NDI streaming for Teams meeting

Question

Customer would like to use NDI streaming for Teams meeting via Analog Way Aquilon presentation switcher (NDI input card) but they have concern about liability issues. My understanding is Aquilon NDI input cards can receive standard NDI streams on the network. The availability and reliability of NDI streams depends on Teams configuration, licensing, network setup and the streaming platform used. Is this correct?

Answer 1

Dear @Gavin Ang,
Welcome to Q&A forum.

I understand that you would like to use NDI streaming from Microsoft Teams meetings and ingest those streams into an Analog Way Aquilon presentation switcher using its NDI input card, and that you have concerns around reliability and liability.

Your understanding is correct, with a few important clarifications.

Can Microsoft Teams send NDI video? Yes. When NDI is turned on, Microsoft Teams can send standard NDI video streams on your local network. These are normal NDI streams, not a special Microsoft format. Because of this, NDI‑compatible devices, such as the Analog Way Aquilon with an NDI input card, can receive the video.

What needs to be set up first? NDI does not work automatically. It depends on a few things:

• An admin must turn on NDI in the Teams meeting policy.
• The computer running Teams must enable NDI in Teams settings and turn it on inside the meeting.
• A business Teams license is required. Your Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Teams Phone supports this.

If any of these steps are missing, Teams will not send NDI video.

How reliable is NDI from Teams? NDI from Teams is best‑effort, not broadcast‑grade. This means:

• Video quality depends on the network, the computer performance, and how many video streams are active.
• Teams can only send what it is able to receive, so poor network conditions can affect the output.
• Microsoft does not guarantee that NDI streams will always be perfect or uninterrupted.

Because of this, I recommend testing carefully before using NDI in live or important events.

Support and responsibility Microsoft supports the NDI feature in Teams itself. However, third‑party equipment (such as Analog Way Aquilon) is outside Microsoft support. Microsoft may not guarantee how third‑party devices handle the NDI stream.

For important productions, it’s a good idea to plan for testing, backups, and fallback options.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Answer 2

The understanding is partially correct but can be made more precise based on documented behavior of NDI in Teams.

1. Teams can act as an NDI source on the local network
   • When the Broadcast production with NDI and SDI hardware meeting policy is enabled for a user, that user can turn on NDI in a meeting and Teams will expose multiple NDI-out streams on the network (primary speaker, local, individual users, screen sharing, large gallery, Together mode).
   • These are standard NDI® streams on the local intranet, so any NDI-compatible device or application (such as an Analog Way Aquilon with an NDI input card) that can subscribe to standard NDI sources on the same network should be able to receive them.
2. Prerequisites and configuration dependencies The availability of NDI streams from Teams depends on:
   • Teams meeting policy configuration: The admin must enable the broadcast production policy:
     • In the Teams admin center: under Meetings → Meeting policies → Audio & video, set Broadcast production with NDI and SDI hardware to On.
     • Or via PowerShell: Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy -Identity <policy name> -AllowNDIStreaming $true.
   • Client-side NDI enablement: Each producer machine must:
     1. Go to Settings and more → Settings → App permissions.
     2. Under Production tools, use Download Link to install the NDI binaries.
     3. Turn on the Production tools toggle (outside of a meeting).
     4. In the meeting, use More actions → Streaming → Broadcast over NDI.
   • Teams version/updates: After each Teams update, the NDI binaries may need to be reinstalled and the toggle re-enabled.
3. Network and performance considerations The reliability and quality of the NDI streams are affected by:
   • Number and quality of incoming streams to the Teams client: Teams can only broadcast what the client is actually receiving.
   • Client performance and load: Guidance is to limit NDI-out video streams to two or three per computer to help ensure stability and performance.
   • Layout choices: Using Together Mode or Large Gallery stops other individual video streams from being received; only the selected layout will be available as NDI. Returning to Gallery restores individual streams.
   • Pinning: Pinning a participant in Teams helps keep that video stream stable for NDI output.
4. Licensing
   • The ability to use NDI/SDI is controlled by the Broadcast production with NDI and SDI hardware meeting policy. The context provided does not specify SKU-level licensing details, only that admins can enable or disable this capability via policy.
5. Liability
   • The documentation describes how to enable and use NDI/SDI and the technical limitations, but it does not address legal or liability aspects. Those questions fall outside the scope of the technical configuration and would need to be handled via contractual and legal channels, not via Teams configuration.

In summary, an Aquilon NDI input card that accepts standard NDI streams on the local network can consume the NDI outputs from Teams, provided the broadcast production policy is enabled, the Teams client is configured for NDI, and the network and client resources are sufficient. Reliability is indeed dependent on Teams policy configuration, client setup, network conditions, and how many/which NDI streams are produced, but liability questions are not covered in the technical guidance.

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References:

• Broadcasting audio and video from Microsoft Teams with NDI and SDI technology
• Allow broadcast production in Teams meetings with NDI and SDI hardware
• Teams settings and policies reference