BRIGHTON, UK—Mavis has launched Mavis Studio, a new live production app for iPad that gives creators, broadcasters and production teams a new way to build and deliver professional multi-camera content affordably, with a highly portable setup.

Mavis Studio combines multicamera video switching, playback, integrated graphics, audio mixing, recording and streaming in a single iPad app. The product is positioned as a portable, mobile-first platform for live video workflows, with Mavis Camera integration, NDI certified with HX3 support for high-quality IP video workflows, internal recording and streaming output to all popular social platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Twitch. For custom streaming, RTMP and SRT protocols are also supported.

Mavis Studio’s touch-first interface makes live production feel immediate and intuitive, with interactive multiviews for fast source selection, revealable control panels for extended functionality and support for professional codecs such as Apple ProRes, the company said. It is aimed at a wide range of real-world workflows, from video podcasts and music performances to corporate events and house of worship.

“Mavis Studio is designed for productions that want the quality and features typically associated with a traditional broadcast production but with the ease of use and pricing model of a consumer-based app” said Patrick Holroyd, CEO of Mavis. “There are now huge numbers of content creation teams and event producers who need professional live output, but do not want to be tied to large, fixed systems. With Mavis Studio, we are giving them a flexible, portable production tool built around the power of the iPad.”

At the heart of the app is a powerful production switcher with support for live and internal sources. Users can manage up to four live inputs and combine those feeds with multiple integrated playout tools. Video packages can also be rolled from the built-in media players, stills displayed from the image players, and HTML5-based graphics overlays and web presentations incorporated.

Support for alpha-aware graphics across the application allows for lower thirds, branding and other visual elements to be layered cleanly into the live output. Preset and custom scene layouts allow operators to build anything from simple two-way interviews to richer multi-layer productions with graphics and branded visual elements.

Audio is also central to the app, which is particularly important for podcasts, house of worship and music productions. Mavis Studio includes a 16-channel audio desk with channel strips, pan, gain, EQ, grouping and master output control, enabling users to create a polished live mix directly inside the app.

Mavis Studio is NDI Certified, allowing it to take advantage of high-quality IP video running over a conventional network for events such as university lectures, corporate events or brand live streams, which often need more than a single camera but may not justify the expense of a full outside broadcast rig.

The app supports receiving up to four synchronized NDI feeds and sending an NDI output, enabling compact, flexible IP-based workflows for live events. As with other outputs, NDI can also be configured from the internal video matrix, allowing users to record a clean PGM feed while simultaneously sending a branded feed out via NDI.

"Over the past few years, we have seen NDI adoption expand well beyond traditional broadcast, and Mavis Studio is a natural reflection of that shift," said Miguel Coutinho, Head of NDI. "Creators who want professional multi-camera output should not have to invest in fixed, expensive systems to get it. By building NDI certification into Mavis Studio, that level of production quality is now accessible to a much wider audience."

The Mavis Studio app is a free download available from the App Store. The free version applies a watermark on all outputs, which can be removed for $24.99 per month or $79.99 per year. To remove the watermark and activate NDI costs $39.99 per month or $129.99 per year.

LISBON—Plug-and-play IP video connectivity provider NDI has announced an expanded partnership with OBSBOT and a renewed licensing agreement that will see NDI integrated across OBSBOT’s entire product lineup as a native capability.

The agreement means that NDI is now available free of charge on OBSBOT products, with no additional licensing required for end users.

The renewed agreement marks a significant expansion of the companies’ existing relationship. OBSBOT plans to significantly increase the number of products shipped with NDI built in, as more of its product line adopts native support.

OBSBOT’s products are widely used by creators, educators, and teams who want professional capabilities without enterprise-level complexity. Native NDI support allows those users to connect OBSBOT cameras directly into IP video workflows for streaming, remote production, and hybrid use, without adding extra hardware or licensing steps. This also highlights NDI’s interoperability, allowing OBSBOT cameras to work seamlessly with a wide range of software, switchers, and production platforms.

“Over the past few years, we have seen NDI adoption move well beyond traditional broadcast,” said Miguel Coutinho, head of NDI. “Creators in the prosumer space want tools that work together without added complexity or extra cost. As one of the most innovative hardware companies in the space, OBSBOT understands that shift and expanding NDI across their product portfolio as a native feature makes professional IP workflows more accessible to a much wider group of users.”

For OBSBOT customers, the renewal removes friction at both the technical and cost level. Native NDI support allows direct integration with NDI-enabled software, switchers, and production platforms already in use, giving creators the ability to scale their workflows as their needs change.

"By making NDI standard across our lineup, users have more freedom in how they build their workflows today, and fewer limitations as those workflows grow," said SanLe Zhang, Senior Product Manager at OBSBOT. "It also makes it easier for creators to mix and match devices and software without worrying about compatibility, so they can focus on their content rather than setup."

The renewal also reflects the broader shift toward NDI being built directly into hardware across a range of production environments. From broadcast and live events to enterprise and creator-led workflows, native NDI support is increasingly expected rather than optional.

OBSBOT will showcase its Tail 2 Camera as a Wall Partner at NDI's Ecosystem Booth at ISE 2026, February 3-6. Attendees can see NDI-enabled OBSBOT devices in action and experience how they integrate smoothly with a variety of production workflows.

For more information about NDI, visit ndi.video.

For more information about OBSBOT, visit obsbot.com.

LISBON—In the runup to ISE in February, video connectivity provider NDI has released NDI 6.3, a major update designed to give professional and enterprise users greater visibility, operational insight and confidence when running NDI at scale.

The release focuses on advanced discovery, monitoring, and control, reinforcing NDI’s role in mission-critical broadcast, Pro AV, live event, and enterprise workflows.

"NDI 6.3 is the final step of the journey we started with the release of 6.0,” said Miguel Coutinho, head of NDI, which is owned by Vizrt. “This latest release establishes NDI into the world of large video installations by allowing monitoring and control of both senders and receivers, no matter the size of the network."

NDI 6.3 will be demonstrated live at ISE in Barcelona between Feb. 3 through 6, where Roberto Musso, technical director at NDI, will lead hands-on, demo-first walkthroughs on the show floor. These demonstrations will showcase live sender monitoring and diagnostics across multiple active NDI sources, highlighting how operators can quickly identify and isolate issues in scaled environments.

At ISE, NDI will feature dedicated demo pods with Vizrt, Ross, Science Image, Everet, CDN Live and TSL, while wall displays will highlight partners and users including Panasonic, Obsbot, BirdDog, Magewell, Bolin, Yealink and MMG. Together, these showcases highlight the breadth of the NDI ecosystem and reinforce third-party validation across professional video workflows.

As NDI deployments continue to grow in size, teams need clear insight into how their networks and video sources are performing. NDI 6.3 addresses this need by enabling real-time monitoring of multiple active sources, providing diagnostics for stream health, and helping operators identify issues such as packet loss or jitter before they impact production.

In addition to monitoring and control enhancements, NDI 6.3 expands secure Pro AV workflows through new HDCP compatibility. NDI now supports HDCP-enabled devices built in collaboration with ProITAV, enabling protected content workflows that were previously out of reach for many Pro AV environments, including use cases that require encrypted sources, licensed playback devices, or end-to-end content protection. Working closely with ProITAV, NDI developed the first NDI-enabled, HDCP-compliant encoder and decoder, which is fully integrated with NDI 6.3 for HDCP streams and Non-HDCP- Streams. This hardware solution opens the door to a new device category and new applications that provide a more secure deployment option for partners and customers.

The release also supports Agilex 7 FPGA chipset enablement, expanding hardware support and strengthening the NDI ecosystem for high-performance deployments.

NDI also reported praise from early beta partners for the 6.3 release.

“With NDI 6.3, we’re helping unlock secure, real-world Pro AV workflows that weren’t previously possible,” said Keith Kennedy, Managing Director at ProITAV. “Working closely with NDI, we developed the first NDI-enabled, HDCP-compliant encoder and decoder to support protected content end to end. This gives integrators and enterprise users a practical way to deploy NDI in environments that require encryption, licensed playback, and content protection, without compromising performance or flexibility.”

LONDON—NDI and collaboration platform Zoom have struck a strategic collaboration to integrate NDI Advanced technologies across multiple Zoom platforms.

The collaboration offers organizations a way to transform their meeting rooms, shared spaces and event venues with flexible, high-quality video and audio connectivity, NDI said.

With NDI enabled within Custom AV for Zoom Rooms, enterprises can connect any NDI-compatible device or stream, such as cameras, displays or other AV equipment, directly into Zoom meetings. This integration supports multicamera and multidisplay setups, making it easy to implement advanced AV-over-IP workflows in various spaces, including hybrid auditoriums, all-hands rooms, lecture halls, training spaces, corporate broadcast studios and large boardrooms, it said.

The NDI integration with Custom AV for Zoom Rooms results in a seamless, immersive experience with minimal latency and maximum reliability, it said.

NDI Advanced technologies will also bring new capabilities to Zoom’s Zoom for Broadcast tools, giving virtual and hybrid event producers enhanced abilities to deliver broadcast-quality experiences that drive interactivity and engagement at scale. Popular event production apps in the Zoom Webinars and Events platform, such as ZoomISO and Tiles for Zoom, will directly benefit from these powerful NDI features, the companies said.

“The wide industry adoption of NDI technology and its plug-and-play approach makes AV-over-IP workflows more accessible than ever before across broadcast television, enterprise production and content creation,” said Andy Carluccio, head of client innovation at Zoom. “We are excited to integrate robust NDI Advanced technology inside key Zoom products, offering a seamless experience that unifies NDI’s impressive capabilities and product ecosystem with Zoom’s innovative collaboration platform.”

NDI offers a compelling alternative to traditional hardware connections with its software-driven, network-based and plug-and-play connectivity. With NDI Advanced technology operating directly within Zoom’s versatile product offerings, meeting and event spaces are easier to adapt, it said.

The widespread interoperability of the NDI standard enables teams and users to scale at their own pace with confidence and security. Whether equipping a single meeting room or an entire campus, its IP-based standard, combined with Zoom’s trusted platform, allows organizations to adapt without costly extension technologies or complex installations, NDI said.

“Network-based connectivity opens a whole new range of possibilities for video and audio workflows,” Miguel Coutinho, head of NDI, said. “Together with Zoom, NDI is bringing these new possibilities to collaboration set-up across the world—no matter the size of your organization.”

More information is available on the NDI website.

LONDON—Yealink, a provider of unified communication and collaboration solutions, has joined the NDI ecosystem with the availability of its SmartVision 80 premium intelligent PTZ cameras—its first product to receive NDI certification.

The company is among the top certified partners of Microsoft and Zoom with products and solutions for Microsoft Teams and Zoom rooms. With the integration of NDI into its product line, Yealink takes a firm step into the world of video over IP, providing new levels of interoperability and flexibility, the company said.

“Our mission is to make video connectivity effortless, supported by a growing ecosystem of trusted partners,” said Miguel Coutinho, head of NDI. “The addition of Yealink not only expands the reach of NDI-enabled products into enterprise collaboration, but also brings intelligent, NDI-enabled video to ProAV production workflows worldwide.”

SmartVision 80 combines AI-driven video features with premium PTZ performance to deliver seamless, intelligent meeting experiences. With NDI certification, the camera integrates effortlessly into broadcast, streaming and production workflows, it said.

While NDI does not build AI functionality directly, it provides the metadata and connectivity that enable AI-driven workflows to operate seamlessly within production and collaboration environments.

“Joining NDI’s ecosystem allows us to provide our customers with even greater flexibility,” said Dawson Cai, vice president of product at Yealink. “Integrating NDI now makes it possible for the SmartVision 80 and future Yealink products to connect and collaborate seamlessly across industries and environments, bridging the gap between enterprise collaboration and professional production.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

LISBON—NDI has announced that Crestron has officially completed the NDI certification process for its 1 Beyond p-Series and i-Series cameras.

This certification further demonstrates NDI’s growing relevance as an IP video connectivity standard in ProAV cameras, with seamless integration with leading platforms like Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms, NDI reported.

The Crestron 1 Beyond cameras, which offer AI-driven presenter-tracking and intelligent switching, are now fully NDI certified and will soon be listed in the NDI Product Finder. This includes the upcoming addition of NDI support to the i12 camera as well as the recently launched TAA-compliant cameras, designed for Government deployments.

“Completing NDI certification is a big step forward in ensuring our customers have flexible, high-quality, and interoperable video technology at their fingertips,” said Connor Bright, group product manager, intelligent video and airmedia at Crestron. “Building upon the previous success of NDI with the Automate VX multi-camera switching solution, the addition of these cameras enables more seamless integration into workplace environments, and empowering IT and AV teams to deploy smarter solutions with confidence.”

"Having Crestron go all-in on NDI for 1 Beyond cameras is a milestone moment, not just for NDI, but for the entire ProAV ecosystem," said Charles Dobson, business development at NDI.

“Crestron has always supported technologies built on standards. They recognize that promoting these standards help the entire industry grow.”

More information is available here.

At the 2025 NAB Show, April 6-9 in Las Vegas, Vizrt says it plans to showcase a new AI graphics solution integration with Highfield AI, Viz Connect Audio, the company’s first dedicated NDI audio connection solution, and Viz One 8, the company’s largest update to its enterprise Media Asset Management (MAM) system in more than 10 years.

HighField AI, an advanced AI-powered solution designed to automate repetitive tasks within the media production workflow will demonstrate its integration on Vizrt Booth W3031. HighField AI, which announced its launch last week, is the industry's first multimodal and agentic AI solution designed to improve professional broadcast graphics workflow efficiency through its intelligent, context-aware AI solution.

HighField AI—purpose-built for the media industry—analyzes the stories as written by journalists in their NRCS system such as CGI Open Media and Avid’s iNews. It deploys a set of AI agents that automate tasks usually done by operators: selecting the most suitable graphics templates created with Vizrt and filling them with relevant content, including text, images, and video clips pulled from broadcasters' content repositories. These agents collaborate autonomously to assemble the story graphics, learning from past decisions to improve efficiency and accuracy. While the system operates autonomously, journalists maintain complete control over the final product, safeguarding editorial integrity and quality.

The result is maximized user efficiency and higher quality productions, Vizrt said.

"There’s an urgent need to streamline workflows for broadcasters,” says Ionut Pogacean, Senior Product Manager, Media Technologies and Workflow, Vizrt. “This integration helps our customers get the most out of their existing Vizrt infrastructure, streamlining workflows without major changes or disruptions. With HighField AI, Vizrt users can produce high-quality, visually stunning graphics faster and more efficiently, enhancing every production cycle.”

