Publications

This foundational paper from the Greening of Streaming LanguageLab explores the often-overlooked role of power factor in assessing the energy efficiency of streaming infrastructure. It uncovers how misleading device power readings can mask significantly higher energy generation needs due to inefficiencies in power conversion and distribution. By highlighting challenges in measurement and calling for standardised methodologies, the document aims to reshape industry practices and inform more accurate, impactful sustainability efforts.

The document outlines one of our key initiatives to develop a real-time energy measurement platform for streaming.

This paper explores the key differences between Attributional (ALCA) and Consequential (CLCA) Life Cycle approaches in streaming media sustainability. While both assess environmental impact, ALCA offers a static view of current activities, whereas CLCA analyzes responses to changes. We highlight the importance of this through industry examples and case studies, demonstrating how confusion between the two can to ineffective actions in complex systems. Ultimately, while ALCA is useful for compliance, CLCA is essential for meaningful improvements in for network engineers and architects. The paper concludes with recommendations for better environmental assessment strategies. 

This paper reviews the initial tests of our Remote Energy Measurement (REM) platform - a pioneering model designed to measure energy consumption of streaming devices in real-world settings, including actual home environments. While energy measurement has been done in lab settings, we aim to build a platform that works with Consumer Premises Equipment in the field.

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The paper documents our initial hackathons where members began building and testing the measurement processes. We're sharing our early development work transparently to gather industry feedback as we refine the platform. This is foundational work - we're building the measurement infrastructure first, with comprehensive data analysis to follow. Our goal is creating a vendor-neutral framework that shows how software, hardware, and network architecture impact energy consumption across the streaming workflow. Further hackathons and review papers will be published as we build out the complete model to help us test not only CPE energy consumption but expand through collaboration across other working groups.

The second output from Language Lab focusses on the terms "Power off, Sleep and Standby' - again these are terms we all use. They relate directly to energy consumption in our minds and so relate to sustainability too. However the use of these terms varies immensely through the supply chain. In this paper we talk about responses from a survey of engineers we carried out. We covered discussions about other groups and SDOs use of these terms and at the end of the paper explore harmonisation with some of these.

The first output from Language Lab was created in response to a request from the Streaming Video Technology Alliance to help them develop their own 'glossary of terms' to include issues relating to streaming.  Focussing on the term "WATTS" this short paper will open thinking into what is seemingly a mundane terms in common use, but when looked at in detail in different contexts - even in our own sector - the term has a wide range of interpretations.

To introduce the Low Energy Sustainable Streaming Accord we presented this paper to the ACM's 'Mile-High Video' Conference in Denver in May 2023. It provides an overview of the organisation and the project.

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