

You can repeat this process on multiple devices and turn each computer on your network into an NDI video source.
What is vmix software#
In this alternative approach, you use free NDI tools or vMix Desktop Capture to send the signal from one computer to NDI-capable video switching software such as vMix or OBS. Ethernet and network switches are very inexpensive compared to SDI cables. Instead of connecting an SDI cable or an HDMI cable, you can connect multiple computers and NDI-supported devices together over an Ethernet connection. But I discovered a simpler approach using NDI. This workflow performs well for the clients and has been extremely stable for several months of daily use. We duplicated the signal via HDMI to a vMix system that had an eight-input video capture card, and the producer created a set of looks for all of the countless combinations of participants who needed to appear simultaneously at any given time. Our solution required the client to dedicate eight computers to connect to Zoom and to pin one participant each. Typically, there were between two to six participants who needed to be seen at the same time. We used our equipment to remix and stream, to the public and press, a video feed in which our producer could control who was visible at all times. The first job that required us to deploy our big remote production workflow was a court case in which the judge, counsel, witnesses, experts, and court registrar were all communicating in real time over Zoom. NDI is one of the tools we use to build out our offerings-but it didn’t start that way for us. So we treat each participant as a discrete video source, akin to a traditional dedicated video camera feed, and composite our own multiview looks. If all we did was webcast the videoconference services’ default gallery views, we wouldn’t be adding much value for our clients. We typically use IBM (formerly Ustream) for our live streams, and Vimeo Live is our backup. Then, we use vMix to switch the production and stream it.įigure 1. These four services are used to bring in remote presenters in a real-time production. These days, we rely a lot on videoconferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams ( Figure 1, below), Google Meet, and vMix Call. vMix is the solution we build most of our solutions around, although sometimes we pair it with external hardware solutions when we need features like auto-mixing on a soundboard or the low latency of a hardware SDI switcher. Our work varies, as we collaborate with more than 100 clients a year, all of whom have different sets of needs. As the owner of SLV Live ( slvlive.ca), I have the choice of which hardware and software solutions I use in my productions. In addition to these three main functions, it is also a very capable audio mixer, graphics generator, and media playback program. VMix software plays many roles as an all-in-one video switcher, recorder, and streaming encoder.

The same principles apply in workflows with NewTek’s NDI switchers and other software switchers that support NDI, like OBS. As part of my Streaming Media University "Live Production With vMix" session, I explained how producers can use NDI in the context of a vMix workflow. NDI is royalty-free software and is suitable for use in a live production environment. Network Device Interface (NDI) is a standard developed by NewTek that enables compatible video products to deliver HD video over a computer network.
