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Unmatched HD Visual Quality
and Workflow Simplicity on Mac |
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Highlights
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Latest News
NEW:
Active
Metadata Technology Overview
Update Release: 3/27/09 - v2.32 Build 80
Numerous workflow enhancements
Neo HD/4K Press release
Red One Workflow
Overview
Update Log
Free upgrade for existing
customers
ReMaster Tech
Note: File Conversion
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CineForm Workflow Overview
10-bit
versus 8-bit precision
4:4:4
versus 4:2:2 chroma
Tech Notes
Active Metadata
Controls
Visual Quality Analyses
Neo HD/4K (Windows)
product page
Read Neo 4K for Mac review by Mike Jones:
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Part 1 (Overview) -
Part 2 (Workflow details) |
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Neo HD/4K
(Mac) Feature Highlights |
Neo HD/4K
includes:
- CineForm
Mac Codec compatible with all Mac
QuickTime applications including Final Cut
Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, After Effects,
and more. Supports spatial resolution up to
4K with 12-bit precision and RGB, YUV, and
Raw chroma formats.
- Remaster
application to convert from myriad camera or
source files into CineForm or ProRes files.
Remaster includes numerous preprocessing
features during conversion including
telecine removal (60i --> 24p), spatial
resampling, deinterlacing, and more.
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SetActiveMetadata application adds
non-destructive color information such as
White Balance, 3D LUTs, and gain/offset to
your images as a video layer without
flattening or re-rendering the source
images.
Among many
other features, Neo HD/4K offers the following
for your post workflow:
- The
industry's highest fidelity compression-based
post-production workflow.
See quality analysis....
- Converts
most HD / HDV / 2K / 4K camera formats into
post-production ready CineForm or
(optionally) ProRes HQ, DPX, or uncompressed
YUV (V210) files
- Choose
10-bit 4:2:2, 12-bit 4:4:4 (RGB), or 12-bit
CineForm RAW workflow to match your source
or distribution format.
- Remove telecine
fields (24p extraction) when embedded in
60i, yielding a true 24p (23.976p) post
workflow. Supports virtually all camera
sources: HDV, XDCam HD/EX, etc.
- Edit up to
4000-wide images in FCP.
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Use a non-destructive color workflow with Active
Metadata to better preserve image fidelity
and highlights without clipping
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CineForm QuickTime files files are
compatible:
- across all QuickTime applications (QT Player, FCP/Motion,
PPro/AE, Speedgrade, etc)
- on Windows. Just copy CineForm files to Windows and start using
them.
- Rewrap
CineForm AVI files originating on Windows to MOV
files for better efficiency on Mac (the compression
layer is undisturbed)
- Create 1K
CineForm Express files from HD, 2K, 4K, or 4K
sources. Especially useful for 4K sources
such as from Red One.
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Alternatively choose ProRes as the
destination format during conversion
operations
- A free
decoder (Neo Player) is available for
sharing deep-precision content with others
who may not have purchased a CineForm
license
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Neo HD/4K
Workflow for Mac |
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Step 1 |
Convert with ReMaster: Media is
acquired from camera or file-based sources and
converted to CineForm MOV files using the
Remaster application that is part of Neo
HD/4K. CineForm files can be created
from any file playable in QuickTime Player
(including ProRes) plus
additional file types as discussed in the
specifications. Pre-processing features of
Remaster (telecine removal, spatial resampling,
etc) can be
applied at the time of conversion. |
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Step 2 |
CineForm MOV files
are your new source master:
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Backup or
discard your original source files.
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Your CineForm
files will better preserve image fidelity
through post than your source files. Why?
Chances are your source files were intended
for acquisition, not for preserving fidelity
through post-production.
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CineForm files
are compatible with virtually all QuickTime
applications including Final Cut Pro, Color,
Premiere Pro, AE, and others
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CineForm files can be moved
to Windows with full compatibility. Or you
can rewrap to AVI on Windows which some
applications prefer.
