DRS™ supports only file-per-frame formats like DPX, but we receive periodic requests to be able to DRS formats like ProRes or JPEG2000. If you have such a need, please add your voice here and let us know how frequent this comes up, which formats in particular you would have a use for, and if you see the need increasing or remaining periodic.
I just spoke with @spreckman a little about this, Harvey we’d love to hear any additional input you have about the subject.
UCLA Archive would like to see NOVA support, if possible, for ProRes, MOV as well as Tiff files. Along with DPX, we are constantly generating these formats for internal use and for external clients.
@brycelow You’ll be happy to know the [latest version] (https://forum.mtifilm.com/t/drs-nova-v1-0-downloads/509) supports TIFF
As for the ProRes & MOV, can you clarify - do you receive footage in these formats from clients? Do you like to work in these formats internally for compatibility with other systems? and/or are you interested in doing the restoration in TIFF/DPX and delivering in MOV or ProRes?
I thought NOVA supported TIFF but wasn’t 100% sure. While I am not currently working with TIFF files, at our other facility in Santa Clarita they are scanning film elements as 4K TIFF. I can see in the near future that ingesting TIFF files into NOVA will become a reality so having that codec support already in NOVA is great. The Archive only works on image files that are generated internally. For the kinescopes in our collection we generate uncompressed HD MOV or ProRes HQ files on our scanner rather than 2K DPX. Ideally we would want to retain the files as MOV/Pro Res HQ through the pipeline to minimize transcoding steps to DPX to ingest into NOVA and a second transcode back to MOV/Pro Res HQ for exhibition or for delivery to external clients.
Our clients working in HD for Blu-ray and DVD releases typically provide ProRes 422HQ files as masters - the quality is really as good as uncompressed 10 bit quicktime, with a much more manageable size. When we need DPX, ffmpeg will do the conversion, but for a feature film that’s many hours of waiting.
On the scanning side, most of our indie clients don’t scan to DPX because they’re not set up to handle it themselves. Instead, they have us scan to ProRes 4444.
So, consider this a vote for ProRes support, both for import and export!
-perry
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