Hardware Recommendations
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The actual performance of a Cinegy 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.
Nevertheless, as we continually optimize our software tools for improved performance, we have tested the following typical configurations for our and our customers' reference. Please note that these hardware recommendations are based on previously tested older systems. The listed CPUs should be used as a guide for selecting modern equivalent options rather than as strict requirements. We also strongly recommend reviewing the GPU recommendations for optimal performance.
Configuration Samples
Regardless of which hardware configuration sample you use from those described below, please note that after installing a dedicated graphics card, you should disable the onboard graphics card (e.g., Matrox) using the Windows Device Manager > Display Adapters and selecting the "Disable device" option for that card.
HD Capture Server
The following configurations have been proven 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 |
MPEG-2 XDCAM HD 422 50 Mb/s 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 |
MPEG-2 XDCAM HD 422 50 Mb/s NVIDIA H.264 Apple ProRes 422 |
Preview stream |
MPEG-2, downscaled to SD |
Concurrent recordings |
Up to 8 channels |
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 the 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 must be at least 3,4 GHz to decode a UHD RTP H.264 stream properly (see the tables above).
GPU Support
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Note
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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. |
Cinegy Capture supports a wide selection of hardware-accelerated encoding options, which are highly recommended for use with high-density output formats such as HD and UHD.
Please note that video acceleration configuration is available in both Cinegy Capture Manager and Cinegy Capture Control. However, the GPU card selected as the video accelerator in Cinegy Capture Manager will take precedence over the GPU device specified in the codec configuration of Cinegy Capture Control.
Intel GPU
To improve the performance of discrete Intel graphics cards, it is strongly recommended to enable "Resizable BAR" in the BIOS.
GPU encoding is supported on graphics cards compatible with DirectX 11 or higher and the Intel Video Processing Library (Intel VPL). For detailed hardware support information, refer to the following link.
AMD GPU
GPU encoding is supported on graphics cards that are compatible with DirectX 11 or higher.
NVIDIA GPU
To optimize the 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.
Daniel2 GPU encoding and decoding are supported on NVIDIA video cards with CUDA Compute Capability 3.5 or higher. If your video card has an older CUDA Compute Capability, use Daniel2 CPU encoding and decoding instead.
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Caution
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If you are using GPU-accelerated NVIDIA features, please ensure that your settings match the capabilities of your specific NVIDIA board. Due to an NVIDIA hardware restriction, interlaced H.264 encoding is only supported on Pascal and earlier boards, and also on Blackwell GPUs. Alternatively, use the Daniel2 GPU encoder, which is not affected by this limitation. |
Please note that the lower-tier GeForce and Quadro series have a limitation of 12 and 8 concurrent encoding streams, respectively. Therefore, if you use these boards, you will not be able to record more than the specified number of H.264 files at the same time by using the NVIDIA hardware acceleration. For further details, you can refer to the Video Encode and Decode GPU Support Matrix on the NVIDIA Developer webpage.
NVIDIA Driver Version Updates
Due to the frequent release of NVIDIA drivers, it’s unfeasible for Cinegy to test every driver version with every possible GPU card combination to ensure compatibility with our software. As a result, we are unable to recommend a specific NVIDIA driver version for optimal performance. However, in our release notes, we highlight any issues encountered with NVIDIA drivers during our testing phase and, if they are fixed in subsequent driver releases, we provide information about the fixed version and offer recommendations for selecting the appropriate range of NVIDIA drivers. Therefore, when considering an NVIDIA driver update, it’s essential to verify its compatibility with your specific hardware and software configuration.
Cinegy Capture 26.5 supports the latest NVIDIA boards, which require new NVIDIA drivers and a new SDK to be utilized. For that reason, the minimum supported NVIDIA Production Branch driver is R570.
Before starting any upgrades, please make sure that the OS (under which you are running Cinegy Capture components) and the model of the NVIDIA board you are using are supported in the version of the NVIDIA driver you choose.
If you use the older driver, you may experience an issue with NVIDIA encoding initialization; in this case, a corresponding message will appear in the log file, and encoding will fail.
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Note
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Perform the NVIDIA driver update process only after stopping Cinegy applications. For detailed instructions on installing an NVIDIA driver, please refer to the NVIDIA Drivers installation article. |
Network
Cinegy Capture components have no specific network hardware requirements and can operate with standard network infrastructure, provided that the available bandwidth and network configuration are suitable for the intended workflow.
Workflows using a generic SMPTE ST 2110 capture source require Mellanox-based network adapters. Additionally, the network infrastructure must meet the requirements of the SMPTE ST 2110 standard, including support for proper synchronization and multicast.
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Note
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For information about the required hardware, network prerequisites, and detailed system configuration instructions, refer to the SMPTE ST 2110 Standard article. |