The HuddleCamHD SimplTrack2 is a 2nd-generation auto-tracking PTZ camera that's now NDI-enabled.
The announcement earlier this year that HuddleCamHD has rolled out an NDI upgrade should be welcome news to worship production professionals and volunteers alike. Production is asked many times to perform a lot of different tasks, often with serious time and budget constraints. With that said, I think this announcement is a lot more important than it might first seem. I should also throw in the disclaimer that I haven’t had a chance to do a hands-on review of any kind yet, but let’s take a first look at what we can expect when we get there.
HuddleCamHD NDI (and why it matters)
Being part of a multiple location ministry (like my church), it sometimes presents some interesting production and logistical challenges. One of those many challenges I see is to have control over all the sources from all the locations from one spot and to do it in real time. From a content perspective, I think it would be fantastic to be able to bring in elements live from several of our different church locations or locations within the same church. Let’s say you are having a special guest; it would be cool to share that special message across the ministry.
But why go to NDI? To those who are not familiar with NDI, here is a simple definition (provided by NDI). NDI moves video, audio, and data across any network. Global, wireless, mobile, or local, between cameras, mobile devices, production equipment, or desktop machines. It is the most used standard to move content in the world. So that is what NDI is all about, in a nutshell. If you really want a deeper dive, there is an excellent resource which I will list below. Who knows, you might even become your church’s resident NDI expert.
The Why It Matters (continued)
HuddleCamHD NDI brings NDI HX capabilities to the SimplTrack2 and Huddleview cameras. Current owners can download and install the latest control software from the HuddleCamHD website to get this upgrade right now. Pre-licensed NDI SimplTrack2 and Huddleview cameras are slated to begin shipping in early 2022. So, if you need or want to get with the NDI option, you can add it to individual cameras right now. If you were to be doing a total refit with more cameras in multiple locations, and you can wait a little bit, then I might wait.
Once you walk through the installation and your firmware is installed, the cameras will instantly be discoverable as NDI devices. Users will need to obtain an NDI|HX license from Vizrt Group for each device for full functionality. What is an NDI license? Network Device Interface (NDI) is a royalty-free software standard (I like standards) developed by NewTek to enable video-compatible products to communicate, deliver, and receive high-definition video over a computer network in a high-quality, low-latency manner that is frame accurate and suitable for switching in a live production.
The point is, once you install the control software for each camera you can expand what you (or the ministry) are trying to accomplish! No running extra cabling, revamping your system, or having to become a rocket scientist when it comes to extending the value of what you already may have in your church or, in this case, churches. So, the tasks at hand are programming your camera moves if you are using SimplTrack 2 and loading in the NDI License. It really is a no brainer. It’s going to save your church time and money and allow you to expand your worship outreach and your capabilities in production. Honestly, just the time you will save in cabling with be worth it.
“Our customers have been clamoring for this,” says Matt Davis, director of technology and information systems at PTZOptics. “And for good reason. Now, they’ll be able to manage hundreds of cameras—or send feeds to hundreds of endpoints—centrally and securely, using their existing local area network infrastructure."
In addition to NDI discovery and distribution, the new update includes automatic multicast IP address assignment, eliminating the need for a media server to broadcast over a multicast-capable network.
Last Thoughts
NDI technology will have a positive and lasting impact on houses of worship. It will make your life (at least this part) so much easier. If I am upgrading, this is my path. The next time I see Pastor Ron, I think we will be talking NDI.
The Unofficial Guide to NDI is available for free at https://ptzoptics.com/ndi-book/.
