Calrec Backs EBU’s Dynamic Media Facility With ImPulseV And Argo Upgrades At IBC 2026

Calrec will showcase a raft of software advances for its Argo and ImPulseV platforms at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47), underscoring its support for the European Broadcasting Union's Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) vision and giving broadcasters more freedom to shape infrastructure around evolving production needs. As part of that commitment, Calrec is pledging to add Media eXchange Layer (MXL) support to ImPulseV.

At the show, Calrec will demonstrate its software-defined audio ecosystem, with ImPulseV DSP software at its core. ImPulseV combines physical and virtualised user interfaces through the Argo console family and the browser-based Calrec Assist interface, and can be deployed on-premises on standard COTS servers, in public cloud, or across hybrid environments. The engine supports all immersive audio formats and scales up to 256 processing paths.

To widen access, Calrec is introducing smaller ImPulseV DSP packs of 96 and 140 processing paths alongside the existing 256-path option. New short-term, flexible licences — available in 1-year, 12-week and 4-week terms — give broadcasters capacity precisely when required, reducing upfront cost and long commitments, and suiting pop-up, seasonal or one-off productions.

ImPulseV v1.5 will add support for Grass Valley's AMPP control SDK, enabling AMPP-hosted applications to control console parameters, including faders. Calrec's new AMPP Bridge control application, deployable as a workload on an AMPP node, provides bidirectional control between an ImPulse core and the AMPP environment. Calrec-Bridge carries control data, with AMPP handling audio via Dante, NDI and ST-2110 interfaces.

ImPulseV will also be available on the NEP Platform, allowing orchestrated, rapid deployment of leading production tools on server-based hardware and unifying multi-vendor applications under a single operational interface.

Calrec is benchmarking ImPulseV performance on standard COTS server hardware and adding NDI connectivity as an alternative to Dante for audio ingress/egress, supporting up to 256 mono-equivalent channels across as many as 16 streams, with up to 64 channels per stream.

Automated deployment is being simplified through Cloud-Init and Terraform. Cloud-Init modules can configure surface layouts, system and core names, manage licences and DSP engine addressing. New online licences, issued via a licensing server, can be added with a key and work with automated rollouts. Terraform support is offered via Calrec-provided example scripts to tailor for individual projects.

Henry Goodman, Director of Product Management at Calrec, said: "The ImPulseV DSP software enhancements previewed at the show align with the EBU's Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) project. The idea of a shared server stack that can host all the production software a facility needs, with users spinning up whichever tools a given job requires, is a powerful driver for broadcasters focused on reducing costs and maximising their investment to deliver a broader range of content.

"The DMF project and the associated Media eXchange Layer (MXL) development aim to solve many of the real-time challenges of moving to software-defined workflows. It vastly reduces compute by enabling containerised software functions from multiple vendors to use shared memory to transfer video, audio, and metadata on the same server.

"It gives broadcasters the ability to take advantage of best-of-breed technology within the same flexible software stack, while retaining the tried-and-trusted feature set they've come to expect from Calrec, without committing to a one-off investment in processing hardware up front."

Alongside ImPulseV, Calrec will preview Argo v1.5. Offline Assist users will be able to open the Argo Assist UI without an ImPulse core or Argo surface to configure shows, memories and presets, including importing a 'Desk Package' matched to a specific surface. New True Peak Limiters help keep output in line with broadcast loudness standards, with 64 channels available in Assist, assigned per leg.

I/O patching has been streamlined: Desk Outputs and Desk Inputs have been renamed, and fader inputs moved into their own category for faster switching. A new Bulk Advanced Configuration option allows advanced device settings to be saved and applied across multiple devices in one action. Calrec Connect will surface richer stream data for third-party transmitters, including channel count, packet time, sample rate, codec, media clock offset and payload type.

"Ultimately, these updates are about giving broadcasters greater freedom by delivering an infrastructure that fits today's production requirements and adapts to tomorrow's," said Goodman.

Calrec's IP-native ecosystem — with the award-winning Argo console range at its centre — is designed to support a wide mix of workflows, enabling resources to be deployed where they are needed most while driving operational efficiency and cost savings. Visitors to IBC 2026 will get a first look at Argo v1.5 as Calrec continues to evolve the platform.

calrec.com/