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NDI Video Setup

See your OBS output in real-time on your iPad or iPhone

What is NDI?

NDI (Network Device Interface) is a protocol for sending high-quality video over a local network. Producer Pad uses NDI to display your OBS Program and Preview outputs in real-time, with low latency.

Note: NDI is optional. Producer Pad can control OBS without it, but you won't see live video previews. WebSocket screenshots are available as a fallback but have higher latency.

1

Install NDI Tools on Your Computer

First, download and install the free NDI Tools package from Vizrt.

Download NDI Tools↗

Installation Steps:

  1. 1. Go to ndi.video/tools
  2. 2. Download NDI Tools for your operating system (Windows or Mac)
  3. 3. Run the installer and follow the prompts
  4. 4. Restart your computer when complete

The NDI Tools package includes NDI Runtime, which is required for NDI to work.

2

Install OBS NDI Plugin

The OBS NDI plugin adds NDI output capabilities to OBS Studio.

Download OBS NDI Plugin↗

Installation Steps:

Windows:

  1. 1. Download the obs-ndi-X.X.X-windows-x64-Installer.exe file
  2. 2. Close OBS Studio completely
  3. 3. Run the installer
  4. 4. Restart OBS Studio

macOS:

  1. 1. Download the obs-ndi-X.X.X-macos-universal.pkg file
  2. 2. Close OBS Studio completely
  3. 3. Run the .pkg installer
  4. 4. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and allow the plugin if prompted
  5. 5. Restart OBS Studio

Tip: After installing, verify it worked by going to Tools in OBS. You should see "NDI Output Settings" in the menu.

3

Enable NDI Output in OBS

Now configure OBS to output your video as NDI sources.

Enable Main Output:

  1. 1. In OBS, go to Tools → NDI Output Settings
  2. 2. Check "Main Output"
  3. 3. Give it a name (e.g., "OBS Program")
  4. 4. Click OK

Enable Preview Output (for Studio Mode):

  1. 1. In OBS, go to Tools → NDI Output Settings
  2. 2. Check "Preview Output"
  3. 3. Give it a name (e.g., "OBS Preview")
  4. 4. Click OK

Preview Output requires Studio Mode to be enabled in OBS (click "Studio Mode" button).

✓ NDI is now active! Your OBS outputs are being broadcast on your local network.

4

Connect NDI in Producer Pad

Producer Pad will automatically discover NDI sources on your network.

Steps:

  1. 1. Open Producer Pad and connect to OBS (if not already)
  2. 2. Go to Settings → NDI Settings
  3. 3. Wait for NDI sources to appear in the list
  4. 4. Select your Program source for the Program Monitor
  5. 5. Select your Preview source for the Preview Monitor
  6. 6. Go back - video should now appear in the monitors!

Tip: NDI sources may take a few seconds to appear after OBS starts. Pull down to refresh the list if you don't see them immediately.

Troubleshooting

No NDI sources appearing?

  • • Make sure OBS is running with NDI output enabled
  • • Verify both devices are on the same network
  • • Check that NDI Tools runtime is installed on your computer
  • • Restart OBS after installing the NDI plugin
  • • Check firewall settings - NDI uses ports 5960-5990

Video is choppy or laggy?

  • • Use 5GHz Wi-Fi instead of 2.4GHz
  • • Move closer to your wireless router
  • • Reduce other network traffic
  • • Consider using a wired ethernet connection for your OBS computer

macOS: Plugin not loading?

  • • Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
  • • Scroll down and look for a blocked plugin message
  • • Click "Allow" to enable the NDI plugin
  • • Restart OBS

Preview shows black but Program works?

  • • Enable Studio Mode in OBS (click "Studio Mode" button)
  • • Verify "Preview Output" is checked in NDI Output Settings

Performance Tips

✓ Do

  • • Use 5GHz Wi-Fi
  • • Keep devices on same network
  • • Use wired ethernet for OBS PC
  • • Close unused apps on iPad/iPhone

✗ Avoid

  • • 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (congested)
  • • VPNs (add latency)
  • • Streaming 4K over Wi-Fi
  • • Crowded network environments

Next Steps

Explore Features →

Learn about all the controls and features

← Getting Started

Review the basic connection setup