Fluendo's STREAM project: Final results from SPIRIT Open Call

We’re delighted to announce the successful completion of our STREAM project (Scalable Telepresence with Real-time Enhanced Multimedia), developed under the SPIRIT Open Call 1 initiative. This achievement marks an important step forward in Fluendo’s continuous drive toward pioneering cutting-edge multimedia technology solutions.

STREAM has delivered significant advancements to revolutionize real-time immersive telepresence, addressing key industry challenges such as bandwidth optimization, browser compatibility, and immersive visual realism.

STREAM’s Technical Milestones: Setting New Standards in Multimedia Communication

Throughout the STREAM project, our dedicated team successfully achieved several technical milestones that set the groundwork for future-ready multimedia solutions:

Bandwidth Optimization with Versatile Video Coding (VVC/H.266)

Integrating the powerful Versatile Video Codec (VVC/H.266) within the GStreamer framework, we achieved a remarkable reduction of over 50% in bandwidth usage compared to traditional H.264 encoding, without compromising video quality. This breakthrough positions Fluendo at the forefront of efficient multimedia streaming solutions, significantly lowering the cost and network burden for businesses requiring high-quality video streams.

Seamless Browser Compatibility through WebAssembly (WASM)

STREAM established a fully browser-compatible multimedia pipeline leveraging WebAssembly (WASM), enabling streaming advanced multimedia directly in browsers without additional installations. Our innovative approach included building Emscripten-based GStreamer components, developing novel Web-native plugins, and ensuring full compatibility with modern browsers. This strategic choice greatly simplifies multimedia deployment, which is essential for scalable remote collaboration and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) platforms.

Real-Time Protocol Flexibility: WebRTC and WebTransport

Recognizing the need for flexibility in browser environments, STREAM implemented dual-protocol support combining WebRTC and WebTransport. This hybrid approach ensured robust and adaptable streaming performance, addressing scenarios where standard WebRTC faced limitations due to browser security constraints. STREAM enhances user experience and operational reliability across diverse platforms by providing reliable, real-time multimedia streaming.

Enhanced Immersive Realism through Alpha Channel Support

STREAM incorporated advanced alpha channel support, enabling real-time video compositing and background removal. This functionality significantly elevates visual realism in telepresence applications, delivering compelling user experiences ideal for professional environments, remote collaboration, and virtual meetings.

Demonstrable Results: STREAM’s Validated Performance

To confirm the real-world applicability of these innovations, STREAM successfully delivered two key demonstrations:

• Native GStreamer + WebRTC Pipeline: Validated latency, stability, and visual quality under real-world network conditions, proving the effectiveness of our multimedia pipeline for high-quality, real-time scenarios.

• Browser-based WASM & WebTransport Pipeline: Demonstrated smooth, installation-free streaming directly in-browser, validating STREAM’s codec integration and ensuring broad accessibility for end users.

A practical user study near Fluendo’s Barcelona office also provided compelling validation. Participants confirmed minimal perceptual difference between H.266 and H.264 streams, yet recognized substantial bandwidth savings, reinforcing STREAM’s value proposition.

Open Source Contributions and Community Engagement

True to our commitment to open standards and collaboration, STREAM generated numerous open-source contributions, including:

• gst.wasm (WebAssembly-compatible GStreamer build)

• Web-native multimedia plugins (gst-plugins-web)

• WebTransport support modules for browser-based multimedia streaming

• Robust testing and integration tools released publicly via GitHub: Fluster

These contributions ensure continued community development, fostering an ecosystem built around innovative multimedia technology.

Strategic Impact and Commercial Relevance

STREAM’s successful outcomes directly enhance Fluendo’s product portfolio, providing strong foundations for our multimedia solutions aimed at sectors such as remote collaboration, telepresence, and VDI. STREAM’s innovations will greatly benefit organizations seeking to reduce costs, simplify deployments, and deliver immersive experiences.

Acknowledgements and Looking Ahead

We sincerely thank the SPIRIT consortium and the European Commission for their essential support throughout this project. Their technical guidance and strategic insights were invaluable in achieving STREAM’s ambitious goals.

Fluendo is now better positioned to deliver groundbreaking multimedia solutions that set new standards in immersive telepresence, bandwidth efficiency, and user-friendly accessibility. We remain deeply committed to pushing technological boundaries as we progress, leveraging these innovations to empower our partners and customers worldwide.

We’re also thrilled to announce that we will present our demo and key results live at the upcoming EuroXR conference and the final SPIRIT event later this year, an exciting opportunity to showcase the outcomes of STREAM to the extended XR and multimedia innovation community.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as Fluendo continues to shape the future of multimedia communication!

Contact us to explore how STREAM’s results can enhance your organization’s multimedia strategy.

Funded by the European Union (SPIRIT, 101070672). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The SPIRIT project has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).