You can now create Broadcast Live streams that deliver audio without a video track. JWX ingests a live audio feed and publishes HLS and DASH manifests containing AAC audio renditions, making Broadcast Live suitable for radio channels, commentary feeds, and other audio-only events.

New Features

This update includes the following capabilities:

• Audio-only stream mode: Set stream_mode to audio_only when you create a live stream. JWX encodes and packages the audio without creating a video rendition ladder. Existing streams and new streams that omit stream_mode continue to use the default audio_video mode.
• HLS and DASH delivery: Audio-only streams publish standard HLS and DASH manifests with AAC audio renditions for playback in JWX Player and other compatible players.
• Event and 24/7 support: Use audio-only mode with both Live event and 24/7 stream types.
• Audio-only live-to-VOD: When live-to-VOD is enabled, JWX captures the stream as an audio-only media item. It does not generate video renditions, thumbnails, or seek thumbnails.

CMAF VOD now supports AV1, a royalty-free, next-generation video codec. JWX can transcode source media into AV1 renditions, or you can upload pre-encoded AV1 renditions for delivery through HLS and DASH.

New Features

This update includes the following AV1 capabilities:

• AV1 transcoding: Use a custom transcoding config to create AV1 renditions from uploaded source media.
• Bring your own renditions: Upload pre-encoded AV1 renditions that meet the CMAF VOD rendition guidelines.
• Mixed-codec delivery: Deliver AV1 on its own or alongside AVC or HEVC renditions in the same HLS and DASH manifests. Devices without AV1 support automatically play a compatible rendition.
• Up to 4K resolution: Create and deliver AV1 renditions at resolutions up to 4K.
• CMAF VOD feature support: Use AV1 renditions with server-side ad insertion (SSAI), JWX DRM, and streaming analytics.

NOTE: AV1 is not included with standard Media Management and requires custom pricing and the premium transcoding entitlement. Contact your JWX representative to discuss availability and configure AV1 transcoding. Because AV1 takes longer to encode than AVC, account for additional processing time when planning large library ingests.

You can now upload source files through the JWX dashboard using the CMAF VOD workflow. Select CMAF VOD during upload, and JWX uses a transcoding config to automatically create a complete rendition ladder from the source file.

New Features

The JWX dashboard now supports the following CMAF VOD capabilities:

• Upload and transcode CMAF VOD: Upload a media file or URL in the dashboard, and JWX transcodes it into CMAF renditions. Pre-encoded renditions are no longer required.
• Workflow selection: Choose Traditional VOD or CMAF VOD for each upload. If CMAF VOD is configured as your property’s default upload workflow, it is preselected but does not prevent you from choosing Traditional VOD.
• Transcoding configs: A transcoding config defines the audio and video rendition ladder JWX creates from a source file. Every property receives a default CMAF VOD transcoding config. Work with your JWX representative to create custom configs, which can be set as the property default or applied to individual media items. If your property has multiple transcoding configs, select the config to use for the media item. 
• Video and audio management: View or delete video renditions for CMAF VOD media in the dashboard. You can also upload, view, or delete audio tracks and edit audio track metadata.
• Text tracks: Upload, create, or edit caption tracks for CMAF VOD media in the dashboard. You can also create chapter and metadata tracks.

NOTE: The property-level default upload workflow applies only to dashboard uploads. When uploading through the Management API v2, specify the workflow and transcoding config in the request.

DRM customers can now monitor license request health directly from the JWX dashboard. The new Monitoring section under Analytics provides self-service access to license volume, latency, and error data, helping you assess DRM performance and troubleshoot license-serving issues.

New Features

The DRM monitoring dashboard provides the following capabilities:

• License request monitoring: View license request volumes by DRM provider, including Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady.
• Response latency metrics: Monitor P90, P95, and P99 response latency to identify changes in license-serving performance.
• Time-period filters: View DRM data from the previous 6 hours, 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days. Data intervals adjust automatically to the selected range.
• Error categorization: Distinguish 4xx responses, such as expired-token or geographic-restriction errors, from 5xx server failures. Response-code breakdowns provide additional detail to help identify the source of an issue.

NOTE: The DRM Monitoring section is visible only to accounts with DRM enabled.

JWX Ad Server now supports account-level ad operations across multiple properties, with a new Operations role, property targeting, and account-level analytics.

New Features

The new Operations role lets Ad Ops users manage JWX Ad Server across the account without granting broader Admin permissions:

• Operations role: Give users account-wide access to JWX Ad Server, Ad Serving analytics, and Ad Serving custom reports.
• Property targeting: Target all properties, selected properties, or all except selected properties with the new Properties setting in Web targeting rules.
• Account-level analytics: View Ad Serving data across all properties by default, filter analytics by Property or Ad format from the account-level experience.

❗ IMPORTANT: With this change, users who access Ad Serving through the Read Only, Editor, or Manager role will lose access immediately. Assign the Operations role to users who need continued access.

Live and VOD media now use the same trimming and clipping tool in the JWX dashboard. The unified controls, timeline, and workflow make it easier to create precise clips from live events or edit VOD media.

New Features

This update includes the following improvements:

• Unified trimming and clipping tool: Use the same dashboard tool to create clips from Broadcast Live and Instant Live events or trim and clip VOD media from the media details page.
• Frame-accurate clipping: Clips created from Broadcast Live, Instant Live, and CMAF VOD media now begin and end on the exact frames you select, helping you capture the intended moment without padding or re-cutting. 

