Save 50%+ on Encoding - Then Comes the Hard Part: Operationalizing VPUs at Scale with Arcadian
Voices of Video with Joe Waltzer from Arcadian
Cutting encoding OpEx by 50% or more with a VPU is the easy win. Making it work in production - subtitles that stay in sync, keyframes that align, HDR that renders correctly, and messy back-catalog files that don't break your automation - is where most streaming projects actually get hard.
In this episode, NETINT's Mark Donnigan sits down with Joe Waltzer, CEO and founder of Arcadian, the media services partner that takes NETINT customers from "this VPU will cut our costs" to a fully operationalized, production-ready system. Arcadian designs, builds, and operates end-to-end workflows for the world's largest studios and regional streamers alike - closing the gap between an impressive benchmark and a stream that actually holds up in the real world.
You'll learn:
- Where the 50–90% VPU savings really come from - power, rack space, cloud fees - and how to read the numbers honestly
- The hidden edge cases that pass every benchmark and still break in production
- When repatriating from cloud to on-prem pays off - and when staying in the cloud is the smarter move
- What real end-to-end observability requires, and why quality issues often start outside the encoder
- Where AI is genuinely useful at the operations layer today
- Joe's provocative take on what he'd deliberately leave out of a greenfield streaming build
Watch more from the series at Voices of Video, then meet NETINT and Arcadian at IBC 2026 in the VPU Ecosystem booth.
Joe Waltzer, Founder and CEO at Arcadian
Joe Waltzer is the founder and CEO of Arcadian, a technology company focused on building and integrating modern video streaming platforms. With previous roles at Sony Pictures and Fox, Joe has worked across the OTT ecosystem delivering applications and infrastructure for web, mobile, connected TVs, gaming consoles, and automotive platforms. At Arcadian, he specializes in connecting the complex systems behind streaming services, from CMS and media asset management to transcoding, distribution, and playback, helping media companies launch and scale reliable video platforms.
Mark Donnigan - Head of Strategic Marketing at NETINT Technologies
Mark Donnigan is the Head of Strategic Marketing at NETINT Technologies, where his extensive experience and innovative approach have significantly contributed to the company's growth and industry standing. With a background that combines deep technical understanding and strategic marketing expertise, Mark has been instrumental in positioning NETINT as a leader in ASIC Video Processing Units (VPUs) for ultra-high density video encoding and streaming. His work at NETINT involves not just promoting the brand and its products but also shaping the future direction of the video streaming and encoding market.