“Together with Vizrt, we're transforming the way journalists work by eliminating inefficiencies and empowering them to craft even more powerful stories," says Ofir Benovici, Co-Founder of HighField AI. "By enhancing journalists' existing workflows with cutting-edge AI, we're enabling them to deliver content faster than ever before and at higher quality.”

Vizrt will demo its integration with Highfield at Booth W3031 in the West Hall of the LVCC during the show as well as in the and in the IABM Lounge (N259).

NDI for Audio
Also new at the show is Viz Connect Audio—the company’s first dedicated audio connectivity and monitoring technology product. Viz Connect Audio adds, for the first time, a much-needed ability to manage any and all NDI sources on a network, both visually and aurally, Vizrt said.

“Audio is just as important as video in any live production. By ensuring seamless and flexible audio connectivity using the same NDI network, with streaming infrastructure also widely used for video, Viz Connect Audio guarantees professional-quality, easy to configure live productions,” says Steve Taylor, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Vizrt.

Viz Connect Audio makes it easy for users to connect analog audio sources, configure and convert them to NDI, enabling their use in a local or remote NDI ecosystem. At the same time, Viz Connect Audio allows visibility of all NDI audio sources on the NDI network.

“While TriCasters have long provided the ability to connect audio sources directly into the live production switcher, with Viz Connect Audio, the focus is firmly on enabling users to bring in analog audio sources, convert them to NDI, and connect them straight to the NDI network – strengthening the entire workflow and flexibility of the ecosystem,” says Christopher McLendon, Senior Product Manager, Vizrt.

Ideal for broadcast studios, event producers, corporate communications, educational institutions, content creators, and anyone doing a live production, Viz Connect Audio easily integrates, enabling the visibility, monitoring, and control of a production’s audio sources.

As one of the first dedicated NDI IP Audio solutions, Viz Connect Audio brings endless connectivity options, expanding unrivalled production possibilities using a range of formats.

At NAB 2025, Viz Connect Audio will be showcased in its seamless integration with Vizrt’s flagship TriCaster, the TriCaster Vizion in Booth W3031 in the West Hall of the LVCC.

Vizrt will also showcase Viz One 8, the company’s largest update to its enterprise Media Asset Management (MAM) system in more than 10 years.

FORT LEE, NJ—Leader Instruments will unveil a new tool for comprehensive NDI signal troubleshooting and monitoring at the 2025 NAB Show, April 6-9 in Las Vegas. It says it is also launching a new product line based on its acquisition of Phabrix, which will be branded "LeaderPhabrix."

NDI Checker is a software application, running in a browser on a standard Windows PC. Simply connect this to a signal network and NDI Checker can display a full list of NDI signals in the implementation, give clear access to all the technical parameters of any individual signal, provide a confidence monitor and create an event log.

On one screen, operators can instantly confirm video format, bitrate and received frames. Up to 100,000 events can be captured by the event log, displayed on the monitor and available for export as a CSV file for further analysis.

The software application will be equally valuable to broadcasters and production companies, systems integrators verifying network topographies, and device manufacturers who need a quick and simple way to check NDI streams, the company said

“NDI has become a very popular production format, and we are pleased to unveil this addition to our family of reliable and practical tools,” said Moriharu Ide, President, Leader Instruments Corporation. “On one screen an engineer can keep track of every signal in a workflow, have a clear overview of the network performance, build an event log to track performance, and be able to watch any signal at any time, all in real time.

“IP connectivity is set to transform the way content is produced, but it brings a new and different set of challenges to maintain signal quality and reliability,” Ide said. “This meets the real requirements of network engineers and operators, with the characteristic Leader practicality. Users know they can trust the Leader brand for accuracy, alongside the simplicity in operation.”

The NDI Checker signal monitoring application will be demonstrated at NAB2025, on Booth N331 in the North Hall of the LVCC. This will also see the results of the coming together of the Leader and Phabrix development teams, including a significant new family of video analysis and test signal generation instruments under the LeaderPhabrix brand, the company said. Visitors will be able to see and try equipment for test, measurement and monitoring of all signal types: SDI, IP and hybrid, up to 4k resolution and beyond.

LISBON—NDI, the global standard for plug-and-play connectivity, is launching an initiative to enhance NDI metadata capabilities in ways that will unlock unprecedented control in live production and broadcast workflows.

As part of that effort, it has released updated documentation details on how to leverage seamless, bidirectional XML metadata exchange between NDI senders and receivers to enable new workflows, remote control, and smarter automation for live events and broadcast environments.

Besides documenting some already known capabilities with the support of Vizrt, the new release also introduces four new official standard metadata elements, developed in collaboration with some of the most innovative brands in the NDI Ecosystem. Those include: support for broadcast standards CEA-708 & SCTE-104, with ToolsOnAir, the audio standard MIDI with LAMA, and the lighting control standard DMX, in partnership with SalrayWorks.

"One of the greatest advantages of IP video is not just the ability to transmit video over UTP cables, but the integration of advanced functionalities like seamless device connectivity, remote control and firmware updates," said Geen Jung, CEO and founder at SalrayWorks. "Over the years, NDI has consistently fostered an ecosystem that inspires innovation which for SalrayWorks, has opened new possibilities in fields such as lighting and audio.”

Traditionally, live events require separate teams to manage video, lighting, and audio, which can be complex and costly. This is particularly true for smaller organizations like churches or school sporting events. Using NDI-based setups to transport metadata enables seamless remote management of each component within a single, unified workflow, it said.

For instance, integrating NDI with lighting systems allows for real-time, remote adjustments directly from video preview screens, eliminating the need for a dedicated specialist. This transforms live production environments, empowering broadcasters to handle complex operations with ease with professional-grade automation.

“Having processed metadata across all our solutions for years—primarily in the SDI domain—we recognize its critical role in broadcast production. NDI metadata extends this capability into the IP realm, enabling deeper integration, smarter automation, and more efficient workflows within the NDI ecosystem. The excellent and solution-oriented collaboration with the NDI team ensures that together, we push the boundaries of video innovation, creating seamless, intelligent solutions for the present and future of NDI-based productions,” said Manuel Grund, COO of ToolsOnAir.

“NDI metadata enables us to integrate camera tracking data within the same stream where audio and video are transported. This ensures that tracking data remains synchronized with the video frame, regardless of transmission delays,” said Markus Rainer, software architect at Vizrt. “At Vizrt, our PTZ cameras already embed tracking data directly, while other solutions utilize the NDI Advanced SDK to embed externally delivered tracking data before transmission. By centralizing metadata documentation, NDI provides a unified resource for managing metadata extensions. This allows us to seamlessly reference existing solutions, reducing redundancy.”

The success of these partnerships inspired the creation of a new initiative, the Metadata Lab. Any brands and developers that want to follow in the footsteps of companies like LAMA, can now submit their metadata proposal at ndi.video/metadata-lab. The NDI technical team will then review proposals and work together with creators to test and improve on the submission. When ready, NDI will publish it as an official NDI Metadata standard in the ever-growing documentation. As new metadata integrations expand across the ecosystem, broadcasters and production teams will have more access to unparalleled flexibility and control, unlocking new possibilities for the future of live production.

“The LAMA team is excited to work with NDI to explore the possibilities of NDI metadata. Our existing implementation in LAMA Connect already makes our customer's workflows simpler, faster, and more efficient. This is only the beginning, and we look forward to seeing where we can take this technology,” said Ewan Cameron, CEO and Co-founder at Lama.

LAS VEGAS—QuickLink, a global provider of multicamera video productions and remote contributions, will launch two new models of its QuickLink StudioPro video production platform: StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, at the 2025 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 6-9.

Ideal for a wide range of production applications from broadcast to live events as well as various AV scenarios including houses of worship, education, corporate and government environments, the latest models of QuickLink StudioPro feature a variety of advancements for an enhanced workflow.

Calling it “the world’s easiest-to-use 4K video production platform,” the company says QuickLink StudioPro delivers a true-to-life ultra-low latency production experience without the complexity of legacy systems. To complement its existing 12G-SDI and ST 2110 models, the StudioPro product line is now available with 3G-SDI and NDI models, fitting a range of different workflows and applications.

“We have seen incredible adoption of StudioPro with those who require easy-to-use integrated solutions whilst maintaining high-quality standards,” says Richard Rees, CEO of QuickLink. “The new StudioPro-3 fills a need in the marketplace for an HD-version of our video production platform while the new StudioPro-NDI offers 10GB and 2.5GB Ethernet Interfaces. Both new variations feature a host of additional features such as incorporated Reliable Rugged Chassis (RRC) technology and built-in NewBlue Captivate graphics. Additionally, these latest enhancements were designed with the evolution of Mix/Effects (M/Es) methodology in mind and now offer complete flexibility, streamlining the creative process and resolving many of the limitations of M/Es.”

These customized StudioPro models create high-quality live video productions with an easy-to-use interface that provides endless possibilities. The StudioPro suite, including StudioPro-NDI, comes officially NDI Certified, guaranteed to connect seamlessly and perform up to the NDI standards of efficiency, interoperability and quality in any setup, QuickLink said.

QuickLink StudioPro features one-frame delay, which the company says ensures flawless synchronization between stage speakers and large projected screens or video walls for live presentations. StudioPro functions similarly to a video-based Microsoft PowerPoint. Each scene is like a slide, allowing users to add multiple layers, easily switching between scenes. This simplicity is paired with in-built NewBlue Captivate graphics, as standard within all StudioPro models.

Utilizing built-in, QuickLink StudioEdge and StudioCall technology, remote guests are seamlessly integrated with Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Skype calls, other camera feeds, audio sources, images, videos and graphics. Designed for both large-scale and intimate productions, StudioPro ensures that content remains on-brand and unforgettable to audiences, broadcasting to multiple physical, digital and social destinations, supporting multi-aspect ratio output simultaneously.

QuickLink StudioPro also supports ASIO audio devices over IP and offers advanced audio mixing capabilities, allowing for precise tuning of audio. The platform’s AI-driven advanced noise reduction, echo cancellation and studio audio features ensure crystal-clear audio quality, the company said.

Educational institutions can now easily bring StudioPro into the classroom, as it can be integrated into journalism, media, film and other similar college or university curriculums. With StudioPro Lab, colleges, universities and schools can seamlessly adopt StudioPro into curriculums and get access to the free educational StudioPro software for student-use.

QuickLink will be in Booth SL10413 in the South Hall of the LVCC.

LISBON, Portugal—NDI has expanded its NDI Certified program to additional product categories, including for the first time software and infrastructure hardware products, such as network switches, to ensure users have access to a broader range of reliable, interoperable options for their workflows.

NDI will show some NDI Certified products from its partners during ISE 2025 in Barcelona (Feb. 4-7).

The NDI Certification Program ensures NDI-enabled products meet the technical guidelines for seamless interoperability within NDI workflows, providing an official endorsement of partners’ products and verifying their products against their marketing claims, the company said.

“By broadening the NDI Certified program, we’re making it easier than ever for professionals to access a diverse ecosystem of trusted solutions,” NDI Business Developer Director Donald Shaver said. “This milestone reflects our commitment to innovation and collaboration, ensuring that NDI-certified solutions meet the highest standards of performance and compatibility.”

Among the first partners in this expanded initiative are Netgear, with all switches from its M4250, M4300, M4350 and M4500 series; Thinlabs, featuring its PoE computers; Yamaha, with select network switches; and QuickLink, featuring its StudioPro and StudioEdge video production solutions, it said.

The expansion is made possible through a new partnership model that enables brands to enjoy all NDI usual partner benefits, including certification, even without licensing NDI Advanced. Newly certified products can be found online in the NDI Product Finder, the company said.

“As a longtime facilitator and designer of NDI networks since 2020, it was a natural choice to ensure that all of our AV-capable network switches would enter the NDI Certified family, a validation of the brand’s value in the ecosystem,” Richard Jonker, vice president of marketing and business development at Netgear, said.

See NDI at ISE 2025 booth at the NDI Ecosystem Booth 4G700.

More information on the NDI Certification Program is available online.

The NDI Product Finder is available online.

More information is available on the company’s website.

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Chess is a unique game, and the reasons why people become interested in it are varied. Much like other games, it requires skill, attention, and strategic thinking. But the length of a match is never the same and the longer it is, the longer the tension builds. For a viewer, catching every second counts. Especially if they’re tuning in virtually.

At Chess.com, we have a loyal, international, growing community of chess enthusiasts, currently producing for 150 million users and counting. Chess.com consistently delivers more than 300 productions annually, encompassing live tournaments, interviews, instructional content and community events.

Because we want to make chess available to everyone—and the demand keeps increasing—investing in a higher-quality production is the natural next step. From the basic OBS setups we were using to keep up with the increasing demand, we decided to create a completely remote broadcasting solution that lives entirely in the cloud.

At first, the idea was to build a physical studio, but that was quickly scratched—since we are a fully remote company, it made the most sense to create a fully remote broadcasting solution. This meant we wouldn’t be tied to physical constraints and every member of the production team would be able to access whatever they needed for the productions.

Our Virtual Truck

Working closely with teams at Vizrt, NDI and ecosystem partner Advanced Systems Group (ASG), the answer came in the form of a “virtual production truck,” with a setup that uses Vizrt’s TriCaster Vectar and NDI technology at its core, hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), with Viz Flowics providing HTML5 graphics.

We looked at just about every single vision mixer available in the cloud, and ultimately landed on TriCaster Vectar as the tool that best supported our needs. We needed to be able to ingest a hefty number of inputs while also being able to support a wide range of production models. TriCaster Vectar enables us to operate both in small crew environments, where the Technical Director wears a lot of hats like audio and video playout, but also to flex up to a larger, fully remote crew where we break those roles away from the switcher.

With TriCaster Vectar’s native ability to incorporate high-quality HTML5 graphics, we can add audience comments from different social media platforms, including YouTube Live and Twitch, during live games. It’s crucial for us to let fans share their experiences and reactions, and nurture that sense of community.

HTML5 Graphics

Chess is an incredibly graphics-heavy broadcast, and TriCaster Vectar being able to bring in HTML5 graphics without consuming the available NDI inputs was also a big win for us. We regularly use between eight and 10 animation buffers as our production graphics channels; it’s basically become 10 additional inputs strictly for graphics and allows us to fully max out the 44 inputs for cameras and video playback on larger productions.

