Appear extends hybrid live production platform ahead of IBC2026
August 4, 2026 10.40 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Live production technology specialist Appear will use IBC2026 to expand its hybrid hardware and software platform, unveiling new capabilities designed to help broadcasters modernise live event production while maintaining broadcast-grade reliability.

The company is enhancing both its hardware-based X Platform and software-defined VX Platform as it looks to support customers running live production workflows across on-premise infrastructure and cloud environments.

Among the new hardware announcements is support for JPEG XS, Dolby AC-4 and Dolby Atmos on the compact X5 platform, targeting ultra-low-latency live contribution.

Across the show floor, we’re likely to see more hybrid production rather than all-cloud production. Broadcasters increasingly want to keep mission-critical processing in dedicated hardware while moving less latency-sensitive functions into software.

Appear is also introducing the ECx400 compression module for its X10 and X20 platforms. The new module combines encoding and decoding on a single card, supporting JPEG XS, AVC and HEVC workflows over both IP and SDI. General availability is scheduled for December, although Appear says two major US customers have already committed to the platform.

On the software side, the company is extending its VX Platform with new cloud capabilities including automatic discovery of live streams from X Platform hardware, cloud-agnostic deployment, multi-protocol support, cloud distribution, compressed stream processing and hitless redundancy.

Appear says the combined platform allows broadcasters to move workloads between dedicated hardware and software while reducing the amount of specialist equipment required for live production.

CEO Thomas Bostrøm Jørgensen said customers including FOX and NBCUniversal continue to rely on the company’s technology for major sporting events including the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics, helping shape its product roadmap.