Professional Parity and No-Regression Review
Review date: 2026-06-30. Product-state recheck: 2026-07-10.
This review asks whether the native Stream Deck plugin would be a regression for current VDO.Ninja + Bitfocus Companion users, and what must be true before the plugin is positioned as Marketplace-ready.
Sources Checked
- Bitfocus VDO.Ninja module repo: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-vdo-ninja
- Bitfocus VDO.Ninja module releases: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-vdo-ninja/releases
- Original Companion module request: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-requests/issues/293
- Current module feature requests/issues:
- Stream ID variables: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-vdo-ninja/issues/35
- Guest mic feedback issue: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-vdo-ninja/issues/27
- Push-to-talk/missed inputs: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-vdo-ninja/issues/19
- Self-hosted VDO.Ninja/API host: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-vdo-ninja/issues/17
- Guest label variable: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion-module-vdo-ninja/issues/14
- Local comparison docs:
companion-module-research.mdruntime-comparison-audit.mdverified-api-command-and-callback-reference.mdonboarding-and-configuration-review.md
- Pro Stream Deck pattern references:
- Elgato OBS Studio integration: https://help.elgato.com/hc/en-us/articles/360028239431-Elgato-Stream-Deck-OBS-Studio-Integration
- BarRaider OBS Tools setup wizard: https://docs.barraider.com/faqs/obs-tools/getting-started/
- StreamYard Stream Deck profile/hotkey workflow: https://support.streamyard.com/hc/en-us/articles/360061032132-Using-the-Elgato-Stream-Deck-with-StreamYard
Executive Finding
The current native plugin is not yet a full Companion replacement, mainly because packaged profiles, named connections, stats displays, and physical hardware verification remain open. It now ships:
- Connection status/setup.
- Local control and momentary mic actions.
- Select Guest, Guest Command, and Guest Scene actions with dynamic targets/titles.
- Mixer Control for layouts, slots, legacy-safe mute all, and guarded transfer all.
- PTZ Key, PTZ Dial, and Value Dial actions.
- Custom command action.
The main remaining professional gaps are:
- Packaged director/guest profiles and presets.
- Named multi-endpoint connections.
- Command-value variables/placeholders beyond title templates.
- Stats/operator display actions.
- Physical key, pedal, and dial verification.
Therefore, the native plugin needs a no-regression release gate before Marketplace positioning.
What Users Actually Want
First-time / Casual Users
They want:
- A setup flow that explains
&api=KEY.
- A generated VDO.Ninja URL they can open without manual URL editing.
- A visible connection test that says whether the VDO.Ninja page is actually answering.
- Safe defaults for local mic, camera, speaker, hand, record, and hangup.
Current native status: mostly covered by the setup-first property inspector and local controls.
Director / Producer Users
They want:
- Guest labels on buttons.
- Guest slot and stream ID targeting.
- Mic/camera/speaker/display controls for each guest.
- Add/remove guest from scene with feedback.
- Solo video / solo talk / two-way solo talk.
- Send guest to group or transfer room.
- Guest volume and mute-scene.
- Queue/held guest visibility.
- Clear warning state when a guest disappears or a command times out.
Current native status: first-pass guest command, guest scene, and selected-target actions exist for common controls, but presets and broader feedback are still pending.
Technical Operators
They want:
- Stats and health feedback.
- Keyframe, refresh video, refresh connection, recover stream.
- Bitrate and buffer delay controls.
- Audio panning and volume.
- Safe destructive controls with confirmation.
- Separate control of director page, clean output page, push page, and view page.
Current native status: partial local controls and connection health; most operator controls are planned.
Camera / PTZ Operators
They want:
- Dedicated PTZ keys.
- Stream Deck + dial mappings for zoom, pan, tilt, focus, volume, bitrate, and buffer delay.
- Selected-target workflow so dials do not need one static guest each.
- Absolute and relative modes.
- Autofocus or control-cycle behavior on dial press.
Current native status: first-pass PTZ Key action exists for local and guest PTZ buttons. First-pass Stream Deck + PTZ Dial exists for local/guest relative PTZ with selected-target support, rate limiting, inversion, optional acceleration, guest autofocus press actions, and control cycling. Hold-to-repeat, packaged profiles, presets, and hardware smoke testing are still pending.
