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🛠️ Tools🗂️ SDK📄 White Paper
  • Getting Started
    • 🟣What is NDI?
    • 🆕Release Notes
    • 📄White Paper
      • Discovery & Registration
        • mDNS
        • Discovery Service
        • Manual Connection
        • NDI Groups
      • NDI Protocols
        • Reliable UDP - NDI 5
        • Multipath TCP - NDI 4
        • UDP with Forward Error Correction – NDI 3
        • Single TCP – NDI 1
      • NDI Related Network Ports
      • Getting video across the network
      • Network Layout
      • Bandwidth
        • NDI High Bandwidth based on SpeedHQ2 (8bit 4:2:2)
        • NDI High Bandwidth based on SpeedHQ7 (8bit 4:2:2:4)
        • NDI HX2 h.264 (8bit 4:2:0)
        • NDI HX2 h.265 (8bit 4:2:0)
        • NDI HX3 h.264 (8bit 4:2:0)
        • NDI HX3 h.265 (8bit 4:2:0)
        • NDI Proxy and bandwidth optimization
      • Network Interface Settings
      • NIC Selection
      • Encoding and Decoding
      • Multicast
      • NDI Administrative Settings
      • Synchronization
      • NDI in the Cloud
    • Glossary
      • NDI Terminology
      • Industry Terminology
  • Using NDI
    • Introduction
    • NDI for Video
      • Digital Video Basics
      • NDI Video Codecs and Format Matrix
      • NDI Encoding Support Matrix
        • Practical NDI Receivers Format Support
        • Practical NDI Transmitters Support
        • Summary Table
      • Interoperability Scenarios
    • NDI for Audio
      • Digital Audio Fundamentals
      • Audio Over IP
      • Technical Facts About NDI for Audio
      • Use Cases
      • Products Using NDI for Audio
    • ⚒️NDI Tools
      • Release Notes
      • Installing NDI Tools
        • Software License Agreement
        • Privacy Policy
      • NDI Tools Launcher
      • NDI Tools for Windows
        • Access Manager
        • Bridge
          • NDI Bridge automation
          • Configuring Port Forwarding
          • Bridge Tool Logging
        • Remote
        • Router
        • Screen Capture
        • Screen Capture HX
        • Studio Monitor
        • Test Patterns
        • Webcam Input
      • NDI Tools for Mac
        • Access Manager
        • Scan Converter
        • Router
        • Test Patterns
        • Video Monitor
        • Virtual Input
      • Plugins
        • NDI for After Effects
        • NDI for Premiere Pro
        • NDI Output for Final Cut Pro
        • NDI for VLC
        • Audio Direct
        • OBS
    • Utilities
      • Analysis
    • Using NDI with Software
      • Getting Started with NDI in OBS for Windows or Mac
      • Using OBS Studio as a Commentary System
      • Using NDI Tools as a virtual camera in Mac
      • Using NDI and Dante on the same Network
      • Use OBS video + audio on Zoom with macOS
    • Using NDI with Hardware
      • NDI HX upgrades for cameras
      • How to Activate Panasonic Cameras for NDI HX1 — Step-by-Step
      • Recommended Network Switch Settings for NDI
  • Developing with NDI
    • Introduction
    • 📂SDK
      • Release Notes
      • Licensing
      • Software Distribution
        • Header Files
        • Binary Files
        • Redistributables
        • Content Files
        • Libraries
        • NDI-SEND
        • NDI-FIND
        • NDI-RECEIVE
        • Utilities
        • Command Line Tools
      • CPU Requirements
      • Dynamic Loading of NDI Libraries
      • Performance and Implementation
      • Startup and Shutdown
      • Example Code
      • Port Numbers
      • 🔧Configuration Files
      • Platform Considerations
      • NDI-SEND
      • NDI-FIND
      • NDI-RECV
      • NDI Routing
      • HDR
      • Command Line Tools
      • Frame Types
        • Video Frames
        • Audio Frames
        • Metadata Frames
      • Windows DirectShow Filter
      • 3rd Party Rights
      • Support
    • Advanced SDK
      • Release Notes
      • Licensing
      • Overview
      • Configuration Files
      • NDI SDK Review
        • Sending
          • Asynchronous Sending Completions
          • NDI Sending On High Latency Connections
        • Receiving
          • Custom Allocators
            • Video Allocators
            • Audio Allocators
          • Dynamic Bandwidth Adjustment
        • Finding
        • Video Formats
          • Receiver Codec Support Level
          • Frame Synchronization
      • Genlock
      • AV Sync
        • Guidelines
        • Creating and Destroying Devices
        • Recovering Audio
      • Using H.264, H.265, and AAC Codecs
        • Sending Audio Frames
        • Sending Video Frames
        • H.264 Support
        • H.265 Support
        • AAC Support
        • OPUS Support
        • Latency of Compressed Streams
        • Stream Validation
      • External Tally Support
      • KVM Support
      • NDI Advanced SDK FPGA Example Designs
        • Prebuilt uSD Images
        • NDI FPGA Reference Design