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Step 3 |
(Optional)
Non-Destructive Color Management using
SetActiveMetadata. CineForm's
SetActiveMetadata application applies white
balance, 3D LUTs, and gain/offset adjustments to
your source images without rendering, so
you always maintain best visual fidelity and
retain highlights. Using Active Metadata
is like applying an Adjustment Layer in
Photoshop, but the adjustments remain with your
images until you choose to render.
How It Works: Active Metadata for each file
is stored in a CineForm color database that is interrogated by
the CineForm codec when called by a QuickTime
application. Active Metadata is applied to
images within the codec after decoding but
prior to presenting the image(s) to the calling
application. Because Active Metadata
resides outside the calling application (FCP for
instance) it is application independent.
Active Metadata will be properly applied to
CineForm files regardless of the calling
application, even after moving the files (and
color database) to Windows. |
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Step 4 |
Distribution: At the
completion of your project you may render from
your host application to your preferred distribution format.
Archive:
If you may ever need access to your project in
the future, we recommend archiving your CineForm
files and project file along with your
distribution format. |
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Neo HD/4K
(Mac) Feature
Specifications |
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CineForm Mac Codec
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Up to
4K spatial resolution and 12-bit precision for MacOS
QuickTime applications |
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Max Spatial Resolution: |
Up to 1920 x 1080 (Neo
HD); 4096x4096 (Neo 4K) |
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Bit Depth / Chroma: |
10-bit 4:2:2
12-bit 4:4:4
12-bit
CineForm RAW (Neo 4K Only) |
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File Compatibility |
CineForm QuickTime (MOV)
files are cross-platform compatible on both
Windows and Mac. CineForm AVI files can be rewrapped
by ReMaster into CineForm MOV files for improved Mac
compatibility without disturbing the underlying
compression. |
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Encoder Quality Selector |
Remaster
Low
Medium
High
Filmscan1
Filmscan2 |
QT / FCP Panel
Least
Low
Medium
High
Best |
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File Wrapper on Render: |
MOV |
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Remaster Application |
Convert (normalize)
most all source files into high-quality CineForm or
ProRes files |
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Supported HD/HDV camera
formats |
Any file that will play
in QuickTime Player can be converted to a CineForm
file |
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Supported 2K/4K camera
formats |
Arri D20/21*, Dalsa
DPX*, Red R3D, Silicon Imaging AVI/MOV, Vision
Research .cine*
* Coming in a
later release, although you can convert from these
cameras today on Windows |
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Special camera support |
Grass Valley Infinity.
With optional I-J2K Suite, convert Infinity's
JPEG2000 files to CineForm files. |
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ReMaster Export Formats |
CineForm: 10-bit
CineForm YUV, 12-bit CineForm 444 (RGB), 12-bit
CineForm RAW
ProRes HQ: Must have Final Cut
Pro 6 / FCS2 (or greater) installed.
DPX
Uncompressed YUV (V.210) |
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Spatial resampling to: |
1920x1080
1440x1080
1280x720
NTSC: 16:9, 4:3 letterbox or
centered
PAL: 16:9, 4:3 letterbox or
centered |
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Aspect ratio re-shaping |
Letter box / Pillar box |
Inverse telecine
processing
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24p extraction from 60i
source |
Deinterlacing
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60i → 30p
50i → 25p |
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1K Express Files |
Create color-perfect
"Mini-Me" versions of full-res 2K, 3K, or 4K CineForm master files. Typically 2-3MB/sec
in size. Used for onlining (including color
correction, transitions, effects, etc). Later
Express files are unlinked, and full-res CineForm
master files are re-linked into the same project while
retaining all effects applied to the Express files. |
Speed Change including
audio remodulation
(Available in a later
release) |
60p → 24p / 30p
30p → 24p
25p → 24p / 23.976p
24p → 25p / 23.976p
23.976p → 25p / 24p |
Image Flip
(Available in a later
release) |
Upper-Left to
Lower-Right for 35mm adapters such as Redrock Micro |
Re-wrap
(Available in a later
release) |
CineForm AVI → CineForm MOV |
Direct-to-disk recording
(Available in a later
release) |
HDMI* and HD-SDI* source |
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SetActiveMetadata
Application |
Manage renderless
color workflow - similar to Adjustment Layer in
Photoshop |
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Stored as independent
layers per file |
Add/change Active Metadata
parameters:
White Balance
3D LUTs (meeting Iridas .LOOK LUT format)
Saturation Matrix
Gain / Offset |
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HW/SW
Requirements |
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System HW
(Intel Mac Only) |
Recommended: 2.66GHz (or greater)
dual quad core
Minimum: 2GHz
Core 2 Duo |
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OS |
Mac OS X v10.5 or later |
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QuickTime |
v7.1.3 or later |
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Neo HD/4K (Mac)
Release Notes |
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Free Neo Player (Mac/Win):
Neo Player is a free download that installs the CineForm
QuickTime or Windows codec. Neo Player includes a
non-expiring CineForm decoder and a watermarked Trial of the CineForm
encoder. Neo Player can be installed by anybody wishing to
view CineForm-encoded content.
