Lawo at 2026 NAB Show: IP Innovation, Software‑based Media Infrastructure & Dynamic Media Facility Workflows

In the run‑up to the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Lawo revealed a groundbreaking innovation that forms the next major step in the company’s converged media‑infrastructure strategy, designed to accelerate system setup and optimize operational efficiency across broadcast, recording, live performance, and corporate AV environments: Edge One, Lawo’s converged video & audio stagebox. Its main mission is to make production workflows faster, smarter, and more agile on a daily basis.

With Edge One, Lawo ushers in a new chapter for audio and video connectivity in broadcast and Pro AV workflows. It can be carried from one location to the next for use close to the relevant sources and destinations, or be installed in a 19” rack (1U), under a desk or to a wall.

Edge One offers analog, MADI and USB-C audio, video connectivity on SDI and HDMI, an audio DSP for local mixing, video frame sync, JPEG XS encoding and decoding, and a lot more. It also supports power over Ethernet for video streaming up to 3G.

Since not all connectors and software functionality are needed in every workflow, Edge One supports Lawo’s software-licensable hardware principle, allowing users to activate what they need and leave out what they don’t. To speed up initial feature selection, Edge One is available in three intuitive packages: Audio, Video and Audio + Video.

Functionality not included in a given package can be added with perpetual licenses or credit-based subscriptions to expand the feature set. Three audio interface modules—only inputs, inputs and outputs, and dedicated commentary connectivity—are available for a variety of I/O applications in broadcast and Pro AV workflows. Audio interface modules are swappable for agile utilization scenarios.

The following hardware and software functions can be licensed if not already included in the selected package: up to 8 single video signal instances (in or out), up to 8 video frame syncs, up to 8x video JPEG XS en-/decoding instances, Edge One Commentary app, audio MADI I/O with built-in SRC, and mc²-grade audio DSP for low-latency local mixing.

The new solution aligns closely with the broader industry movement toward dynamic, software‑based media facilities. Central to Lawo’s approach is the HOME platform, which serves as the operational backbone for Lawo’s IP ecosystem where third-party solutions are more than welcome. HOME management, which now supports role-based access control (RBAC) to avoid unpleasant surprises, provides essential services such as device discovery, authentication, and orchestration. These capabilities allow production infrastructures to adapt their available resources and processing power in real time. 

Extending this flexibility, HOME Apps offer containerized microservices that run on generic COTS servers and can be deployed, scaled, and reconfigured instantly as workflow demands shift. Together, these systems enable a facility model defined not by bespoke hardware but by rapid, workload‑based resource allocation.

At NAB Show 2026, booth C2108, Lawo will showcase an extensive suite of HOME Apps. Among the featured technologies is HOME Multiviewer, a server‑based, ultra‑low‑latency processing app supporting SMPTE ST2110, NDI, SRT, and JPEG XS workflows. Its ability to generate extensive multiviewer layouts—up to 64 picture‑in‑picture tiles—is complemented by a dynamic resolution‑management system that operates in conjunction with Lawo’s .edge platform. This mechanism intelligently selects either full‑resolution feeds or proxy streams based on PiP size and operational context, resulting in optimized CPU usage and significantly reduced bandwidth overhead while maintaining precise monitoring quality.

In addition to HOME Multiviewer, the HOME Apps portfolio includes real‑time UDX conversion with HDR processing, graphics insertion, stream transcoding, and a broad set of tools for color correction, timecode generation, test patterns, tone generation, and audio DSP. Each application can be launched or stopped on demand, creating an adaptable processing environment that supports rapidly changing production requirements and aligns with the Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) as well as the Media Echange Layer (MXL) initiatives.

Lawo will furthermore present the latest software generation for its mc²36, mc²56 and mc²96 production consoles and its crystal on‑air mixing systems. The new mc² release introduces a refined Strip Assign workflow that accelerates channel configuration and improves visual clarity, while deeper integration with Waves SuperRack via the ProLink protocol enhances real‑time plug‑in workflows. EBU R.143-compliant security features provide protection for systems in interconnected IP production environments.

Lawo’s full suite of IP‑native routing, software‑based processing technologies, and dynamic resource‑management tools will be on display at NAB Show 2026, booth C2108.