From what I understand, there is an option to run transcoding servers standalone. So a single gen 5 pcie motherboard could run two alveo ma35d encoder cards and plow through a ton of encodes simultaneously. It wouldn’t be cheap of course, but in terms of running a media server hosting video, it is not impossible. This is the kind of thing in which groups of people working together would be more financially viable than separate.
Sci fi or not, I kinda want them to get this one figured out ahead of time. It is kinda like assuming that a convicted felon could never be President. You wouldn’t think that rule would need to exist because come on, how could a country possibly want to elect a convicted felon? Its a completely ridiculous notion that could absolutely never happen.