Quortex Switch optimizes dynamic CDN switching to cut streaming costs while raising quality and reliability, using content steering standards to route viewers to the best available sources.
Synamedia Quortex Switch is a new tool for managing multiple CDNs that optimises streaming costs with quality and reliability. Quortex Switch simplifies the design of complex multi-CDN systems by using new content steering standards to dynamically route end-users to the best available content sources. Used as software-as-a-service, it makes proprietary client-side code unnecessary and enables immediate, standards-based communication between the player and the content steering server.
Content Steering
This approach leads to advantages such as mid-stream switching across multiple CDNs for uninterrupted viewing experiences, and cannot be detected by the viewer. Based on load and redundancy, content steering mechanisms steer clients to different servers. The steering server determines when CDN switches occur in near real-time, and which alternative CDN should be used instead of the current one.
Quortex Switch is now a new standalone application in Synamedia's Quortex portfolio and will be shown first at NAB 2025. It supports any CDN from any provider – including Synamedia's Fluid Edge private CDN – and avoids typical CDN switching inefficiencies through the use of dynamic traffic balancing and intelligent content delivery.
Content steering switches users' content sources based on the needs of the content provider, who can use Quortex Switch to dynamically manage complex video streaming topology and choose the most cost effective route for traffic. The tool adheres to configurable balancing rules for each audience segment, improving traffic efficiency and service reliability.
QoE Metrics and Segmentation
With it, content providers can upgrade their delivery based on QoE metrics and by segmenting viewers based on factors such as geographic location and assigning dedicated CDNs to certain audiences This data-driven approach results in better balancing decisions, enabling uninterrupted streaming and rapid disaster recovery when needed.
Quortex switch continuously monitors CDN performance and redirects traffic to the best-performing option to keep viewers engaged. Quortex Switch displays and notifies users of QoE events, supporting a quick response in case of CDN failure, and its integration with video analytics tools helps by detecting quality issues automatically.
As well as optimising performance, Quortex Switch can also use balancing decisions to manage CDN usage commitments and pricing differences. This helps content providers reduce costs by preventing payment for unused capacity and unnecessary fees, and can also allow users to prioritize decisions based on energy usage, making streaming more sustainable and cost-effective.
Steering Standards Development
Synamedia's team of engineers actively participate in developing global content steering standards with organizations such as the DASH Industry Forum (DASH-IF), the Streaming Video Technology Alliance (SVTA) and the Common Access Tokens (CAT) and Common Media Client Data (CMCD) initiatives, which contributed to the launch of Quortex Switch.
"Content providers tell us that scaling video delivery is the single biggest challenge they face, yet they still rely on inefficient proprietary software and complex custom integrations, as well as the use of inadequate protocols such as DNS redirection," said Julien Signes, EVP, Video Network, Synamedia. "By combining intelligent traffic management, real-time QoE insights provided by Mux, and sustainability-focused cost control, Quortex Switch delivers a more resilient, scalable streaming experience."
Quortex Switch is available through the Quortex portal and can be integrated with Quortex SaaS products including Quortex Link and Quortex Play. www.synamedia.com
