamer pipelines, are here
- There are some examples of how to use MXL with Docker Compose and Kubernetes here.
Rapid advances in computing power and network infrastructure are transforming the landscape of live media production. The professional broadcast industry is gradually moving away from hardware-centric systems and towards software-defined solutions, promising far greater flexibility, scalability, and operational agility. However, this shift into a more virtualised, “dematerialised” environment also introduces substantial interoperability challenges. Multiple vendors, proprietary frameworks, and disparate technology stacks can prevent diverse systems from integrating seamlessly across distributed networks, potentially inhibiting innovation and restricting the efficiency of modern broadcast workflows.
To address these challenges, the EBU Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) initiative proposes a standardised architecture inspired by the cloud-hyperscaler model. In this architecture, discrete “media functions”, the modular building blocks responsible for ingesting, processing, and delivering content, are deployed onto a common container-based platform. These functions can be provisioned and scaled on-demand, and strategically placed wherever compute, storage, and bandwidth are most readily available, whether on-premises, at the network edge, or in public or private clouds.
At the heart of the DMF architecture lies the Media exchange layer, a high-performance data plane designed to simplify and accelerate communication between these distributed media functions. This enables entirely new production paradigms, including asynchronous “faster-than-live” workflows, allowing teams to produce content more flexibly and quickly than traditional linear models permit. Moreover, its extensible design supports evolving exchange mechanisms and new media formats as they emerge, ensuring that the architecture is well equipped to evolve alongside technological progress. MXL is an open-source implementation of that layer.
In order to encourage broad industry adoption, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) are pursuing an “implement-first” strategy. This practical, hands-on approach involves close collaboration with broadcasters and technology suppliers to produce an open-source software development kit that promotes interoperability and showcases real-world use cases for the MXL. The first alpha version of this SDK was released in June 2025. Ultimately, the DMF initiative aspires to establish a new baseline for open, interoperable software-based live production, a foundation that is robust, future-proof, and capable of sustaining innovation across the entire media ecosystem.
- The project governance principles: GOVERNANCE.md and Technical Charter
- How to contribute: CONTRIBUTING.md
- How to report a vulnerability: SECURITY.md
- Code of conduct
This code is covered by the Apache v2 license