NDI announced the launch of NDI 6, a significant update poised to revolutionize broadcasting and content creation. NDI 6 introduces native HDR support and extends WAN connectivity for hardware, addressing crucial industry needs and pushing the boundaries of visual excellence and remote workflows.
   

According to Nick Mariette, Director of Product Management at NDI, “The eagerly awaited NDI 6 introduces 10+ bit HDR support to meet the escalating quality demands of our users. Feedback from our customers and beta testers was instrumental in shaping NDI 6. Many of our partners are keen to embrace NDI workflows more extensively, and enhanced image quality will further facilitate NDI usage. Now, anyone seeking top-notch quality can stream in HDR with the flexibility, efficiency, and interoperability that NDI has always offered.”

With native HDR and 10+ bit color support, NDI 6 becomes an indispensable choice for tier 1 Broadcast, fulfilling industry requirements for professional-grade video streaming over IP and democratizing broadcast-quality streaming. The update empowers broadcasters and content creators with higher contrast, expanding brightness range. Furthermore, it delivers a wide color gamut and minimal color banding, ensuring seamless transitions and gradients, and offers extensive compatibility, supporting PQ and HLG formats, thus broadening streaming to most HDR and non-HDR devices.

WAN connectivity is now integrated into cameras via an NDI Bridge utility for hardware. This plug-and-play solution promises to revolutionize the flexibility of remote productions and setups, offering a seamless experience for anyone sending and receiving video, regardless of the device, platform, or location. The new feature enables devices to transmit encrypted NDI streams over a WAN, facilitating secure, remote real-time collaboration between locations. NDI-enabled cameras with the Bridge utility can join remote networks without relying on additional software or tools.

Since Q4 of 2023, the core technology update has undergone beta testing with industry-leading product developers like Autodesk, Chyron, Kiloview, Lumens, Matrox, Panasonic, and Vizrt as part of the NDI Beta program. The results have led to the successful integration of NDI 6 into both existing and upcoming products.

Ulrich Voigt, Global Head of Product Management at Vizrt, expressed, “With NDI 6, NDI emerges as the undisputed standard for cloud-based live production, ushering in a new era of possibility for Vizrt’s suite of production solutions. With its advanced bit depth and expanded color range, NDI 6 elevates the visual quality of our products to unprecedented levels, enhancing every aspect of the content creation process. The new Bridge utility feature also opens doors to seamless connectivity, enabling our customers to effortlessly integrate NDI devices into their remote networks and cloud-based workflows. This shift transforms NDI from a primarily local technology to a cornerstone of global networked broadcasting.”

NDI 6 will be featured at the highly anticipated 2024 NAB Show, where Comprimato, Chyron, Kiloview, Magewell, Telycam, and Vizrt will showcase the latest features of the core tech update.