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As the CEO of Monitor4u Inc., Charlie Shin heads a company that leads in the sales and marketing of professional Audio-Visual and Broadcast equipment. His career spans 32 years in the Display and Broadcast Equipment sector.
My first NDI
project could almost kill me!
Charlie Shin — Monitor4u Inc. (Republic of Korea)
Pick Up the Phone!
“I have a project for the NDI Recording System. Can you help me?” That was the question from a customer, a System Integrator in the education sector, who called me on a holiday evening. I was still in my office, wrestling with the testing of my new NDI PTZ cameras. He couldn’t wait two more days for answers from another vendor. That call marked the beginning of my challenging, six-month-long NDI project.
His new project involved IP encoders, decoders, and recorders, a departure from the traditional SDI or HDMI baseband video interface. While he possessed significant experience in AV system installation and a decent understanding of computers and network devices, designing an entirely IP-based infrastructure presented a new challenge, requiring him to depend on the product suppliers. Consequently, he had numerous questions and sought reassurance regarding the overall design, the specific products within the system, system management, and more.
The project was for a GDS institute aiming to provide students with supplementary audio-visual material (recorded lectures) for review on their VOD system within 24 hours. GDS, a prominent private education franchise in Korea, serves a market where many students seek additional private classes after school to enhance their academic performance. Their goal was a centralized recording and monitoring system across two buildings, each housing 12 classrooms where hundreds of students attend over 40 hours of classes weekly.
Located in the southeastern part of Gyeonggi Province, approximately 70-80km from central Seoul, are GDS-M and GDS-S. They offer full-day classes and dormitory facilities for high school graduates aiming for their desired top universities. Here, ‘M’ stands for ‘Medical’ and ‘S’ for ‘Seoul’. As their names suggest, GDS-M caters to students aspiring to medical schools, while GDS-S is designed for high-achieving students targeting Seoul’s top universities – Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University (collectively known as SKY). Consequently, the cost is substantial, and expectations are equally high.
Needs from the Customer
In my view, the customer’s underlying desire was ‘higher achievement with better tools.’ An all-IP-based recording system seemed like the perfect fit, offering enhanced convenience and flexibility over traditional SDI or HDMI setups, thus aligning with the customer’s desire. The following points summarize the end-user’s requirements for the successful deployment of the NDI Recording System.
1) Centralized NDI Recording with Schedule: Ability to schedule recordings from all NDI sources centrally.
2) Centralized Monitoring: A central point for monitoring all NDI sources.
3) Backup Recording (just in case the main recorder has a problem): A reliable backup recording solution to mitigate potential main recorder failures.
4) Encoder and Decoder in one Device
5) Compatible and Light Video Format: Use of a video format that is both compatible with their existing systems and efficient in terms of storage and editing process.
6) 24/7 Robustness and Tech Support: A system designed for continuous 24/7 operation with readily available technical support.
Having defined the customer’s core needs, I embarked on extensive research to identify the optimal solution for this project, consulting with numerous experts both within and outside of Korea. This project presented significant challenges, not only for the customer, who had limited familiarity with IP-based systems, but also for me, given my limited prior knowledge and experience in system integration involving network devices. However, through dedicated time and effort, I gradually moved towards a viable solution.
The Main NDI Recording System
My research involved examining all potential recording systems and testing a selection, even those used in professional broadcasting. Ultimately, I selected an NDI-HX Recording Software from a local developer. Although Full NDI (High Bandwidth NDI) was an option in some systems, it was too demanding for my customers. Factors such as network bandwidth, storage capacity, editing time, and system cost were key considerations in my final choice.
The finalized System Design included NDI Encoders in every room, a Main NDI Recorder paired with NAS, and a dedicated 2nd PC for NDI Encoder monitoring and management. For redundancy, the design also incorporated local backup NDI recording on separate storage inside each Encoder. To ensure power stability, we later added two UPS units for the Main NDI Recorder (a Dell Workstation) and the two NAS systems.
While the system’s architecture wasn’t inherently complex, harmonizing all the interconnected products – from Auto Tracking PTZ cameras and NDI Encoders to the Network Switch, NDI recorder software, Workstations, and NAS – demanded significant time and effort. Unexpectedly, I also had to troubleshoot issues for the customer related to their editing software and video players. Furthermore, the existing infrastructure presented numerous challenges, particularly with the Audio Mixers. Ultimately, however, this proved to be a valuable experience, providing me with a comprehensive understanding of the entire system and a better perspective on the operating environment and compatibility between the various products.
