System Recommendations

Operating Systems Support

Cinegy Capture service/engine is certified to run on the 64-bit editions of the following operating systems: Windows Server 2012 R2*, Windows 10*, Windows Server 2016*, Windows Server 2019*, Windows Server 2022, Windows 11*.

Cinegy Capture Control is certified to run on all the operating systems mentioned above.

Cinegy Capture service/engine is tested on fully-patched versions of the supported operating systems at time of version release, and problems may be encountered if a machine is not this minimum patch level. Supported released versions are continuously tested against the recommended operating system, and incompatibilities that might be introduced by new patches will be addressed via a new Cinegy software release where appropriate.

Operating system recommendation: Windows Server 2019 is recommended for Cinegy Capture engines (server), Windows 10 Pro is recommended for Cinegy Capture Control application.

*Chosen SDI card compatibility with operating system should be confirmed by user.

Caution
 We recommend updating Windows OS to include the latest Microsoft updates and hotfixes.

Supported Codecs and File Formats

Supported TV Formats

Standard Definition (SD) High Definition (HD) Ultra High Definition (UHD/4K) Ultra High Definition (UHD/8K)

720x576i@25fps 4:3

1920x1080i@25fps

3840x2160@25fps

7680x4320@25fps

720x576i@25fps 16:9

1280x720p@50fps

3840x2160@50fps

7680x4320@50fps

720x480i@29.97fps 4:3

1920x1080i@29.97fps

3840x2160@29.97fps

7680x4320@29.97fps

720x480i@29.97fps 16:9

1280x720p@59.94fps

3840x2160@59.94fps

7680x4320@59.94fps

1920x1080p@50fps

1920x1080p@59.94fps
Note
 Only drop frame timecode is supported for 29.97 fps and 59.94 fps NTSC video formats.

Supported Media File Formats

  • Raw Daniel2

  • Raw DV

  • MPEG-2 Program Stream (M2V, MPG)

  • Raw H.264

  • Apple Quicktime (MOV)

  • MP4

  • MXF OP1a

  • MXF OPAtom

  • MXF AS-02 / AS-03 / AS-11

  • WAV

  • AAC

  • VANC

  • Y4M

Supported Video Codecs

  • IMX

  • DV25 / DV50

  • DV100

  • MPEG-2 I-Frame

  • MPEG-2 Long GOP

  • H.264*

  • Sony XDCAM EX

  • Sony XDCAM HD

  • Sony XDCAM HD422

  • AVC-Intra

  • AVC-Ultra: 4K Intra

  • Apple ProRes (422/LT/HQ)

  • Avid DNxHD

  • Avid DNxHR

  • Cinegy Daniel2*

  • HEVC NVIDIA GPU*

  • XAVC Intra

  • Y4M

  • Uncompressed Video

  • Cinegy Daniel2 NVIDIA GPU

* Hardware acceleration is available.

Supported Audio Codecs

Note
 Cinegy Capture currently supports live input with an audio sample rate of 48 kHz.

  • 16 and 24 bit PCM

  • AAC Audio

  • MPEG Audio (MPEG-2)

File Formats and Codecs Combinations

The table below shows the allowed file/Codecs combinations:

Media Files Video Codecs SD HD UHD

MPG
(MPEG-2)

IMX

+

-

-

MPEG-2 I-Frame

+

+

+

MPEG-2 Long GOP

+

+

+

Cinegy H.264

+

+

+

Sony XDCAM HD

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM HD422

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM EX

-

+

-

MOV
(Apple QuickTime)

IMX

+

-

-

Avid DNxHD HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

+

-

Avid DNxHR HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

-

+

AVC-Intra

-

+

-

AVC-Ultra: 4K Intra

-

-

+

MPEG-2 I-Frame/Long GOP

+

+

+

DV25/DV50

+

-

-

DV100

-

+

-

H.264 NVIDIA GPU

+

+

+

Cinegy H.264

+

+

+

Sony XDCAM HD422

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM EX

-

+

-

ProRes 422

+

+

+

Uncompressed Video

+

+

+

MP4

IMX

+

-

-

Avid DNxHD HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

+

-

AVC-Intra

-

+

-

AVC-Ultra: 4K Intra

-

-

+

MPEG-2 I-Frame/Long GOP

+

+

+

DV25/DV50

+

-

-

DV100

-

+

-

H.264 NVIDIA GPU

+

+

+

Cinegy H.264

+

+

+

Sony XDCAM HD422

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM EX

-

+

-

HEVC NVIDIA GPU

+

+

+

MXF OP1a
(Generic,
MXF AS-03,
MXF AS-11)

