AV Design Toolkit

NDI Full Bandwidth Bitrate Calculator

NewTek / Vizrt · Raw and stream bitrate for one NDI Full Bandwidth signal.

Raw bitrate
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Stream bitrate (NDI Full Bandwidth)
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Compression ratio
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Streams on 1 GbE
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Streams on 10 GbE
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Recommended link
Endpoint power
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Supports up to 422 · 10-bit. ≈ 100 (1080p30) to 500 (4K60) Mbps.

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About NDI Full Bandwidth

NDI (Network Device Interface) Full Bandwidth is NewTek/Vizrt’s codec for IP video production, carrying visually lossless video over standard 1 GbE networks.

NDI made "video over the LAN" practical: cameras, switchers and software discover each other automatically and exchange low-latency streams over ordinary 1 GbE. Full Bandwidth NDI is the high-quality variant (4:2:2), distinct from the low-bitrate NDI HX.

The bitrate is the raw signal divided by the NDI ratio (≈16:1 here). A 1080p30 4:2:0 source is about 746 Mbps raw and roughly 47 Mbps on the wire, so a single 1 GbE link carries many NDI streams.

Worked example

A 1080p30 4:2:0 signal is 746.5 Mbps raw; Full Bandwidth NDI compresses it about 16:1, so the stream is about 46.7 Mbps. One 1 GbE link carries a dozen or more.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between NDI and NDI HX?

Full Bandwidth NDI is higher quality (4:2:2, ~16:1) and lower latency; NDI HX uses H.26x for much lower bitrate at higher latency.

Does NDI need special hardware?

No — NDI runs over standard 1 GbE and is available in cameras, converters and free software tools.

How many NDI streams on 1 GbE?

At ~47 Mbps per 1080p30 stream, roughly a dozen fit with headroom; 4K60 streams (~500 Mbps) are far fewer.

What is the difference between raw and stream bitrate?

Raw is the uncompressed signal (width × height × frame rate × bits per pixel); stream is what the codec actually puts on the wire after compression. The compression ratio is raw ÷ stream.

What do 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 mean?

They describe chroma subsampling — how much colour detail is kept relative to brightness. 4:4:4 keeps full colour (3× bit depth per pixel), 4:2:2 keeps two-thirds, and 4:2:0 keeps half (1.5×).

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Disclaimer: bitrates are planning estimates. Confirm final figures with your codec and switch vendor.