By Paul O’Donovan

There’s a conversation happening in broadcast engineering that isn’t on any conference agenda. It’s not about AI use cases. It’s not about cloud native workflows. It’s about RAM, and it’s quietly breaking your business case. 

For years, video processing deployments followed a simple model: one to four channels per server. Clean, isolated, easy to troubleshoot. When hardware was cheap and memory was cheaper, it worked. 

That world is gone. 

AI infrastructure has reshaped the component market. Advanced DRAM and high performance storage are flowing toward AI buildouts at massive scale. What’s left for everyone else is more expensive, less predictable and arriving late. Pricing moves faster, validity windows are shorter, and nobody is offering a credible timeline for when this stabilises. This is the new norm and since the start of 2026, server costs have doubled!  

If you’re running low density deployments, you’re exposed. 

One to four channels per server means you’re not just paying for those channels. You’re paying for idle memory, unused compute, excess power draw, rack space and cooling. Multiply that across hundreds of channels and the economics do not just deteriorate, they collapse. 

This is where density stops being a technical preference and starts being a business imperative. 

The best hedge against hardware volatility is needing less hardware in the first place. That’s precisely the problem MK.IO Beam was designed to solve. 

Beam delivers up to 24 contribution channels per server, configured as either encoder or receiver. Not four. Twenty four. A deployment that once required 24 servers now runs on two. And for headend deployments the numbers get even more exciting, up to 70 HD channels in a 1RU server. The CapEx saving is immediate. The power and cooling saving is immediate. And the conversation with your CFO gets a lot easier when the numbers look like this. 

Here’s where it gets interesting. If you’ve already got COTS servers with processing headroom, you may not need to buy anything new at all. You’ve already paid for that server. Beam just gives you a reason to be glad you did. 

The pricing is simple. Pay for the channels you need. Perpetual, pay as you go, or a mix of both. No complex tiering. No hidden unlocks. 

The cost pressure is real. It isn’t going away. The operators who come out strongest will be the ones who choose density, flexibility and a supply chain built for the new norm. 

Beam was built for exactly this moment. 

Explore MK.IO Beam and learn how MK.IO Beam supports compliant, high-quality live video workflows for global sports distribution.