Troubleshooting

No Sources Found

Symptoms:
Right-click viewer context menus show no NDI® sources. Discovery appears to run but finds nothing.

Solutions:

1. Verify sources are actually sending:
   Check on the sending devices that NDI® output is enabled and active.

2. Check network connectivity:
   Ping the source machines from your monitoring workstation. If ping fails, fix network routing first.

3. Manual refresh:
   Menu → Sources → Refresh Sources. Wait 10 seconds for discovery to complete.

4. Firewall rules:
   Verify Windows Firewall, macOS Firewall, or Linux iptables aren’t blocking NDI® traffic. NDI® typically uses TCP/UDP ports 5960-5969, 6960-6969, 7960-7969.

5. Check for subnet issues:
   If sources are on different subnets, you need a discovery server. See Discovery Server Config.

6. Multicast routing:
   If using mDNS (default), confirm network switches support and forward multicast traffic. Check IGMP snooping configuration.

Choppy or Stuttering Video

Symptoms:
Video plays but with visible stuttering, frame freezing, or jerky motion. Audio meters may still appear smooth.

Solutions:

1. Switch to Proxy Mode:
   Menu → File → Preferences → Bandwidth Mode → Proxy Mode. Apply and check if smoothness improves.

2. Increase latency buffer:
   Menu → File → Preferences → Latency Mode → Normal (Safe). Higher buffering tolerates network jitter better.

3. Reduce viewer count:
   Switch to a layout with fewer viewers (e.g., 2x2 instead of 4x4). Each active viewer consumes CPU/GPU/network resources.

4. Check network congestion:
   Use Debug Viewer to check for dropped frames. If drop count increases steadily, investigate network bandwidth or switch port configuration.

5. Lower texture upload FPS cap:
   Menu → File → Preferences → Maximum Texture Upload FPS → reduce to 30fps.

6. Close other applications:
   Free up system resources. Close browsers, video editing apps, or other GPU-heavy applications.

7. Check sender health:
   If only one source is choppy, the problem might be the sender (overloaded CPU, network issues on sender side).

High Latency

Symptoms:
Noticeable delay between live action and screen display. Particularly visible when monitoring program output alongside camera ISOs.

Solutions:

1. Lower latency mode:
   Menu → File → Preferences → Latency Mode → Low or Lowest. Warning: this reduces buffer stability.

2. Check network path:
   Use Debug Viewer to measure latency. If average latency is >150ms consistently, investigate network routing (extra hops, saturated links).

3. Verify bandwidth mode:
   Full Resolution mode on congested networks can increase latency due to packet retransmission. Try Proxy Mode.

4. Check sender encoding delay:
   Some sources add significant encoding latency (especially hardware encoders). This is outside Laika’s control.

Note: For monitoring purposes, 60-100ms latency is typically acceptable. Only reduce if you specifically need tighter synchronization.

Audio Issues

No audio meters visible:

1. Check viewer is connected to a source (video should be playing)
2. Verify “Show Audio Meters” is enabled (File → Preferences)
3. Use Debug Viewer to confirm source is sending audio frames

No sound when monitoring:

1. Check audio output device selection (File → Preferences → Audio Output Device)
2. Verify system audio isn’t muted externally
3. Confirm source is sending audio (meters should be active)
4. Try monitoring a different viewer to reset audio chain
5. Check that exclusive audio access isn’t locked by another application

Choppy or distorted monitoring audio:

1. Audio monitoring runs independently of video — choppy audio usually indicates network packet loss
2. Use Debug Viewer to check dropped audio frames
3. Increase latency buffer (audio uses same buffer as video)
4. Verify sender bitrate isn’t exceeding network capacity

Layout or Pad Not Loading

Custom layout missing from menu:

1. Check license status (custom layouts require active license)
2. Verify layout file exists in layouts directory
3. Menu → Layout → Manage Custom Layouts → verify layout appears in the list
4. Try re-importing the layout from JSON backup

Pad won’t save or load:

1. Verify you have write permissions to the configuration directory
2. Check available disk space
3. Confirm pad name doesn’t contain invalid filesystem characters (/ \ : * ? ” < > |)
4. Try creating a new pad with a simple name

Pad loads wrong sources:

1. Verify sources still exist on network (source names must match exactly)
2. Sources may have been renamed on the sending device — reassign manually
3. Network discovery may not have completed — wait 10 seconds and retry

Application Crashes or Won’t Start

Symptoms:
Laika crashes on startup, displays error dialog, or fails to open.

Solutions:

1. Check GPU drivers:
   Update your graphics drivers to the latest version. Laika requires OpenGL 3.3+ or Vulkan support.

2. Reset configuration:
   Rename or delete the configuration file:

   • Windows: C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming\FetchMediaTools\Laika\fetch-laika-config.json
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/FetchMediaTools/Laika/fetch-laika-config.json
   • Linux: ~/.config/FetchMediaTools/Laika/fetch-laika-config.json

   Laika will regenerate default configuration on next launch.

3. Check NDI® SDK installation:
   Verify the NDI® runtime is installed on your system (separate from Laika). Download from ndi.tv if needed.

4. Run from terminal:
   Launch Laika from command line/terminal to see error messages:

   • Windows: "C:\Program Files\Fetch Media Tools\Laika\laika.exe"
   • macOS: /Applications/Laika.app/Contents/MacOS/laika
   • Linux: laika

   Capture error output and send to support.

Performance Degradation Over Time

Symptoms:
Laika starts fine but gets progressively slower or choppier after running for hours.

Solutions:

1. Memory leak check:
   Monitor RAM usage over time. If memory consumption grows continuously, restart Laika and report to support with details.

2. Restart application:
   Exit and relaunch Laika. Saves and pads persist, so you can reload your configuration instantly.

3. Network instability:
   Long-running network issues (intermittent packet loss, source flapping) can accumulate connection attempts. Refresh sources or restart.

4. GPU memory:
   Some GPU drivers leak video memory over extended runs. Restart Laika between shows if you notice rendering slowdown.

Debug Viewer Shows Errors

High average latency (>150ms):

• Switch to Normal latency mode
• Investigate network path (traceroute to sender)
• Contact network engineering for link saturation checks

Continuous dropped frames:

• Verify network switch port isn’t saturated
• Check sender isn’t overloaded (high CPU usage on sending machine)
• Confirm multicast group assignment if using multicast transport

Transport shows “Unknown” or switches frequently:

• Network may be unstable (TCP/UDP/multicast negotiation failing)
• Check firewall rules on both sender and receiver
• Try forcing transport preference in advanced settings (if available)

Getting Help

If you’ve tried the above and still have issues:

1. Collect information:

   • Laika version (Help → About)
   • Operating system and version
   • NDI® SDK version (if separately installed)
   • Network topology (flat/routed, gigabit/10G)
   • Number of sources and viewer count
   • Screenshots of the issue

2. Check Debug Viewer:

   • Connect to problematic source
   • Screenshot statistics panel showing dropped frames, latency, etc.

3. Contact support:

   • https://fetchmedia.tools/contacts
   • Include collected information above
   • Describe steps to reproduce the issue

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