The End of NDI As We Know It?
Back in 2020, I wrote that I was All in on NDI in a feature article that covered Birddog, NewTek (now Vizrt), vMix, Panasonic, and others providing camcorders, PTZ cams, encoders, decoders, wireless, switchers, 和com都集成了NDI，以便在标准计算机网络上互操作. NDI随着时间的推移而发展，承诺新的标准不会使您的设备过时. I myself bought into NDI early on, and I own numerous HD and 4K NewTek Spark converters, PTZ cams, and the like.
Through the years, NewTek/Vizrt continued to improve the NDI ecosystem, introducing newer NDI|HX2 and NDI|HX3 改进的低比特率视频传输标准，同时继续提供全NDI(也称为高比特率NDI). 它以一种新的软件版本向后兼容的方式反复迭代, 这意味着早期采用者将能够继续使用他们使用HX1标准的硬件.
However, as standards evolve, certain gear can be left behind. For instance, 旧的TriCaster没有升级到Advanced Edition 3软件更新(1美元),使用较新的NDI|HX2标准，我的TriCaster Mini将无法看到或使用相机或其他硬件. But that’s why there was an update—to make that compatibility available.
有趣的是，一段时间后，AE3更新从可用性中删除. 如果最终用户在可选更新可用时没有购买和安装, 他们现在剩下的硬件根本不能更新，以包括HX2编解码器. And it's not a hardware issue—the hardware was, and is, capable. It's just that the AE3 update that enabled HX2 compatibility, and many other features, was taken away.
Legacy NDI Gear Left Behind?
现在，在2024年初，我看到一些新的NDI产品进入市场，开始不使用HX1. 这意味着这些公司正在选择他们想要在硬件中包含NDI的哪些部分, and what compatibility they don't want to include. 我联系了NDI支持部门，得到的答复是“专门支持HX1” (or any format) largely depends on how different vendors and manufacturers choose to implement NDI technology into their products. 有些提供向后兼容性，支持所有类型的HX，而有些只提供向后兼容性 limit support to HX2 and/or HX3.”
这有可能打破产品上NDI徽章的承诺. 它将不再意味着近十年来的互操作性和可靠性. Will this NDI tool work with that one? 你可能不知道，因为NDI许可组织并没有强制执行“标准”.” They say they are allowing licensees to pick and choose, to “limit support” to the parts they want to include.
NDI Support goes on to say, “请与当前HX1相机的制造商联系，看看是否有可用的固件升级以支持HX2/HX3.”
What Happened to Standards?
This is not how “standards” are supposed to work.
在电视上有HDMI标志的电视制造商不能选择他们支持的视频分辨率, dropping capability for that old 720p standard. 以太网交换机不会放弃对旧的10/100标准的支持. Wi-Fi access points do not get to drop 2.4gHz 802.11b, g, or n because they're older and slower. A standard means it's all included. Backward compatible.
这种缺乏强制执行的标准可能意味着今天购买的齿轮可能无法与今天购买的其他齿轮一起工作, or tomorrow, 因为被许可方可能不包括您需要的兼容性部分. 你能在不知道你的设备明天是否兼容的情况下投资一个标准吗? People will shy away if this becomes the norm. NDI允许被许可方“限制支持”并选择他们想要实施的NDI标准的哪些部分，这就是NDI所面临的风险.
Competing Protocols
Moreover, NDI now has competition. 多年来，NDI一直是网络视频唯一可互操作的数据交换解决方案, Dante和SMPTE现在正以他们自己的“IP视频”标准追赶NDI. Dante AV拥有庞大的音频使用基础以及经过验证的可靠性和健壮性. Dante AV提供视频ip，集成了市场上已有的数千种Dante音频产品.
SMPTE ST 2110是一个带宽高得多的IP视频互操作性标准. 其优点是它是任何用户都可以设计的SMPTE标准. Like SMPTE timecode, or SMPTE color bars. SMPTE 2110支持非压缩视频，提供卓越的视频质量. SMPTE 2110 separates video, audio, and ancillary data into distinct streams, 使您能够独立地管理和路由生产的不同元素.
Dante AV和SMPTE 2110更新得多，很少有视频工具在硬件中使用这些标准, 但IP视频仍处于全球整合的起步阶段. 绝大多数视频制作仍然使用SDI、HDMI和光纤点对点连接.
NDI冒着在20码线上丢球的风险，浪费了他们在IP视频领域近十年的领先优势，因为他们没有强制授权商整合所有标准. 我写这篇文章是希望他们重新确立NDI标准的意义:即授权NDI, and display the NDI badge, a product must be 100% compatible.
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