For this project, the NDI-HX recording software ‘Borderless’ by Salrayworks proved to be the ideal choice. The fact that it was already running reliably for over two years in a major government training facility spoke volumes about its stability. It features scheduled multi-NDI source recording and sophisticated routing capabilities. I installed this software on a Dell Workstation to function as the Main NDI Recorder (MNR). This MNR was linked to two Synology NAS units, each equipped with 96TB of HDDs, resulting in a substantial storage capacity. Between two and three Network Switches from NetGear were installed in each building.
VELA – NDI Encoder, Decoder & Recorder
Multi-Protocal 12G-SDl Bi-Directional Codec/Record/Live
My decision, after evaluating all potential encoders on the market, was to utilize the VELA from Science Image. Even though VELA was a fairly new encoder, with mass production just beginning in December 2024, it uniquely offered NDI encoding, decoding, and recording all in one unit. VELA encodes NDI (Full NDI or High Bandwidth NDI), NDI-HX2, or NDI-HX3. It also decodes NDI and can record in MP4 (+ TS format simultaneously) or MOV format. Therefore, VELA effectively functions as both an NDI Encoder/Decoder and an NDI Recorder, offering capabilities similar to a traditional SDI recorder by capturing NDI streams.
This integrated feature was precisely what the project needed. It allowed for cost savings by removing the requirement for NDI decoders in every classroom and offered a more secure backup, unaffected by problems with the Main NDI Recorder or the network. The ability of VELA to record directly from SDI and LINE-IN onto its own SSD ensures 100% reliable backup recording, completely independent of any issues arising between the Encoder and the Main NDI Recorder or NAS.
VELA: Monitor & Management
The Main NDI Recorder, running on the Dell Workstation, is exclusively managed remotely by me, with the institute staff instructed not to operate it without prior consultation. For this purpose, I configured another computer, utilizing vMix for NDI monitoring and emergency recording, and have developed a custom software for automated scheduled backup recording.
The VELA management software, ‘Dyna Hub’ from Science Image, was also installed on this secondary computer, allowing local staff and me (remotely) to efficiently manage the VELA encoders connected to the network. Through this software, key setup parameters can be checked and modified, including NDI Stream Name, Encoding Quality, Bitrate, GOP, DHCP and IP address, NDI Type, Encoding/Decoding, Recording Start/Stop, and Audio Delay.
In addition, Dyna Hub provides centralized management for other Science Image products like Studio 2 and NDI HD mini. This new feature, implemented in the spring, offers improved monitoring and easier access to all Science Image devices on the network. While Dyna Hub offers integrated management, you can still access Studio 2 or NDI HD mini directly through a web browser by inputting their IP address and login details.
For robust secondary recording, I created ‘VELA Manager,’ a custom Windows application built upon the Science Image API. Upon the user defining a recording schedule for each classroom, VELA autonomously records the incoming video from SDI and Line-In sources onto its internal SSD. This ensures that even if issues arise with the Main NDI Recorder (Dell Workstation), a backup copy is securely preserved within VELA. ‘VELA Manager’ further provides setup functionalities like Audio Delay, recorded file management (allowing download or deletion), and the ability to schedule VELA reboots (daily or weekly).
Conclusion: “Hard Work Pays Off”
To be frank, the time and effort required to see this project through significantly exceeded my initial expectations. As an example, the Main NDI Recorder needed customization to fit the customer’s daily routines. Additionally, the existing Audio Mixers were not friendly with the NDI Encoder (VELA). We also faced issues like network failures and PTZ camera malfunctions, which hindered smooth operation.
Overcoming time and location constraints was another significant challenge. The intensive class schedule, from 08:00 to 22:00, including some weekend sessions, severely limited the installation window. Because the electrical and line installations had to precede equipment setup, I faced a waiting period followed by the need to complete my work under significant time pressure.
The 150km distance to the facilities meant frequent drives during installation and testing. Additionally, many on-site visits were necessary to physically inspect equipment whenever problems occurred. Because of this situation, I decided to change my 13-year-old car. Now I have a new car with the latest driving assistance technology to help prevent drowsy driving.
Despite all the time and cost, this process greatly improved the equipment and software. I also gained great experience. My thanks go to the manufacturers for their essential tech support, which helped me overcome on-site challenges. I feel that we’ve all grown through the successful completion of this project.
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