IMX

+

-

-

Avid DNxHD HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

+

-

Avid DNxHR HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

-

+

AVC-Intra

-

+

-

AVC-Ultra: 4K Intra

-

-

+

MPEG-2 I-Frame/Long GOP

+

+

+

DV25/DV50

+

-

-

DV100

-

+

-

Cinegy Daniel2

-

+

+

Cinegy Daniel2 NVIDIA GPU*

-

+

+

XAVC Intra

-

-

+

Sony XDCAM HD

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM HD422

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM EX

-

+

-

MXF AS-02

IMX

+

-

-

Avid DNxHD HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

+

-

MPEG-2 I-Frame/Long GOP

+

+

+

DV25/DV50

+

-

-

DV100

-

+

-

MXF OPAtom

IMX

+

-

-

Avid DNxHD HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

+

-

H.264 Proxy Avid

+

+

-

AVC-Intra

-

+

-

XAVC Intra

-

-

+

Sony XDCAM HD422

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM EX

-

+

-

M2V

MPEG-2 I-Frame/Long GOP

+

+

+

Sony XDCAM HD

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM HD422

-

+

-

Sony XDCAM EX

-

+

-

DN2
(Cinegy Daniel2 Raw)

Cinegy Daniel2

-

+

+

Cinegy Daniel2 NVIDIA GPU*

-

+

+

Y4M

Y4M

+

+

+

H264
(H.264 Raw)

AVC-Ultra: 4K Intra

-

-

+

H.264 NVIDIA GPU

+

+

+

Cinegy H.264

+

+

+

XAVC Intra

-

-

+

H.264 Proxy Avid

+

+

-

DV (Raw DV)

DV25/DV50

+

-

-

DV100

-

+

-

AVC-Ultra: 4K Intra

-

-

+

Raw *

HEVC NVIDIA GPU

+

+

+

H.264 NVIDIA GPU

+

+

+

Cinegy H264

+

+

+

AVC-Ultra: 4K Intra

-

-

+

Avid DNxHD HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

+

-

Avid DNxHR HQX/HQ/SQ/LB

-

-

+

XAVC Intra

-

-

+

H.264 Proxy Avid

+

+

-

*Only one audio or video codec can be used for Raw wrapper.

Supported SDI Boards

Note
 Before performing any drivers changes or updates, it is recommended to stop processes and services (e.g. Cinegy Capture engines) which use SDI cards. Please mind that most of the cards require a reboot or even power cycle to finalize driver processing/firmware update. Make sure the applications or services autostart is disabled. Processes and services which automatically start after reboot and access card/driver may prevent this update from normal processing and finishing.

The following SDI boards are supported for ingest in Cinegy Capture:

DVS

Model Recommended Driver Version Recommended Firmware Version UHD Support RS-422 Control Ext. Timecode

Atomix LT

4.3.5.18

5.4.1.5_5.2.7

+

+

+
Note
 Multichannel Blackmagic and Deltacast cards as well as AJA cards of the latest generation allow working with channels in different TV formats on condition their frequency is consistent.
Note
 Please note that multi-channel AJA cards of the old generation (specifically Corvid22, Corvid24, Kona3G) do not support work with channels in different TV formats.

Blackmagic Design

Model Minimal Supported Driver Version UHD Support RS-422 Control

DeckLink SDI

11.1.0

−

+

DeckLink HD Extreme 3D

11.1.0

−

+

DeckLink Duo

11.1.0

−

−

DeckLink Duo 2

11.1.0

−

−

DeckLink Quad

11.1.0

−

−

DeckLink Quad 2

11.1.0

−

−

DeckLink SDI 4K**

11.1.0

+

+

DeckLink SDI 4K PRO

11.1.0

+

−

DeckLink SDI 8K PRO*

11.1.0

+

−

DeckLink Studio 4K**

11.1.0

+

+

DeckLink 4K Extreme**

11.1.0

+

+

DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G

11.1.0

+

+

DeckLink Mini Recorder

11.1.0

−

−

Intensity Pro 4K

11.1.0

+

−

Intensity Shuttle

11.1.0

−

−

* Supported in Single Link (1.5G - 12G), Dual Link (2x1.5G - 2x6G), Quad Link/2SI (4x 3/12G) modes with TV formats up to UHD 4320p59.94. Please note: DCI formats and 64-channel audio are not yet supported in Cinegy products.

