Introducing cineSync 5, the next step in media review. cineSync 5 is built on the legacy of industry-leading cineSync, reimagined to meet the evolving demands of creative review and approval. Try it today.
Creative workflows have evolved—remote collaboration, tighter timeline pressures, and shifting industry requirements have changed how creative teams work. That’s why cineSync is evolving too.
Introducing cineSync 5, the next generation of media review. cineSync 5 is built on the legacy of industry-leading cineSync, now rebuilt from the ground up to meet the evolving demands of creative review and approval. With cineSync 5, we’re streamlining the review process and supporting more collaborative reviews—both local and remote—while still meeting the highest requirements across security and performance that cineSync users have come to expect over the last 17 years.
cineSync 5 is available to download today as a free extension for all cineSync Pro users. Start a free trial to try cineSync 5 or download cineSync Play below.
Images © Expanding Universe Productions, LLC
What is cineSync Play?
cineSync 5 uses our newly designed player, cineSync Play, which can be downloaded and installed for free on any OSX, Windows, or Linux machine. While cineSync applications have always been free to install, cineSync Play is the first version to function as a standalone player. Without logging in, users can access local, frame-accurate playback and review of high-res frame sequences, OTIO and OCIO support, and more.
For the full synchronized, interactive review functionality users expect from cineSync, a cineSync license is required. For the initial release, access to cineSync 5 will be available to all users with a cineSync Pro account. Users will be able to sign up for cineSync 5 using their existing account details, and new users can access cineSync 5 via a trial account.
cineSync Play also comes integrated with any ftrack Studio license, so you can browse media, notes, and information in cineSync Play and then add feedback into your production plan.
“We’re excited to share cineSync 5 with our cineSync Pro users so they can get a first taste of the future of cineSync,” says Rory McGregor, Product Manager of cineSync. “We’ve improved performance, added new features and workflows, updated our sync servers, and redesigned the UI. With these new features, we’re ushering in a new generation for cineSync—one that will make our users’ collaborative workflows more productive than ever before.”
“cineSync 5 is a significant upgrade on an application that’s already the best in class,” says Jake Morrison, VFX Supervisor, Thor Love & Thunder. “The killer news was the totally overhauled comparison tool with single-key access to shots, interactive and customizable wipe-line, and 0-100% cross-fades. Bonus points for being able to drag anywhere in the window to scrub back and forth with just a hotkey. I never knew I needed it, but now I use it all the time! Congrats to the cineSync team for an outstanding update to an already indispensable tool. They’ve clearly listened to their users—every new feature feels like it adds functionality. Grab it!”
The future of media review
Here’s what you can expect from cineSync 5.
- A new infrastructure designed to meet the demands of today’s creative projects.
- Work more intuitively via a modern UI and faster, more responsive review.
- Local desktop review—cineSync 5’s new player, cineSync Play, can run locally without a license.
- Go in-depth on media with OTIO and OCIO v2 support.
- Support for high-resolution original media, including frame/image sequence playback and OpenEXR support.
- Enhanced production tracking integrations with ftrack Studio and ShotGrid.
- Enjoy improved playback performance when working with large files.
- Access tons of new features: view image layers, access a new text annotation tool, support for separate audio tracks, and more.
- Find more ways to compare media—wipe, A/B, top/bottom, side-by-side, overlay.
- Work in your language—localization is now supported, with the first release translated into Chinese.
Evolving cineSync
With cineSync 5, we wanted to build the foundations for an exciting new future for cineSync. As such, cineSync 5 is an entirely new, completely redesigned version of cineSync, featuring a new infrastructure designed from the ground up. Current users of cineSync will notice many changes to the UI and layout, and will discover new features for more streamlined reviews alongside additions like OTIO support and frame sequence playback, but will recognize all the familiar aspects of the cineSync user experience they’ve come to expect over the last 17 years.
As cineSync 5’s infrastructure is all new (new sync servers, new player, new admin dashboard), the software is not backward compatible with previous cineSync releases (cineSync 4.x). For this reason, we will support both versions of cineSync in parallel for the next six months, at which point full support will move over to the new cineSync 5 infrastructure.
cineSync 5 Pro is available today as a free extension for all cineSync Pro users.
You can learn more about this parallel rollout via the FAQs below.
Why are you running a parallel rollout of cineSync 4 and cineSync 5?
With cineSync 5, we wanted to build the foundations for an exciting new future for cineSync. By building a new infrastructure and backend, we have opened the door for more streamlined reviews, alongside features like OTIO support and frame/image sequence playback. We have also paved the way for many exciting new features as we continue to iterate on and evolve cineSync.
The new infrastructure also enabled us to build cineSync Play—a player that could function as a standalone review player, available on any desktop, and that could support all the latest formats and workflows.