It took just about a month and a half to put together the virtual production truck. I know it sounds insane, but we connected everything through cloud-based software, while leveraging the flexibility of NDI.

This virtual production workflow allows Chess.com’s employees in Europe, South Africa, India, and the United States to have access to all the live production tools they’d expect to see in a traditional studio or broadcasting truck. Telos Infinity VIP provides intercom to 18 physical intercom panels installed in employees’ home offices, as well as offering up to 41 virtual panels so they can seamlessly collaborate despite being fully remote.

With the scalability of this cloud-based system, Chess.com can continue to expand our production capabilities without the need for frequent hardware upgrades, so we can grow as our community grows.

More information is available at vizrt.com, ndi.video and www.asgllc.com.

NEWARK, N.J.—Panasonic Connect has announced the new AK-UCX100 4K studio camera and two new 4K multi-purpose cameras. In addition, the company said it will extend NDI support to its lineup of 4K integrated cameras including the AW-UE40, AW-UE50, AW-HE145 and AW-UE150 in addition to its Memory Card Camera Recorder, the AG-CX350.

Panasonic Connect said that the AK-UCX100 is designed for live events and gives event professionals the flexibility to capture engaging, high-quality content in these dynamic environments.

Capturing clear, high-quality content in live event environments can pose challenges with shifting lighting conditions and dynamic backgrounds. The AK-UCX100 supports strong image quality right out of the box. The new imager offers high sensitivity and dynamic range, easily adapting to both a darkened auditorium and venues with dazzling lighting effects. Its colorimetry has also been optimized to account for any new challenges with LED lighting and large display walls while the camera's HD low-pass filter helps manage the effect of moiré in LED walls. This allows venues to easily create the same experience for fans whether they are in-person or tuning in from home.

With improved resolution and 4K capabilities, the AK-UCX100 achieves a resolution of 2000 TV lines both horizontally and vertically, capturing detailed, ultra-high-definition images of the subject from any angle. Plus, the wide dynamic range and color gamut of HLG/BT.2020 lets content creators capture colorful, immersive stage performances for the most advanced display technologies.

When producing content in a traditional studio with a CCU, the camera pairs with Panasonic’s recently released AK-UCU700 Series Camera Control Unit, which provides all traditional points of connectivity. The UCX100 can easily pair with any Panasonic camera, including the AK-UE160 PTZ camera, to ensure consistent, cohesive production quality.

The camera will become available in December 2024 and will be on display at NAB NY (October 9-10).

More information is available here.

Panasonic connect also announced two new 4K multi-purpose cameras to improve workflows and bring creativity to any production site, enabling high-quality video production regardless of industry. The AW-UB50 and AW-UB10, available in early 2025, are compact, box-style cameras equipped with large-format sensors to meet the demands of broadcast and live entertainment with exceptional image quality and expressive detail. With Panasonic’s remote camera system, AW-UB50 and AW-UB10 will be able to remotely facilitate the workflow of video production. These multi-purpose cameras will enable the expansion of high-quality video production into markets such as education and corporate environments.

For the new cameras, Panasonic leveraged its proven Dual Native ISO and high dynamic range technologies—featuring up to 14+ stops of V-Log on the AW-UB50 and 13 stops of V-LogL on the AW-UB10—from its cinema-grade Varicam and EVA1 cameras, bringing cinema-quality shooting to a compact, versatile form factor ideal for remote scenarios. These cameras offer high-quality video production and expand creative possibilities across various industries. Key features include:

• High-quality image expression no matter the industry or production site: The AW-UB50 uses a full-size MOS sensor with 24.2M effective pixels, while the AW-UB10 uses a 4/3-type 10.3M effective pixel MOS sensor, achieving diverse, high-quality image expression with excellent color reproduction and resolution across sensor formats. Both models are also compatible with the photo style of the AW-UE160 4K integrated camera, ensuring seamless color matching in mixed operations.
• Simplified workflows: Designed with usability in mind, both cameras boast a compact body under 10 cm in height, width, and depth (excluding the lens), and are packed with features that make them highly versatile. This includes dual SD card slots, real-time recognition AF for automatic subject focus, and a variety of input/output interfaces such as 3G-SDI OUT, HDMI Type A, LAN terminal, TC IN/OUT, GENLOCK IN, USB Type-C, Φ3.5 MIC terminal, and a headphone terminal. The LAN terminal supports PoE+ for easy installation with minimal cabling. Future updates will introduce IP transmission standards like NDI® HX2, RTMPS, and SRT, as well as AI tracking technology and automatic framing functions, further simplifying remote shooting in networked environments.
• Excellent expandability: The AW-UB50 and AW-UB10 are highly expandable, seamlessly integrating with third-party robotic remote head and Panasonic controllers. Not only does this expand creative freedom, but the resulting portability and ease of installation make them adaptable to a wide range of video production scenarios. With upcoming software updates, the inclusion of advanced AI-driven features will further enhance their functionality, expanding creative possibilities and making high-quality video production more accessible across industries.

The cameras are compatible with Panasonic’s Studio cameras, PTZ cameras, and software such as Media Production Suite, supporting multi-camera setups with remote cameras. The AW-UB50 and AW-UB10 are ideal for event filming, educational content creation, and corporate video production, offering high-quality video, enhanced creativity, and streamlined workflows. The AW-UB10 will begin shipping early 2025 and the AW-UB50 will begin shipping Spring of 2025. To learn more, visit https://connect.na.panasonic.com/av/video/multi-purpose-camera/aw-ub50-ub10.

In addition, Panasonic Connect North America announced that it will extend NDI support to its lineup of 4K integrated cameras including the AW-UE40, AW-UE50, AW-HE145 and AW-UE150 in addition to its Memory Card Camera Recorder, the AG-CX350. The NDI upgrades, which previously required a paid license from Vizrt NDI AB, will be made available via a free firmware update between December 2024 and April 2025. After this period, the models will ship with ready-to-go NDI capabilities*1.

“Our collaboration with Panasonic marks a significant milestone in the expansion of the NDI ecosystem,” said Daniel Nergard, president of NDI. “By making NDI a standard feature across a wide range of products, Panasonic enables thousands of users to benefit from the seamless integration and powerful flexibility that IP video production offers. We are excited to see Panasonic leading this change and look forward to the innovative solutions that will emerge as a result of this enhanced accessibility.”

NDI, an open standard for connecting video equipment over IP networks, will enable devices to build systems in standard gigabit IP networks, simplifying the transition of video production workflows to IP environments. As a result of this upgrade, more devices can access NDI-enabled systems on the network, such as switchers, cameras, and media servers. This allows video production crews to seamlessly create and distribute a diverse array of content to their audiences. Additionally, Panasonic’s NDI-enabled PTZ cameras support Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) control and audio/video transmission via a single Ethernet cable, significantly enhancing the ease of installation and reducing cabling costs.

Panasonic’s lineup of NDI-supported products includes:

• PTZ Cameras such as the AW-UE160, AW-UE100 and AW-UE80
• Studio Cameras such as the AK-UCX100*2,
• 4K Multipurpose Cameras such as the AW-UB50*3 and AW-UB10*3
• Compact Switchers such as the AV-HSW10 and AV-UHS500 *4
• KAIROS IT/IP platform and Video Mixer plug-in for Media Production Suite

For more information on Panasonic’s NDI® enabled products visit: https://connect.na.panasonic.com/av/video

BREA, Calif.—Bolin Technology is integrating Network Device Interface (NDI) across its product line, bringing support for the latest NDI technologies to its PTZ cameras, the KBD-1020D PTZ controller and ED40N decoder.

The integration makes the most advanced and up-to-date features, tools and benefits of NDI, including the newly released NDI 6, available to users of Bolin’s products, the company said.

“We are pleased to offer our customers the option to experience the functionality, tool and local and remote capabilities of NDI, a standard for video connectivity, with Bolin products,” said Bolin CEO Kyle Lo. “We are eager for our broadcast customers to experience the capabilities of NDI 6 with our newest indoor and outdoor PTZ cameras.”

NDI is a video connectivity standard based on proprietary IP networking specifications. NDI 6 provides native high dynamic range (HDR) support and expands WAN connectivity for hardware. It is designed for broadcasters and content creators.

NDI 6 will embed WAN connectivity into Bolin’s product line, bringing greater flexibility to remote production applications and setups, the company said.

Regardless of device, platform or location, NDI offers seamless transport of video. NDI-enabled cameras with the Bridge utility can even join remote networks without depending on additional software or tools, it said.

Bolin PTZ cameras offering NDI HX3 support include the company’s N2-210X, N2-220X, N6-420X, N7-220X, R9-230NX and EXU-230NX.

Those offering support for NDI High Bandwidth include the R9-418N, R9-420N, EXU-248N and EXU-420N. The EG40N decoder supports NDI 6 and NDI HX3.

More information is available on the company’s website.

STOCKHOLM—NDI, the global video-over-IP connectivity standard, has announced the  release of NDI 6, a key update that is designed to significantly impact broadcasting and content creation. NDI 6  introduces native HDR support and expands WAN connectivity for hardware, addressing critical industry requirements and pushing the boundaries of visual quality and remote workflows, NDI reported. 

“The highly anticipated NDI 6 introduces 10+ bit HDR support to answer growing quality demands  coming from our users,” said Nick Mariette, director of product management, NDI. "The feedback from  our customers and beta testers played a pivotal role in developing NDI 6. Many of our partners want to  adopt NDI workflows more profoundly, and further improved image quality will enhance the usage of  NDI. Now, anyone seeking high-end quality can stream in HDR with the flexibility, efficiency, and  interoperability NDI has always offered." 

Equipped with native HDR and 10+ bit color support, NDI 6 is designed to be a powerful option for tier 1 Broadcast, meeting industry demands for professional-grade video streaming over IP and making broadcast-quality  streaming widely available. 

The update provides broadcasters and content creators with higher  contrast, which expands brightness headroom. Additionally, it offers wide color gamut and minimal  color banding, which ensures seamless transitions and gradients, and broad compatibility, with  support for PQ and HLG formats expanding streaming to most HDR and non-HDR devices, the company said. 

Another notable update is that WAN connectivity is now embedded into cameras through an NDI Bridge utility for hardware. This  plug-and-play solution promises a transformative impact on the flexibility of remote productions and  setups, offering a seamless experience for anyone sending and receiving video, regardless of the device,  platform, or location. The new feature allows devices to send encrypted NDI streams over a WAN,  facilitating secure, remote real-time collaboration between locations. NDI-enabled cameras with the  Bridge utility can join remote networks without depending on additional software or tools, the company said. 

Since Q4 of 2023, the core technology update has been under beta testing with industry-leading product  developers like Autodesk, Chyron, Kiloview, Lumens, Matrox, Panasonic and Vizrt as part of the NDI Beta program. Results have led to the successful integration of NDI 6 into both existing and forthcoming  products. 

"With NDI 6, NDI emerges as the undisputed standard for cloud-based live production, ushering in a new  era of possibility for Vizrt's suite of production solutions," said Ulrich Voigt, global head of product management, Vizrt. "With its advanced bit depth and expanded color range, NDI 6 elevates the visual quality of our products to unprecedented levels, enhancing every  aspect of the content creation process. The new Bridge utility feature also opens doors to seamless  connectivity, enabling our customers to effortlessly integrate NDI devices into their remote networks  and cloud-based workflows. This shift transforms NDI from a primarily local technology to a cornerstone  of global networked broadcasting."

NDI 6 will be showcased at the 2024 NAB Show where Comprimato, Chyron, Kiloview,  Magewell, Telycam and Vizrt will demonstrate the latest features of the core tech update.  

“With a longstanding commitment to the NDI standard, Chyron enthusiastically welcomes the  progression of NDI connectivity and its advanced iterations through the latest release of NDI 6,” explained Nikole McStanley, product portfolio director, Chyron. “Through  these innovations, such as NDI HDR HLG, Chyron PRIME, with live graphics, video walls, touchscreen  graphics, clips and branding, broadens support for clients seeking to merge top-quality production  visuals with flexible network architectures. NDI HDR offers substantial enhancement in image quality  and color depth, ultimately delivering viewers a more captivating and immersive visual experience just  in time for some of the most prominent global sports broadcasting events planned this summer.”

NDI 6 is now available for testing and integration by all product developers, with downloads accessible  at ndi.video/ndi6/. 

Additionally, the President of NDI, Daniel Nergård, will deliver an exclusive keynote presentation at the  JB&A Pre-NAB Technology Event. During his address, Nergård will delve into the technology’s advancements and provide insights into the company's future. 

LAS VEGAS—JVC will highlight partnerships with NDI and vMix at the 2024 NAB Show, April 13-17, in Las Vegas.

NDI technical director Roberto Musso and vMix senior systems engineer Heath Baker will be at the JVC booth to highlight the benefits of each company’s solutions for remote production workflows using JVC PTZ and handheld cameras as well as other video production tools, the company said.

“We are excited to have Roberto and Heath join us this year at NAB and take this time from their busy schedules to not only strengthen our collaboration but also reinforce the value and advantages that NDI and vMix both contribute to JVC’s customers,” said Joseph D’Amico, vice president of JVC Professional Video.

“Media organizations have adopted NDI-enabled devices at a record pace, and we are thrilled to be part of the network of manufacturers to offer this solution. Similarly, vMix has time and again proven to be a leading brand for live streaming productions, and we are grateful for the partnership between our organizations.”

NDI technology support is incorporated into many of JVC’s PTZ and handheld cameras. Musso will discuss the use of NDI technology to streamline video production at the JVC exhibit (booth C4720). His event will include discussions and a Q&A as well as a brief demo of JVC’s latest product developments. Musso’s presentations are scheduled for Monday, April 15, at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 16, at 3 p.m.

One of JVC’s NDI-enabled solutions is the KY-PZ510N CONNECTED CAM PTZ camera, which supports NDI HX3 technology that offers higher compression and requires less bandwidth, thereby providing for high video quality and reduced latency. Another is the GY-H500 CONNECTED CAM series of handheld cameras, JVC said.

The vMix live video production and streaming software solution can be used with several JVC workflow production tools. Barker will be at the booth for a discussion and Q&A about how JVC technology users can create, mix, switch, record and live stream productions with the new vMix27 software. He will do a demo at the booth on Monday, April 15, at 1 p.m.

