Product Specification: Cinedeck CD2 Ingest Software

1. Executive Summary

Cinedeck CD2 is a professional, Windows-based, software-only ingest and playout application. It transitions high-scale broadcast, multi-camera, and post-production workflows away from proprietary hardware to Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) IT systems or cloud infrastructures. It replicates the core multi-channel capture capabilities, codec support, and metadata management of legacy physical Cinedeck hardware platforms. (ZX45/ZX85/ZX2U,RX,LX)

2. Core Architecture & System Compatibility

2.1 Deployment Environments

• Hardware-Agnostic: Operates as a pure software instance deployable on on-premise COTS hardware, virtualized environments, or cloud instances (e.g., AWS Marketplace).

• Network & Storage: Supports concurrent multi-stream recording over standard IT networks straight to local storage, Network Attached Storage (NAS), Storage Area Network (SAN) volumes.

• Redundant Storage: Both primary and proxy encoders support redundant write for quick client offload or media backup.

2.2 System Sizing

An individual Cinedeck CD2 able to record/play up to 8 sources and multiple CD2’s can be ganged together to record in sync.

Actual Server channel count is determined by server hardware specifications, source type and codec used). Calculating Hardware Compute Requirements

Each of these 8 input/output channels can be controlled as seperate decks via Cinedeck Clients, API or 3rd party controllers.

2.3 System Specifications & Prerequisites

3. Signal Inputs & Interface Protocols

CD2 bridges traditional baseband video with modern IP-video standards under a single control ecosystem.

3.1 Supported I/O Interfaces

• Baseband Video: 3G-SDI (SQD, 2si) and 12G-SDI interface profiles via qualified third-party PCIe capture cards.

  • Supported Vendors: AJA, Blackmagic Design, Matrox.

• IP Video Streams: Native decoding and encoding.

  • NDI In (Network Device Interface).

  • SRT In (Secure Reliable Transport) Listener or Caller mode.

  • SRT Out (Secure Reliable Transport) Listener or Caller mode.

• Uncompressed IP: SMPTE ST 2110 Matrox DSX IP2110 Cards

• Audio Interfacing: Support for embedded digital audio and network audio routing protocols.

  • Supported Protocols: ASIO, Dante, AES67.

  • Input and Output ASIO Routing.

• Timecode: Internal Generator, SDI, NDI, SRT SEI, SRT-TS (transport Stream), Ext LTC, Trigger Time, IRIG (system, VANC), KLV, SMPTE2110.

3.2 Supported Input Formats

• Resolutions: 4K, UHD, 2K, 1080p/i, 720p, SD PAL, SD NTSC.

• FPS: 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50 59.94, 60.

• Color Formats: 4:2:2 YUV8, 4:2:2 YUV10, HDR (HLG, PQ, contant/non-constant)

4. Codec, Wrapper, and Container Matrix

The software encodes video assets directly into native post-production formats, eliminating downstream transcoding phases.

CD2 supports capturing a high-resolution Master and a low-bitrate Proxy simultaneously per channel, writing them directly to separate storage volumes.

4.1 Supported Codecs

• DNxHD/HR

• ProRes

• XDCAM

• AVCINTRA

• XAVC

• h264 (MPEG-4)

• h265 (HEVC)

• MPEG-IMX

• J2K (JPEG 2000)

• Uncompressed

• CineForm

• DPX

• SRT Transport Stream re-wrap

4.2 Supported Wrappers

• MOV (Stereo Pairs, Mono, Discrete, Interleaved)

• opAtom (AMT)

• opAtom MXF (Cinedeck Writer) Allows growing file support for opAtom on Avid storage

• OP1a MXF (Stereao Pairs, Interleaved, 3xStereo+5.1

• AVI

5. Advanced Production Features & Automation

5.1 Edit-While-Record (Growing Files)

Generates linear growing files that can be actively edited on non-linear editing systems (NLEs) while recording is in progress. Also supports playback while record.

• Supported NLEs: Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve.

• Supported EWC Codecs: Currently supports AVC-I and DNx in op1A MXF wrapper. In theory any codecs with independently decodable frames (not xdcam and not h264).

5.2 Segmented Recording (Chunking/File Breaks)

Automatically or manually closes a recording segment at a user-defined threshold (time or file size) and instantly opens a consecutive segment with zero dropped frames.

5.3 SRT Output

Any input can be sent out via SRT either as Listener or Caller (requires GPU).

5.4 Scheduling

CD2’s Cinedeck Client Manages the creation and running of record schedules, Schedules can be imported and exported via .csv.

5.5 Studio Playout

Each CD2 channel is bi-directional supporting both ingest and playout.

Studio Playout features Include:

• Playlists (same resolution and fps clips)

• Clip Trimming

• Playlist re-order

• Add to playlist while playing out

• Ganged Playback

5.6 Live Logging

• MAC, Windows and browser based live logging of CD2 ingest channels.

• Remote\local

• Multi-channel

• Multi-user

• Push to playlist

• Trim to file

• Export Markers to NLE (Davince Resolve, Avid, Adobe Premier)

5.7 MAM Check-in

CD2 can can create proxies, metadata sidecars and check growing files into 3rd party MAM systems.

• Edishare - Edishare Flow Checkin.

• Avid - Interplay Checkin and Nexis Growing file support.

• XML side car with Custom metadata.

5.7 Insert-Edit Technology

Patented file-patching capability allows editors to re-record video/audio changes directly into an existing wrapped master file, removing the need for full-file exports or secondary Quality Control (QC) checks.

5.8 Workflow Automation & APIs

• RESTful API: Features an open, fully customizable REST API for turnkey integration with external Media Asset Management (MAM) systems, automation controllers and bespoke user interfaces.

• Legacy Control Protocols: Supports standard broadcast automation protocols over IP or serial connections.

  • Protocols: VDCP, AMP, RS-422

• Record Control: Schedule, Manual, SDI Trigger, EDL, Input Rec-runTC , SCTE 35 Splicing

5.9 Multi-cam/Multi-cloud recording

• Gang and scheduled frame accurate recording across multiple decks in different locations.

5.10 Captions Support

• Recording & Embedding: Cinedeck supports the capture and playback of CC data for codecs wrapped as MOV or MXF Op1a. It seamlessly extracts caption data from incoming sources and writes it directly to the encoded file.

• Cloud & IP Workflows: For cloud and IP ingest, systems like Capture2Cloud can receive streams (such as SRT) and rewrap them into editable formats while actively preserving closed captions and timecodes.

6. Monitoring & Multi-Channel Scale

• Unified Dashboard: Facilitates frame-accurate synchronized group recording and monitoring for multi-channel setups via the Cinedeck Client UI.

  • Each Client Can control up to 16 Channels with visual monitoring and 100 channels using the grid view.

• Cross-Platform Clients: Cinedeck Client application is available for web broser, Windows and macOS providing secure, multi-channel monitoring and control.

• Metadata & HDR Imprinting: Supports burn-in of dynamic text metadata elements (e.g., timecode, clip naming) during processing. Retains High Dynamic Range flags (HLG or PQ standards) natively within the metadata container.

• LUT Management: Apply custom color Look-Up-Tables for accuate color monitoring and proxy burn in.