Here's an interesting read about QT not supporting Windows and the huge problems it could cause. Leo

http://www.redsharknews.com/technology/item/3818-the-end-of-apple-quicktime-on-windows-means-problems-for-prores

I still can't comprehend how ProRes became a delivery standard so widely when you can't encode it (without dodgy third party tools) on Windows.

It's insanity.

Swil:

I still can't comprehend how ProRes became a delivery standard so widely when you can't encode it (without dodgy  on Windows.

 totally.

about the only difference between DNxHD and Prores is a press event for the faunch of the latter imho.

DNxHD was limited to HD resolutions and ProRes was not.  I am hoping with DNxHR things will change.

I have been editing Arri Alexa/Amira footage almost exclusively for the last few years, and only once have managed to persuade the production to pay the $4.400 licence per camera to enable DNxHD aquisition.

I think this is one of the reasons why DNxHD is not more widely used.

Will DNxHR change this? I hope so, but not if the licence costs remain prohibitive.

Swil:

I still can't comprehend how ProRes became a delivery standard so widely when you can't encode it (without dodgy third party tools) on Windows.

Because Steve Jobs has been called a mediocre programmer but a marketing genius. 

David Yardley:

I have been editing Arri Alexa/Amira footage almost exclusively for the last few years, and only once have managed to persuade the production to pay the $4.400 licence per camera to enable DNxHD aquisition.

I think this is one of the reasons why DNxHD is not more widely used.

Will DNxHR change this? I hope so, but not if the licence costs remain prohibitive.

$4,400?    For the past few years, I've been recording in DNxHD directly from my camera to a $1000 field recorder and the quality is better than using the camera's internal compression...and AMA linking is a snap.   In the near future, I'm upgrading to a new field recorder for around $1500 to record DNxHR.  Clearly, Avid isn't charging that much to license the DNx codecs because the recorder doesn't even cost that much.   I suspect Arri is marking it up.

I'm using the Atomos Ninja Blade for recording to DNxHD and the recoder cost me less than $500.

mtahir:

I'm using the Atomos Ninja Blade for recording to DNxHD and the recoder cost me less than $500.

I am sorry if my post was confusing, what I was trying to say is this:

For the last ten years nearly all the productions I have been involved with have used Alexa or Amira.
These cameras can record in QT- in Prores codecs only, or DNxHD as MXF.
The licences to record to MXF wrapped DNxHD are what cost.
As a result ProRes 444 has become the norm for acquisition and post workflow.

The advantages of recording direct to MXF are the avoidance of gamma and level shifts, and the camera generated metadata is written into the camera file rather than having to be incorporated into Avid using the Arri ALE files from the cards, and this makes conforms painless.

I think that if the current Arri cameras created DNxHD and the newer HR codecs without the licence cost, the Avid codecs would be much more widely used, and we could get away from Prores and also QT.

Here is a note I got back from Atomos regarding the Ninja ProRes recorder.

Hi Leo,

There are currently no plans to add additional formats to the Ninja.

It is unfortunate that Apple has dropped support for Quicktime on windows, however Adobe Premiere already supports reading of ProRes QT files on Windows and there are other tools available on the windows platform that will read ProRes.

Regards,

David Yardley:

I am sorry if my post was confusing,

Not confusing David. But Arri are definitely gouging. I think what other posters are trying to say is it doesn't cost $4,400 for a licence to use DNx - unless you have the word Arri in your brand name. I predict even Arri will be forced to move on and start charging reasonable amounts for a licence, but don't hold your breath!

One thing most people forget is that Avid is actually a SMPTE approved codec - and ProRes isn't. Makes no difference in the real world most of the time (except for the gamma issues you mentioned) but obviously that costs Avid more to licence.

a Quicktime dependency was removed in new AJA KONA, Io and T-TAP™ Software Installer v12.5.0:

from the readme:

• 64 Bit ProRes Decoder in AJA Control Room for Windows – This no longer requires a separate 32 bit version of AJA Control Room, or the installation of Quicktime 7 for Windows, to support ProRes playback on Windows.