Among the JVC products that work with vMix to assist in live productions and broadcasts are the KM-IP8S4 CONNECTED CAM vMix Studio Switcher, which can manage four 3G-SDI and up to eight NDI inputs and comes with vMix 4K licensed software, and the RM-LP350G CONNECTED CAM vMix Control Surface and the new sports series RM-LP450G IP switcher and vMix Control Surface.

See JVC in NAB Show booth C4720.

More information is available on the company’s website.

STOCKHOLM—NDI has announced that it has named Daniel Nergård as its new president.

In the new role, Nergård will be responsible for driving the company’s continued expansion and the adoption of the NDI video-over-IP connectivity standard. 

As the community of users keeps growing and the adoption of NDI spreads into more segments, Nergård will lead the team to harness that growth and bring NDI to many more companies, devices, and software applications, the company said. 

Nergård brings a wealth of knowledge to the role, having previously served as the chief revenue officer of Vizrt, which owns NDI, and was a part of the management team. 

Prior to that, Nergård held key roles in general management and leading commercial initiatives across diverse software segments, including fintech, mobile applications, infrastructure, and enterprise software. 

"NDI is leading in video connectivity technology, as both flexibility and ease of use have become the standard in the various industries we serve,” said Daniel Nergård, president of NDI. "After a few years of watching NDI’s growth, I am excited to lead this team into its next phase. We envision a significant expansion into diverse devices and various market segments, driven by the increasing demand from our partners and the user community. Our commitment to investing in and supporting our valued partners and users within the expanding ecosystem remains our top priority." 

NDI noted that the appointment comes as NDI is working to further scale its presence among major partners and product manufacturers as well as expanding the usage of NDI within major Cloud Service Providers. The current ecosystem made up of millions of users boasts more than 700 NDI-enabled hardware products and 300-plus software applications.  

"In 2023, NDI achieved remarkable acceleration, witnessing a 130% surge in the number of new NDI Advanced licensees. Daniel's extensive background will contribute significantly to further increase the rate of adoption while expanding NDI’s technology capabilities," said Michael Hallén, chairman of NDI board of directors and CEO of Vizrt. 

More information on NDI can be found here. 

OTTAWA—Ross Video and NDI, the connectivity tech company, have announced a strategic partnership for Ross to broadly license and adopt the most advanced NDI technology across its portfolio, extending and enhancing existing support for the NDI standard.   

This collaboration will allow Ross to incorporate the most up-to-date AV networking features of NDI across its portfolio through NDI Advanced, ensuring enhanced video connectivity, flexibility, and workflow efficiency across the ecosystem, the companies said.  

“Ross Video has supported the NDI standard for many years and is excited to be taking this next step in supporting enhanced versions of NDI, NDI Advanced, and the evolution of NDI connectivity,”  commented Jeff Moore, executive vice president, and chief marketing officer at Ross Video. “We’ve found NDI incredibly useful and look forward to being on the forefront as things advance.” 

“NDI is excited to have Ross Video on board as a flagship adopter of NDI Advanced,” said Nick Mariette, director of product management at NDI. “A cornerstone company in the broadcasting industry adopting our most advanced technology and formats is the best demonstration of how NDI has grown to become a pervasive industry standard, capable of performing to the benchmark set by leaders in the segment.”   

NDI, a proprietary connectivity standard, supports a range of video codecs and enables seamless interoperability for devices and software across standard IP network infrastructures.

NDI Advanced offers product developers all the benefits of NDI technology, like seamless device discoverability, bi-directional remote control, and embedded metadata streaming and unlocks an additional set of features for enhanced video connectivity, including:

• Sending and receiving all NDI formats, from NDI High Bandwidth to NDI HX3, the most advanced format yet, which allows for visually lossless, low-latency video with minimal bitrates. 
• Access to the NDI Certified program, enabling products to be certified by the NDI team for guaranteed interoperability, performance, and reliability  
• Custom-packaged SDKs for Hardware or Software, including reference designs for major FPGA models from Intel or AMD. 
• Extended personalization of connection settings for each sender, finder, and receiver. 
• AV Sync, Genlock APIs, and KVM Support. 

Ross Video will incorporate NDI Advanced features broadly across its portfolio, including the following product lines: 

• XPression graphics solution 
• Ultrix hyperconverged platform 
• PTZ broadcast video cameras 
• Media I/O capture and playout solution 
• softGear Streaming Gateway 
• Vision[Ai]ry Ft facial tracking and recognition solution  
• PIERO sports graphics analysis system 
• DashBoard production and facility control solution 

More information about the integration of NDI Advanced into Ross Video’s solutions is available here. 

More information about NDI is available here. 

TORRANCE, Calif.—Marshall Electronics announces the release of its VS-PTC-300 PTZ camera controller, providing the ability to manage multiple protocols, including NDI, RS232/RS422/RS485 and IP, VISCA over IP and ONVIF.

The VS-PTC-300 IP POE PTZ controller allows users to control multiple cameras using the same or different protocols, which is beneficial while migrating to a larger set-up. It can control up to seven-RS232 cameras, fourteen-RS422 cameras and up to 255 NDI/IP cameras. It also allows easy NDI/IP set-up utilizing the NDI/IP discovery set-up, the company reported. 

“The VS-PTC-300’s layout provides 10 ‘instant access’ camera control buttons, which reduces fumbling when quick action is required,” says Greg Boren, product marketing engineer at Marshall Electronics. “In addition, the information display screen doubles as a video monitor for NDI and RTSP streams. Also, there is no need to type in the camera number before operating the camera; just select the camera button and you’re in control. These small upgrades may seem like simple improvements, but camera operators will be thrilled with these changes.”

The VS-PTC-300 is designed to operate seamlessly across multiple camera protocols on a single network. Used in live event production and content creation, the VS-PTC-300 offers detailed operation through a high-quality PTZ joystick, professional zoom rocker and individual fine-tune adjustment knobs. Settings include iris, white balance, exposure, red/blue, shutter speed, focus, pan/tilt speed and zoom speed, the company said. 

The VS-PTC-300 can store up to six selectable Assign function keys and save up to 256 camera presets with memory of image setting parameters. Dedicated knobs and control buttons simplify direct access to frequently used functions without needing to use on-camera menus. The VS-PTC-300’s joystick allows “one hand” PTZ/Focus or use the convenient rocker for Zoom. Its solid construction ensures that the controller will not slide while operating the joystick. The built-in display also allows the crew to easily check framing/focus, the team can store presets and also practice camera moves.

BERGEN, Norway—Vizrt has announced that the NewTek brand—which it acquired in 2019—will no longer be marketed under a separate brand name from Vizrt, but will be combined under one product line under the Vizrt brand, declaring that “the markets of broadcast and pro AV are converging, and the needs of customers and end users are changing.”  

While Vizrt had focused primarily on professional broadcast, NewTek was marketed more toward Pro AV, but with the continuing emergence of IP as a base production standard—as well as the impact on remote production imposed by the pandemic—the differences between the two have become blurred.  

“From transitioning to IP-based infrastructure, monetization, capturing audience attention, remotely producing content, driving remote collaboration, moving to the cloud, focusing on sustainability, security, and the skill gap—we found our customers across both sides of the portfolio are evolving and often need to do more, with less. Now, Vizrt is a one-stop shop to support it all,” said  Michael Hallén, CEO of Vizrt. 

In addition, as the company combined its R&D since the acquisition, Vizrt has found more success in combining the strengths of its NewTek IP with the Vizrt production portfolio, the company said. 

“After years of investment, we have expanded our customer success function, which includes service, and support, to be a 150-person strong, critical branch of our organization. Our R&D teams, spanning six global hubs, have over 250 engineers, and our product team has developed and released more than 20 innovations in the past year, with many more in the pipeline,” explains Hallén.  

Through the unified ecosystem of products, all partners gain access to the entire portfolio, the company said, and partners can certify as experts through Vizrt’s learning platform Viz University with new courses on studio, graphics, automation, live production, cloud, and more.  

Vizrt said it will extend its product portfolio and launch a new entry-level video production system for streamers and content creators, and new cloud live production systems. 

Announced earlier this year, NDI will remain a standalone brand, but supported by Vizrt as a key partner. Vizrt Group will now operate under the Vizrt name. Vizrt is still owned privately by Nordic Capital, and its board and leadership team remain unchanged.

Both companies will be in Stand A.41 at the 2023 IBC Show, Sept. 15-18 at the RAI Amsterdam.

LAS VEGAS—Lawo has announced that its newly introduced HOME Apps will support streams received in the NDI video connectivity standard—including the ability to transcode and transmit a variety of incoming source streams to NDI-enabled or compatible destinations.

Lawo’s says it has added support for NDI for those broadcasters whose facilities or viewer demands don’t need to utilize broadcast-grade ST2110-based production tools and infrastructure for live production, or indeed the lease of high-bandwidth network infrastructure in remote production scenarios. Lawo said it expects that other applications, such as the ability to use a mix of SDI-, NDI- and ST2110-compatible cameras, OTT streaming, fast retrieval of assets, etc., will also benefit from its support of NDI.

Three HOME Apps – Multiviewer, UDX conversion with HDR processing and Graphic Inserter – natively support NDI, while other apps will be able to process media data packets after they have been converted by the HOME Stream Transcoder, another containerized microservice processing app that will be available in Q4 of 2023.

NDI is a globally recognized standard enabling IP video workflows across Ethernet networks with three types of formats used inside of the IP protocol: NDI High Bandwidth, NDI HX, and NDI HX3. The bi-directional NDI standard permits multiple video systems to identify and communicate with one another over IP. This connectivity makes it possible to exponentially scale up the number of sources available for live production workflows.

“NDI technology benefits any network-connected video device, including cameras, converters, video mixers, graphics systems, capture cards, and many other products,” says Naveen Jayakumar, R&D Lead at NDI “As the ecosystem of NDI-enabled products grows, NDI becomes increasingly valuable for solutions like Lawo’s HOME Apps, which are looking to unlock more flexibility and interoperability for all video creators.”

“Lawo’s aim with its new HOME Apps offering is to put broadcasters firmly in the driver’s seat by allowing them to select the production tools they require to tell compelling stories from the largest possible pool of options,” explains Phil Myers, Chief Technology Officer at Lawo. “Amid the growing diversity of deliverables and the race towards ever more content, it’s difficult to see how the future of broadcast workflows will be covered by SMPTE ST2110 alone. Lawo recognizes the benefits offered by NDI and is pleased to support its customers in search of the right production tools for the job at hand, enhancing their functionality with unbridled Lawo expertise.”

The Vizrt Group company NDI has announced a number of initiatives that the company hopes will make the NDI protocol even more widely used as universal technology for video connectivity.

The initiatives, which were laid out by NDI in an April 11 live YouTube webcast, included plans to grow the use of NDI in devices from about 600,000 today to millions in the next few years and presentations from ecosystem partners like AMD, AVer, BirdDog, Mevo and Ross Video describing their support for the NDI protocol. 

As part of NDI’s vision for the future of video, a universe where all hardware, software, and cloud become seamlessly interoperable, the company announced its investment in expanding its ecosystem while maintaining seamless interoperability across all products, platforms, and industries.

To help achieve those ambitious goals, NDI is making the NDI SDK, the company’s core technology, available to anyone in the hopes that this will spur new innovation and the spread of NDI-capable devices. 

Currently, over six hundred thousand devices, from companies like Panasonic, Sony or BirdDog, are NDI-enabled and NDI technology is supported by the most widely used video-based software applications, like Microsoft Teams or Grass Valley, NDI reported. 

“Video is no longer something traveling through the network,” explained Tarif Sayed, NDI president and general manager. “Instead, it is becoming the network itself: the videoverse. Thanks to the latest advancements in cloud computing, AI technology, and 5G networks, video is becoming truly ubiquitous and the main way in which humans and machines interact with each other.” 

“Together with our growing ecosystem of adopters, we are developing the most efficient, easy-to-use, and interoperable technology for video connections everywhere - not just in the broadcast industry but also the broader video connectivity market, as well as specialized industries such as healthcare, education and security that are demanding more efficient video technologies,” Sayed added. 

To help with that, NDI has developed NDI Advanced, the company's most complete offering. 

NDI Advanced, which can be requested through the NDI website, provides access to the most efficient NDI format, HX3 – which harnesses H.264 and HEVC codecs to ensure transmission of pristine, visually lossless video using just 50MBs of bandwidth – as well as providing additional APIs, dedicated customer support and more.

To ensure interoperability and consistent experiences for everyone using NDI, the company also announced two new certification programs: NDI Certified, for products integrating features of NDI Advanced, and Works with NDI, for devices that do not require a native NDI integration but want to guarantee full compatibility with the NDI ecosystem.

Finally, NDI laid out plans to build on the engagement with its loyal community of users, the key driver of growth for NDI. 

It promised that community initiatives will be organized throughout the year, including the first-ever NDI Hackathon, and an NDI Beta program where selected community members will gain early hands-on access to updates to the core technology. 

NDI will be showcasing its new business vision and brand identity at NAB 2023 at the Vizrt Group Booth W2821.

NDI connectivity technology will also be featured by more than 70 partners, licensees, and adopters at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

MELBOURNE, Australia—Atomos has released new firmware that adds NDI support to its CONNECT series, making NDI connectivity available to a large number of cameras, the company said this week.

Users of the Atomos Ninja V or V+ fitted with an Atomos CONNECT or a Shogun CONNECT are now able to connect with NDI via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, Atomos said.

The NDI HX2 firmware update supports NDI HX2 transmission up to 1080p60 with Ninja V+ fitted with Atomos CONNECT and Shogun CONNECT, and 1080p30 for Ninja V with Atomos CONNECT, while simultaneously recording in Apple ProRes or Avid DNx, it said.

From a single, battery-operated device, Atomos provides wireless or wired NDI transmission, a live viewfinder and local recording, it said.

“Typically, NDI is associated with fixed acquisition points, for example PTZ cameras,” said Atomos CEO Trevor Elbourne. “Now we’re making it possible to use pretty much any HDMI or SDI-equipped camera as a mobile NDI source. It’s the perfect solution for creatives who need their content delivered live to a remote device for review, recording or transmission.”

A camera and microphone can be connected by HDMI or SDI to the Atomos CONNECT series monitor-recorder, and then connected to a local area network using either Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable. Once NDI is enabled to transmit, the video stream is available to any suitable device on the local area network sub-net. The NDI stream can then be viewed, recorded or used as a source for OBS or a NewTek TriCaster and then retransmitted as part of a larger production, it said. 