Companion Feature Baseline
The native plugin should reach at least this baseline before being considered a non-regression:
| Area |
Companion behavior |
Native requirement |
| Connection |
API key plus custom/self-hosted WebSocket host. |
Keep API key, host, TLS, timeout, and fallback settings. |
| Local controls |
Mic, camera, speaker, volume, chat, record, reload, hangup, bitrate, panning, hand, screenshare, keyframe, slide controls, local PTZ. |
First-class local action coverage, not only raw custom commands. |
| Guest controls |
Forward/transfer, add scene, mute scene, group, mic, hangup, solo talk, speaker, display, overlay, keyframe, solo video, volume. |
First-class guest command action and presets. |
| Feedbacks |
Mic, camera, speaker, guest in scene. |
Same feedback plus connection, timeout, stale stream, queue/held, hand raised, stats. |
| Variables |
Director state; guest by position labels/mic/camera/scenes; stream ID variables. |
Title templates and property inspector choices using labels, stream IDs, slots, and scene lists. |
| Presets |
Dynamic director and guest presets. |
Device-specific profiles plus dynamic target/title behavior. |
| PTZ |
Added local PTZ actions in v2.4.0. |
Local PTZ plus guest PTZ and Stream Deck + dial support. |
| Action variables |
v2.5.0 supports variables in actions. |
Target/value fields should allow tokens such as selected target, slot label, stream ID, scene ID, and custom text. |
GitHub Request Signals
The public request/issue history points to these priorities:
- Original Companion request explicitly asked for group-room scene add/remove with feedback, feed mute/unmute with feedback, director push-to-talk, and own camera toggle.
- Self-hosted VDO.Ninja support was requested and later addressed in Companion; native plugin must not lose custom host support.
- Guest labels and stream IDs as variables were requested because users build button titles and external workflows around them.
- Guest mic feedback correctness matters beyond Guest 1/2; fixed-position assumptions are risky.
- Push-to-talk/release reliability matters; a missed release leaves talent live when they should be muted.
Common Pro Stream Deck Expectations
Across OBS, StreamYard, Companion-style workflows, and production control surfaces, professional users expect:
- Drag-and-drop action setup with clear property inspectors.
- Prebuilt profiles or presets, not a blank toolbox only.
- Dynamic titles/feedback so operators do not memorize which guest is where.
- Reliable press/release handling for push-to-talk and momentary actions.
- Immediate visual confirmation, plus durable state reconciliation from real app state.
- Separate actions for common workflows; raw custom commands are an escape hatch, not the main UX.
- Dials for continuous values on Stream Deck +.
- Safety guards for destructive operations.
- Support for multiple controlled endpoints in real productions.
Current Native Plugin Gap Assessment
| Requirement |
Current status |
Regression risk |
| Setup wizard |
Implemented. |
Low. Better than Companion for first-time setup. |
| API host/custom server |
Implemented in settings. |
Low. Must remain visible in advanced setup. |
| Connection state |
Implemented with page-present distinction. |
Low. Better than Companion. |
| Local mic/camera/speaker |
Implemented. |
Low. |
| Local PTT press/release |
First-pass push-to-talk and push-to-mute implemented on Local Control mic with explicit key-down/key-up states; physical key/pedal release testing is pending. |
Medium. |
| Local volume/panning/bitrate/buffer |
First-pass Value Dial implemented for local volume, panning, bitrate, and buffer delay; hardware tests and per-stream buffer/bitrate targeting are pending. |
Medium-low. |
| Director/guest actions |
First-pass Guest Command, Guest Scene, and Select Guest actions implemented for common controls. |
Medium until presets and richer stale/timeout states are done. |
| Scene feedback |
First-pass Guest Scene action reads getDetails[streamID].scenes. |
Medium until presets and stale-target states are done. |
| Dynamic labels/stream IDs |
Implemented for guest command/scene/select titles and target pickers. |
Medium until profile presets are done. |
| Variables/tokens in actions |
Title tokens implemented for guest actions; command value tokens are still pending. |
Medium. |
| Presets/profiles |
Not implemented. |
High. |
| PTZ keys/dials |
First-pass PTZ Key and PTZ Dial actions implemented; presets/profiles and hardware smoke tests are pending. |
Medium. |
| Multi-connection/named endpoints |
Not implemented. |
Medium-high. |
| Queue/held guest UX |
First-held targeting and Activate Guest are implemented; activation requires VDO.Ninja v30.2+ because older pages expose no native queue-activation command. |
Medium. |
| Stats/operator health |
Not implemented. |
Medium. |
No-Regression Release Gate
Do not present the plugin as a full Companion replacement or Marketplace-ready until these are implemented and tested:
- Guest command action:
- Target by slot, stream ID, UUID, selected target, first held guest.
