Prodys highlights H.265 efficiency and Brave protocol for remote broadcasting

The continued prioritization of H.265 and proprietary protocols like Brave underscores the streaming industry's move toward efficiency over raw bandwidth. For broadcasters, these tools provide a necessary safeguard against the rising costs and technical unpredictability of remote production. As mobile video consumption accounts for a massive share of internet traffic, the ability to deliver 4K content at lower bitrates is no longer optional but a baseline requirement for competitive contribution workflows. Watch for increasing adoption of cellular bonding and AI-enhanced error correction in the next generation of portable encoders to further stabilize remote feeds.

The transition to HEVC has become a central focus for high-resolution broadcasting, with data indicating the codec can reduce bitrates by approximately 50% compared to H.264 while maintaining identical visual quality, per Streaming Media in April 2024. Despite the emergence of newer standards like AV1 and VVC, HEVC maintains dominance in the 4K and HDR markets due to mature hardware acceleration and its presence in nearly every smartphone sold since 2018. However, licensing remains a hurdle, as HEVC is managed by multiple patent pools, leading some platforms to explore royalty-free alternatives for high-volume playback.

In the realm of transport, Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) has emerged as the most widely used protocol for live video contribution, with roughly 68% of broadcasters employing it for cross-network delivery, according to Haivision's 2024 Broadcast Transformation Report. Simultaneously, the trend toward remote production (REMI) is accelerating, as 44% of industry respondents cited it as a top priority for 2024. This shift is leading vendors to integrate more sophisticated bonding capabilities—combining 4G, 5G, and satellite—into portable units like Prodys' Ikusnet series to combat the inherent instability of public cellular networks during high-profile events.