The firmware update is available for $99.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LAS VEGAS—Marshall Electronics, a leading manufacturer of broadcast and proAV cameras and equipment, has announced that it will showcase its CV730-BHN with Full-NDI and CV730-ND3 with NDI|HX3 technology at the 2023 NAB Show in the Central Hall on Booth C5520. 

These new cameras are designed to accommodate broadcast production facilities looking to produce high-impact content with less staff on-site and sometimes limited IP bandwidth, the company reported. 

The CV730-BHN Full-NDI PTZ camera incorporates the premium Full NDI FPGA while also offering the benefits of NDI|HX3 and standard IP (HEVC/SRT) streams. The CV730-ND3 PTZ camera utilizes the new NDI|HX3 platform and standard IP (HEVC/SRT). 

The CV730-BHN features a premium Sony 4K sensor with 9.2 million pixels and back-lit square pixel technology designed behind a long 30x optical zoom range (6.5~ 202mm). It also has support of BT.2020 color gamut for wide and precise color reproduction suitable for high-end productions. 

The CV730-BHN has streaming options of Full-NDI, NDI|HX3 and standard IP (HEVC/SRT), while also offering two simultaneous SDI (BNC) outputs 12GSDI + 3GSDI with genlock sync, as well as HDMI and USB3.0 options when the application demands it. High Bandwidth NDI requires higher network bandwidth but in return delivers lowest latency video possible nearing the quickness of traditional SDI, while maintaining premium quality and lossless video performance, the company said. 

The CV730-ND3 features a similar Sony 4K sensor with 9.2 million pixels and back-lit square pixel technology designed behind same 30x optical zoom range (6.5~ 202mm). The CV730-ND3 features the new NDI|HX3 premium video codec, and standard IP (HEVC) encoding with SRT, while also offering 12GSDI, HDMI and USB3.0 outputs. The new NDI|HX3 format requires slightly higher bandwidth than previous NDI|HX but much less than is required for Full-NDI. NDI|HX3 delivers similar low latency as Full-NDI at less than 100ms end-to-end and has video quality performance closer to premium Full-NDI quality. NDI|HX3 is a big step forward for NDI|HX while reducing the bandwidth requirements of Full-NDI and delivering similar speeds and video quality, Marshall reported. 

“Low latency and lossless video compression are big talking points for broadcasters over the past several years, and we are happy to bring these two new PTZ cameras to market,” says Tod Musgrave, director of cameras for Marshall Electronics. “As one of the first adopters of NDI|HX back in 2018, we’re very excited to refresh all of the NDI|HX models to the new HX3 codecs and launch our first Full-NDI model.”

All CV730’s now support a Smart Auto-Focus feature utilizing AI chipsets to target facial features and optimize focus on facial details which improves over time. Marshall PTZ cameras boast a flexible and smooth 340° horizontal pan range with 120° vertical tilt with speed adjustments from slow to fast depending on speed to setup the next shot. This provides a wide range of movement options to content creators when capturing high-quality UHD or HD video. Both cameras are feature rich and fit into a wide range of broadcast and proAV applications requiring low latency streaming with various bandwidth networks. Also included is a PoE++ option for one-cable to camera from PoE switch setup for video, audio, control, power and tally. Customers can choose a Netgear AV over IP switch for easy configuration of Marshall cameras from drop down menus and support for NDI5.5 and beyond.

Both models are available in white and black, with the CV730-BHN shipping by NAB and the CV730-ND3 shipping now.

WAYNE, N.J.—JVC Professional Video has announced its first NDI-compatible broadcast cameras — the GY-HC500UN, GY-HC550UN and GY-HC500SPCN, which will be on display at the 2023 NAB Show (Booth C4218). 

The cameras, which will begin shipping March 24, are being launched as part of the company’s CONNECTED CAM line of HC500 Series handheld camcorders which feature optimized image processing and IP performance. Designed in direct response to systems integrator requests, the NDI-compatible versions ensure that broadcast studios, schools, churches and other facilities can seamlessly incorporate the cameras within their existing IP infrastructure as a source for live video with tally and IP remote control capability. 

Current HC500 Series users can also have their cameras upgraded by JVC to implement the new NDI capabilities.

NDI capabilities are already found in several of JVC’s newest PTZ cameras. 

NDI (Network Device Interface) allows hardware- and software-based video devices to communicate and collaborate over any standard Ethernet-based network. Among the many benefits of NDI is the reduction of hardware required to operate, and the ability to send multiple video streams over a single connection. It also allows for multiple video sources to be managed in real-time, with the easy-to-use NDI Discovery function of the network. These features not only reduce overhead costs and rack space, but also ensure simplified setup and allow for greater flexibility and creativity, JVC reported. 

“The addition of these NDI-compatible handheld camera solutions to the JVC product line-up further strengthens the brand’s commitment to IP workflows,” says Joseph D’Amico, Vice President, JVC Professional Video. “Not only does this ensure that facilities can utilize the cameras with existing infrastructure, but it also allows them to easily integrate a combination of JVC PTZ and broadcast camera solutions into one workflow ― providing a more engaging experience for viewers. We look forward to getting the NDI-enabled HC500 Series cameras into customers’ hands when they begin shipping next month.” 

All HC500 Series cameras feature a one-inch 4K CMOS imager and integrated 20x zoom lens with built-in ND filters and manual zoom, focus and iris control rings. 

Additional features include a four-inch, high-resolution LCD screen for menu navigation; LCOS viewfinder; dual XLR inputs; 3G-SDI and HDMI video outputs; and M.2 drive slot for external SSD recording. With built-in streaming and connectivity options, the cameras provide advanced low-latency video that allows users to stream live video to Facebook and YouTube. 

Like all HC500 Series cameras, the newest options can record to SSD (solid state drive) media in 10-bit ProRes 422 at 4K resolution and 50/60p frame rates, when not in NDI mode. The cameras can also record several other native 4K UHD and HD file formats to support a wide range of workflows. For creative flexibility, the cameras record HDR footage in hybrid log gamma (HLG) or 10-bit J-Log modes, and support 120 fps slow-motion HD recording. These features allow for high-quality video playback, giving users the option to highlight or review previously recorded materials from anywhere, JVC said. 

In addition to the standard capabilities of the HC500 Series, the GY-HC500SPCN model includes the unique ability to provide sports graphic overlay with real-time updates via the Sportzcast/Genius Sports SCORELINK devices, a feature that is exclusive to JVC.

The NDI-enabled JVC GY-HC500 cameras will begin shipping March 24, 2023, with an MSRP of $3,895 for the GY-HC500UN; $5,900 for the GY-HC550UN; and $5,020 for the GY-HC500SPCN. 

Current GY-HC500 Series users will also be able to have the NDI capability added to their cameras by JVC at a cost of $450.

BARCELONA—At ISE 2023, NewTek introduced the Flex control panel that enables operators to control PTZ cameras directly, as well as audio connections, audio and video switching and talkback via NDI.

No other NewTek control panel builds in control over audio and video switching and PTZ control and talkback in a single unit, said NewTek, a Vizrt Group company.

"Over the course of the last several years, the demand for high-quality distributed production has grown beyond measure. We recognize the need for operators to be able to adapt to any workflow, and the Flex does just that – all with the power of NDI. Offering greater control and connectivity than ever before, it’s our most flexible and powerful control panel yet,” said NewTek senior product manager Chris McLendon.  

The built-in features offer operators greater precision and control. With the addition of audio I/O, Flex expands the on-board I/O of any NewTek TriCaster with the option to add external sources directly from the NDI ecosystem, it said.

Flex connects to a network via NDI, making unnecessary the physical tether to the video switcher with fixed cable runs and complex setups that are difficult to move to a new location, the company said.

The new control panel not only can connect to any TriCaster switcher on a network via NDI, but it also supports operators needing to work in a distributed production environment, it said.

Flex is available today with a suggested price of $9,495.

More information is available on the company’s website.

CHANGSHA, China—KILOVIEW has completed work on its first Outside Broadcast (OB) truck to be completely based on NDI workflows.

The all-electric truck, dubbed NDI OBV, was built in collaboration with YouKu, an Alibaba group company and one of China's top online video and streaming service platforms. It is the culmination of four years of cooperation between the companies, KILOVIEW said.

The company leveraged its NDI video encoding/decoding, transmission, routing, monitoring, recording and content management experience in designing and building the vehicle. The new vehicle has the ability to produce 20 channels of 4K video or 70 channels of HD video over a single Ethernet cable. IP connectivity inside the truck has contributed to significant weight savings and a spacious production space, it said.

Calling the vehicle “proof of the low-cost” associated with NDI transmission, KILOVIEW said the IP protocol brings live productions within the grasp of an entirely new strata of content creators.

"Back in 2016, we built a prototype of an IP-based studio and made IP-based video transmission and production an option across the industry,” said KILOVIEW CEO and co-founder Jacob Zuo. “I'm extremely excited and proud to say that our completely IP-based solution is now fully mobile and that we are covering all the elements and processes of video transmission within the confines of this new NDI OBV truck.”

The vehicle includes:

• CUBE X1: A turnkey solution for NDI multiplexed distribution.
• CUBE R1: A turnkey solution for reliable NDI recording.
• LinkDeck: To link and control the whole KILOVIEW ecosystem.
• KILOLINK Server: Centralized KILOVIEW product management platform.

 The production truck features: 

• A full IP-based production solution, supporting 20 channels of 4K video or 70 channels of HD video over a single Ethernet cable.
• Lower cost enabled by NDI’s significant cable reduction that helps to minimize the cost of every aspect of equipment deployed.
• Flexible connection and interaction based on IP, which makes the solution easy to deploy and operate.
• The ability to connect with multiple OB vehicles via a single cable to maximize production capability.
• Support for remote operation via IP.
• Dual independent Ethernet links to ensure a stable production environment.
• Greater availability of space than typical OB vehicles due to cable reduction and minimizing devices.
• Sustainability stemming from the extended-range electric vehicle using a long battery life for operation.

“Until now, single teams weren’t able to finish an OB truck project, covering the whole workflow with NDI tech alone; that’s the whole video production process from the encoding, production, recording and post-production, even with effects like slo-mo,” said Zeng Wei, senior A/V technician at YouKu. “But now we've integrated all the NDI and IP-based tech into one vehicle, and we believe this is the first one of its kind in the world.”

More information is available on the KILOVIEW website.

MELBOURNE, Australia—BirdDog has begun shipping BirdDog Cloud 3.0, its cloud-based NDI remote delivery and management software solution as well as a new website for customers to access Cloud 3.0, the company said.

BirdDog Cloud 3.0 delivers a fast, easy and secure way for broadcasters and live event producers to expand beyond their local network to distribute NDI content worldwide. BirdDog Cloud 3.0 introduces new levels of conveniences that enable broadcasters to set up a remote studio and control it from anywhere in the world with full PTZ Control, it said.

BirdDog Cloud 3.0 features include:

• More intuitive user interface developed from the ground up.
• High security and low latency using the SRT protocol with 128/256-bit AES encryption.
• BirdDog Transport, a globally connected, secure delivery network built in conjunction with Google.
• Suite of remote delivery and management workflow apps for Apple TV, Android TV, Apple iOS, Android, Samsung Tizen, Windows, MacOS and BirdDog PLAY.
• New GPU support, including Apple’s M1 GPU, to enable accelerated codec performance for Apple Video ToolBox for MacOS; iOS and tvOS (H.264 and HEVC); nVidia NVENC (H.264 and HEVC) and Intel Quicksync (H.264, HEVC and VP9).
• New API Control.
• Cloud recorder, enabling NDI to be recorded at both the sender and receiver endpoints.

More information is available on the company’s website.

MELBOURNE, Australia—BirdDog has introduced the BirdDog P240, the latest in its family of NDI PTZ cameras. The new camera, part of the company’s P200 NDI PTZ camera line, introduces an updated Sony Exmor R broadcast sensor to deliver increased light sensitivity and superior image quality and performance, and offers three output options including NDI, SDI, and HDMI for ultimate video flexibility. The new P240 also features Balanced XLR audio for professional audio connections, while IP output options feature multiple flavors of NDI including Full NDI, NDI|HX2, and HX3, SRT, and h.264.

The BirdDog P240 also delivers a number of new features including:

• BirdDog’s custom NDI silicon;
• BirdDog Cloud 3.0 integration which unlocks globally connected remote productions;
• Four output options including NDI, SDI, HDMI for live production work, and UVC USB for connecting to Zoom & Teams;
• Output multiple flavors of NDI including Full NDI, NDI|HX2 and HX3, as well as other options including SRT, h.264, and Cloud Connect (coming soon);
• Support for FreeD output for AR/VR workflows;
• An OLED display to show the IP address;
• 360° degree mohawk tally, filter thread;
• Free Auto-Tracking available;
• Camera supports NDI 5.5 natively.

Professional, Broadcast-Caliber Features
The new BirdDog P240 cameras feature a number of capabilities that add significant value to a professional live event production, from live sporting and concert events, to large enterprise corporate event production. Select features include:

• BirdDog Dashboard with Heads Up Display: The P240 features a comprehensive interface that provides system statistics such as the number of active connections, current bandwidth usage, and network traffic, and presented in an intuitive way to give users valuable insights at a quick glance. 
• RUDP: Support for Reliable User Datagram Protocol reduces overall network load as not every packet needs to be acknowledged by every receiver. RUDP has error correction built in for smoothness and maximum reliability.
• NDI Genlock: With NDI Genlock, users can select an NDI source to be the timing master to provide more predictable timing in multi camera environments.
• FreeD: FreeD is a protocol for sending PTZ positioning data to AR/VR systems including Unreal Engine, Brainstorm, Vizrt’s Viz Virtual Studio, and many more. The P240 supports FreeD built directly into The Dashboard.
• NDI Video Scopes: The P240 cameras can generate scopes in-camera to send out as NDI, NDI Proxy, or both. This allows for monitoring scopes on the NDI Proxy while sending a clean main NDI feed simultaneously. Users can choose from Histogram, Waveform, Vectorscope, or RGB Parade and the position on the NDI stream. 
• 360° Mohawk Tally: Innovative new Mohawk Tally gives a full 360 degree view to eliminate the guesswork of which camera users need to be talking to. 
• Unique Numbering System: Removable silicon numbers at the back of the P240 give additional Tally vision and allow switcher operators to easily identify cameras. 
• OLED Display: Convenient OLED displays allow for information such as IP Address, Device Name, Stream Name, Resolution, and Frame Rate. This feature can also be accessed in The Dashboard.
• Most Formats Now Supported: Along with Full NDI, the P240 will soon support a significant number of formats including NDI|HX2, NDI|HX3, SRT, H.264 for low bandwidth requirements.
• Globally Connected. No computers needed: By adding a BirdDog Cloud subscription, users can now access the PTZ cameras and all features from anywhere in the world with no additional computers needed on the camera side. 
• Sophisticated Color Tools: The P240 hosts an expansive set of color tools. With 64 levels of saturation and hue control over red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, and magenta, users can shade and match P240 cameras like a professional colorist.
• FREE Cam Control: The BirdDog Cam Control app offers simple, user-friendly features for dialing in to BirdDog cameras. Simply load on a Windows 10 machine on the same network as the BirdDog cameras and access all functions of the camera through a beautiful interface. Quickly dial in the look you like and copy settings across multiple cameras in seconds. And it is free with all BirdDog cameras.