Download Neo
Player
A note about
Apple Color: Unfortunately Apple Color does NOT support
QuickTime codecs (including CineForm) but instead only supports
legacy codecs as defined by its architecture from pre-Apple days.
Apple is aware of this problem and hopes for an update to Color in
the future that resolves this. In the mean time, ReMaster (part
of Neo HD/4K) exports ProRes, DPX, and uncompressed YUV files
which are supported by Color.
Cross-Platform
Workflows (Re-Wrapping): QuickTime applications prefer
MOV-wrapped files. In addition, to ensure Final Cut Pro
interprets CineForm files with 10/12-bit precision, you MUST use
MOV wrappers. While playable on Mac, AVI files are always
interpreted as being 8 bits in depth. Remaster (soon -
around the end of November) will rewrap
Cineform AVI files to MOV files on Mac to ensure maximum
precision is retained. Re-wrapping is almost as fast as a file
copy because the underlying compression is not being disturbed.
Re-wrapping creates new CineForm MOV files and leaves the
source CineForm AVI files intact. For rewrapping
today, please use HD Link which is part of our Neo
and Prospect families on Windows.
Update Log: Read details
about current and previous Neo HD and Neo 4K product updates.
Click for Trial downloads, free Neo
Player, or updates
to all CineForm products
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Update and Upgrade Policy |
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Free Update Policy: If you have a serial number
for Neo HD/4K (Mac) you are always entitled to
download the latest update releases from
CineForm for free. Visit our
downloads page for the latest version. In
general we tend to offer free updates every 4-8
weeks. Subscribe to the RSS feed on our home
page to be notified of new releases.
Existing
Customers:
Free Upgrade
to Neo HD/4K: Any customer who has a
"CineForm Mac Codec" serial number (starts with CIMxx) as
part of a (Windows) Neo HD/4K or Prospect
HD/4K purchase is entitled to a free upgrade
to Neo HD/4K (Mac):
-
If your CIMxx serial number came from a
purchase of Neo HD or Prospect HD, simply download
Neo HD (Mac) and activate it
using your existing CIMxx serial number.
(Either run the Authenticator application in
/Applications/CineForm or else go to
http://www.cineform.com/activate.aspx.
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If your CIMxx serial number came from a
purchase of Neo 4K or Prospect 4K, then you
must replace your CIMxx serial number with a
new N4Mxx serial number.
Click here
to automatically get your new Neo 4K
(Mac) serial number. Then install the
latest Neo 4K (Mac) and activate it using
your new serial number.
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All CineForm software is tuned for best performance on Intel
processors by leveraging Intel's high-performance SSEx
(Streaming SIMD Extension) instructions plus threading
optimizations for Intel's multi-core
architectures.
Intel, the Intel logo, Centrino, Centrino
Inside, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. |
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Want to Learn
More?
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Read our
Technology section for
more about CineForm Intermediate, CineForm RAW,
and our Visual Quality Analyses.
Visit our
Learn More section
for additional resources. |
