Getting Started with NDI in OBS for Windows or Mac

This guide explains how to use the DistroAV plugin to send and receive NDI sources in OBS Studio on Windows or macOS. DistroAV was formerly known as OBS-NDI. It is a third-party OBS plugin, so version requirements may change separately from NDI Tools.

1. Install OBS Studio version (currently 31.1.1) on all relevant machines from https://obsproject.com.

2. Install DistroAV (OBS plugin for NDI)

   1. Download the current DistroAV NDI plugin for OBS from the official DistroAV release page here.

   2. Before installing DistroAV, remove older OBS-NDI installations to prevent plugin conflicts.

   3. Install DistroAV after OBS Studio is installed or updated

   4. Restart OBS Studio after installation.

      1. If the DistroAV menu or NDI Source option does not appear, restart the computer and confirm that OBS, DistroAV, and NDI Runtime versions match the current DistroAV requirements.

3. Download and install the latest NDI Runtime version later here:

4. Enable NDI Output in OBS (on the source computer)

   1. Open OBS Studio

   2. Navigate to Tools > DistroAV NDI® Settings

   3. Check Main Output and/or Preview Output

   4. (Optional) Give the output a name (e.g., "OBS-StreamPC")

Add an NDI source in OBS

1. On the receiving computer, open OBS Studio.

2. In the Sources panel, select +.

3. Select NDI Source.

4. Create a new source or choose an existing one.

5. In the Source name menu, select the NDI source you want to receive.

   1. If the source does not appear, first confirm that the same source is visible in NDI Studio Monitor on Windows or NDI Video Monitor on macOS. If it is not visible there, troubleshoot NDI discovery or network configuration before troubleshooting OBS.Add an NDI source in OBS

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