An operational guide for Pay-Tv teams
MPEG-5 LCEVC is a scalable video compression format that improves compression and computational performance of existing codecs such as AVC, HEVC, or next generation ones such as AV1 and VVC, to form a two-layer encoding structure with additional information encoded in an enhancement layer as part of the encoding process. It is simpler than a standard codec upgrade. The following five steps explain how operators can take LCEVC from evaluation to live deployment.
Step 1. Select vendors with LCEVC-ready products
Every successful deployment begins with choosing the right partners. Most major commercial encoder and chipset vendors already include LCEVC in their product lines, offering it as a software license or firmware update. For operators, this means implementation starts with speaking with their existing vendors, rather than complicated integration exploration. The key point is to confirm that the chosen encoder and STB vendors already support LCEVC.
Activation begins at the headend. LCEVC support is already available from the industry’s leading encoder vendors such as Ateme, Harmonic and MainConcept.
For managed client environments, such as operators’ set-top boxes, native chipset support is available from the market’s leading silicon suppliers, ensuring optimal performance without increasing system complexity.
- Realtek: Formally announced support for LCEVC in its STB chipset portfolio.
- Amlogic: V‑Nova and Amlogic announced a partnership to support MPEG‑5 LCEVC on Amlogic SoCs, covering both the existing and future portfolio of Amlogic SoCs.
Montage LZ: V‑Nova and Montage LZ announced that Montage LZ has integrated MPEG‑5 LCEVC into its Symphony 6 4K STB SoC, described as the industry’s first STB SoC designed specifically for MPEG‑5 LCEVC.
This robust ecosystem was catalyzed by Brazil’s TV 3.0 (DTV+) new broadcast standard roll-out which includes MPEG-5 LCEVC as a mandatory feature of its receiver profile.
This step removes uncertainty and ensures that all core components – encoding, playback, and delivery – are already capable of running LCEVC without custom work. By sourcing pre-certified solutions, operators simplify their path to activation and reduce risk from the outset.
Step 2. Enable LCEVC on the encoder
Activating LCEVC on the encoder side is the operational trigger that unlocks efficiency. Encoder vendors typically provide LCEVC through a software update. Operators can request an LCEVC-enabled build from their vendor and install it.
Step 3. Confirm playback readiness through the set-top-box vendor
Ensuring playback readiness guarantees that every device receiving the stream can decode it correctly. STB vendors integrate LCEVC decoding through a device integration library supplied by their chipset partners, in most cases via a firmware update rather than a hardware change. Devices built in the past five years can typically be upgraded via software release, while older hardware can take advantage of LCEVC’s backwards-compatible base layer.
Step 4. Package and deliver using existing infrastructure
An LCEVC-capable set-top box recognizes the LCEVC signaling, decodes the base codec stream and the enhancement layer together, and outputs the intended service resolution (for example, 1080p).
Legacy set-top boxes that do not support LCEVC continue to decode the base stream only. They ignore the enhancement layer and play out normally, which preserves backward compatibility across the installed base.
Operationally, LCEVC is carried through the existing Pay-TV chain. The base video and the enhancement layer are prepared at the encoder and then passed through standard headend functions already in place: multiplexing, service information/signaling, scrambling/conditional access, and distribution over satellite, cable, or managed IPTV. The objective is to keep downstream workflows stable and limit changes to encoder output configuration and headend signaling.
- Content protection (CAS / Scrambling or DRM): Keep the existing protection model. For managed IPTV, DRM workflows (keys/licensing/decryption) remain unchanged; for cable and satellite, use the existing CAS/scrambling and validate end-to-end with both CAS and STB vendors.
- Ad insertion / regionalization (if used): Maintain the existing ad replacement and regional switching workflow. Validate that ads and programme segments decode cleanly on both LCEVC-capable and legacy STBs, including across channel switches.
Step 5. Manage rollout and validate
The final action is to follow a disciplined, three-phase plan to move from concept to full deployment.
Phase 1: Lab Validation
Validate end-to-end in a representative headend and receiver environment. Confirm correct decode on LCEVC-capable set-top boxes, including channel acquisition, AV sync, subtitles, audio, and trick-mode expectations where relevant. In parallel, confirm base-only playback on legacy set-top boxes to prove backward compatibility.
Phase 2: Pilot Trial
Run a controlled trial in a limited footprint (for example, a subset of multiplexes, a single bouquet, or a defined access network segment). Measure:
- Compression and capacity impact: Confirm the targeted bitrate reduction and the practical capacity gain at the multiplex, transponder, QAM, or access network level.
- Service robustness: Monitor headend alarms, multiplex integrity, error rates, and distribution stability to ensure there is no regression in service availability.
- Receiver experience: Track STB KPIs such as channel change time, rebuffering (for managed IPTV), decoder stability, and video quality to confirm a consistent experience across both new and legacy devices.
Phase 3: Staged rollout
Scale in stages once the trial is stable. Where applicable, deploy LCEVC-capable firmware to set-top boxes via an OTA update process and progressively enable LCEVC services in the headend. Backward compatibility provides a safety net throughout: legacy receivers continue on the base stream without service disruption while the capable base grows over time.
Conclusion
LCEVC deployment is not a leap of faith. It is a structured and managed operational upgrade that strengthens your existing video workflows. This is not a complex R&D project but a predictive process of vendor coordination and software activation. LCEVC can be deployed with minimal risk today because of the following:
- It Is Ready: The ecosystem of encoders (Ateme, Harmonic, MainConcept) and set-top box silicon (Realtek, Amlogic) is commercially available.
- It Is Proven: Delivers up to ~40% bitrate savings over AVC and HEVC, validated in formal testing and deployment.
- It Is Flexible: Enables a dual benefit: reduce distribution bandwidth or enable premium tiers on new devices.
- It Is Transparent: Designed to minimize change to established headend and service workflows (including content protection and ad insertion where applicable).
- It Is Backward-Compatible: Legacy devices are supported via base-only decode, keeping a single operational workflow across the installed base.
By following this five-step playbook, an operator’s service can immediately improve video quality and achieve measurable reductions in bandwidth costs, turning efficiency into a simple, operational advantage.
