CastAway runs on a standard Windows PC, but can also be run on a suitably powerful virtual machine or a cloud instance.
Due to the flexibility of the system and the wide range of factors involved, it’s difficult provide definitive PC specifications for all use cases. Instead, here is a typical system configuration, and a recommended PC specification.
System Configuration
- Video Resolution: 1080p25/30 in, 1080p25/30 program out, 720p25/30 preview out
- NDI 4/5 or HX
- Program and Preset mixing (no Aux busses)
- 2-layer full-screen GFX overlays
- 4-channel 48KHz Audio
Recommended PC Requirements
To run both CastAway processing engine and panel, we recommend the following minimum specification.
| Component | Recommended Spec |
| CPU | Intel i7 Generation 11 or 12, 3.6GHz |
| Memory | 16GB |
| GPU | NVidia GeForce RTX 3060ti or AMD Radeon RX 6700 |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Storage | 128GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10,11 , Server 2019 or 2022 |
Panel Only
To run just the CastAway panel, a lower specification can be used. The processing engine must run separately on a machine as specified above.
| Component | Recommended Spec |
| CPU | Intel i5 Generation 11 or 12 |
| Memory | 16GB |
| GPU | NVidia GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD equivalent |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Storage | 128GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10,11 , Server 2019 or 2022 |
Factors affecting performance
The following factors affect the hardware requirements of the system.
| Setting | Effect |
| NDI Input resolution and frame rate | Higher resolution (e.g. 4K) NDI inputs require more CPU and GPU power to decode, and additional network bandwidth |
| NDI Program Output resolution and frame rate | Higher resolution (e.g. 4K) NDI outputs require more CPU and GPU power |
| NDI Preview Output resolution and frame rate | Preview output resolution can be set independently of program resolution. If you only need low-resolution preview, this will save resources |
| NDI Audio output sample rate and channels | CastAway can handle up to 16-channel audio, but this uses additional CPU and nwetwork resources |
| Number of NDI receivers | Unless multicast is used, each NDI receiver connecting to CastAway adds additional CPU load to the system |
| Size and resolution of graphics | Large animated graphics may require additional memory in GPU or CPU |
| Local vs Remote CastAway panel | Using a remote CastAway panel reduces the load on the main PC |
| Aux busses (coming soon!) | Using aux busses for additional video effects requires additional CPU, GPU and network |