Panasonic Connect announced it will extend NDI (Network Device Interface) support, an open standard for connecting video devices over a network, to its 4K Integrated PTZ Cameras (AW-UE40W/K, AW-UE50W/K, AW-HE145 and AW-UE 150W/K) as well as the Memory Card Camera Recorder AG-CX350. The upgrades, which previously required a paid license from Vizrt NDI AB, will be made available via a free firmware update between December 2024 and April 2025, after which the models will ship with NDI pre-activated.

The free upgrade will activate NDI functionality as a standard feature in more than 80,000 units currently in use in diverse video-production environments. As the integration of IP technology into video equipment accelerates, this move will help expand the NDI ecosystem for greater efficiency and flexibility in video production workflows.

NDI is an open standard for connecting video equipment over IP networks which allows NDI-enabled devices to be used to build systems in standard gigabit IP networks. This simplifies the transition of video production workflows to IP environments, enabling more devices to access all NDI enabled devices on the network. These devices include switchers, cameras and media servers, allowing the use of diverse content in video production. In addition, Panasonic’s NDI enabled PTZ cameras that support PoE — a single cable solution for power, control and audio/video transmission — significantly reduce installation and cabling costs and complexity.