- Guest mic, camera, speaker, display, volume, hangup, solo video, solo talk, two-way solo talk, overlay/chat, group, transfer, keyframe, refresh/recover.
- Current status: first-pass action supports slot, stream ID, selected guest, and first-held-guest targeting plus common commands. UUID/manual UI polish still needs work.
- Guest scene action:
- Arbitrary scene ID/name support.
- Scene membership feedback from
getDetails[streamID].scenes.
- Custom scene explicit set-on/set-off without breaking older pages.
- Current status: fixed scenes use legacy aliases; arbitrary scene IDs/names use live scene feedback plus the legacy
addScene toggle and alert if safe forcing is not possible.
- Dynamic titles and target pickers:
- Guest labels and stream IDs in dropdowns.
- Title templates for slot, label, stream ID, scene, connection state, command result.
- Stream ID variables/tokens usable in action value fields.
- Momentary controls:
- Press/release local mic for push-to-talk and push-to-mute.
- Release-safe behavior: command queue/order guard so the final release state wins.
- Visible warning if a release command times out.
- Current status: first-pass local mic
pushToTalk and pushToMute modes send explicit mic=true/false on key-down/key-up and use sequence guards for stale async completions. Physical Stream Deck/Pedal release testing is pending.
- Presets/profiles:
- Mini, 15-key, XL, Stream Deck +, and Pedal starter profiles.
- Director profile with dynamic guest rows.
- Stream Deck + profile with dials for selected target volume/PTZ.
- Current status: first-pass Value Dial exists for local volume, panning, bitrate, buffer delay, and guest volume with selected-target support. Packaged profiles and physical dial verification are pending.
- PTZ:
- Local PTZ buttons.
- Guest PTZ buttons.
- Stream Deck + dial actions for zoom, pan, tilt, focus, exposure where supported, guest autofocus, and control cycling.
- Current status: first-pass PTZ Key supports local zoom/pan/tilt/focus/exposure and guest zoom/pan/tilt/focus/autofocus. First-pass PTZ Dial supports local/guest relative PTZ turns, selected-target support, guest autofocus press actions, inversion, optional acceleration, and rate-limited sends. Hold-to-repeat, profiles, presets, and physical Stream Deck + verification are pending.
- State and feedback:
- Mic/camera/speaker feedback for local and all guest positions.
- Guest-in-scene feedback.
- Held/queued and hand-raised feedback.
- Stale/missing target state.
- Command timeout/error feedback.
- Multi-page production support:
- Named connections for director room, guest push page, clean output page, and backup room.
- Per-action connection override.
- Continue warning against same API key on multiple pages unless broadcast control is intended.
Implementation Priority
P0: Avoid Professional Regression
- Guest command action.
- Guest scene action.
- Dynamic titles/target picker.
- Momentary local mic controls.
- Presets for 15-key and XL.
P1: Beat Companion
- Stream Deck + dial controls.
- Guest PTZ.
- Selected target workflow.
- Better setup wizard and QR/link tooling.
- Stale/timeout states.
P2: Advanced Production
- Named connections.
- Stats display.
- Multi-page profile packs.
- Optional iframe-backed advanced controls for device selection, loudness, frames, and P2P helpers.
Current Product Positioning
Use this wording until the release gate is passed:
Early native VDO.Ninja Stream Deck plugin prototype. Provides setup, connection status, local controls, selected guest targeting, guest commands, guest scene toggles, PTZ keys, first-pass PTZ/value dials, and custom commands. Companion-parity presets, hardware dial verification, and broader dynamic feedback are still in progress.
Do not use:
Full replacement for Bitfocus Companion VDO.Ninja.