NDI vs. SDI vs. HDMI for Churches: Which Cable for Which Job?

Three cables, three jobs

There’s no single right answer. Each connection type is good at something. Here’s how to choose.

At a glance

	HDMI	SDI	NDI
Typical distance	Short, about 50 feet	Long runs, roughly 100 meters for HD	Anywhere the network reaches
Cable	HDMI	Coax with locking BNC connectors	Network cable (Cat6)
Carries power?	No	No	Yes, with PoE
Carries camera control?	No	No	Yes
One source to many screens	Needs splitters	Needs distribution amps or a router	Built in
Best for	Laptops, nearby TVs	Proven long runs, broadcast cameras	Most new church installs

HDMI: great up close

HDMI is everywhere: laptops, consumer cameras, TVs. It’s perfect for short connections, like the ProPresenter computer to a capture input in the same rack. It doesn’t lock, it doesn’t run far, and long HDMI runs are one of the most common causes of a black screen on Sunday.

SDI: the dependable workhorse

SDI uses coax with locking connectors and runs long distances reliably. It’s still a great choice for cameras that have it and for runs that are already in the walls. Our Better and Best Livestream Systems have professional SDI inputs for exactly that reason. (See SDI generations explained.)

The catch: every camera needs its own cable, power and control, and sending one source to several places takes extra hardware.

NDI: the flexible network

NDI sends video, audio and control over an ordinary network, and with PoE it powers the camera on the same cable. Any source can reach any screen, and adding a camera or a room doesn’t mean new cable back to the booth. That’s why we highly recommend NDI cameras, encoders and decoders for most churches. (See how NDI saves churches money.)

The catch: it needs a good wired network, kept separate from guest Wi-Fi. (See what network does a church need for NDI?)

Which should you use?

• Building or renovating? Plan around NDI, and pull network cable to every camera and screen position.
• SDI already in the walls? Keep using it. Add NDI as you add cameras and rooms.
• A source only has HDMI? Keep the run short, or put it on the network with a Magewell encoder.
• Screens far from the booth? NDI decoders. (See lobby and overflow TVs.)

Moving toward NDI without starting over

Most churches don’t switch overnight. They keep the SDI and HDMI gear that works, put it on the network with encoders where it helps, and add NDI cameras and decoders as they grow.

To see what that looks like for your building, map your current system. It’s the best way to get the best price: we’ll show you what to keep, what to convert, and where NDI saves the most.

More on our NDI for churches page.