Technical Information
The numbers to know before you choose your hardware: which Mac you need, output formats, how SDI Fill & Key works, NDI bandwidth, SRT and remote control (AIR TAKE 2), and media data rates. Where AIR TAKE 1 and AIR TAKE 2 differ, both are listed. In the end, confirm everything with the free trial, using your own equipment and media.※1
- Signal flow
- System requirements
- Output formats
- SDI Fill & Key
- NDI bandwidth
- SRT & remote
- Media & data rates
- Checking load
AIR TAKE 1: 4096×2160
(8 rates)
(v210 / Ay10)
with alpha, maximum※4
FROM FILE TO WIREFrom media file to output
AIR TAKE composites a single PROGRAM on the GPU and sends it to SDI, the second display and NDI at the same time. Movie frames are advanced by the highest-priority output that is running, and the other outputs use the same frame. In AIR TAKE 1 the order is SDI → second display → NDI / Syphon → control screen (without SDI, the second display sets the timing); in AIR TAKE 2 SDI sets the timing whenever it is running. Without SDI, the output you turned on first sets the timing. AIR TAKE 2 can also send the same PROGRAM over SRT, and use an NDI or SRT feed as the background.
Movies are read with macOS’s built-in AVFoundation, using your Mac’s hardware decoder when it has one. Stills are converted for the GPU on a separate thread before they go to air.
PROGRAM and DSK are composited in RGBA at the canvas resolution. Fades change only the key (alpha), never the fill colours.
Fill + key in 8-bit or 10-bit. Three frames are queued ahead (about 50 ms at 1080p59.94), so dropped frames are less likely.
Full screen on a second display, with an optional green background for chroma keying.
Sent with transparency intact, together with audio (48 kHz, 2 ch). Up to 1080p in AIR TAKE 1; at the canvas's own resolution in AIR TAKE 2.
H.264/AAC in MPEG-TS, sent as an SRT caller. Up to 3840×2160 (larger canvases are scaled down).
WHAT MAC DO I NEED?System requirements
The performance you need depends heavily on resolution, frame rate, how many outputs you run at once, and the codec of your media. Use the table below as a guide.
| Use | Mac | Memory | Media storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| HD 1080, up to 30p One output |
A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) Intel Macs: AIR TAKE 1 only※2 |
8 GB or more | Internal SSD, or a USB 3 SSD |
| HD 1080, 59.94pTESTED SDI + second display + NDI |
M1 Pro / M2 or later Test machine: Mac mini (M2 Pro, 16 GB)※3 |
16 GB or more | Internal SSD, or a Thunderbolt / USB 3.2 SSD |
| UHD 4K, 59.94pTESTED ProRes 4444 playback (v1.1) |
M2 Pro or better Test machine: Mac mini (M2 Pro, 16 GB)※3 |
16 GB or more | Internal SSD, or a Thunderbolt SSD (1 GB/s read or faster) |
| UHD 4K, 59.94pESTIMATE SDI + second display + NDI |
A Mac with an M-series Max or Ultra chip (such as Mac Studio) | 32 GB or more | Internal SSD, or a Thunderbolt SSD (1 GB/s read or faster) |
“Estimate” rows are configurations worked out from how AIR TAKE works and how much data it moves. We have not measured every combination. For 4K, always run the trial with the same media you will use on the day and make sure the dropped-frame count stays at 0.
What affects performance
- Media engine: Apple silicon decodes H.264 and HEVC in hardware. M1 Pro / Max / Ultra and M2 or later also decode ProRes in hardware.
- GPU: every frame is composited at the canvas resolution. 4K has four times as many pixels as HD.
- Disk speed: a single ProRes 4444 movie at 4K59.94p reads about 330 MB/s. The internal SSD of any Mac with Apple silicon is fast enough.
Setups to avoid
- Running on battery: performance may drop. AIR TAKE warns you while you are on battery power.
- Media on an HDD or a network share: reads may not keep up with 4K or high-bit-rate media.
- USB DisplayLink adapters: they cannot use the GPU directly, so do not use them for the second display.
CANVAS & FRAME RATEOutput formats
| Item | Supported |
|---|---|
| Canvas | HD 1080 (1920×1080) / HD 720 (1280×720) / UHD 4K (3840×2160) / DCI 2K (2048×1080) / DCI 4K (4096×2160) / Custom AIR TAKE 2 adds vertical (1080×1920), 4:5 (1080×1350), square (1080×1080) and UHD 8K (7680×4320); custom sizes go up to a 7680 long edge and 7680×4320 pixels (AIR TAKE 1 custom: up to 4096×2160). SDI is limited to modes your device supports |
| Frame rate | 23.98 / 24 / 25 / 29.97 / 30 / 50 / 59.94 / 60p |
| SDI format | 8-bit (BGRA) / 10-bit (YUV 4:2:2 v210; fill + key uses Ay10). Available combinations depend on your DeckLink device※5 |
| Key type | Premultiplied (default) / Straight, to match your switcher |
| Audio | 48 kHz, 2 ch. Embedded in SDI and sent over NDI. A reference tone (1 kHz, −20 dBFS) is also available |
| NDI | AIR TAKE 1: up to 1920×1080 (a 4K canvas is scaled down to 1080). While SDI or the second display is running, rates above 30p are halved (59.94p → 29.97p) AIR TAKE 2: sent at the canvas's own resolution and frame rate. While SDI or another output turned on before OBS is running, rates above 30p are halved |
| SRT (AIR TAKE 2) | H.264 Main + AAC-LC 48 kHz stereo 128 kbps (MPEG-TS). 24 / 29.97 / 30 / 59.94 / 60p. Up to 3840×2160 |
UNCOMPRESSED TO THE CARDSDI Fill & Key
Every frame goes to the DeckLink device uncompressed. Because fill and key are two separate signals, the transfer rate between the Mac and the device is one of the factors that limit performance.
| Format | Mac → DeckLink transfer (8-bit, fill + key) | SDI standard (per link) |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p29.97 | ≈250 MB/s | HD-SDI (1.5G) |
| 1080p59.94 | ≈500 MB/s | 3G-SDI |
| 2160p29.97 | ≈1.0 GB/s | 6G-SDI |
| 2160p59.94NOT YET TESTED | ≈2.0 GB/s | 12G-SDI |
Transfer rate = pixels × 4 bytes × frame rate.
BANDWIDTH WITH ALPHANDI bandwidth
AIR TAKE sends NDI High Bandwidth with alpha (SpeedHQ 4:2:2:4). Every frame is compressed on its own, and alpha adds about 20% compared with a stream without it.
| Stream | Maximum bandwidth (per stream) | Streams on 1 GbE (guide) |
|---|---|---|
| 720p59.94 | ≈132 Mbps | Up to 5 |
| 1080p29.97 With SDI or the second display running | ≈141 Mbps | Up to 5 |
| 1080p50 | ≈157 Mbps | Up to 4 |
| 1080p59.94 NDI only | ≈165 Mbps | Up to 4 |
Figures are the maximums from NDI’s official documentation and vary with picture content. The 1080p29.97 figure uses the 1080 60i value, which carries the same amount of data. Stream counts assume you use no more than 75% of 1 Gbps.※4
AIR TAKE 2 sends NDI at the canvas's own resolution, so 4K, 8K and vertical canvases use more bandwidth than the table above (roughly in proportion to the pixel count). For 4K and above we recommend 10GbE. Also check that your receiving software or device supports that resolution.
Network recommendations
- Wired Ethernet, 1 GbE or faster. Wi-Fi is not recommended. Connecting the sender and receiver to the same switch is the most reliable.
- Keep link usage under 75%, counting other NDI and streaming traffic too.
- Stay on the same subnet. Sources are found with mDNS (UDP 5353) and video flows on TCP ports 5960 and up. Open these in your firewall.
- Receivers: OBS with the DistroAV plugin, or any NDI-capable software such as vMix or TriCaster.
- NDI work stops when no one is watching. With no receiver connected, AIR TAKE skips NDI compositing and audio capture.
