One of the key ContentAgent v3.6 features is the ability to transcode to Avid’s DNxHR format as MXF files. Available as a paid for option,
DNxHR enables you to create higher-than-HD resolutions including 2K, UHD and 4K clips ready for editing in a standalone or shared storage/Interplay environment.
DNxHR comes in five different flavours:
| Name | Description | Bit-Depth | Chroma sub-sampling | Compression Ratio |
| DNxHR 444 | DNxHR 4:4:4 | 12 | RGB / 4:4:4 | 4.5:1 |
| DNxHR HQX | DNxHR High Quality (12 bit) | 12 | 4:2:2 | 5.5:1 |
| DNxHR HQ | DNxHR High Quality (8 bit) | 8 | 4:2:2 | 4.5:1 |
| DNxHR SQ | DNxHR Standard Quality | 8 | 4:2:2 | 7:1 |
| DNxHR LB | DNxHR Low Bandwidth | 8 | 4:2:2 | 22:1 |
DNxHR is ideal for creating full resolution 2K, UHD and 4K media files and offline / online workflows. Below is a useful table showing the DNxHR frame size per codec (including the data rate).
| Format | Codec | Samples per line | Active lines | Bytes per frame | Data rate (in MB/s) | ||||
| 23.976 | 25 | 29.97 | 50 | 59.94 | |||||
| 2K | DNxHR 444 | 2048 | 1080 | 1941504 | 44.39 | 46.29 | 55.49 | 92.58 | 110.98 |
| DNxHR HQX | 2048 | 1080 | 970752 | 22.20 | 23.14 | 27.75 | 46.29 | 55.49 | |
| DNxHR HQ | 2048 | 1080 | 970752 | 22.20 | 23.14 | 27.75 | 46.29 | 55.49 | |
| DNxHR SQ | 2048 | 1080 | 643072 | 14.70 | 15.33 | 18.38 | 30.66 | 36.76 | |
| DNxHR LB | 2048 | 1080 | 200704 | 4.59 | 4.79 | 5.74 | 9.57 | 11.47 | |
| UHD | DNxHR 444 | 3840 | 2160 | 7286784 | 166.61 | 173.73 | 208.27 | 347.46 | 416.54 |
| DNxHR HQX | 3840 | 2160 | 3641344 | 83.26 | 86.82 | 104.08 | 173.63 | 208.15 | |
| DNxHR HQ | 3840 | 2160 | 3641344 | 83.26 | 86.82 | 104.08 | 173.63 | 208.15 | |
| DNxHR SQ | 3840 | 2160 | 2408448 | 55.07 | 57.42 | 68.84 | 114.84 | 137.67 | |
| DNxHR LB | 3840 | 2160 | 749568 | 17.14 | 17.87 | 21.42 | 35.74 | 42.85 | |
| 4K | DNxHR 444 | 4096 | 2160 | 7770112 | 177.67 | 185.25 | 222.08 | 370.51 | 444.16 |
| DNxHR HQX | 4096 | 2160 | 3887104 | 88.88 | 92.68 | 111.10 | 185.35 | 222.20 | |
| DNxHR HQ | 4096 | 2160 | 3887104 | 88.88 | 92.68 | 111.10 | 185.35 | 222.20 | |
| DNxHR SQ | 4096 | 2160 | 2568192 | 58.72 | 61.23 | 73.40 | 122.46 | 146.81 | |
| DNxHR LB | 4096 | 2160 | 798720 | 18.26 | 19.04 | 22.83 | 38.09 | 45.66 | |
For HD-resolution media an enhanced DNxHD encoder is also included when you purchase the ContentAgent DNxHR option. Testing in the Root6 development lab has shown that HD encoding has been improved by more than two times real-time. For example a DNxHD which previously encoded at 60fps (frames per second) will now transcode at 140fps with this new option. Note your own mileage may vary as many factors (CPU power, network performance etc) can effect processing times.
In a ContentAgent workflow you can ingest 2K, UHD and 4K camera cards (and single clips) into an Avid environment. You can choose to transcode clips to DNxHR op-atom or op1a MXF files. You can see that the LB codec is ideal as a proxy resolution for offline/online relink based workflows. This opens up a number of potential standalone Media Composer conforming and Interplay multi resolution (dynamic relinking) workflows to be automated with ease. QuickTime MOVs can also be transcoded using the QuickTime 7 encoder.
To conclude – The ability for ContentAgent to transcode clips into DNxHR is extremely useful when designing the most efficient workflows to automate the ingest of 2K, UHD and 4K material.