NewTek's Network Device Interface (NDI), a new open standard for live production IP workflows over Ethernet networks, allows multiple video systems to identify and communicate with one another over IP, and to encode, transmit, and receive streams of high-quality, low-latency, frame-accurate video and audio in real time.
- This new protocol can benefit any network-connected video device, including video mixers, graphics systems, capture cards, and other production devices. NDI connectivity will be available in Q4 2015 as a royalty-free software developer kit (SDK) for anyone wanting to enable IP workflows in their facilities, or in production devices and systems they manufacture.
“The move to IP for professional video production will unquestionably be among the most revolutionary and transformative changes of the decade," said Dr. Andrew Cross, NewTek’s president and CTO. "We are very excited to be opening our network protocols so that the entire industry can benefit from them. At launch, NDI will work with applications from almost every major vendor and virtually every I/O card on the market, meaning that it will be broadly available for real-world production use starting in Q4 this year.”
NDI’s performance over standard GigE networks makes it possible to transition facilities to a versatile IP video production pipeline without negating existing investments in SDI cameras and infrastructure, or costly new high-speed network infrastructures. Leveraging more than a decade of NewTek experience with IP in the context of computer-based live video production workflows, NDI support at launch extends to well over 100,000 compatible systems already deployed worldwide.
NewTek worked with manufacturers and developers to allow IP connectivity between devices. NDI’s backwards compatibility means that along with NewTek products and systems from Brainstorm, CasparCG, CharacterWorks, ChyronHego, ClassX, Compix, EasyWorship, Gnural Net, Graphics Outfitters, LiveXpert, Media 5, PlayBox Technology, Teradek, Vizrt, Wasp3D, and more will be NDI-enabled on the day of launch. NewTek has also collaborated with AJA, DELTACAST, and Matrox to enable their capture cards to act as NDI senders or receivers. Support for Blackmagic Design cards will also be provided. Boland, JVC, LiveU, Microsoft Skype TX, NewsMaker, Panasonic, PESA, Sienna, and Wowza are also working on providing NDI-based solutions, according to the company.
"IP-based workflows are without a doubt the future of video production, and we are excited to work with NewTek on opening the standards to allow any company or customer to change their workflow,” said Petter Ole Jakobsen, chief technology officer at Vizrt."IP-based workflows represent a very important arm of the future of video production and the prospect of a unified IP video system as represented by NewTek’s open NDI protocol is very exciting," said Nick Rashby, president at AJA Video Systems. “We're pleased that NewTek will be supporting NDI on all our KONA, CORVID, and Io product lines, opening up opportunities for their customers and ours to use existing infrastructure to rapidly engage in new workflow opportunities almost immediately.”