BirdDog’s new P240 NDI PTZ cameras will be available in Q4 2022 and are priced at $2,995.00 USD.

Looking to a life after co-ax connected video signals has many wondering which path to take—SMPTE or NDI? How can it be we’re at a fork in the road for IP video production?

The simple fact is this: for decades, the evolution of digital video production was a fairly standard and uncompetitive process. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) took the lead and developed standards which the industry has relied upon for many years. With each evolution new higher resolution formats were supported but continued to use co-axial cable with BNC connectors. If you needed to throw a particularly long distance, then a baseband fibre alternative was also an option. 

So why are we at a juncture where system architects are left making a judgment call when developing new production facilities? The answer is simple: Neither NDI or SMPTE IP is “optimum,” and thus the right choice is much harder to select.

An Evolution
The first important IP format, SMPTE ST 2022, appeared in the last decade and was basically SDI packetized into an IP stream. Though not hugely flexible, it did—and still does, have uses. Then came SMPTE ST 2110; it provided greater capability by separating video, audio and metadata into individual IP streams, allowing designers to create facilities with simplified workflows and significantly less hardware. There are other advantages, too many to mention, but a critical one opened the door to remote production with cameras and production galleries located in different countries with a helpful telco in between; global televised sport never looked back.

The latter part of the last decade saw manufacturers, including ourselves, natively supporting SMPTE ST 2110. The choice was simple, the future was bright… wasn’t it? The reality is that SMPTE ST 2110 demands very high-speed IP infrastructure with cost to match. Away from the highly organized environments of studios and outside broadcast, SMPTE ST 2110’s fibre transport can show its fragility making decision makers nervous. Remember it took years to get location drama to stop using film!

This backdrop has been to the advantage of NDI, emanating from NewTek and now a commercial tech spin-off owned by Vizrt. Its mantra could be summed up as “keeping it copper—IP video should be transported over cheaper Cat5/Cat6 networks.” Here the cables are robust and familiar, and the networking infrastructure doesn’t require $40K of training to manage. 

There is, however, a big “however" the video is compressed. Purists in broadcast engineering dismissed this with a sniff and sharp turn of the head, so NDI sat in the dark longer than it should have. Nearly all routes to the consumer result in video being compressed so why should compression matter further up the workflow? Well, it probably doesn’t, thus we are seeing growing numbers of manufacturers supporting NDI. One of the “cons” of NDI was its limited acceptance but this is becoming historical. 

The compression itself can be confusing as the NDI brand has multiple types. NDI, often referred to as “Full NDI” is based on something known as SpeedHQ supporting variations SHQ2 and SHQ7 (both 4:2:2 video types), resulting in HD bitrates around the 100Mb/s. NDI’s other version HX is H264/H265 depending on whether it is HD or 4K (UHD). NDI-HX is a much lower bit rate and may rule itself out for more “premium” production environments wishing to avoid the cost of SMPTE ST 2110, but the non-HX NDI is pretty damn good, when you consider it wasn’t long ago the audience was “enjoying” interlaced Standard Definition.

More Complex Than It Looks
Those “purists” I mentioned will protest that I’ve oversimplified the issue and have clearly overlooked important factors such as compression latency. They’d be right of course; but the true picture is much more complex. Film, CGI and drama workflows are still going to demand minimal if not zero compression and I strongly suspect that in location production, baseband 12Gb/s SDI will have a long life to come. 

Eventually we will all implement IP and the hardware will only ever be present at the “edge” with all processing, distribution and storage being firmly in the cloud. Which format will win is of course difficult to predict. If the discovery model (how you identify and find multimedia IP devices) for SMPTE ST 2110 and its eventual successor matures, then an uncompressed video, standardized by SMPTE, may take the lead. 

For NDI, taking its place in the competitive market might come down to the commercial approach. Having spent some time talking with senior figures in the NDI team—past and present, I believe it’ll be the fee manufacturers must pay to wear the NDI logo that will dictate the take-up.

We are likely to see a battle over the next five years and the resulting uncertainty will make choices difficult. I won’t make a prediction, but I will say that having previously introduced support for SMPTE ST 2110 in our video technology, we are currently putting the final touches to our NDI support ahead of this year’s IBC.  

Vizrt Group’s NDI has released NDI 5.5, the latest update to its media over IP protocol. The latest version offers new routing tools, enhanced audio capabilities, improved features, and performance on remote connections, etc. NDI 5.5 supports the needs of cloud, on-premises, and hybrid workflows in applications across broadcast and beyond.

“NDI 5.5 follows on from the recent release of the NDI SDK for Unreal Engine 5 plugin, further demonstrating our commitment to provide the operating ‘glue’ that creators instinctively use as they deliver their craft, and also give our partners an ever-evolving platform to create exciting products,” said Tarif Sayed president of NDL. “It's important to us that our community of users get the best experience, and NDI 5.5 delivers exciting and improved elements that continue to make NDI the standard of choice for visual storytellers, content creators and manufacturers around the globe.”

NDI 5.5 is perfectly positioned to support content creators who want to take advantage of the flexibility of IP networks, the company said. This release boasts simple but effective changes to the NDI tools launcher allowing more control by users, faster connections with talkback when bringing in remote video sources via NDI Remote, multiple source support in NDI Webcam, and more.

New NDI Router
Complex productions can be a headache when managing high numbers of inputs and outputs. An all-new, free to use app in the NDI Tools suite, NDI Router, allows users to route NDI sources as custom inputs to selected outputs with a simple click.

Buttons can have bespoke names, and styles and users can preview the source assigned to any destination—making it easier than ever to manage and control inputs and outputs without supervising each stream independently.

Advanced NDI AudI/O
NDI AudI/O now allows SDK users to connect any audio device as an NDI source without the need to use third party software applications and use instead as an independent source. This significantly simplifies workflows, saving time and removing a layer of complexity, the company said.

For more information, visit: http://www.ndi.tv

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—NDI, the globally standardized video-over-IP technology, today announces that its SDK plugin is now compatible with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) and is available for download now.

“As soon as Unreal Engine 5 was released by Epic, we were receiving requests for an NDI SDK plugin so more creatives can unite the powers of UE5, and NDI, to achieve more with video," ays Tarif Sayed, President, and GM of NDI.  "NDI has a great relationship with Epic, and we’ve worked together for over 5 years to bring our joint users more value and are immensely excited to see how they harness the potential of our technologies together, to advance virtual storytelling.”

The NDI SDK enables systems like UE5 to find, send and receive video streams over IP, with an encoding algorithm independent of resolution and frame rate supporting up to 4K and beyond, along with 16 channels of floating-point audio. It also includes tools to implement video access and grouping, bi-directional metadata, IP commands, tally and more.

With the improved integration of NDI into Unreal, creators unlock full IP support for both inputs and outputs of audio and video—even with an alpha channel. The SDK allows creators to build commercial or free AR and VR without any royalties so both large, and small teams can push the boundaries of what is possible in creating visual content and experiences. Now, they can also leverage NDI’s revolutionary potential for sharing video-over-IP in the highest quality, with the lowest latency, the company said.

“We’re excited with the potential for creators to use the new SDK plugin for UE5 to make incredible real-time 3D content,” adds Bernt Johannessen, Unreal Engine Business Director for Broadcast at Epic Games. “With NDI, teams have access to multiple live video sources and Unreal Engine tools all on a standard network, removing obstacles and lowering complexity of live content creation without compromising quality. Unreal Engine is the world’s most open and advanced 3D creation tool on the market, and together with the world’s most used and adopted video-over-IP technology, we’re removing obstacles and giving storytellers more freedom to create amazing content.”

For more information, and to download the NDI SDK plugin for Unreal Engine 5, visit: https://ndi.tv/sdk/ 

SAN ANTONIO, Texas—This year at the 2022 NAB Show, the NDI ecosystem will be on full display with 14 NDI partner companies participating in the NDI Pavilion located in the North Hall at the Vizrt Group booth, N2619. 

This selection of top global NDI developers will display innovative new NDI-enabled products and solutions during the show between April 23 to 27 in Las Vegas. 

“NDI is now the globally standardized video-over-IP technology,” says Suso Carrillo, NDI marketing lead. “We have seen exponential growth for NDI over the past two years, with it solving production challenges in more and more use case scenarios every day. I am delighted to have assembled some of our amazing NDI partners in one convenient location to share their innovations and expertise.”

The NDI Pavilion is set up to allow attendees to discover the benefits, flexibility, and possibilities of NDI from experts at such companies as AIDA Imaging; BirdDog; Broadfield Distributing Inc; BZBGear; Canon; Digital MultiMedia Solutions; KILOVIEW; NETGEAR; NewTek; Pronology; PTZ Optics; Stream Circle; SWIT; and Vizrt.

Throughout the show floor at NAB 2022, nearly 40 additional NDI ecosystem organizations will showcase a diverse array of NDI integrations ranging from hardware and software streaming solutions, live production systems, cameras, displays, switchers, and more. The companies will be easily identified by a unique, “Ask me about NDI” plaque.

“BirdDog is so excited to be back to NAB showcasing our Cloud Connect, globally scalable NDI workflow solutions on the NDI pavilion. NDI truly has become an absolute juggernaut and we very much look forward to connecting to NDI users from around the world,” remarked Dan Miall, CEO, Bird Dog.

"As one of the earliest PTZ camera manufacturers to have adopted NDI technology, we are excited to expand the flexibility and possibility of NDI to the latest PTZ cameras such as AW-UE40, AW-UE50, and AW-UE80, the IT/IP platform “KAIROS” and AV-UHS5M6G, the new NDI I/F unit for the live switcher AV-UHS500. Please visit Panasonic at Booth C3607, where we showcase the workflow utilizing the benefits of NDI, " said Carter L. Hoskins, director, Panasonic Connect North America.

"With the long-awaited return to NAB, PTZOptics is excited to help introduce content creators to the many advantages of having NDI 5 in workflows and, of course, the products that help make those dreams a reality. If you have yet to explore NDI, join in the fun and start your journey today. Let PTZOptics help you share your vision," adds Matthew Davis, director of technology and information systems, PTZ Optics.

For more information about what the NDI partners will display, or to connect with them directly, please visit: https://www.ndi.tv/ndi-central-pavilion/

SAN ANTONIO—NDI, a division of Vizrt Group, has announced the appointment of Tarif Sayed, an experienced Silicon Valley technology executive, as its new president/GM.

Sayed has served in leadership roles with Dolby Laboratories and Nokia Technologies; most recently he has focused on nurturing technology start-ups. Tarif will report directly to Michael Hallén, CEO of Vizrt Group and will join the Vizrt Group Global Management Team. 

Sayed will take over the NDI leadership from Michael Namatinia who has been leading the NDI business since 2019 and who, after 20 years of service to Vizrt Group, will take an extended leave of absence for personal reasons, the company said.

The appointment follows the announcement last month of the creation of the NDI Advisory Board; a panel of experts who will support NDI as the company works to expand adoption of the video networking standard beyond the Media and Entertainment market. 

“NDI is one of those amazing technologies that only comes around once in a generation and we are at a point where growth is on the edge of becoming phenomenal,” says Tarif Sayed, new President and GM of NDI. “The potential of this technology is boundless, and I cannot wait to work with the team as we take the NDI mission to the next level.”

NDI also has hired David Radoczy as its new Vice President of Business Development. Radoczy, a technology and broadcast veteran, joins NDI from the global media and tech firm, Deluxe and was previously with major broadcasters and service providers such as Sky UK, Star HK and Nine Network Australia.

“NDI is already the most widely used and the most recommended video-over-IP technology in the Media and Entertainment space.  Adding experienced talent like David and Tarif to the team will help us expand NDI’s appeal to new markets,” said Michael Hallén, CEO of Vizrt Group.

“Michael has added a great deal of value to Vizrt Group over the years and has been hugely passionate about moulding NDI to be ready for its next stage of growth,” continues Hallén. “Tarif shares this passion and will build upon the solid partner relationships and innovative technology roadmap to ensure that even more people benefit from using NDI.”

The migration of live production workflows to the cloud to support remote working has been under consideration since the early 2000s, however, until now, major broadcasters and production companies have been unwilling to take the leap. This is related to a number of factors: IP network speed and reliability, economical and flexible cloud storage solutions, and a general unwillingness to move away from a familiar and time-tested approach. However, in early 2020, this all changed as a consequence of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Traditional working practices for film and video production often require large numbers of people to work in close quarters. When live sports are added to the mix, with stadiums filled with people, it becomes impossible to mount a traditional sport OB without the risk of it becoming a super spreader event. 

Broadcasters were faced with a massive increase in demand for programming from audiences who were isolating at home as a consequence of the Covid-19 lockdowns, while simultaneously faced with the inability to use traditional approaches due to the need to protect the health of production staff.

It Changed Everything
It’s been said that for change to be successful, three things are required: desire, opportunity, and necessity. Until now, the third item on the list has been lacking. The pandemic changed the way the world does everything, and video production was no exception. Necessity has now entered the equation, and broadcasters and production companies are scrambling for ways to meet the demand for content, while remaining safe.

Broadcasters like Discovery and Comcast have already moved their supply chain to the cloud in terms of the delivery of finished programs, however, until recently, remote contribution was restricted to slower-than-real-time file delivery from Wi-Fi hotspots or ethernet connection points.  