** The board does not support VANC playback or capture in UHD mode due to the board limitation.

Note
 The minimal supported Blackmagic DeckLink driver version is specified. The newer driver version could be used.
Caution
 Blackmagic Design DeckLink cards should be used with caution for critical installations 24/7 due to their high dependency on host hardware. The workflow should be carefully tested before making a decision about using these cards in production.

AJA

Caution
 Please be aware that due to OS changes, running old AJA firmware using later versions of Cinegy software may cause a known issue. In case you cannot access the correct number of inputs on the board after installing the new Cinegy software, then a firmware upgrade will be required. The relevant AJA Driver and Tools package can be downloaded here.
Model Recommended Driver Version UHD Support RS-422 Control Ext. Timecode

Kona LHi

15.5.3

−

+

+

Kona LHe+

15.5.3

−

+

+

Kona 3G

15.5.3

+

+

+

Kona 4

15.5.3

+

+

+

Kona IP
SMPTE 2022-6/7 uncompressed IP video

15.5.3

-

-

-

Corvid

15.5.3

−

+

OnRef LTC

Corvid 3G

15.5.3

−

+

OnRef LTC

Corvid 22

15.5.3

−

+ (2x)

2x LTC

Corvid 24

15.5.3

+

+ (2x)

2x LTC

Corvid 88

15.5.3

+

+

OnRef LTC

Corvid 44

15.5.3

+

+

OnRef LTC

Deltacast

Model Recommended Driver Package UHD Support
(quad-link SDI)		 RS-422 Control Ext. Timecode

DELTA-hd-elp-d 44

6.05

up to p29.97

−

−

DELTA-hd-elp-d 62

6.05

up to p29.97

−

−

DELTA-hd-elp-d 80

6.05

up to p29.97

−

−

DELTA-3G-elp-d 8c

6.05

up to p60

−

−

DELTA-3G-elp-d 4c

6.05

up to p60

−

−

DELTA-3G40-hd40-elp-d

6.05

up to p60

−

−

DELTA-3G-elp-d 40

6.05

up to p60

−

−

DELTA-ip-ST2022-6 10

6.05

−

−

−
Note
 DELTA-hd-elp boards have only passive heat sinks cooling. At least 5 mph airflow in the chassis is recommended, especially when using multiple boards.

SDI Signal Source Parameters Recommendations

The following settings are supported:

Parameters DVS/Deltacast/AJA Blackmagic Design

SDI Signal

SMPTE 292M (1.5G)
SMPTE 424M (3G)
SMPTE 425-3

SMPTE 292M (1.5G)
SMPTE 424M (3G)
SMPTE ST-2081 (6G)
SMPTE ST-2082(12G)

SDI Level

A

A

Color coding

10 bit YCbCr

10 bit YCbCr

HD formats

Single-link 1.5/3G

Single-link 1.5/3G

UHD formats

Quad-link 1.5/3G
"2SI (Two-Sample Interleave)" *except DVS boards

Single-link 6G
Single-link 12G
Quad-link 1.5/3G
Note
 RGBA (Fill&Key) dual-link is supported as special mode only for Cinegy Air products

NVIDIA Accelerated Encoding

Note
 To optimize performance of your NVIDIA graphics board, it is recommended to use the "Prefer maximum performance" value for the "Power management mode" parameter in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Note
 Daniel2 GPU encoding and decoding are supported by NVIDIA video boards that have CUDA Compute Capability 3.5 and higher. If the NVIDIA video board has the CUDA Compute Capability of an earlier version, then use Daniel2 CPU encoding and decoding.
Note
 Please perform the process of NVIDIA drivers update only upon stopping Cinegy applications. For detailed instructions on installing NVIDIA driver, please refer to the NVIDIA Drivers installation article.

Cinegy Capture supports the hardware accelerated encoding for H.264 4:2:0, Cinegy Daniel2 and HEVC NVIDIA GPU video codecs. The codecs are highly recommended to use it for high-density output formats like HD/UHD.

In order to be able to use the encoding hardware acceleration you will need to install the NVIDIA graphic board (based on Maxwell generation GPU) into the Capture server:

  • NVIDIA GeForce Series (started from GeForce 600)

  • NVIDIA Quadro Series

Please note that the GeForce and lower Quadro Series (Quadro 600) has a limitation of two concurrent encoding streams, therefore if you use these boards, you won’t be able to record more than two H.264 files at the same time by using the NVIDIA hardware acceleration (see the table below):

NVIDIA Series Number of Concurrent Encoding Streams

GeForce Series (GeForce 600 and newer), Quadro M600 Series

2

Quadro Series (M2000 and higher)

Unlimited

If you are going to use the multiple encoding (more than 2 streams) it is recommended to use the Maxwell or Pascal generation of GPU (recommended board is NVIDIA Quadro P1000 or higher); if you do not need more than two streams, you can use the modern GeForce Series (e.g. NVIDIA GTX 960).

