IP video · NDI
Church video on the network you can afford.
WorshipMetrics fully supports NDI. Send cameras, slides and your program feed over an ordinary network instead of a tangle of video cables, and save on cabling, routing and video mixing.
Every camera needs its own video, power and control runs. Every screen needs its own cable back to the booth.
One network cable per device. The switch powers the cameras, and any source reaches any screen through a small decoder.
Six ways NDI saves a church money
We highly recommend NDI cameras, plus NDI encoders and decoders, for most churches. Here's where the savings come from.
Cabling
One network cable per device carries video, audio, camera control and, with PoE, power. No separate coax run, power outlet and control cable for every camera, and network cable is the cheapest, most familiar cable an installer pulls.
Routing
Any source can go to any screen from software. There's no video router or matrix to buy, and adding a destination means adding a small decoder and a network drop, not a new cable back to the booth.
Mixing
vMix and OBS switch NDI sources directly, so your number of cameras isn't capped by the ports on a hardware switcher. The production computer is the switcher.
Distance
A network reaches every room through switches. No long HDMI runs that drop out, and no pairs of extenders for every screen down the hall.
Growth
Add a camera by plugging it into the switch. Add an overflow room with one decoder. The system grows a piece at a time instead of a rebuild at a time.
Volunteers
Cameras on the network can be run from a browser anywhere in the building, so a camera operator doesn't need a seat in a crowded booth.
The full breakdown: how NDI saves churches money on cabling, routing and mixing.
The three building blocks
In
NDI cameras
NDI|HX3 PTZ cameras send video, audio and control, and take power, over one network cable.
Why we recommend NDI cameras →Bridge
NDI encoders and decoders
An encoder puts any HDMI or SDI device on the network. A decoder turns the network feed back into HDMI for any TV or projector.
Encoders and decoders explained →Backbone
An affordable network
A wired network with a good PoE switch, kept apart from guest Wi-Fi. At 1080p60, an NDI|HX3 camera uses roughly 50 to 62 Mbps.
What network you need →Five low-cost NDI tricks
NDI's free tools and an inexpensive phone app replace hardware churches usually buy. Each of these uses equipment you probably already own.
Replaces: a camera plus a wireless video transmitter
A smartphone as a wireless camera
The NDI Camera app sends a phone's camera over Wi-Fi straight into vMix, OBS, Wirecast or ProPresenter. Perfect for baptisms, kids' moments and a roaming angle.
Read the guide →
Replaces: a capture card and HDMI extenders
The pastor's slides over the network
Free NDI Screen Capture (Windows) or Scan Converter (Mac) sends the pastor's laptop screen to the streaming computer. No long HDMI runs.
Read the guide →
Replaces: leased links and per-site hardware
NDI over the internet
NDI Bridge connects a second campus; NDI Remote brings a missionary or guest speaker into the service from a simple link.
Read the guide →
Replaces: a hardware decoder, for occasional rooms
An old laptop as an overflow screen
Free NDI Studio Monitor (Windows) or Video Monitor (Mac) shows any NDI source full screen on a TV: overflow, cry room, confidence monitor.
Read the guide →
Replaces: a laptop webcam pointed at the stage
The service into Zoom or Teams
Free NDI Webcam Input (Windows) or Virtual Input (Mac) turns your production feed into a webcam for homebound members, hybrid groups and board meetings.
Read the guide →
NDI across all of WorshipMetrics
NDI isn't a bolt-on. It's how the pieces of the platform talk to your equipment.
Camera Control
Drive NDI PTZ cameras from a browser: pan, tilt, zoom and presets, with network scanning that finds the cameras for you.
Present
Place NDI sources on slides as live video for IMAG and picture-in-picture, and send your slides out as an NDI program output with transparency.
Tech Manager and streaming
Stream your service straight from an NDI source or a capture card, and watch stream health while it runs.
Signal Map
Document every NDI source and destination. The compatibility check separates signals that can ride a network switch from point-to-point links that can't.
Livestream Systems
Built for NDI: network cameras in through a PoE switch, video out to lobby and overflow TVs through NDI decoders. Adding PTZ cameras? We'll suggest NDI|HX3 models that fit your room.
vMix and OBS
Both take NDI sources. vMix supports NDI natively; OBS uses the free DistroAV plugin. Our Livestream Systems ship with both set up.
From the Knowledge Base
Plan your move to IP video.
Questions about NDI
What is NDI?
NDI (Network Device Interface) is a way to send live video, audio and control signals over a regular computer network instead of dedicated video cables. Cameras, computers, encoders and decoders that speak NDI find each other on the network automatically.
Does WorshipMetrics support NDI?
Yes, across the platform. Camera Control drives NDI PTZ cameras, Present uses NDI sources on slides and sends an NDI program output with transparency, Tech Manager can stream from an NDI source, the Signal Map documents NDI signals, and our Livestream Systems are built around NDI cameras, encoders and decoders.
How does NDI save a church money?
One network cable per device replaces separate video, power and control cables; software routing replaces a video router; software switching replaces hardware switcher inputs; and new rooms or cameras are added with a decoder or a switch port instead of new cable runs back to the booth.
What network does NDI need?
A wired network with good switches, kept separate from guest Wi-Fi. A PoE switch powers network cameras. At 1080p60, NDI|HX3 uses roughly 50 to 62 Mbps per camera and full-bandwidth NDI about 125 Mbps, so a gigabit network comfortably carries a typical church's cameras.
Should we still use SDI?
Sometimes. SDI is excellent for very long, proven runs and for cameras that don't have NDI. Our Better and Best Livestream Systems have SDI inputs, and a Magewell converter can put any SDI or HDMI source on the network. Most churches end up with a mix, moving toward NDI as they grow.
Moving to NDI doesn't mean replacing everything.
Map what you have and we'll show you which cameras, cables and screens can stay, and where NDI saves the most.
Modernize your AV · Instant tech support
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Tech Manager connects your church's AV system to WorshipMetrics: documented, monitored 24/7, and backed by a number your team can call the moment anything acts up. Our AI support sees your actual system — so issues get solved before frustration starts.
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