In the past few years, it has advanced to real-time 4k streaming video contribution over bonded mobile networks using backpack systems like the ones from LiveU. However, in the background, several factors have been converging to make fully remote, cloud-based production a realistic option: 

• Until recently, costly dedicated enterprise networks were required to support live video streams and were prohibitively expensive for most productions, therefore limiting the number of locations where they could be used. Average internet speeds have nearly doubled in the past five years while prices have come down at the same rate. Consumer-grade connections with data rates of up to 1Gbps are now widely available and provide a cost-effective solution for remote contribution links. They are now being viewed as a reliable replacement for scarce and costly satellite uplinks.
  
• In situations where access to a fixed broadband connection is not available, mobile networks are filling the gap. These networks have moved from the 3G data rates of 3Mbps only a few years ago, to the widespread availability of 4G networks with data rates of 20Mbps. 5G networks have been rolled out in many urban areas, and not only provide an average data rate of 100+ Mbps, but also offer quality of service provisions to ensure reliability of transmission. The upload speeds have also increased enough to make real-time control of remote systems feasible.
  
• The cloud hosting environment has matured, with relatively inexpensive options provided by AWS, Google, Docker, and others. The “hardware on demand” model offered by cloud services significantly reduces capital expenditure for both broadcasters and production companies.
  
• The introduction of new media-centric video over IP transport protocol, NDI (Network Device Interface) allows for real time, ultra-low latency video on existing IP video networks. Developed by NewTek, NDI is being used by vendors like Sony and Imagine.

Advances in broadcast technology tend to move in one direction—increased quality, increased functionality, and increased costs. These new developments move in multiple new directions—increased flexibility and reduced costs, without a reduction in quality. 

Although many of the productions that have moved to cloud-based workflows did so in response to emergency conditions, it is unlikely that all of them will return to previous approaches as the world begins to open up again. These new systems have been “battle tested” and have stood up to the challenge. 

Just as offices have moved permanently to hybrid working, the broadcast industry is likely to continue to use hybrid workflows, using traditional studios and OBs where appropriate, and remote working where it is most effective.

To be fair, using compressed NDI feeds over consumer grade networks is not up to the “gold standard” of SDI, C band, and now 2110, but the convergence of all these technological advances has brought us to a watershed moment when the old joke, “fast, cheap, good—pick two” is in danger of being retired.  

Two Case Studies: Media.Monks and Sky Deutschland
In late 2020, Netherlands-based marketing and advertising services company Media.Monks was commissioned by a major sports league to produce 20 games in 4K UHD. However, thanks to Covid-19 restrictions, the on-site OB crew would be limited to two people at each match, and they would have only a 4x4 tabletop to house their equipment.

They developed a workflow to produce multiple. simultaneous games that would include six unmanned cameras placed around each arena supported by a camera technician and one encoding engineer using Vectar Plus, a live production solution from Vizrt.

“We looked at other products in the cloud to serve our purpose and there was no product out there that could handle the workflow the way we wanted it to go,” said Lewis Smithingham, Media.Monks Director of Creative Solutions, “Our production trucks can work around the world in a single day. It’s fascinating to see that type of business transformation occurring.”

A big plus is that this approach has enabled Media.Monks to keep its global staff of 6,000 people fully employed throughout the pandemic.

Sky Germany has combined cloud-based production technologies with 5G contribution to transmit a handball match. The production was executed fully in the cloud with a mixture of broadcast and mobile phone cameras, LiveU’s 5G transmission technology, Vizrt’s switching, graphics, and sports analysis tools, all deployed in AWS and facilitated by NDI (Network Device Interface), a high-performance standard that allows anyone to use real time, ultra-low latency video on existing IP video networks.

Last week, Grass Valley announced the appointment of Dr. Andrew Cross as its new CEO. Cross was most recently President of Global R&D for Vizrt Group where he oversaw product development. Prior to that he was CEO of Newtek, which was acquired by Vizrt in 2019.

We recently chatted with Andrew about his vision for Grass Valley and industry trends as well his thoughts about the upcoming NAB Show.

The following is an edited transcript:

TV Tech: Andrew, first of all, congratulations. What do you bring to the Grass Valley that you think is unique and will help the company thrive?
Andrew Cross: Good question. Obviously I'm coming from the IP and the software side of the industry, which is where things are going. [At Vizrt and NewTek], we always made hardware too which means that I'm not just a pure software guy

TVT: Are there approaches that Vizrt and Grass take towards current media production trends that are the same or do they differ in any ways?
AC: We have quite different businesses, but there are clearly some things that are very similar. I think most of the big players understand that we're going to move to the cloud and software. Vizrt are very much focused on the graphics and news side of the business, so there's very little overlap between what Vizrt products do and what GV’s products do. So I think that the overall direction of where they think things are going are both similar—but I think everybody thinks that— but in terms of product mix there is remarkably little overlap.

TVT: Do you think GV is on the right path with the changes that it's taken recently or are there other things that you want to change at this point?
AC: So first of all, I feel incredibly lucky that people made the right decisions several years ago. The reality is that GV are unbelievably well placed, they made the hard decisions. Three years ago they started to do all the right things to position the company just perfectly for where the industry is going. Obviously that makes my life a lot easier and it makes me far more excited about what the opportunities are, because we're already really well positioned for everything we need. So now we just need to make some really disruptive moves to the industry, which is what I love doing.

TVT: GV and Vizrt are both examples of “pure-play” media tech companies that focus exclusively on broadcast and media production, but over the past decade or so, we’ve been seeing more companies outside of media production get a foothold in our industry, AWS being a good example. Do you think that creates more pressure on companies such as yours?
AC: My background has been Newtek, and so I was with one of the companies that probably came from the cloud, non-traditional broadcast side. But my view is that this actually offers great opportunity to companies like Grass Valley and Vizrt because what's happening in the industry is more and more people are producing video, which creates more and more opportunities, and with that, expectations of quality have to increase because that's how companies differentiate themselves from the plethora of other content that's getting created, 

So the companies that have been the experts in how to build the tools that make great looking video are clearly where everything's going, so I think that Vizrt, Grass Valley, and others are going to continue to serve the big broadcasters as they move all of these secondary channels, digital channels, and beyond. I honestly think that it actually makes things a lot more exciting to look at all these new ways that we can expand our business out of just the tier one broadcasters.

TVT: Switchers have long been a staple of Grass Valley’s portfolio. The way Newtek approached the concept of switchers is perhaps a bit different than the way Grass Valley does. Do you want to bring more of a Newtek type of vision to Grass Valley switchers?
AC: I think both are different and since Grass Valley was such a serious player in switchers we had to differentiate ourselves. But if you look at the things that customers most value, GV has actually gone in those same directions as well. I think that all of us are driven by the fact that we want to make it easier to produce great looking shows, to make it easier to bring the content in and to bring the graphics in and virtual sets into an integrated production system and  production environment. And those are things that I think Newtek did well, but just as important, what we're working on here already.

TVT: When the announcement of your appointment was made last week, you mentioned that you wanted to emphasize the “GV Media Universe.” What sets the GV Media Universe apart from similar initiatives from other media tech companies?
AC: I think, first of all, our technology focuses on ‘the cloud’—but with an asterisk—because a lot of what we're doing can run on prem as well, and it’s far ahead of anything else that I've seen. So we are technologically really far ahead because three years ago, GV had the foresight to start building this. But it seems wrong that a single company should say ‘we're going to make every product, our products are going to be the best and you have to choose us or company B or company C, for example.’

We believe—and I've shown this multiple times in my career—that if we can work with others, and we can open it up, it's better for everybody. And so the GV Media Universe was developed so that it benefits the entire industry and not just us. So if we move the whole industry to the cloud, that is not only good for us, but it's good for everybody else as well. If you want a practical example of this, just look at what Newtek did with their API—Newtek made big products that were very API-focused, but we gave it to the rest of the industry and that has benefited everybody, and we want to do the exact same thing here, to help us all move into the cloud.

TVT: What impact have the events of the past two years had on the industry in general and based on what you currently know on the TV side in particular?
AC: In terms of technology, the events of the past two years have actually been just great for our industry because I think that two years ago, we all thought that it would take 10 years to get to IP, to get to cloud and software. And it's taken about two years, so it's more than doubled the speed at which we adopt new technologies. 

As an industry, we were all very set in our ways, just slowly moving forwards, but I think the pandemic forced all of us to take a step back and look at how to get there faster because we were forced to—and I think that that has been great for the industry as a whole. As I mentioned, GV had the foresight about three years ago to start looking at how  we move from just being a developer of traditional hardware equipment to build on that with pieces of cloud, pieces of software so that they could figure out the whole picture. This has meant coming out of the past three years, we're just perfectly placed to take advantage of this accelerated adoption of IP and software-based approaches.

TVT: Is GV being seriously impacted by supply chain issues?
AC: No company in the industry would say “no” unless they're lying to you. But.we're probably as well positioned as anybody and I'm taking this as seriously as possible. You can not imagine the effort we go to make sure that we have everything so that we can supply customers. But this is a very real problem, and I think that a lot of people who are insulated from it just don't realize the true scope of what is going on in terms of the heroics that are needed by companies right now to find and build and deliver products. We're doing well, but it’s a real problem. 

TVT: You brought NDI to the industry and it’s had a bigger impact I think than many people expected. Do you anticipate Grass having more of a partnership role with that standard?
AC: I am certain that we will. We want to support all the IP standards and NDI is an important one. And it's important for a lot of reasons, and because it is very software-centric, that makes it ideal for where the industry is going. 

TVT: For the upcoming NAB Show what is the size of your booth compared to in the past and what trends are you looking at?
AC: Our booth is not as big as in the past but we’re going to have a large presence at the show. We think the show's very important and for us this is going to be one of the most exciting NABs ever. It's almost a “perfect storm,” because as I said previously, we started making this investment three years ago and there hasn’t been an NABs since, so we get to come to the show and really show what our vision is and show what we're trying to change, and I think it's going to be dramatically different. You will see a vision of where this all comes together and I’m very, very excited about that. 

 MONTREAL—Grass Valley today announced that former Vizrt executive Dr. Andrew Cross has been named Chief Executive Officer of the company effective immediately. Cross was most recently President of Global R&D for Vizrt Group where he oversaw product development across all three brands (Vizrt, NewTek, and NDI). Previously, he was CEO of NewTek until it was acquired by Vizrt Group in 2019.

As CEO of Grass Valley, Cross "will lead the company through the next phase to power the digital transformation of its customers and support them as they transition to the future of media and entertainment through IP, software, and cloud-based technologies," the company said.

Cross's appointment comes amid some recent turbulence at Grass Valley as it went through several executive shakeups and a major rebrand after its acquisition by Black Dragon Capital in 2020. 

Last fall, CEO and president Tim Shoulders and Marco Lopez, GM of live production left, and Black Dragon Capital CEO Louis Hernandez Jr. (former CEO of Avid) was tapped to lead Grass Valley as executive chairman. A month prior to that, former Avid executive Jan Lange was appointed CFO and earlier in the year, the company announced a round of layoffs as it transitioned its global headquarters to Canada. 

In October, Grass Valley rebranded itself, launching a new corporate identity and marketing campaign, with a new motto, “We Love Live.”  

Last month Grass announced  24% growth in 2021 compared to 2020, spurred on, in part, by the media industry's rapid transition to the cloud in light of the increased demand for remote production brought on by the global pandemic.

Cross has had a distinguished career in the M&E tech industry, having revived the NewTek brand during the past two decades by developing the industry's first real-time integrated live production systems. He also led the development of its NDI video over IP and tansport-based codec, which has become the largest IP video standard for live video production, in use by thousands of companies and hundreds of millions of users, according to Grass Valley. 

“Andrew is an experienced senior leader with deep industry knowledge and a track record of successfully taking media technology businesses into the new era of software-centric, cloud-based video technology,” Hernandez said. “I’m excited to have Andrew join at this transformative time for the company and industry. I look forward to his direction and leadership of Grass Valley alongside the excellent executive leadership team already in place.”

Cross will lead the Grass Valley team as it emphasizes it GV Media Universe (GVMU), which the company describes as "a digitally connected community that enables media companies to combine on-premise, hybrid and public cloud technologies to build live production environments while adapting to future demands."

“I am honored to be joining Grass Valley at such an exciting time. Our mission is to be the leader in the transition towards software-based technologies—both on-prem and as media companies move into the cloud.” says Andrew Cross, CEO, Grass Valley. “My personal drive has always been to use technology to innovate within the video industry, allowing more people to produce more video; there is no better time for me than this next step to join the most influential and respected company in the industry.”

SAN ANTONIO, Texas—NDI, part of the Vizrt Group, has announced the availability of its new NDI|HX3, which allows users of NDI|HX3-enabled device to select the latest NDI version for better video and reduced latency while using a fraction of NDI high bandwidth.

NDI|HX3 gives manufacturers and developers a way to add greater flexibility without a change or upgrade of hardware, the company said. 

The latest version offers the option to deliver low-latency transmission with reduced bandwidth, while maintaining visually lossless performance, allowing users to deliver broadcast-quality video in any setting without the need to upgrade their equipment, it said.

Little engineering effort is necessary to integrate NDI|HX 3 for existing manufacturers to begin leveraging its benefits. Software applications, such as NewTek TriCaster, Vizrt Vectar Plus and vMix will not need any upgrade to support NDI|HX 3.

“The diverse ways in which NDI partners and users apply the standard, integrating it into countless workflows, products and projects never cease to amaze us. To keep up with the demand from the market in leveraging NDI technology and to enable limitless content creation for any user, our team is committed to consistent innovation to push the boundaries of moving video. NDI|HX 3 is a shining example of that commitment as it strikes the perfect balance of quality and efficiency with zero compromises to set a new standard in visual storytelling,” said Michael Namatinia, president of NDI.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

GRASS VALLEY, Calif.—AJA Video Systems has launched BRIDGE NDI 3G, high-performance 1RU appliance that enables reliable, high density, and high quality conversion to/from SDI and NewTek’s NDI video over IP protocol. 

The flexible, intuitive gateway device supports multi-channel 4K and HD workflows and is designed to help broadcast, production and proAV professionals move seamlessly between various platforms, protocols, and connectivity types, AJA said. 

“As IP’s advantages become more readily apparent, NDI is picking up steam across the broadcast, production and proAV markets,” said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems. “Going all-in on IP, however, isn’t a reality for facilities with significant SDI infrastructure, which is why we’ve created BRIDGE 3G NDI. Facilities can use BRIDGE NDI 3G to easily integrate a range of 3G-SDI sources into NDI workflows. It’s designed to help customers make the most out of their current gear while taking advantage of popular IP video advancements in the market.” 