          • FPGA Projects
            • Changelog
          • C++ Application Code
            • Changelog
          • linux_kernel
            • Changelog
          • uSD Image Builder
            • Changelog
        • Changelog
    • Utilities
      • Unreal Engine SDK
        • Release Notes
        • Licensing
        • NDI Plugin Installation
        • Simple Setup of Broadcast and Receivers
        • NDI Broadcast Actor
        • NDI Receiver Actor
        • NDI Media Assets
        • Getting Started with Example Blueprint Projects
        • Advanced
      • Free Audio
      • Bridge Service
        • Installation
          • Silent Installation
        • Configuration
          • Web UI
          • Configuration File
          • Manual API Key Management
        • Webhooks
        • WebSockets
        • API
    • NDI Certified
      • Certification Guidelines
        • Interoperability Requirements
        • Technical Requirements
      • Certification Process
        • Pre-certification Checklist
        • Device Testing Methods
          • Camera
          • HDMI Encoder
          • SDI Encoder
          • Decoder
          • NDI Controller
          • NDI Monitor
          • Multicast Testing
        • Detailed process
    • Metadata
      • Metadata Sources
      • Metadata for XML
      • XML Validation
      • Metadata Elements
      • Proposed New Metadata Messages
      • PTZ and Control Messages
      • Undocumented Mysteries
  • Developer Guides
    • Decoding with NDI
    • NDI Bridge Deployment
  • FAQ
    • Index
    • NDI Tools
      • What is the NDI Analysis Tool and where do I get it from?
      • Why does my NDI connection stay active once the source is offline?
      • Why are my changes to the NDI JSON configuration file not being saved?
      • Why is the license for my Panasonic camera not active?
      • How does registration for NDI Tools work?
      • How do I use NDI output with Microsoft Teams
      • The time code on my file is incorrect, how do I change it?
      • Where is Screen Capture (HX) for Mac?
      • How can I make NDI Tools launch automatically?
      • What is the NDI ECCN?
    • NDI Certified
      • What is the NDI Certification Program?
      • Why did you start this certification program?​
      • What happens to my device after it's certified?
      • Is certification mandatory to be a partner of NDI?​
      • I am an OEM manufacturer, can my products be certified?​
      • How long does the certification process take?
      • How do I become certified?​
      • What happens if my product doesn’t meet the requirements for Certification?​
      • Are there any fees to become NDI Certified?
    • Common Issues
      • I'm having trouble getting multicast set up.
      • I'm having trouble with my NDI HX License
      • Why can't I find my Android 14-based NDI devices on my network?
      • Why won’t NDI Tools install on my Windows PC?
      • How do I enable NDI in “New” Microsoft Teams (Windows only)?
      • Why can’t HX Capture display the full resolution of my iPad or iPhone?
      • The NDI HX Camera app won't launch on older phones and iOS
      • Why won't MacOS Sonoma (14.1) recognize NDI Tools as a virtual camera?
      • I'm having issues with Virtual Input for macOS
      • I'm having issues with Final Cut Pro
      • NDI Camera App Issue
    • SDK
      • Where can I find the source code for the FPGA board?
      • What system resources are required to support a design including the NDI FPGA Codecs?
      • Why can’t my h264/265 video be received by an NDI receiver when using the embedded SDK?
      • Can I use the Unreal SDK on Mac?
      • What are the Differences Between the NDI SDK and the NDI Advanced SDK
    • ✨NDI 6
      • Do I need to upgrade to NDI 6 if I'm not using the new features?
      • Is there a fee to upgrade to NDI 6
      • Why doesn't my existing Vendor ID work with NDI 6?
      • How can I get a previous version of NDI Tools or the SDK?
    • NDI HX License Upgrades
      • What is happening with NDI HX Upgrades?
      • Will my existing HX-upgraded camera be affected?
      • I bought a camera before June 30, 2025, but didn't buy an HX license. Can I still get one?
      • I bought a license and a camera but didn't redeem it until after. Can I still get an HX license?
      • If my HX upgrade fails can I transfer the license?
      • Can I sell my upgraded HX camera and keep the license?
      • Will my NDI version work with my current HX license?
      • What does the HX upgrade sunset program mean for camera manufacturers?
      • What will NDI Support do for licenses after the sunset date?
      • I factory reset my camera and forgot the license. Can you help me get it back?
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  1. Getting Started
  2. White Paper
  3. Discovery & Registration

