x264 on broadcasting

Just curious why broadcast companies doesnt use x264 ? thanks

Avail Media (now AvailTVN) exists almost solely for this purpose: they sell head-end services using x264 and run thousands of real-time transcoding boxes worldwide for millions of end-users. The main reason that most broadcasters don't use x264 is that it doesn't come as a box/app that Just Works and most broadcasters don't have the resources to build a system from the ground up themselves; a broadcast system isn't just an encoder, it's a lot of other stuff, too. So instead you get companies who build a system around it and sell it.

thanks for your quick answer Dark Shikari :)

The typical broadcast encoder is running on some custom silicon from one of the companies producing compression chips (like Ambarella, ViXS, Magnum and some others). These chips usually have such wacky architectures, that porting x264 would take just as long as starting from scratch. If you did port to a custom architecture, you probably wouldn't be allowed to commit to the code base (because it doesn't make sense for 99.9% of the user base) and you lose the advantage of open source. And of course, you have to have a good interlace (MBAFF) solution, strict VBV compliance, VBI and closed caption processing, Transport Stream multiplexing, audio encoding, web based user interface, reasonable power consumption, and so on and so forth. Ron

wow cisco doing encoders ? didnt know that :) im ccna(cisco cert) and preparing for ccnp thats a shame for me :p

hehe.. well its cisco that bought Sci-Atl which again makes encoders..

Plus neat-o stuff like supporting tape / realtime ingest over HD-SDI or some analog interface, including dithering and high quality colorspace conversion... And watch folders ;) Toss in one of those saucy little BlackMagic UltraScope setups, and you've got a mean ingest / encoding bay :) ~MiSfit

Well, if you count Youtube as a broadcaster... then no, there some internet based broadcasters who do it. Otherwise, it's more like DS described.