BRIDGE NDI 3G has dual 10GigE onboard NICs for NDI I/O, as well as high-density SDI connections for up to 16 channels of 3G-SDI I/O – offering up to four channels of 4K or 16-channels of HD, or a mixture of HD and 4K NDI encodes/decodes in a compact form-factor.

The device has an intuitive interface and system administration screen for quick configuration, the company said. Using a standard web browser, technicians, engineers, operators, and producers can access the interface remotely to view and manage content, including local monitoring preferences. BRIDGE NDI 3G can be used to convert SDI camera and playout sources into NDI streams, enabling simple integration into NDI supported workflows, including virtualized productions leveraging NDI-based switchers. 

Using a common network, these sources can be located anywhere within a facility, allowing seamless integration of various production islands into a unified workflow. 

Conversely, NDI streams can be converted back into SDI ecosystems via BRIDGE NDI 3G’s configurable I/O, allowing NDI signals to move back into SDI routing systems and traditional baseband workflows.

Device configuration and management are simple via a local interface, or remotely from a web browser interface or REST API, the company said. 

The rack-mountable appliance supports UYVY and UYVA 4:2:2, 8-bit and P216, for NDI, and for SDI, YCbCr 4:2:2, 10-bit. It simplifies the integration of graphics and/or 4K sources into workflows with one-click grouping controls for video-and-key, and for 4K via 3G I/O. BRIDGE NDI 3G includes dual power supplies for redundancy.

For more information, visit: www.aja.com/products/bridge-ndi-3g.

BERGEN, Norway, and SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Vizrt Group brand NDI today said it now has achieved full compatibility with Microsoft Teams, which allows users to harness the full capabilities of NDI 5-enabled technologies for broadcasts, webinar and other video applications.

NDI 5 is a connectivity and control standard that allows NDI devices to operate on a single IP network for real-time, low-latency video production, Vizrt said.

The enhanced NDI Tools available with NDI 5 unlock new live video production and remote capabilities for Microsoft Teams. These capabilities are easy to enable and configure from Teams through the NDI permissions options within the meetings settings, it said.

“For years, we’ve worked with our close partners at Microsoft to bring NDI support to Microsoft Teams. This announcement, thanks to NDI 5, delivers full integration between Microsoft Teams and the best broadcast equipment available,” said Andrew Cross, president of global research and development at Vizrt.

“Whether virtualizing a townhall meeting or sales event, producing a professional grade broadcast or sharing a high school production with a broad online community, NDI 5 and Microsoft Teams empowers users to make most of every moment — and share it professionally with larger audiences,” he said.

NDI 5 will be available and compatible with Microsoft Teams by the end of October, it said. 

More information about Teams is available online. A download of and more information about NDI 5 is available online.

BERGEN, Norway—The  popular video over IP format, NDI, is now supported in the newest version of Zoom Rooms. 

NDI technology connects media devices over a network and is widely used in the production of live streaming content. NDI 5 as the latest iteration of the format. 

The move further expands use of NDI, a Vizrt Group brand, in video collaboration technologies. NDI was adopted by Zoom for MacOS and Microsoft Teams in 2020, and Skype in 2018. 

With the support for Zoom Rooms, producers can now use NDI for Zoom Rooms as a live video source to create stories.

While Zoom Rooms is widely used for corporate meetings, the move could also have a variety of applications in news organizations. For example, live video streams from the mobile phones of reporters in the field could be used by news stations and newscasts could use it to bring in multiple guests and presenters from around the world for audio and video streams.

“The pace at which global video communication platforms have grown to support the unique needs of their customers over the past year is impressive,” says Michael Namatinia, president and general managers of NDI. “Zoom is the latest video communications platform to embrace NDI, allowing their customers to do more with their video streams, and opens up a whole new world of video creation for them.”

“Innovation is one of our key areas, and our investments here at Zoom are completely customer-centric,” says Brendan Ittelson, chief technology officer at Zoom. “We have received feedback from producers that NDI technology is key to live production and something that they have wanted for a while. With our support for NDI we wanted to make sure that we delivered something to our customers that was a full package and gives our customers an amazing experience and works exactly the way they’d expect it to.”

MELBOURNE—BirdDog has announced that it will support NDI 5 on all BirdDog hardware products and that it is launching a new Cloud Connect suite of apps for Apple TV, Android TV, iOS, and Android that will simplify the creation of globally connected Productions.

In addition to Cloud Connect, BirdDog also launched a second new product line, BirdDog Play, priced at $149, which the company is billing as the lowest cost and smallest NDI Decoder available. 

“Cloud Connect is the culmination of all the pieces of BirdDog development coming together and something we’ve been working on for a long time,” said Dan Miall, BirdDog co-founder and CEO. “With Cloud Connect we are delivering the dream of truly collaborative remote editorial workflows, and seamless remote productions.”

Cloud Connect allows editors to output their Avid, Adobe, or Apple Final Cut Pro timeline and view it anywhere in the world with as little as two frames latency. 

BirdDog’s support for NDI 5 will include all hardware products, Flex Family, 4K Family, Studio NDI, Mini, all PTZ Camera models, and the upcoming Wallplates, and SDM range. 

BirdDog Play is a low cost, NDI Player that can display any local NDI source on the network, as well as tie into BirdDog Cloud Connect to bring remote sources to Play from anywhere in the world, the company reported. 

“Play really breaks the technology barriers for browsing and viewing NDI sources,” said Miall. “Being able to connect to the Cloud Connect platform and bring NDI sources from remote locations makes it more flexible than any NDI Decoder or Player on the market today.”

BirdDog Play and BirdDog Cloud Connect will be available publicly in Q3, 2021 with a limited beta program available for Cloud Connect via a signup on the BirdDog website www.bird-dog.tv

BEAVERTON, Oregon—Apantac is launching a new PTZ camera for professional video and streaming applications that has NDI integrated into the camera.

The addition of NDI, which is a Vizrt brand, means that the new 1080P PTZ camera will be recognizable as a source by other NDI-enabled applications and devices connected to a standard Ethernet local area network, making it easier to share and stream content.

“NDI has changed the way content is accessed, created and distributed, making video accessible over IP,” commented Thomas Tang, president of Apantac. “We are really excited about our first NDI product launch as our PTZ camera allows users to deliver live video over IP to any compatible system or software on the network, using a single cable for all the video, audio and control.”

NDI is a brand of the Vizrt Group and a royalty-free technology that allows video and audio sources to be shared bi-directionally across a network, eliminating the need for costly direct connections, expensive cable runs, and infrastructure upgrades. 

Apantac’s AP-1080P-PTZ-20x (NDI) is designed for capturing video up to 1080P and offers 3G SDI, HDMI, USB 3.0, and HD video over IP decoding. 

The company noted that the variety of the formats this camera supports makes it ideal for house of worship, educational and corporate applications. By incorporating NDI, it communicates using the NDI protocol and allows bi-directional distribution and access of live video over existing IP LAN infrastructure. It also seamlessly integrates with most video conferencing and other software applications.

“NDI-enabled devices like Apantac’s new PTZ NDI Camera exponentially increase the video sources available for storytellers creating efficiencies and opportunities that did not previously exist,” said Michael Kornet, vice president of NDI. “We’ve known and admired the team at Apantac for a number of years and recognize that this is a significant moment for AV and broadcast customers that want to work with this respected brand as they come on board with their new NDI camera.”

SAN ANTONIO, Texas—NDI will be releasing a new vision of its popular software defined IP video protocol, NDI 5, that will make it possible to connect and share video with any device anywhere in the world, the company reported. 

“NDI is designed to harness the massive creative potential of software and networks, allowing anyone to work with video – and have fun doing it,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, president of R&D for the Vizrt Group, which owns NDI. “All devices in the world are already connected. Now with NDI 5, you can easily build shows and share video between them, for free.”

The new version includes a variety of improvements, including NDI Bridge, which forms a secure bridge between any NDI network regardless of location and opens a variety of applications for remote workflows and for live video production.

Another new tool is NDI Remote, which allows anyone using just a URL to contribute live audio and video using an Internet-connected device, like a camera phone or a web browser, to another point anywhere in the world. 

NDI has also announced that it will be making 10,000 NDI®|HX Camera app downloads free of charge (normally $19.99 USD).

The NDI 5 SDK and NDI Tools will be available for download in June. Anyone wishing to be notified once they are available can register here. 

IRVINE, Calif.—Teradek is now part of the NDI ecosystem, which it will incorporate with its line of Teradek Cube 700 series encoders. Teradek Cube 705 and Teradek Cube 755 users can now purchase an NDI license for sending video over IP.

NDI (Network Device Interface) was developed by NewTek and is able to move live digital media around with a user’s existing software applications, computing devices and networks. It is designed to preserve visual quality, frame accuracy and sound synchronization while merging stages of production.

With the addition of NDI, Teradek says that Cube owners no longer need to rely on HDMI or SDI long distance cables. NDI also integrates with vMix, Tricaster and other switchers. Cube owners can still use SRT for remote feed transport to a TriCaster, while using NDI for local ingest, Teradek says.

“Software-driven IP workflows have become ubiquitous in video production,” said Michael Kornet, vice president, NDI. “NDI-enabled devices like Teradek Cube 705 and Cube 755 exponentially increase the video sources available for live production creating efficiencies and opportunities for customers that did not previously exist.”

Exclusive Teradek NDI licenses can be purchased through the Teradek website. 

BERGEN, Norway & SAN ANTONIO—NDI has introduced its new NDI|HX Camera for Android app. The app is designed to turn Android smartphones and tablets into broadcast-ready camera systems capable of capturing 4K content by working with NDI tools.

The NDI|XH for Android app can be used as a camera source in multicamera live streaming systems like NewTek’s TriCaster, Vizrt’s Viz Vectar Plus and OBS, as well as others. It can also integrate with Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams or other video communication applications

NDI previously created an NDI|HX camera for iOS devices. With compatibility with Android, NDI says that the technology is available on more than 4 billion devices globally.

NDI is part of the Vizrt Group. For more information, visit www.ndi.tv.  

NANJING, China—Nagasoft has announced the addition of NDI|HX to its NSCaster-X1 and NSCaster-X1A live production tablets to provide compatibility with a wider range of cameras, displays and other live production elements.

The NSCaster units are integrated production tools with a built-in 11.6-inch full-HD touchscreen monitor. They provide multichannel switching, recording, broadcasting, audio mixer, special effects and monitoring. Ethernet, Wi-Fi and 4G modules are available.

Features of the NSCaster units include six video input channels, including IP Camera, SDI, HDMI, NET, DDR local material and other signals; zero-delay switching; picture-in-picture; built-in scoreboard templates; audio input with XLR and TRS mixing ports; a build-in audio mixer; character generation overlay; recording of up to six channels; multiplatform live streaming; Live+ connection via the Naga NDDIP protocol; input channel customization; and PTZ camera control.

“While we continue to expand the capabilities of the NSCaster Range, we are excited to add the NDI|HX interface option to these highly integrated production tools for easy integration to an even wider range of video sources,” said Nagasoftsales Technical Sales Manager Peter Hossfeld. “We look forward to interfacing with an even larger number of products and partners in the future.”

For more information, visit www.nagasoftsales.com.  

BERGEN, Norway & SAN ANTONIO—NewTek and NDI, each of which is part of the Vizrt Group, have announced some new offerings, including a new PTZ camera and temporary offers for free applications.

NewTek is launching the PTZUHD, a pan-tilt-zoom camera that transmits full 4K p60 video directly to NDI-compatible receiving devices across a standard network. With the new camera, content creators can capture UHD video with native support for resolutions up to 2160p 60 using a 30x optical zoom lens and a Sony CMOS sensor.

The PTZUHD implements NDI|HX technology, which results in reduced latency output at low bandwidth. It requires a single Ethernet connection for setup, power, operation and signal flow, and pairs with the TriCaster Mini 4K and TriCaster TC1.

The NewTek PTZUHD is now available at a price of $4,995.

PLUS: PTZ Cams Go Small, But Have Growing Industry Reach

Meanwhile, NDI is now enabling users to access its NDI|HX Capture for iOS and NDI|HX Camera for iOS applications for free for the next 60 days. Used in conjunction with free NDI Tools software, these applications help with the creation of content. The NDI|HX Camera app, specifically, allows for an iPhone to become a 4K broadcast quality camera. Each app uses the latest version of NDI 4.5.

The apps will be available for free download on the Apple iOS App Store until June 1.

SAN ANTONIO—NewTek introduced the latest generation TriCaster Mini, a compact video production system that brings UHD digital production to schools, businesses and professional AV users.

“Whether you’re a student, a corporate communications manager or a seasoned video professional, TriCaster Mini has everything to get you going and make broadcast-quality shows you can stream to all your favorite social media outlets,” said Andrew Cross, president of R&D for Vizrt Group.

TriCaster Mini is a plug-and-play system that allows new video producers to start quickly and work their way into more sophisticated productions with support for resolutions up to 4K and the ability to deliver to all screens, NewTek said.

“NDI is aspect ratio, resolution and frame rate independent,” NewTek product marketing manager Matt Allard told TVBEurope. “So basically with that capability I can set up a session and I can output it square, horizontal, landscape, portrait, something that can be very friendly to output into social media tablets, social media smartphone, anything like that.”

Leveraging the software-defined visual storytelling (SDVS) concept, TriCaster Mini is small enough to take anywhere and easy to set up and begin using in minutes. Hundreds of entry-level and advanced production tools, including built-in virtual sets, animated transition effects, replay support and one-touch social media publishing are included, the company said.

The new production system provides for eight external video inputs that support any combination of compatible sources in resolutions up to 4K UHD. Its four plug-and-play NDI connections with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) cut the time and hassle needed to power and control video, audio and tally. TriCaster Mini also offers two input modules with PoE that make it possible for users to connect existing HDMI devices as NDI-compatible sources, the company said.

The production system supports the NDI|HX Camera Application for mobile devices, available as a download from the Apple Store. The application allows users to transmit up to 4K UHD video from an iOS device via Wi-Fi as an NDI source that can be connected to TriCaster Mini systems on the network, making seamless integration of shots from iPhone-equipped teams possible, NewTek said.

TriCaster Mini will be available in November. Packages start at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $8,995.

More information is available on the NewTek website.