Red released its new R3D software development kit, enabling Nvidia Cuda GPU-accelerated decoding and debayering for real-time 8K playback, editing and grading of Red R3D files.
Cuda acceleration via the new SDK can also increase transcoding speed by up to 10 times, Red said, depending on the content and format of the media.
The new Cuda acceleration is incorporated in RedCine-X Pro effective immediately, the company said. To download either the SDK or the new RedCine-X Pro software, visit www.red.com/downloads and select “RedCine-X Pro” or “R3D SDK” from the drop-down menu.
RedCine-X Pro screenshot
Red Digital Cinema
First announced in August 2018, the 8K workflow heralds a new way of life for Red users, who can now use a relatively inexpensive ($1,200-$1,400) Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card to accelerate real-time workflow rather than relying on the $6,750 Red Rocket-X for faster-than-real-time Redcode processing. For others, it will obviate the need for temporary low-res proxies in place of the original high-quality footage.
System requirements for real-time 8K workflow include an Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000 or 8000, GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, or Titan RTX GPU running on a “moderately configured” PC workstation, Red said. Users with a real need for speed can run multi-GPU configurations, while those with less capable Nvidia hardware may still eke out performance gains via the new SDK — so try it out, even if you’re running on older graphics cards.
Red said new Nvidia RTX laptops from Acer, Alienware, Asus, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Razer and Samsung will support real-time playback at up to 8K.
The next step? Third-party support from “major NLEs” (read Adobe, Apple and Avid) and other integrators is expected “soon,” per Red.
Red: www.red.com
