Supported Media Types
Every media type Backstage can play back, ingest or render, with the containers, pixel formats and bit depths each one accepts.
Uncompressed Video
Image sequences — one file per frame — are the native, frame-accurate route. An Image Sequence asset accepts these and nothing else:
|
Format |
Extension |
What is accepted |
|---|---|---|
|
DPX |
|
RGB and YCbCr at 8, 10 and 12 bit. Not every DPX variant — see What DPX carries below. |
|
SBSM |
|
Brainsalt's own uncompressed format: 8-bit RGB, 10-bit RGB, 8-bit YCbCr 4:2:2, 10-bit YCbCr 4:2:2. |
|
TGA |
|
Uncompressed 24-bit RGB or 32-bit RGBA only, 8 bits per channel. |
|
TIFF |
|
Uncompressed only. A compressed TIFF does not load — re-export it uncompressed. 8 bits per channel, greyscale, RGB or RGBA. |
|
NotchLC |
|
Compressed per frame, not uncompressed, but usable as a sequence. Decoded by GPU compute. |
|
Playlist |
|
A list that assembles a sequence from ranges of other files. Its entries must be |
Uncompressed video supports realtime tempo adjustment and reverse playback. An image sequence is limited by the storage it streams from rather than by the GPU — see the Bandwidth figure on Image Sequence.
What DPX carries
DPX allows far more than Backstage reads. These are the combinations that decode. Padding is part of the format: at 10 and 12 bit, a file in the wrong one of the two does not work.
|
Content |
Subsampling |
8-bit |
10-bit |
12-bit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
RGB |
4:4:4 |
Yes |
padded only |
packed only |
|
RGBA |
4:4:4 |
Yes |
padded only |
No — use 16-bit |
|
YCbCr |
4:2:2 |
Yes |
packed only |
packed only |
|
YCbCr |
4:4:4 |
Yes |
padded only |
packed only |
|
YCbCr with alpha |
4:2:2 |
Yes |
No |
No |
At 8 bit each component is a whole byte, so packed and padded are the same file and both work.
Not supported:
|
Not supported |
|---|
|
Run-length encoded DPX |
|
More than one image element in the file |
|
Luminance, ABGR, and YCbCr 4:4:4 with alpha |
|
16-bit RGB and 16-bit YCbCr |
Compressed Video
Containers: .avi · .mp4 · .mov · .wmv · .mpg · .mpeg · .mxf · .mkv · .webm · .m4v · .ts · .m2ts · .mts
|
Codec |
Decoded by |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
NotchLC |
CPU and GPU |
The only compressed format supported for production. |
|
HAP · HAP Alpha · HAP Q · HAP Q Alpha · HAP R |
CPU and GPU |
HAP HDR is not supported. |
|
H.264 |
GPU video decoder, software fallback |
|
|
H.265 (HEVC) |
GPU video decoder, software fallback |
|
|
AV1 |
GPU video decoder, software fallback |
|
|
VP9 |
GPU video decoder, software fallback |
|
|
MPEG2, and anything else in a supported container that FFmpeg can decode |
software |
Common encryption (CENC) is supported for protected content delivery.
Hardware decode
Hardware video decode is attempted for four codecs — H.264, H.265 (HEVC), AV1 and VP9. Each has its own entry under Hardware-acceleration per video codec in Settings, spelled H264, H265, AV1 and VP9, and each defaults to the GPU. A change there takes effect after a restart.
Where the GPU cannot decode a file, Backstage falls back to software and plays it anyway. The Decoder Type line under Video Stream 1 in the asset's Format section reports which was used.
NotchLC and HAP do not use the GPU's video decoder at all. They decode by their own route, part of it on the CPU and part on the GPU, so the settings above do not apply to them and neither does the software fallback.
Still Images
|
Format |
Extension |
|---|---|
|
JPG |
|
|
PNG |
|
|
TGA |
|
|
TIFF |
|
|
BMP |
|
|
DPX |
|
|
SBSM |
|
|
Backstage Image |
|
|
NotchLC |
|
These are the formats for a single image, not for an image sequence. An Image Sequence asset takes only .dpx, .sbsm, .tga, .tif, .tiff and .nlc; JPG, PNG, BMP and .bsimg are not offered when you pick the frames for one.
Audio
|
Format |
Extension |
|---|---|
|
WAV |
|
|
AIFF |
|
|
AAC |
|
|
MP3 |
|
|
OGG |
|
Audio supports realtime tempo adjustment.
Live / Generative Sources
|
Source |
Notes |
|---|---|
|
Notch Block |
Live generative assets with timeline-based parameter adjustment |
|
Web Browser Asset · Web Page Asset |
A live web page rendered as an asset, either an address the browser loads or a page built in Backstage |
|
NDI |
Live network video streams (HQ, HX) |
|
Spout |
GPU texture sharing from another application on the same machine |
|
Unity |
Via the Brainsalt Unity plugin |
|
Capture Input |
Live SDI, HDMI, DisplayPort or ST 2110 through a capture card |
|
Process Window |
The picture of a running Windows application — either a window already open, chosen from a list, or an executable Backstage starts itself. Not a capture card and needs no hardware. |
|
Virtual Desktop |
A virtual monitor the system service provides, captured as an asset |
Related
Supported Third Party Hardware — the cards behind Capture Input
Import Video & Audio Assets — bringing files in
Convert Media with the Drop Converter — converting for production playback
Receive an NDI Stream — receive live NDI streams
Render from Unity into Backstage — stream from Unity into Backstage
Content — all content and media workflows