Is SPX for me?

SPX may be for you, or not. Tell us what you're looking for and we'll give you a straight answer, even if that answer is "look elsewhere".

How the check works Who SPX is for, which product fits, and the five questions

Who SPX is for, and who it isn't

SPX is built for professional production teams. It is not the right tool for everyone, and this page says so. Everything below comes from the same answers and rules as the check above.

SPX is a good fit when

Tier-1 or tier-2 broadcaster with professional production teams and commercial vendor agreements.
Professional production company delivering shows under commercial agreements, often with bespoke graphics per client.
Venue or in-house production team running recurring events with a professional crew.
Wants bespoke, carefully designed graphics packages with a long shelf life; a strong SPX use case.
Wants in-house designers plus graphics developers (HTML/JS, or exports from After Effects, Loopic or Figma) building reusable templates; a team setup that suits SPX well.
Needs high-end, data-driven graphics, often with paid data providers and custom user interfaces; a strong SPX use case.
Needs a designed graphics package (lower thirds, titles, bugs, full-frames) reused in every episode of a show, or across a channel's schedule.
Wants an NRCS/MOS newsroom workflow with studio automation; SPX Broadcast territory.
Wants prepared rundowns with one or more live operators; SPX Production supports multiple operators and remote control.
Wants automated, schedule-driven channel graphics; SPX Playout is built for 24/7 playout.
Wants on-premise infrastructure with key/fill output via SDI, NDI or ST2110; SPX is on-prem first but may need additional software and hardware for video signal generation.
Wants a single server where a host application (CasparCG, Analog Way Picturall, vMix or OBS) handles video mixing and clip playback, with SPX running on the same hardware.

SPX works, with trade-offs, when

"Ourselves: YouTube, Twitch or a podcast" SPX is built for professional production teams. For individual creators, SPX Solo suits those who are into realtime graphics and comfortable editing templates.
"One person does everything, mostly on the fly" SPX rewards preparation: templates, rundowns and data are set up before the show. If you plan to improvise live, the SPX Graphics Controller is still quick to operate without much preparation.
"Cloud only, no hardware of our own" SPX Cloud exists for remote workflows, but virtualized instances may have less performance and higher latency compared to on-premise setups.
"In one server that also mixes video" SPX itself does not process video. A host application such as CasparCG, Analog Way Picturall, vMix or OBS mixes the video on the same hardware, with SPX graphics on top, and SPX can control the host application, for example DVE effects and clip playback.

SPX is not a good fit when

"Designed and animated inside the graphics tool itself" SPX does not include built-in graphics creation or animation tools. Templates are built beforehand, in HTML or exported from design tools such as After Effects, Loopic or Figma, and SPX then controls and plays them out. A graphics system with a built-in designer and animation editor will suit you better.
"Just a logo and the odd name title. Honestly, anything goes" SPX pays off when graphics are designed and prepared with care. For a logo and the odd name title it is more tool than you need. The built-in titler in vMix or OBS will do the job.

Which SPX product fits you

SPX Solo

Affordable single-operator graphics controller for live streaming, working with OBS, vMix and Stream Deck. The open-source version is free for those who can self-host it (Node.js and Git).

Typical answers:

Ourselves: YouTube, Twitch or a podcast
Starting from ready-made templates, adjusting colours, fonts and logos ourselves
A few simple titles and logos, but they must look right

SPX Production

Graphics Control software for live productions, events, outdoor broadcasting and live studio productions.

Typical answers:

A production house making shows for clients
A venue, arena or in-house events team
By our own designers and developers, as reusable templates
Complex and data-driven: scores, elections, tickers, feeds from data providers
A crew prepares the rundown in advance and operators play graphics live
One person does everything, mostly on the fly

SPX Playout

Cost effective SPX Server for 24/7 playout with 20 layers, transition logic, a single output, built-in redundancy, playout integration and up to 24/7 SLA support.

Typical answers:

A TV broadcaster, public or commercial
A consistent graphics package, reused episode after episode
Graphics run unattended from a playout schedule, 24/7

SPX Broadcast

Enterprise broadcast solution for automated graphics playout with ServerAPI, TCP interfaces and optional MOS newsroom integrations, studio automation, playout integration, and up to 24/7 SLA support.

Typical answers:

A TV broadcaster, public or commercial
Designed from a creative brief for each show or brand, built by professionals and used for a long time, often a year or more
Complex and data-driven: scores, elections, tickers, feeds from data providers
A consistent graphics package, reused episode after episode
Journalists fill graphics in the newsroom system and automation runs the show

SPX Cloud

Cloud-hosted version of SPX Graphics for remote production workflows.

Typical answers:

Cloud only, no hardware of our own

Services that complement any edition:

SPX Creative Support: Dedicated and direct support hotline for creative teams; recurring assistance for design and graphics-related queries.
SPX Professional Services: Professional services: custom graphics packages, integration, consultancy and development.

The five questions

Who are you making graphics for?
- A TV broadcaster, public or commercial
- A production house making shows for clients
- A venue, arena or in-house events team
- Ourselves: YouTube, Twitch or a podcast
How do you want your graphics made?
- Designed from a creative brief for each show or brand, built by professionals and used for a long time, often a year or more
- By our own designers and developers, as reusable templates
- Starting from ready-made templates, adjusting colours, fonts and logos ourselves
- Designed and animated inside the graphics tool itself
What should your graphics be able to do?
- Complex and data-driven: scores, elections, tickers, feeds from data providers
- A consistent graphics package, reused episode after episode
- A few simple titles and logos, but they must look right
- Just a logo and the odd name title. Honestly, anything goes
How do you want to run your shows?
- Journalists fill graphics in the newsroom system and automation runs the show
- A crew prepares the rundown in advance and operators play graphics live
- Graphics run unattended from a playout schedule, 24/7
- One person does everything, mostly on the fly
Where should it all run?
- On-premise hardware, wired into our switchers or playout (key+fill)
- On-premise virtual machines with software defined production platforms
- Cloud only, no hardware of our own
- In one server that also mixes video

Still not sure? Talk with us. We would rather tell you honestly than sell you the wrong tool.