Streaming Technical Efficiency Best Practices

May 20
4 min read

Where Policy Meets Practice in Streaming Technical Efficiency

By Greening of Streaming PolicyLab

In our first posts, we introduced the PolicyLab and the framework guiding our work.

This blogpost moves into the work itself

One of short-term work items is to develop a series of best practices for technical efficiency across the streaming ecosystem. This is not a set of final recommendations, but a transparent view into work in progress, focused on areas where policy ambition meets real-world implementation. Many of these topics are more complex than they first appear. They involve trade-offs, system dependencies, and behaviors that do not always align with intuition. That is exactly why they matter.

Here are the areas we are actively exploring. If you have an interest, we are always looking for actively engaged experts to join our group.

Debunking energy misconceptions

Much of the conversation around streaming energy is built on assumptions that do not hold up under scrutiny. Ideas like more data equals more energy, 4K uses four times the energy of HD, or renewable energy means zero impact are widely repeated. They are also misleading. These narratives shape public understanding and, more importantly, policy decisions.

If the starting point is wrong, the outcome will be too. Correcting these misconceptions is foundational. Before optimizing systems, we need a shared understanding of how they actually behave.

Standardising display modes

Terms like "eco mode" and "energy saving mode" are inconsistent across devices. They mean different things depending on the manufacturer, which undermines both consumer choice and regulatory clarity.

There is also a cautionary lesson. When the EU introduced energy thresholds for 8K televisions, some devices were shipped with default eco settings that technically complied but made the product difficult to use. Many users turned them off immediately.

This is the gap between policy intent and user reality.

The goal is to move toward measurable, comparable definitions that reflect real energy use and real behavior.

Reducing storage and duplication

Content is frequently stored in multiple copies across the media workflow. Research has shown that 80% of stored items are never used again. This is driven by distribution models, licensing structures, and operational norms.

Each copy consumes energy. This is not just a technical issue. It sits at the intersection of infrastructure and commercial agreements. Addressing it will require coordination across stakeholders who do not typically align.

It is complex, but the potential impact is significant.

Defining efficiency in adaptive streaming

Adaptive bitrate streaming is central to video delivery, but there is no shared definition of what efficient looks like. How many encoding layers are necessary? When does additional quality stop being perceptible? At what point does energy use outweigh user benefit?

These are practical questions without clear answers today.

The PolicyLab is working to define benchmarks that balance quality of experience with energy cost. The aim is to provide a reference point that can guide both industry practice and policy.

Brightness as a system issue

Brightness is one of the clearest opportunities to reduce energy use, but it is rarely treated holistically. Decisions about brightness are made at every stage. Production choices influence mastering levels. Processing affects how content is handled. Playback settings determine what the viewer actually sees.

Optimizing one stage in isolation has limited effect. Coordinating across the full workflow is where meaningful reductions can happen. The challenge is preserving creative intent while reducing energy consumption. Both matter.

Processing and transmission

This is the most technically demanding area and one of the most impactful. Optimizing processing and transmission touches everything from encoding pipelines to content delivery networks to underlying infrastructure. The potential gains are significant, but so is the complexity.

Meaningful progress requires measurement across system boundaries. This is the type of work being developed within WattLab.

Hardware refresh and lifecycle thinking

When should equipment be replaced? Today, decisions are driven by performance needs and vendor timelines. They are not typically based on energy-aware lifecycle analysis.

The real question is whether the efficiency gains of new equipment outweigh the energy required to produce it. The PolicyLab is exploring how lifecycle frameworks can inform these decisions, in line with broader policy developments around circularity.

Coordinating capacity across networks

Networks are built for peak demand, which means they often operate below capacity.

Energy use is not simply about utilization. It is tied to maintaining connectivity and system readiness.

There is an opportunity to improve efficiency through coordination. When streaming platforms, CDNs, and network operators align on capacity and demand, they can reduce redundant infrastructure and optimize delivery paths.

This can lower both operational and embodied energy.The challenge is that this work depends on access to commercially sensitive data.

What comes next

This work will evolve. In the near term, the focus is on areas where clarity can unlock progress. Misconceptions and inconsistent language are not just communication issues. They directly affect how systems are designed and regulated.

Future work will build from this foundation. We look forward to sharing our progress in future posts.

To learn more and join the PolicyLab discussion, contact hello@greeningofstreaming.org

Policy Lab members: