Specifications and Comparison of Softron Ingest Solutions
| MovieRecorder | MovieRecorder DV | MovieRecorder Express | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum System requirements (for one ingest per Mac) |
G5 Dual, OS 10.4.11, 4GB RAM | G4, OS 10.4.11, 2GB RAM | MacIntel, OS 10.5.6, 2GB RAM |
| Minimum System requirements (for DUAL ingest) |
MacIntel, OS 10.4.11, 8GB RAM | G4, OS 10.4.11, 2GB RAM | MacIntel, OS 10.5.6, 4GB RAM |
| Minimum System requirements (for QUAD ingest) |
MacIntel, OS 10.4.11, 10GB RAM | G4, OS 10.4.11, 4GB RAM, One more FireWire BUS on PCI card | MacIntel, OS 10.5.6, 6GB RAM |
| Minimum System requirements (for HEXA ingest) |
MacIntel, OS 10.4.11, 12GB RAM | G4, OS 10.4.11, 6GB RAM, Two more FireWire BUS on PCI card | Not supported |
| Monitor Required ? (DVI Monitor, Mini DisplayPort Monitor or a Switch with Active ports needs to be connected to the MacPro, XServe, Mac mini) |
✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Maxi Number ingest per Mac | 6 (will depend on your Mac, format, codec, etc..) - one license per input | 2 with built in FireWire. More with FireWire buses added | 4 |
| Video Sources | PCI Video Cards (AJA, Blackmagic-Design, Matrox) | FireWire DV | FireWire DV, FireWire HDV or FireWire DVCPro HD, PCI Video Cards (AJA, Blackmagic-Design, Matrox) |
| HD | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Codecs Supported | Most Quicktime Codecs (see list below) | DV stream only | Native (DV for FireWire DV, HDV for Firewire HDV, DVCPRO HD for FireWire DVCPRO HD, Uncompressed YUV for PCI Video Cards) |
| Audio Sources | All available for your Mac | FireWire | Same as Video input |
| Audio Fromat | Linear PCM, 32 to 92Khz, 8 to 32 bit | DV stream only, Mono or Stereo | Same as Video input |
| Multiple Audio Channels input | ✔ | Only the first 2 Stereo tracks | Only the first 2 Stereo tracks |
| TimeCode Sources | Mac Clock, RS422, Video Card RP188, LTC | Mac Clock, Device, Preset | Mac Clock |
| Edit-While-Ingest | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Crash recording | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Multiple Destinations Recording | ✔ | ||
| Archive Recorded Files Automatically to second hard drive | ✔ | ||
| Generate Proxy at the same time | ✔ MPEG-4 & Apple ProRes (Proxy)* (Pro option required) * Apple ProRes Quicktime component required |
✔ H.264 only | |
| Scheduled Recording | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Permanent 24/7 Recording | ✔ (Max 12 hours file - one second lost between 2 recordings) | ✔ (Max 12 hours file - one second lost between 2 recordings) | ✔ (Max 12 hours file - NO FRAME LOST) |
| Split Clip Button | ✔ | ||
| Metadata | ✔ (Pro option required) | ||
| VTR control | ✔ (Pro option required) | ||
| Batch Capture | ✔ (Pro option required) | ||
| AppleScriptable | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Controlable via Telnet | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Controlable by MovieRecorder Control | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Controlable by MovieRecorder Remote (iPhone Application) | ✔ (can only control MovieRecorder 2.0) | ||
| Automatic Recording Start on VTR/Camera when REC button pressed | ✔ | ||
| Options Available with Pro Option | Proxy, Metadata, VTR Control, Batch Capture |
Note: Product specifications are not contractual and subject to change without notice.
Hardware compatibility List
| MovieRecorder | MovieRecorder DV | MovieRecorder Express | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJA Kona 3 | ✔ | ✔ | |
| AJA Kona LHI | ✔ | ✔ | |
| AJA Kona LHE | ✔ | ✔ | |
| AJA Kona LSE | ✔ | ✔ | |
| AJA Io HD | ✔ | ✔ | |
| AJA Io Express | Not tested | Not tested | |
| AJA Io | Not tested | Not tested | |
| AJA Io LA/LD | Not tested | Not tested | |
| Blackmagic-Design Intensity | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Blackmagic-Design Decklink SDI | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Blackmagic-Design Decklink Optical Fibre | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Blackmagic-Design Decklink Studio | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Blackmagic-Design Decklink HD Extreme 3D | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Blackmagic-Design Decklink DUO | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Blackmagic-Design Multibridge | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Matrox MXO | |||
| Matrox MXO2 | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Matrox MXO2 Mini | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Matrox MXO2 Rack | ✔ | ✔ | |
| FireWire converters or Cameras (DV) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| FireWire converters or Cameras (HDV) | ✔ | ✔ | |
| FireWire converters or Cameras (DVCPro HD) | ✔ | ✔ |
We have done extensive testing on the BMD Decklink HD Extreme, BMD Intensity, BMD Intensity Pro, the AJA LHe and AJA KONA 3 cards and the Matrox MXO2. Some other cards have been tested with our products by the manufacturer or users who confirmed it was working. Other cards from AJA, Blackmagic-Design or Matrox are tested by us as they become available but we do not have the resources to test all but the most popular. The results in this matrix for the other cards are based on feedback from users and reseller. Because our software is available on line as a free download, if you are using another card, please take the time run your own tests and be sure that our products meet your requirements before buying them. And please inform us of your results.
Supported Codecs
| MovieRecorder | MovieRecorder DV | MovieRecorder Express | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJA 8bit | ✔ (AJA Quicktime Component required) | ||
| AJA 10bit | ✔ (AJA Quicktime Component required) | ||
| Animation | |||
| Apple Intermediate Codec | |||
| Apple Pixlet Video | |||
| Apple ProRes 422 Family | ✔ (Apple ProRes Quicktime Component required) | ||
| Apple ProRes 444 | ✔ (Apple ProRes Quicktime Component required) - MovieRecorder 2.0b23 or more required | ||
| Apple VC (H.263) | |||
| Blackmagic 8bit (2Vuy) | ✔ (Blackmagic Quicktime Component required) | ||
| Blackmagic RGB 10bit | ✔ (Blackmagic Quicktime Component required) | ||
| DV-PAL | ✔ | ✔ (DVstream) | ✔ (with DV FireWire device) |
| DV/DVCPRO-NTSC | ✔ | ✔ (DVstream) | ✔ (with DV/DVCPro FireWire device) |
| DVCPro-PAL | ✔ | ✔ (with DVCPRO FireWire device) | |
| DVCPro HD 1080i | ✔ (DVCPro HD Quicktime Component required) | ✔ (with DVCPro HD FireWire device) | |
| DVCPro HD 1080p | ✔ (DVCPro HD Quicktime Component required) | ✔ (with DVCPro HD FireWire device) | |
| DVCPro HD 1080i | ✔ (DVCPro HD Quicktime Component required) | ✔ (with DVCPro HD FireWire device) | |
| DVCPro HD 720p | ✔ (DVCPro HD Quicktime Component required - only one ingest per recent MacPro) | ✔ (with DVCPro HD FireWire device) | |
| DVCPro 50 | ✔ | ✔ (with DVCPro 50 FireWire device) | |
| H.264 | ✔ (only Proxy with all devices) | ||
| HDV 1080i | ✔ (with HDV FireWire device) | ||
| HDV 1080p | ✔ (with HDV FireWire device) | ||
| HDV 720p | ✔ (with HDV FireWire device) | ||
| JPEG 2000 | |||
| MPEG IMX (30/40/50) | ✔ (IMX Quicktime componenet required) | ||
| MPEG-2 | |||
| MPEG-4 Video | ✔ (only the proxy at 1/2 the resolution) | ||
| None | ✔ | ||
| Photo-JPEG | |||
| PNG | |||
| Uncompressed 10-bit | ✔ | ✔ (with Blackmagic, AJA or Matrox) | |
| Uncompressed 8-bit | ✔ | ✔ (with Blackmagic, AJA or Matrox) | |
| XDCAM EX 1080i | ✔ (with MovieRecorder 2.0.1 or later - one stream per mac - only on MacPro 2009) | ||
| XDCAM EX 1080p | ✔ (with MovieRecorder 2.0.1 or later - one stream per mac - only on MacPro 2009) | ||
| XDCAM EX 720p | ✔ (with MovieRecorder 2.0.1 or later - one stream per mac - only on MacPro 2009) | ||
| XDCAM HD 1080i | |||
| XDCAM HD 1080p | |||
| XDCAM HD422 1080i | |||
| XDCAM HD422 1080p | |||
| XDCAM HD422 722p |
(MovieRecorder DV is only recording in DV stream format)
If you don't see the codecs you'd like to use in this list, send us an email to inquire about compatibility.
Some codecs are more demanding then others (the 720p formats are usually very demanding), so some codecs may not be compatible with multiple ingest on the same Mac. the multiple ingest will also depend on your MacPro configuration.
We have done extensive testing on different codecs and frame size. These results may vary according to your Setup, to the video board you are using, to the version of the drivers of this video board, and to the version of Quicktime. Refer to the minimum requirements to make sure you have the appropriate Hardware. Some codecs are not readyly available with your Mac. For example the IMX codec must be installed in the Quicktime Components Folder located in /Library/Quicktime/. Some codecs request high Bandwidth, such as Uncompressed 10bit HD will require you to have a performant RAID system in order to play it. Because our software is available on line as a free download, please take the time run your own tests and be sure that our products meet your requirements before buying them.