AIR TAKE 2 OVER IPSRT and remote control (AIR TAKE 2)
SRT is designed to carry video reliably, even over the internet. AIR TAKE 2 sends PROGRAM as a caller, and can use an incoming feed as a background as a listener.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| SRT output | Caller, live mode. Video: H.264 Main (no B-frames, a keyframe every 2 seconds, BT.709). Audio: AAC-LC 48 kHz stereo 128 kbps. MPEG-TS |
| Video bitrate | 1–50 Mbps (default 8 Mbps). The link uses about 1.1× video + audio, plus 25% headroom for retransmission |
| Latency | 60–8000 ms. Presets: LAN 120 / domestic 300 / overseas 800 ms (the larger of the sender's and receiver's values is used) |
| Encryption | AES-128 / 192 / 256 (default 256). Passphrase 10–79 characters. Stream ID up to 512 bytes. You can set everything up by pasting an SRT URL |
| If the connection drops | Keeps reconnecting automatically until it's back (at 1 → 2 → 4 → 5-second intervals), then restarts from a keyframe |
| SRT / NDI input | SRT: listens on this Mac. NDI: choose a source on your LAN. The feed is composited as the PROGRAM background; its audio is not used. SRT can't carry transparency (alpha), so use NDI for transparent graphics. The direct-download version needs NDI Tools for NDI input too |
| iPad remote | AIR TAKE Remote (free, iPadOS 17 or later, interface in Japanese). Connects only within the same LAN or a VPN (such as Tailscale), up to 4 iPads at once. Only playout status and commands are exchanged—no video (item thumbnails can be turned on in Settings) |
SRT latency, dropouts and quality depend on the link and the receiver. Before going live, test with your real link and receiver using the trial.
CODECS & DATA RATESMedia and data rates
AIR TAKE reads PNG, PSD, TIFF, JPEG, HEIC, BMP, GIF and EXR stills, and MOV, MP4, M4V, MXF and AVI movies※6. For live shows we recommend the following.
Media with transparency
We recommend PNG for stills and ProRes 4444 for movies. ProRes compresses every frame on its own, so reverse, fast playback and cueing with J, K and L respond quickly.
Media without transparency
We recommend ProRes 422 HQ. H.264 and HEVC make smaller files but are heavier to reverse and cue. For clips you simply play through, they are fine.
| Codec | 1080p29.97 | 1080p59.94 | 2160p29.97 | 2160p59.94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ProRes 4444 (with alpha) | 330 Mbps ≈41 MB/s | 660 Mbps ≈83 MB/s | 1,326 Mbps ≈166 MB/s | 2,652 Mbps ≈332 MB/s |
| ProRes 422 HQ | 220 Mbps ≈28 MB/s | 440 Mbps ≈55 MB/s | 884 Mbps ≈111 MB/s | 1,768 Mbps ≈221 MB/s |
These are Apple ProRes target data rates. Pre-loading the next clip and a DSK can overlap, so allow at least twice this speed for your disk.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO LIVECheck the load in numbers before the show
You can tell whether your Mac is fast enough from real numbers, not guesswork. AIR TAKE always shows the following.
- GPU usage: how much of each frame’s time budget (about 16.7 ms at 59.94p) the drawing takes.
- Dropped frames: shown in the control bar. Run for a few minutes before the show and make sure it stays at 0.
- CPU, memory, heat and power: AIR TAKE warns you when heat slows the Mac down or when you are on battery.
- Pre-show check: checks media, resolution, output format, SDI device and media location in one go, then runs SDI for 30 seconds and counts dropped frames.
- Playout log: records what went to air and when, and when frames were dropped.
Check the numbers on your own equipment. The trial includes every feature, free.
Download free trial AIR TAKE 2 · DMGOn an Intel Mac, use the AIR TAKE 1 trial.
NOTES
- ※1Figures on this page are design values or reference values based on published documents. Actual performance depends on your Mac, DeckLink device, driver, network and media. We do not guarantee operation in every environment. Before any show, always check your actual setup with the trial and have a backup playout method ready. Our liability is set out in the Terms of Use.
- ※2AIR TAKE 2 requires a Mac with Apple silicon. On an Intel Mac, use AIR TAKE 1 (1.x). We have confirmed that AIR TAKE 1 starts and plays out on an Intel Mac, but performance varies widely between models. For 4K or several outputs at once, we recommend a Mac with Apple silicon.
- ※3On the test machine (Mac mini, M2 Pro, 16 GB memory) we confirmed NDI sending at 1080p59.94 (about 59.6 fps, 48 kHz audio) and, in version 1.1, ProRes 4444 playback at 4K59.94p. A 30-minute continuous playout test also finished with no playout failures and stable memory use.
- ※4NDI bandwidth figures are the maximums from NDI’s official document “NDI High Bandwidth based on SpeedHQ7 (8bit 4:2:2:4)”. Actual figures vary with picture content, audio and your network. NDI® is a registered trademark of Vizrt NDI AB.
- ※5Available formats and frame rates, and whether fill and key can be output separately, depend on your DeckLink device and driver (Desktop Video). AIR TAKE’s settings screen shows whether your device supports the selected format.
- ※6Supported movie codecs depend on your macOS version. Some codecs will not play even if the file extension is supported.