The BirdDog Central (Video Distribution and Routing Console) is an NDI routing and management application built for environments where NDI has grown past the point of being manageable by hand. Once you have more than a few sources and destinations, the challenge stops being video quality and starts being organization. Central exists to solve that problem. Instead of logging into individual decoders or guessing which source is which, Central gives you one place to see what is on the network and where it is going. In day-to-day use, it becomes the traffic controller for NDI systems. Highlights Browser-based control: route NDI sources from a web interface One-to-many routing: send one source to multiple destinations at once Live previews: verify sources before you switch or route Playback and source tools: media playback and internal NDI source generation Built for scale: designed for medium to large NDI deployments Quick Specs & Practical Uses Application type: NDI routing and management software Control method: web browser on the same network Typical deployments: studios, campuses, venues, control rooms, events Scales from: small systems to multi-room environments Licensing: features vary by edition Media Player & Source Generation Notes Central includes tools for media playback and generating NDI sources internally. These are useful for slates, looping content, signage, or test signals without adding extra hardware. Because these sources live inside the NDI ecosystem, they behave like any other source. You route them, preview them, and switch them the same way you would a camera or encoder. Re-transmitter Notes The re-transmitter function allows you to create a new NDI source by combining video from one source with audio from another. This solves a common real-world problem where audio and video originate from different devices but need to travel together. Instead of re-engineering the system, you create a clean composite source and route that downstream. Connectivity & System Requirements Central runs on a Windows machine. Once it is up, you control it from a web browser on the same network. The host handles routing and source lists, while operators connect from laptops, tablets, or control room PCs. As with any NDI system, network design still matters. Central simplifies routing, but it does not replace proper switch configuration, bandwidth planning, or traffic management. Control Philosophy Central is designed to reduce manual work, not add another layer of complexity. Once set up, routing becomes predictable and repeatable. That makes it easier to hand a system off to operators who did not install it. Fewer manual steps usually mean fewer errors. Why It Helps NDI systems break down when routing becomes guesswork. BirdDog Central helps by keeping routing centralized, visible, and fast. It is not about adding features. It is about keeping systems usable as they grow. For facilities that rely on NDI every day, Central becomes less of a tool and more of a necessity. What's Included Features and limits depend on the selected license tier. Always confirm the edition and feature set that matches your deployment size before purchase. Trusted Seller Buy from Coremicro for deployment guidance, license planning, and support from a team that works with real-world NDI systems every day.
