NetActuate and NETINT give video teams a way to test, deploy, and scale VPU-powered encoding without requiring a traditional hardware procurement and configuration cycle.
NETINT VPU Ecosystem | NetActuate · IBC 2026
AT A GLANCE
VPU Capacity enables video teams to deploy and scale encoding workloads without waiting through traditional hardware procurement cycles. By combining NETINT Quadra VPUs with NetActuate’s global infrastructure, organizations can validate production workflows, expand geographically, and accelerate deployment.
This article explains how hosted VPU environments simplify testing, cloud deployment, and long-term video processing while reducing infrastructure delays and operational complexity.
Encoding and transcoding workloads using VPUs are growing across the industry, but the path to capacity is rarely simple. Buying servers, validating hardware, securing power, choosing locations, and integrating into production can take six months or more. For some teams, that is acceptable. For others, the delay is a hold-up to competitiveness.
That is where NetActuate and NETINT come together to provide a faster path from pilot to production.
Global Capacity and Delivery
Announced in April 2026 and shown at NAB, NetActuate’s VPU-accelerated infrastructure makes NETINT Quadra VPUs available across a global network.
Figure 1. From pilot to production, without a hardware cycle. Validate the real workload first, then scale the model that fits the business.
Workloads often need to run near users, near contribution sources, near exchange points, or near a customer’s existing infrastructure. Latency, bandwidth cost, and routing all shape where processing should happen. NetActuate’s distributed footprint makes that part of the conversation practical for reaching audiences around the world.
Instead of starting with a physical server project, a team can start with a VPU-enabled environment, deploy VM-based cloud compute, and run real encoding pipelines the same day.
VPU Deployment
In the NetActuate portal, customers attach NETINT Quadra VPUs to virtual machines, run workflows, and transcoding pipelines. After choosing compute type, firmware, operating system, and location, VPUs are attached to VMs and deployed as a service in less than one minute.
FIGURE 2 · GLOBAL FOOTPRINT VPU capacity, placed where the workload runs. One pool of Quadra VPUs delivered as a service across a distributed global footprint.
For larger, more complex deployments, public cloud, private cloud, managed Kubernetes, bare metal, colocation, and custom deployments are all available.
As an incentive, NetActuate is offering qualified prospects a no-cost Proof of Concept (POC) environment for at least two weeks of testing and evaluation.
Why this is different from generic cloud transcoding
While clouds excel at providing compute, they are not optimized for video. CPU-based encoding is up to ten times more expensive at scale, and GPU infrastructure is not always the right fit for high-volume encoding once power, cost, and availability enter the decision. Not to mention the availability issue with GPUs now that the data center has been overrun with AI workloads.
NETINT Quadra VPUs are purpose-built for video, designed to support high-density AVC, HEVC, and AV1 workflows. Delivered through distributed infrastructure, they give customers video-specific acceleration without building the physical layer themselves.
The question is no longer only whether to buy more servers. It is whether you can validate and deploy VPU capacity quickly where you need it.
What engineers can test
The best way to test these models is with real workloads. A meaningful evaluation does not stop at a generic benchmark. Engineers should test the actual pipeline they plan to run.
With a VPU-enabled environment, teams can measure how their workflows behave on Quadra, how many outputs they can sustain, and where the operational limits are. That evidence is valuable even if the final deployment changes, because it gives engineering a clear view of the VPU path and the business a clearer view of cost and density.
The NetActuate Media Marketplace
To meet the demand of broadcasters, media & entertainment content owners, and video streaming platforms around the world, NetActuate has launched the NetActuate Media Marketplace. A systematic collection of media, streaming, and software appliances that can be deployed in one click to any of NetActuate’s 45+ points of presence.
The Marketplace launches with media appliance images across media categories, including NETINT Bitstreams, a media processing framework that enables most of the video encoding and transcoding functions needed for modern video streaming workloads, alongside a deep open source library.
Instead of deploying a bare server, customers pick a solution, a location, VM size, and NetActuate handles the rest. The applications retain their license and run just as they would in a customized deployment over NetActuate’s network.
This allows for hyperscaler-like capabilities at a fraction of hyperscaler costs. It’s the perfect combination of operational flexibility and compute efficiency.
Meet NetActuate at IBC
If you are validating hosted VPU solutions to reduce CPU transcoding costs, need to expand geographically, or are interested in new deployment models across the globe, book a time to meet with the NetActuate team at IBC: https://i.netactuate.com/ibc-2026
Sources & further reading
NetActuate and NETINT deliver global VPU-accelerated infrastructure (PR Newswire, Apr 16, 2026). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netactuate-and-netint-deliver-global-vpu-accelerated-infrastructure-for-cloud-scale-deployments-302744826.html
NetActuate, NETINT VPU Acceleration (product page). https://netactuate.com/netint-vpu-acceleration
NetActuate, VPU Encoding with NETINT Quadra (technical guide). https://www.netactuate.com/docs/guides/vpu-encoding-with-netint-quadra
NETINT VPU Ecosystem. https://netint.com/ecosystem/
Hive Group, Future of Satellite at IBC. https://wearehivegroup.com/ibc-show/where-does-the-signal-go-next
NETINT VPU ECOSYSTEM · IBC 2026
As video workloads continue to grow, adding capacity is no longer a single decision, but a set of practical paths depending on the real bottleneck. This series explores how to scale video processing efficiently using NETINT VPUs, whether through infrastructure partners, existing systems, or dedicated deployments designed around video from the start.
1. The New Video Capacity Problem
2. Three Ways to Add Video Capacity
3. VPU-Powered Capacity as a Service
4. Get More from the Servers You Already Own
5. Build Dedicated VPU-Based Video Infrastructure.
6. VPU Capacity Without a Hardware Cycle
7. Scaling Performance-Critical Video Workloads
Coming soon:
8. Building Practical VPU-Based Video Systems
9. Reliable Live Video Meets Efficient Processing
10. Maximizing Encoding Efficiency in Live Streaming Workflows
11. The Next Layer of Video Efficiency
12. From VPU Evaluation to Production Deployment