Note
 After installing a dedicated graphics card, please disable the onboard graphics card (e.g. Matrox) using the Windows Device Manager > Display Adapters and selecting the "Disable device" option for that card.
Caution
 Do not choose NVIDIA "RTX" series cards if you want to use GPU encoding (NVEnc) for Interlaced TV formats! All RTX (Turing family) NVIDIA cards do not support interlace field coding mode. Please, use Daniel2 GPU encoder, which not affected by this limitation.
Note
 Please note that video acceleration configuration is available in both Cinegy Capture Manager and Cinegy Capture Control, and the use of the GPU card selected as the video accelerator in Cinegy Capture Manager will take precedence over the GPU device specified in the codec configuration in Cinegy Capture Control.
Caution
 Cinegy Capture 22.12 supports the latest NVIDIA boards which require new NVIDIA drivers and a new SDK to be utilized. For that reason, the minimal NVIDIA driver version is 456.81. Before starting any upgrades, please make sure that the OS under which you are running Cinegy Capture and a model of the NVIDIA board you are using are supported in the version of the NVIDIA driver you choose.
Note
 Please perform the process of NVIDIA drivers update only upon stopping Cinegy applications. For detailed instructions on installing NVIDIA driver, please refer to the NVIDIA Drivers installation article.
Note
 If you use the older driver you may have an issue with NVIDIA encoding initialization, in this case you will have the corresponding message in the log file and encoding will fail.

Hardware Recommendations

The actual performance of a Capture server depends on the number of recording channels and streams and their resolution, source type and encoders used for capture for each channel, as well as various settings. Therefore, no precise hardware recommendation can be given; however you can find below the typical configurations which have been tested in our test-lab.

Note
 Cinegy products work only on machines with CPU supporting minimum instruction set SSE4.1, "Intel® AVX" is also required.
Note
 These system recommendations use older hardware which has been previously tested. The CPU’s listed should be used as a guide to select modern equivalent options and not as direct requirements.

Configuration Sample – HD Capture Server

The following configurations have been proved for reliable multi-channel capture of eight HD programs:

TV Format HD 1920x1080i25

CPU, Mainboard

Dual Intel E5 2650 v2 (2,6 GHz), X79

RAM

32 GB

Input signal

HD SDI

Codecs

XDCAM HD 422 50 Mbs NVIDIA H.264 Apple ProRes 422

Preview stream

MPEG-2, downscaled to SD

Concurrent recordings

Up to 8 channels
TV Format HD 1920x1080i25

CPU, Mainboard

Dual Intel E5-2630 v3 (2,4 GHz), X99

RAM

128 GB

Input signal

RTP Stream, MPEG-2 HD

Codecs

XDCAM HD 422 50 Mbs NVIDIA H.264 Apple ProRes 422

Preview stream

MPEG-2, downscaled to SD

Concurrent recordings

Up to 8 channels

Configuration Sample – Ultra HD Capture Server

The following configuration will be able to capture Ultra HD programs by using H.264 NVIDIA accelerated encoder or Apple ProRes 422:

TV Format UHD 3840x2160 @ 25p

CPU, Mainboard

Dual Intel E5 2650 v2 (2,6 GHz), X79

RAM

32 GB

Input signal

HD SDI

Codecs

NVIDIA H.264 Apple ProRes 422

Preview stream

MPEG-2, downscaled to SD

Concurrent recordings

Up to 2 channels
TV Format UHD 3840x2160 @ 25p

CPU, Mainboard

Intel I7-6700 (3,4 GHz), Z170

RAM

16 GB

Input signal

RTP H.264, 50 Mb/s*

Codecs

NVIDIA H.264

Preview stream

MPEG-2, downscaled to SD

Concurrent recordings

1 channel
TV Format UHD 3840x2160 @ 25p

CPU, Mainboard

Intel I7-6700 (3,4 GHz), Z170

RAM

16 GB

Input signal

RTP H.264, 50 Mb/s*

Codecs

Apple ProRes 422

Preview stream

–

Concurrent recordings

1 channel

* Due to the nature of H.264 codec, a higher base CPU frequency is more important than a higher CPU core number. For this reason, a minimum supported CPU frequency has to be at least 3,4 GHz to decode a UHD RTP H.264 stream properly (see the tables above).