Bridge and Grass Valley bridge the MXL gap

Broadcasters can now deploy Bridge Technologies’ audio and video monitoring scopes as containerised software tools within Grass Valley’s AMPP production environment, following Bridge’s adoption of the Media eXchange Layer (MXL).

The integration enables the scopes to run as microservices within Grass Valley’s MXL-native AMPP OS, a cloud-native media production platform. MXL is an open-source, vendor-neutral transport layer designed to support low-latency interoperability between software-defined media production applications.

Bridge has containerised components of its audio and video monitoring suite, allowing them to operate independently of dedicated hardware. By enabling multiple applications to access shared media streams, MXL can reduce network overhead and latency while supporting more flexible production workflows.

The approach also allows broadcasters to deploy monitoring functions on demand, scaling their use according to operational requirements. For example, scopes could be activated temporarily to support increased monitoring needs during major sporting events, rather than remaining permanently deployed.

“Bridge Technologies’ work with MXL is a good example of how an open approach can bring third-party applications into software-based media workflows,” said Matt Yates, director of strategic alliances at Grass Valley. “With AMPP OS now MXL-native, Bridge’s containerised monitoring tools can be accessed within the AMPP environment, giving users greater flexibility in how and when they deploy these capabilities.”

Bridge chairman Simen Frostad remarked: :The software we create has always been capable of far more – it just needed the right architecture to unlock that potential at scale without introducing configuration complexities. MXL and containerisation provide exactly that: a flexible, efficient way to run our best-in-class scopes across larger, more dynamic production environments, without the overhead of dedicated hardware deployments".

The MXL initiative was developed in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Linux Foundation, the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) and technology providers from across the broadcast industry.

Frostad also cited how the integration has been developed through open standards and collaboration. “That's always been central to how Bridge operates – we've never believed in locking others out to secure our own position,” he said. “We've always held that industry progress enables individual success, not the other way around. The MXL project is a natural expression of that philosophy: building better tools and sharing them with the entire industry.”