NDI Core Integration

Driver Maturity

Production

Recommended for normal production use.

Caution

Compatibility Note: This information is a general guide and may be incomplete, may not match a specific project implementation, and is subject to change as supported products and versions evolve. Confirm the exact implementation and requirements for each project with Riedel and the relevant equipment vendor, then validate the required functions end to end in the target environment before deployment.

Minimum hi Version: v2.7.3

Overview

The NDI^® Core Integration discovers NDI Sources and routes them to NDI receiver endpoints represented in hi. It uses configured NDI Discovery Server hosts when supplied; otherwise it uses local mDNS-SD discovery.

NDI Source Discovery and Manual Receiver Mapping

Source discovery supplies the Source representation in hi. Receiver Nodes and input Ports must be created and mapped manually using NDI Mappable Node. The diagram shows how these objects become available in hi; its arrows do not represent media transport.

Network Requirements

Connection Model: The integration uses the NDI SDK to discover Sources and control receiver routing.
Multicast / Unicast: Local discovery uses mDNS multicast. Discovery Server and Source sessions use unicast.
VLAN / IGMP: Follow the NDI network design for discovery and media traffic.
Bandwidth: Media bandwidth depends on the NDI formats used by the connected systems.
IP Version: Validate against the connected NDI products and Discovery Server deployment.
Firewall: Permit UDP 5353 for local mDNS discovery, TCP 5959 for an optional external Discovery Server, and the service-advertised TCP or UDP Source ports. Source ports are discovered by the SDK and can be higher when preferred ports are occupied.

Standards Conformance

Standard	Conformance	Notes
NDI	Implemented through the NDI SDK	Vendor-defined protocol

Operator Workflow

UI Surface in hi: Routing Matrix, Topology, and Inventory
Resources Controlled: NDI Sources, auto-discovered NDI Nodes, mappable receiver Nodes, and NDI input Ports
Routing Semantics: An NDI Source is assigned to a selected NDI receiver Port.
Additional Controls: Operators can create mappable NDI Nodes, add NDI input Ports, and select the default NDI Source used on disconnect.

Connection Methods

Connection: NDI SDK

Property	Value
Protocol	NDI SDK
Transport	TCP and UDP
Default Port	TCP 5959 for Discovery Server TCP or UDP Source ports discovered by the SDK
Authentication	None NDI LAN sessions provide no protocol-level authentication
Encryption in Transit	None NDI LAN sessions are not encrypted
Connection Model	SDK-based Source discovery and receiver routing
Required License	hiNDI
Traffic Flow	Bidirectional discovery and control media flows between NDI endpoints

Connection: NDI Multicast DNS Service Discovery

Property	Value
Protocol	NDI mDNS-SD discovery
Transport	UDP multicast
Default Port	5353
Authentication	None
Encryption in Transit	None
Connection Model	Local multicast discovery when no Discovery Server is configured
Required License	hiNDI
Traffic Flow	Discovery queries and responses between hi and the local network

Required Configuration

Parameter	Description	Default
NDI Discovery Server Host	One or more Discovery Server hosts separated by commas leave empty to use local mDNS-SD discovery	-
Default NDI source	Source assigned when an NDI Destination is disconnected	None
Reinitialize	Reinitialize the NDI services	-
Reset	Restart the NDI integration service	-

Device-Side Setup

Follow NDI Core Integration Configuration for the device-side and hi-side configuration steps.

Supported Features

Feature	Access	Exposed Operation and Scope
Source and Node Discovery	Read-only	Discover NDI Sources locally or through a Discovery Server and represent discovered systems as hi Nodes.
Receiver Routing	Read/write	Route a selected NDI Source to a supported NDI receiver Port.
Mappable Nodes and Ports	hi-side configuration	Create operator-defined receiver Nodes and Ports in hi.
Default Source	hi-side configuration	Select the Source used when a Destination is disconnected.
Routed NDI Outputs	Read/write	Publish each receiver Port as a named NDI routed Source and change the NDI Source that it forwards.

Device Coverage

Tested With identifies devices that have been tested with hi. Potentially Compatible (Not Yet Verified) identifies devices that use the same protocol or connection method but have not been tested with hi. Device-specific configuration, firmware, and feature support can affect results.

Tested With

BirdDog P200
Kiloview Multiview Player
NDI Tools
OBS Studio

Potentially Compatible (Not Yet Verified)

Panasonic PTZ cameras that send NDI.
Other NDI senders, receivers, software applications, and Discovery Server deployments that expose the functions used by this integration.

Known Limitations

Validate interoperability with the exact NDI product versions used by the installation.
Discovery and media reachability depend on the NDI network and Discovery Server configuration.
hi discovers NDI Sources and publishes its routed Sources in the default NDI group (public). hi has no setting for NDI access groups.

What's Not Supported

Automatic discovery of NDI receiver products is not supported by the NDI version used in this hi integration. Source discovery remains supported; configure receiver Nodes and input Ports manually.
Vendor firmware updates or low-level NDI product configuration.
Media encoding-profile authoring from hi.
NDI PTZ control and NDI Tally. hi does not send PTZ commands or Tally states to NDI devices.

Trademarks

Note

NDI is a registered trademark of Vizrt NDI AB.

All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. Copyright in third-party software and materials remains with the respective owners. Use of these names does not imply endorsement.

RIEDEL Communications is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially partnered with Vizrt NDI AB unless explicitly stated.