Technical Glossary
NDI® (Network Device Interface)
Section titled “NDI® (Network Device Interface)”A royalty-free IP video protocol developed by Vizrt/NewTek for transmitting high-quality, low-latency video over standard networks. Supports discovery, multiple video formats, embedded audio (up to 16 channels), metadata, and tally signals.
NDI®|HX
Section titled “NDI®|HX”A bandwidth-optimized variant of NDI® using H.264/H.265 compression. Lower bitrate than standard NDI® but higher latency and CPU requirements. Laika supports both standard NDI® and NDI®|HX sources.
Multiviewer
Section titled “Multiviewer”A device or application that displays multiple video sources simultaneously on one monitor. Laika is a software-based multiviewer specialized for NDI® sources.
mDNS (Multicast DNS)
Section titled “mDNS (Multicast DNS)”A zero-configuration service discovery protocol used by default for NDI® source discovery. Works on local networks without dedicated discovery servers. Requires multicast support on network switches.
Discovery Server
Section titled “Discovery Server”A dedicated server that facilitates NDI® source discovery across routed networks and VLANs where multicast isn’t available. Required for cross-subnet NDI® deployments.
Bandwidth Mode
Section titled “Bandwidth Mode”Controls the quality/bitrate requested from NDI® senders:
- Full Resolution: Maximum quality, 100-200 Mbps per HD source
- Proxy Mode: Reduced quality, 5-10 Mbps per HD source
Latency Mode
Section titled “Latency Mode”Receiver buffering configuration:
- Normal: 60-150ms latency, most stable
- Low: 30-80ms latency, moderate stability
- Lowest: 15-40ms latency, requires pristine network
Pads (Launchpads)
Section titled “Pads (Launchpads)”Saved monitoring configurations that store layout name and source assignments. Allows instant recall of complete monitoring states. Also called “launchpads” internally.
Viewer Tile
Section titled “Viewer Tile”A rectangular region in the multiviewer layout that displays one NDI® source. Each tile has a unique viewer number and can show video, audio meters, and source information.
Layout
Section titled “Layout”A template defining the position, size, and count of viewer tiles in the multiviewer. Layouts can be preset (built-in) or custom (user-designed).
Audio Monitoring
Section titled “Audio Monitoring”Routing viewer audio to the local audio output device (speakers/headphones) for listening. Multiple viewers can be monitored simultaneously, with audio from all enabled viewers mixed together in the output.
VU Meters
Section titled “VU Meters”Visual level meters showing real-time audio amplitude per channel. Laika displays up to 16 channels per viewer with color-coded thresholds (green/yellow/red).