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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Making DCP 2k and 4k - Wraptor Pro?

Carl, I can't say what's really wrong, we found the EasyDCP/CuteDCP more accurate, if you start with a file graded in Rec709. But as long as you're satisfied...

I wrote DCP-o-matic, so I'm not satisfied if there is something wrong with it. Can you describe your test, so that I can repeat it? Do you see the problem with all files? Are you comparing them on a monitor, or with a projector? Are you comparing them side-by-side? If so, how? When you say "more accurate", do you mean more accurate in colour, gamma, or something else?

The answers to any of these questions might help to improve DCP-o-matic and remove your complaint about it :001_smile:

Thanks, Carl
 
Of course we compared the pictures at a calibrated theater, coming from a calibrated grading suite. Yes, more accurate in gamma and color conversion.

We didn't check the last version, it was 1 year ago, and we don't really have time to beta test another software, as long as we're satisfied we CuteDCP/EasyDCP/Clipster. But it seems that they are a lot of people liking it, so it's probably just us ;-)

Kristin
 
Hi Kristin,

OK, thanks. If you were testing in a calibrated theatre it definitely won't be just you, so I'm sure there was a problem with DCP-o-matic when you tested it. There have been 652 fixes and changes to DCP-o-matic in the last year, some of which relate to colour conversion. If you ever get time to re-test and send me (carl@dcpomatic.com) any news on the results, that would be very much appreciated :)

In particular, the current test download:
http://dcpomatic.com/test-download
has a range of small but possible significant fixes to the colour maths.

Regards, Carl
 
I've been hearing how the image quality or color accuracy of OpenDCP is not as good this or that software for years. However, they have all been subjective analysis and not scientific. In some cases, it's people just propagating comments they have read. I've used calibrated instruments to measure the colors on screen, I've done the mathematical analysis of the image quality and color conversions. The non-subjective data shows the quality of the final image to be equal to or better than any of the commercial software. The funny part is that all the applications are using most of the same open source libraries anyway.

Creating a DCP itself is the relatively simple with the software available. To me it's more about the entire mastering process and for that there are plenty of reasons to go to a professional service. There are good reasons to create them yourself, local content, short trailers, turn around time, things like that. Plenty of people have done full-length features on their own too. Everyone has their own use cases.


 
for anybody interested in the quality of their XYZ conversions, my advice is this .. XYZ requires "at least" a 48bit RGB input.. 24bit RGB, or 8bit YUV will never convert well to XYZ .. it requires precision in the source due to the conversion

my guess is that most DCP packaging and conversion tools do the conversion using floating point, correctly..as per the standard..conversion quality will depend on source depth it is being fed

ps, ive heard VLC player supports DCP now also, for playback
 
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Yes Terrence, my opinion is quite subjective. I'm not 100% against open-source software. It can help a lot. I wouldn't just trust it for clients, because we're the one to support and to solve the problems afterwards. If people are satisfied with OpenDCP, of course that's great ;-)
 
Yes, I need DCP for festivals. I'm simply looking at my options. If I have to buy something then that's fine. Like mentioned above, we're shooting on $50k camera systems so what's another $500 for proper output software. There doesn't really seem to be a consensus on what to use. Some say the free stuff is great and works fine so why look further? Some say it isn't pro and I need to look elsewhere. It's a tough call. I'm pretty savvy with this stuff, so I'd rather get the right software and do it myself and have it for the future, but I just want to know that I'm starting at the right place.
 
If you have the time, you can try the free software, if you like them and they work for you, then great. Most of the commercial applications have free-trials and you can try those too. Start with a say a 5-minute video and try them to find out which one works best for your needs. If you are in a time crunch, then I'd recommend sending it out to a professional service.
 
I will give one big vote Carl's DCP-O-Matic. I'm an exhibitor and have used DCPs I've made with DCP-O-Matic on many different configurations of D-Cinema equipment and never had a single issue with playback. Honestly, for sending out to festivals, a DCP that ingests and playsback is way more important than one that looks exactly how you want it to. I've never had a DCP-O-Matic DCP NOT play, but have had busted DCPs for every other software package out there.
 
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