Panasonic announced that it will extend NDI support to its 4K Integrated Cameras AW-UE40W/K, AW-UE50W/K, AW-HE145W/K, and AW-UE150W/K in addition to its Memory Card Camera Recorder AG-CX350 from later this year. The NDI upgrades, which previously required a paid license from Vizrt NDI AB, will be made available via a free firmware update between December 2024 and April 2025. After this period, the models will ship with ready-to-go NDI capabilities.
   

The free upgrade will activate NDI functionality as a standard feature in more than 80,000 units currently in use in diverse video-production environments. As IP technology continues to play a stronger role in video production and quickly becomes a standard in equipment development, this move will help expand the NDI ecosystem for greater efficiency and flexibility in workflows.

NDI, an open standard for connecting video equipment over IP networks, will enable devices to build systems in standard gigabit IP networks, simplifying the transition of video production workflows to IP environments. As a result of this upgrade, more devices can access NDI-enabled systems on the network, such as switchers, cameras, and media servers. This allows video production crews to seamlessly create and distribute a diverse array of content to their audiences. Additionally, Panasonic’s NDI-enabled PTZ cameras support Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), control, and audio/video transmission via a single Ethernet cable, significantly enhancing the ease of installation and reducing cabling costs.

“Our collaboration with Panasonic marks a significant milestone in the expansion of the NDI ecosystem” said Daniel Nergard, President of NDI. “By making NDI a standard feature across a wide range of products, Panasonic enables thousands of users to benefit from the seamless integration and powerful flexibility that IP video production offers. We are excited to see Panasonic leading this change and look forward to the innovative solutions that will emerge as a result of this enhanced accessibility.”

Panasonic’s lineup of NDI supported products includes PTZ cameras such as AW-UE160W/K, AW-UE100W/K, and AW-UE80W/K, studio cameras such as AK-UCX100, 4K multipurpose cameras AW-UB50 and AW-UB10, compact switchers AV-HSW10 and AV-UHS500 as well as the KAIROS IT/IP platform, and Video Mixer plug-in for Media Production Suite. Together, they can be used to create flexible and efficient IP video production systems for a wide range of needs.