NewTek NDI: Live Video over IP for Worship
Will Waters (Head of Product Management at NewTek) recently wrote a fantastic article for Sound & Video Contractor (svconline.com). Here, he gives a good rundown of how to use live video over IP for houses of worship.
“As worship leadership increasingly see the benefits of such offerings, video experts are being asked, “what are my first steps to get started with interactive video?” The answers to this question are unique for every location, of course, which means the sound and video contractor has a critical role to play! That said, there is a template playbook for integrating live video offerings in houses of worship.”
-Will Waters
NDI is a network-based protocol made by NewTek. Many manufacturers like Panasonic, PTZOptics, BirdDog, and more have begun to adopt this protocol into the live streaming and post-production workflows. This is making point-to-point connections like HDMI and SDI obsolete.
HDMI and SDI ports are great for local facilities. But what about remote production? The ongoing pandemic has seen it become important to bring in remote guests, remote presentations, etc.
Will Waters writes, "Going back to our example of the minister delivering the mid-week message – the use of a virtual meeting room application (VMR) like Zoom™ or Microsoft Teams™ would allow for remote connection between participants. The VMR could then be connected using NDI® to the live production system at the church facility where the worship team delivers a live song as part of the service. Further, the production equipment could be operated either locally or remotely with the production team communicating in real-time. All this is possible because of networks and IP."
It doesn't need to be NDI or nothing. Never before has it been easier to mix HDMI and SDI production elements with NDI ones.
Live Production Gear
Every live production needs gear of some kind. Waters gives a great breakdown of what to look for and how it can benefit a house of worship.
Cameras
If a house of worship already has a camera with SDI or HDMI capabilities, it is easy to go NDI with a simple converter. Videoguys has done an entire webinar on NDI converters. Check it out right here!
Audio
Waters mentions a factor to take into consideration when it comes to audio and NDI.
How to bring audio into the video production. This can be done individually into a mixer or directly into the camera being brought into the live production via an embed.
However, bringing in audio via the network has become more efficient than ever. Waters writes, "Digital audio workstations can now connect with live audio mixing desks and move audio between devices independently of in-room sound reinforcement. The benefit is that audio can be mixed discreetly for live broadcast, remote speakers and guests, and in-facility use. What used to require a large mixing desk, can now be handled in digital tools enhanced by software."
In The End
NDI is a perfect solution for upgrading live productions for Houses of Worship. Videoguys has done a whole month dedicated to NDI and NDI applications for a better understanding of the protocol.
Check out NDI November right here to learn more!
Read the original article by Will Waters here!
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