TAG Video Systems, the leading IP-native Realtime Media Platform, has joined relevant MXL and DMF committees and is currently taking part in a live multi-vendor interop hosted by AWS, exchanging streams with participants including Grass Valley, Matrox, Techex and more.

Why MXL and DMF are shaking up the broadcasting industry
MXL (Media Exchange Layer) is an emerging open-source media transport standard, developed through broad industry collaboration and first published as a stable specification in early 2026. It moves video, audio, and metadata through direct memory transfer rather than packet-based streaming, running natively across any IP environment without PTP dependencies. MXL sits within the broader Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) framework, which enables fully software-defined broadcast production. Both are in the early stage but moving fast.

For broadcasters, the practical outcome is the ability to build software-defined facilities that are no longer tied to fixed physical infrastructure. These are virtual control rooms and production workflows that can be deployed, reconfigured, and scaled based on what is actually needed, when it’s needed. Critically, MXL is a cloud enabler; it makes uncompressed workflows in the cloud more efficient, enabling companies to leverage cloud advantages.

TAG is staying ahead of the MXL curve
MXL and DMF are built on an IT-centric architectural model, which aligns naturally with how TAG has always approached product development. TAG's platform is software-native and built to integrate across complex multi-vendor environments. That only holds up if TAG is present where the standards are being shaped, which is why active participation in MXL development, including the interoperability testing that defines how this standard works in practice, matters.

TAG’s participation in MXL is straightforward: as production environments become more software-defined and dynamically orchestrated, the tools customers rely on for monitoring and quality control need to work in those environments too. TAG has an initial working MXL implementation and is using the interop phase to test, validate, and refine it alongside other vendors, building the interoperability that customers will need when they make this transition. At NAB 2026, you can see that work in action: TAG is part of the live multi-vendor MXL interop demo at the AWS booth (W1701).