• Expanded keyboard shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts are now available for both live and VOD media. Use them to:

  • (New) Zoom in, zoom out, or reset the timeline zoom using =, -, and 0
  • Step one frame backward or forward using , and .
  • Jump five seconds backward or forward using ← and →
  • Set the in and out points using i and o
  • Play or pause using space
• In-tool shortcut legend: View a complete list of keyboard shortcuts directly within the trimming and clipping tool.

NOTE: Frame-accurate clipping and frame-step keyboard shortcuts apply only to Broadcast Live, Instant Live, and CMAF VOD media. Traditional VOD clips and trims remain segment-accurate.

Learn how to trim a video or create a clip, create a Broadcast Live clip, or create a clip from a past Instant Live event.

You can now manage captions and subtitles for CMAF VOD media using the same text tracks endpoints available for Traditional VOD. Upload a WebVTT or SRT file, and JWX automatically packages and delivers the track in streaming manifests and as a sidecar WebVTT file without requiring you to create a .cmft file.

New Features

This update includes the following capabilities:

• Text track management for CMAF VOD: Use the text tracks endpoints to create, upload, edit, publish, unpublish, and delete WebVTT or SRT captions and subtitles. JWX packages each published track as a CMAF text rendition and includes it in HLS and DASH manifests.
• Automatic text track extraction: When you upload CMAF VOD media, JWX automatically extracts captions and subtitles embedded in the source file and creates manageable text tracks from them.
• Sidecar WebVTT delivery: JWX also provides each caption or subtitle track as a sidecar WebVTT file that matches the version delivered in the streaming manifests. Use the direct WebVTT URL for syndication or playback through third-party players.
• Support for pre-encoded .cmft files: Continue using the custom text renditions endpoints when supplying your own pre-encoded .cmft files. These tracks are delivered only through streaming manifests and are not available as sidecar WebVTT files.

This update applies only to captions and subtitles tracks. Chapters and metadata tracks are unchanged.

NOTE: CMAF VOD text track management is currently available only through the Management API v2. Support for managing these tracks in the JWX dashboard and editing text renditions from live-to-VOD captures and CMAF VOD clips will be added in future releases.

Ad optimization lets you deliver different ad experiences to defined audience segments without changing your video application. Using request data, media metadata, and other sources, you can tailor ad loads for audiences such as new and returning viewers, select experiences based on content, and schedule when those experiences apply.

New Features

Ad optimization provides the following capabilities:

• Audience segmentation: Define audience segments using signals from an SSAI request, metadata on the requested media item, or a specified date and time.
• Prioritized evaluation: Arrange audience segments in the order JWX should evaluate them. When a request meets every condition in a segment, JWX applies the outcome configured for that segment.
• Default advertising segment: Define a default outcome that JWX applies when no audience segment matches the request.
• Complete advertising outcomes: Assign an ad config, control bumper behavior, and define stitch mode for each audience segment.
• Independent configuration: Configure advertising, bumpers, and stitch mode independently to tailor each part of the experience to an audience.
• Traffic splitting: Distribute traffic between ad configs to compare different advertising experiences or balance delivery.
• Segment measurement: Measure the performance of individual audience segments, then refine their conditions and traffic distribution.

Learn more about ad optimization. 

NOTE: Ad optimization is currently available as a beta offering. Contact your JWX Account Manager to request access. Use of this feature is subject to the JWX Beta Program Agreement.

You can now control whether a web player displays Motion Thumbnails when creating a web player or configuring Player UX for Dynamic Strategy Rules.

New Feature

Use the Motion Thumbnails setting under Display Settings to control whether the player displays motion thumbnails. The setting is enabled by default. When disabled, the player displays a static poster instead.

Motion thumbnails must be available for the video before the player can display them. Learn how to enable the delivery of auto-generated motion thumbnails.

Learn more about configuring web player display options and Player UX for Dynamic Strategy Rules.

You can now replace the source file of an existing CMAF VOD media item without deleting and recreating it. Re-uploading preserves the media ID, metadata, and delivery URLs. This allows playlists, feeds, and downstream integrations to continue working without interruption.

New Features

CMAF VOD now supports the following re-upload capabilities:

• Media re-uploads: Use the re-upload endpoint to upload a new source file for an existing CMAF VOD media item. JWX preserves the media ID, metadata (such as the title and description), and delivery URLs. Playback switches to the new version after processing is complete.
• Automatic rendition regeneration: By default, JWX generates new renditions using the transcoding config from the media item’s previous version. If your site has multiple transcoding configs, you can specify a different config for the re-upload.
• Hosting type conversion: Use a re-upload to change a media item’s hosting_type from hosted (Traditional VOD) to renditions (CMAF VOD), or from renditions to hosted.
• Re-upload status: Use the media versions endpoints to confirm that a re-upload succeeded.

The existing re-upload limitations for audio and caption tracks still apply.

This update helps you:

• Deliver corrected masters, edits, and compliance cuts without breaking playlists, feeds, or integrations
• Maintain a consistent rendition ladder across re-uploads
• Manage CMAF VOD media using the same re-upload workflow available for Traditional VOD

NOTE: CMAF VOD re-uploads are currently available only through the Management API v2. Support for re-uploading through the JWX dashboard will be added in a future release.