Carbon impact of video streaming
Introduction
1.1. Purpose of the white paper
The purpose of this white paper is to contribute further to develop knowledge around the measurement of the energy and carbon impact of on demand video streaming (VoD). The white paper presents the current magnitude for the electricity consumption and operational carbon emissions of video streaming. Subsequently, the white paper outlines current policy trends, both on governmental and company levels. The white paper discusses the complexities of video streaming and moreover the complexities of measuring its carbon footprint.
Figure 1.
To provide a proper understanding of this complexity, the white paper explores the different components involved in video streaming (as shown in the diagram below) from a life-cycle perspective: Data Centres (for originating and encoding of video content), Content Delivery Network (CDN - for temporary storage and delivery), Internet Network Transmission, Home Terminals and Routers, Home Peripherals (e.g. set-top-boxes), and End-User devices (screens). To estimate the video streaming carbon footprint, this paper outlines where in the life-cycle the emissions take place and what magnitudes they have.
Process map showing boundary scope of video streaming
Data centres
Transmission
User media device
Wired access networks
Home terminals and routers
Core networks
Cellular access networks
Cloud storage and encoding
Content Delivery Network
Internet transmission
Subscriber premises transmission
Peripherals
Screens
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