Open Media Transport (OMT) was initiated by the software developer of vMix software and released for free use. The goal is to provide an open and license-free protocol for the transmission of video, audio, and metadata streams over IP networks.

The goal is to provide a free, transparent alternative to proprietary AV-over-IP systems. OMT is developed publicly and released under the MIT license, allowing it to be integrated and customized into proprietary applications without license fees or contractual restrictions. OMT Github

Technically, OMT supports high-resolution video formats, different color depths, and the parallel transmission of metadata over conventional Gigabit infrastructures. The open source code gives developers complete insight into the implementation and allows them to independently extend or optimize the protocol.

NDI, on the other hand, is a proprietary IP-based video transmission protocol that is widely used in professional broadcast and streaming environments. It belongs to the Norwegian Vizrt Group. It offers broad device and software compatibility, but is subject to licensing terms and is not completely open source, and some PTZ camera manufacturers offer a paid NDI option. Thanks to OMT, these additional costs could be eliminated in the future.

The key difference lies in the licensing and openness model: OMT stands for transparency, cost-free access, and technological independence, while NDI impresses with its market penetration and established ecosystem, but is tied to a proprietary system.

The protocol is now supported by various manufacturers and products. These include:

1. vMix, from version 29
2. SRT Miniserver (Win/Mac) - makes all sources available as OMT on the network
3. Sebiu Labs OMT Monitor (Win) - great OMT player, free of charge, browser-based, 8 audio tracks can be selected separately in the feed, API control via Streamdeck or Companion OMT Monitor
4. Sebiu Labs OMT VCam, Virtual Camera — appears as “OMT VCam” in Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet.
5. OBS - there is an OMT plugin for OBS on the OMT github page
6. Sienna (Mac) - various tools, but they don't run on my old Mac
7. CND A1 Hardware Encoder, should support OMT with the next firmware (ISE2026)