Discovery Service

Last updated 5 months ago

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NDI Discovery server is a command line application available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. The NDI Discovery service is designed to allow you to replace the automatic discovery NDI uses with a server that operates as a centralized registry of NDI sources. This can be very helpful for installations where you wish to avoid having significant mDNS traffic for a large number of sources. It can also be useful when multicast is not possible or desirable; it is very common for cloud computing services not to allow multicast traffic. When using the Discovery service, NDI can operate entirely in unicast mode and thus in almost any installation. The Discovery server supports all NDI functionality, including NDI groups. Clients should be configured to connect with the Discovery service instead of using mDNS to locate sources.

When there is a Discovery server, NDI applications will use both mDNS and the Discovery server to find and receive sources on the local network that are not on machines configured to use discovery.

For senders, if a Discovery service is specified, then mDNS will not be used; these sources will only be visible to other finders and receivers configured to use the Discovery server.

To configure the Discovery service for NDI clients, you may use Access Manager (included in the NDI Tools Core Suite) to enter the address of the Discovery server machine.

Within NDI version 5, there is full support for redundant NDI Discovery servers. When configuring a Discovery server, it is possible to specify a comma-delimited list of servers (e.g., “192.168.10.10, 192.168.10.12”), and then they will all be used simultaneously. If one of these servers then goes down, as long as one remains active, then all sources will always remain visible, no matter what the others do, then all sources can be seen.

This multiple-server capability can also be used to ensure entirely separate servers to allow sources to be broken into separate groups, which can serve many workflows or security needs.

Once two NDI devices have discovered each other on the network, video can be passed from the sending device to the receiving device. After the compression of the video, the NDI sending device opens a session to the receiving NDI device. At this point, we have two endpoints that consist of an IP address and a port number.

In Windows and MacOS, the Discovery Server addresses are configured in the Advanced Feature Tab. On Linux, however, the addresses of the NDI Discovery Servers can be manually added in the NDI configuration file, which is stored in a hidden folder named ".ndi" within the home directory of the effective user. The configuration file is named "ndi-config.v1.json".

Here is the way to manually set up the Discovery Service in the configuration file:

"networks": { 
      "ips": "", 
      "discovery": "127.0.0.1,127.0.0.1" 
    }, 

NDI Discovery Service to control devices' discoverability.

As mentioned above, with NDI 5, we enabled support for multiple NDI Discovery Servers. NDI Receivers can now specify a comma-delimited list of Discovery Servers (e.g., "192.168.25.10, 192.168.25.12"), and they will all operate simultaneously.

Moreover, an NDI Discovery Server can be connected to multiple network interfaces and supports multiple subnets. Using multiple servers and subnets allows sources to be organized into distinct areas. These areas can cater to various workflows and security requirements.

Here is an example that explains how multiple Discovery Servers can be used for control device discoverability:

Spinning up or shutting down the Discovery Servers with IP Address 192.168.25.243 - 192.168.25.244 - 192.168.25.245 will turn on or off discoverability between the 3 NDI areas.

The example above is related to multiple Discovery Servers in a single subnet.

However, the Discovery Server can be connected and shared between different subnets.

Discovery Servers can be easily deployed on Linux-based virtual machines, and the process of spinning up or shutting down Discovery Servers can be efficiently automated and managed by solutions like Terraform.

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Screenshot of NDI Access Manager tool