NDI Explained for Radio and Live Production
NDI (Network Device Interface) is a technology for sending video, audio and metadata over a local network. Instead of running a video cable from every source to a capture card, each device or program publishes its signal on the network and any compatible software can receive it.
How NDI works
- A camera, a computer or a program becomes an NDI source on the network.
- Production software such as vMix or OBS (with the NDI plugin) lists the available sources.
- You pick a source and use it like any other input: in scenes, layouts and recordings.
Why studios use it
- Less hardware: fewer capture cards and long video cables.
- Flexible layout: a source in another room is just another device on the network.
- Software sources: screens, graphics and other programs can be shared as video.
- Audio and video together: the program audio can travel alongside the image.
What to plan for
NDI works best on a well-built local network. Use wired gigabit connections for video sources, keep production traffic separate from guest Wi-Fi and check that switches can handle the traffic of several cameras at once. NDI is designed for the local network; to send a channel to the internet you still use protocols like SRT, RTMP or HLS.
NDI in a radio studio
In a visual radio setup, cameras and the radio audio come into vMix or OBS, often over NDI. Fast Monkey Station then works with that studio: it reads the radio automation, switches scenes during commercial breaks and delivers the channel over SRT and HLS with break markers and now-playing metadata.