However, creating a new infrastructure for cineSync 5 means that it is no longer compatible with cineSync 4 and all previous versions of cineSync. As such, cineSync 5 users cannot host review sessions with cineSync 4 users and vice versa.
To avoid any disruption this may cause to ongoing projects, we will continue supporting the existing iterations of cineSync (4.x) alongside this initial launch of cineSync 5. We expect the parallel rollout and transition to cineSync 5 to occur over the next six months. As such, our customers can keep current projects moving without disruption, then switch over to the new and improved cineSync 5 when they feel comfortable doing so.
When will cineSync 4 cease to be supported?
We anticipate supporting cineSync 4 for at least the next six months. When we feel our customers are comfortable with the transition, cineSync 5 will become the primary version of cineSync. We will discontinue support for the older versions and infrastructure of cineSync, including cineSync 4. We will let customers know in good stead when changes are due to happen.
We would like to assure you that cineSync 5 and its new infrastructure will offer everything cineSync already offers, but with more features and an even better review experience. We will not drop cineSync 4.x until we are confident that we have fully achieved that goal.
What features are new in cineSync 5 that weren’t available in previous versions?
Here are the significant new features of cineSync 5. You can see more detail in the table at the end of this blog.
- A new infrastructure designed for more streamlined reviews.
- A new local player, available via cineSync Play.
- OTIO support.
- OCIO v2.x (previous versions support OCIO v1).
- Full support for frame playback in multiple formats, including OpenEXR.
- Support for layers.
- New compare modes – wipe, top/bottom, A/B.
- Support for separate audio tracks.
- On-screen text tool.
- Localization/language support—the first version supports Chinese, with more languages to be added.
What features are yet to be added to cineSync 5?
The majority of existing cineSync 4 Pro features will be available in cineSync 5 Pro, with some exceptions, which will be introduced into cineSync 5 Pro at a later date. Please see the table below for more information.
I have an existing cineSync Pro account—will accessing cineSync 5 Pro come with a price?
No, accessing cineSync 5 will not come with a price. cineSync 5 is available today as a free extension to existing paid cineSync Pro subscriptions. If you have an existing cineSync Pro account, you can use and explore cineSync 5 Pro for free while retaining cineSync 4 for current projects.
I’m not an existing cineSync user. Can I access cineSync 5 as a trial?
If you sign up for a cineSync trial, you’ll receive a cineSync Pro trial alongside the option of testing out cineSync 5. If you choose to convert from the trial to a paid Pro account, you’ll retain access to both cineSync 4 and cineSync 5.
What is cineSync Play?
cineSync Play is the downloadable app used to run cineSync 5. cineSync Play features the fully-enabled local player version of cineSync, with local-only, frame-accurate playback and review of high-res frame sequences, OTIO and OCIO support, and more—all without needing to sign up for a license.
cineSync Play also comes integrated with any ftrack Studio license, so you can browse media, notes, and information in cineSync Play and then add feedback into your production plan.
We’re also working towards functionality that will enable studios to easily integrate cineSync Play into their pipelines.
Will there be a new pricing model for cineSync 5?
We will share more information about this in the coming months. Today, we can confirm that cineSync Play—the fully-enabled, local player for cineSync—will be free forever and won’t require a license. Users will need to upgrade to cineSync 5 Pro to access additional features, including synchronized reviews. We are still defining a basic cineSync offering for cineSync 5 and will work to ensure that existing basic cineSync customers can purchase a plan that works for them.
cineSync features
Features
cineSync 4
cineSync 4 Pro
cineSync Play
cineSync 5 Pro
Local video review and approval
Remote video review and approval
Synchronized reviews
OSX, Windows, and Linux support
Drawing and annotation tools
Export notes as a PDF
Color tools
Synchronized color tools
Multiple simultaneous sessions per account
Zoom, masking, and aspect ratio tools
Coming soon
Coming soon
Python API
ftrack Studio integration
ShotGrid integration
Aspera integration
Coming soon
Amazon S3 integration
Coming soon
NIM integration
TBC
Pixel aspect ratio modification
TBC
3D/stereoscopic video/image support
TBC
Latlong support
New frame/image sequence playback, including support for OpenEXR
Support for viewing image layers
Support for new/additional file formats
Improved playback performance with large files
OTIO support (file/image sequences)
OCIO v2 support (v1 only in cineSync 4)
3D LUT support
New text annotation tool
Support for separate audio tracks
Wipe in compare mode
Fully translated into Chinese
Enhanced ftrack Studio integration
Support for Autodesk IDs in ShotGrid integration
Try cineSync 5 today
Start your free trial and explore all of cineSync 5’s new features.
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