Questions about size of video files in Dylos, also using timecode with Dylos

ONYX DYLOS
1

Help me understand something about the video files in Dylos. Why do imported video files add so much size to the showfile?

I am using v. 4.4.1194.1193 . I had a showfile that was about 120 Mb. I imported two clips into the user pool Dylos Library, they were about 10 Mb each. When I saved my showfile with media it was 263 Mb! 20 Mb of imports added 140 some to the showfile! Why does it add so much?

I was also wondering about how the files are actually stored within Onyx. It states in the documentation that video files are converted to 256x256. Am I understanding this correctly? Is this the actual playback resolution or only the thumbnail? And if they are converted down so low, why are we favoring the HD factory library content over the smaller low def version? If the video is being downconverted so much within Onyx, does it make sense to downcovert our files before import (for instance in Handbrake)?

Also, is there any file format that is more efficient for Dylos to process internally? It is good that it handles a large variety of types, but are there some formats that are more efficient than others?

My next question is a different subject entirely. I may be asked to sync a file playing back as a Dylos source with a video being projected. They are basically the same video , but I have downconverted the media file and compressed it more before importing into Dylos. I’m thinking I can just build the Dylos effect, save it into a timecode cuelist, then configure the console to recieve TC from the video playback people, and let that trigger it. If we get the exact mark correct, it should sync up pretty well. This should work, right?

Thanks

Steele aka OnlySlightlyBent

2

The files are converted to 256x256 pixels indeed, but we store/cache them in a proprietary format (per frame, with none to little compression), no matter what size or format your input file is. This was done to assure quickest random access possible, otherwise sufficient for pixel mapping. As the platform grows, we will likely add a decoder plugin for linear playback of larger files (in larger formats).

Regarding the factory content, it already is distributed in the proprietary format, so we call it “HQ” instead of HD and recommend that one because the “small” one favors size to quality (and actually introduces visible artefacts, which is why we only provide it when there are hard size constraints).

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