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NDI Support
Exaplay 3 can receive NDI® (Network Device Interface) video streams as live inputs, and optionally output to NDI for monitoring or routing.
What Is NDI?
NDI is a royalty-free standard by NewTek/Vizrt for transmitting high-quality video over standard IP networks (Gigabit Ethernet or faster). Common NDI sources include:
- vMix, OBS, Wirecast — live production software
- PTZ cameras with NDI output
- NDI converters for SDI and HDMI sources
- Other Exaplay 3 instances
Receiving NDI
- Ensure the NDI sender is on the same network as the Exaplay machine.
- In the File Browser, click the Live Feeds tab.
- Available NDI sources appear automatically (NDI discovery uses mDNS).
- Drag an NDI source onto a track in the Timeline, the same as any media file.
Live Source On/Off Switch
Each NDI live source has an Enabled switch in its Set Live Parameters dialog. Turning a source off releases the receiver so the NDI SDK stops scanning for the (absent) sender — the deterministic way to drop CPU when a source is switched off at the wall.
- The auto-reconnect search for a sender that drops out unexpectedly stays at full cadence, so a genuinely lost source still reconnects on its own.
- The Enabled switch is the operator's explicit lever for a source that is meant to be off.
New in 3.2: this switch resolves the "NDI source switched off → high CPU" case.
Auto-Connect on Project Start
NDI sources saved in a project are re-armed automatically when the project loads, so live feeds start reliably on startup without having to re-add them by hand.
NDI Performance
| Resolution | Required network bandwidth |
|---|---|
| 1080p/30 | ~125 Mbps |
| 1080p/60 | ~250 Mbps |
| 4K/30 | ~500 Mbps |
Use a dedicated VLAN or at least a managed switch with QoS for NDI traffic in professional environments.
NDI Output (Monitoring)
To send an Exaplay output as an NDI stream:
- Open Config → Outputs.
- Select the output you want to share.
- Enable NDI Output and enter a stream name.
The stream becomes discoverable by any NDI receiver on the network.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| NDI source not discovered | Check firewall (allow UDP 5353 for mDNS, and TCP/UDP 5960+ for NDI data) |
| Dropped frames | Use a wired connection; NDI is latency-sensitive |
| High CPU on receive | Install the NewTek NDI SDK for hardware-accelerated decoding |
| High CPU from a source that is switched off | Turn the source off with the Enabled switch in Set Live Parameters — this releases the receiver so the SDK stops scanning for the absent sender |
| Source shows but won't play | Check that resolution and frame rate are within system limits |