News, updates, and changes in Composer R1 2024 ("Silverstone")

Composer R1 2024, 
 1.8.8866

Release date 2024-03-19, version: 1.8.8840
Update date 2024-03-26, version: 1.8.8851
Update date 2024-04-10, version: 1.8.8866
Update date 2024-04-15, version: 1.8.8881

The R1 2024 release brings major updates to Composer, including improved workflow, new components, improved chroma keyers, support for ProRes files (including 4:4:4), and more. We have also added downloadable Tutorials and Demos that might become valuable when evaluating Composer or learning about new features.

R1 2024 also supports the new Extended Monitoring plugin. This optional add-on provides advanced, centralized monitoring for large-scale setups.

News and Improvements:

• Overall performance increased by reducing CPU load by 5-10%.
• UHD and 4K capture performance can be up to twice as fast as in previous versions using the new optimized Blackmagic Capture.
• Added support for 8K video processing (7680x4320).
• Add a new target: FFmpeg Target. This generic target allows you to use any FFmpeg command to send/write audio/video to any destination supported by FFmpeg.
• Added a new operator: Crop Operator
• HSV Keyer:
  • Added support for using a clean plate instead of a specific hue, saturation, or value.
  • Added support to output the clean plate.
  • Added support for adjusting the hue tolerance.
  • Added support for Spill balance for all types of spill suppression.
  • Added support for Spill balance automatic Calibration. 
  • Added support for picking the key color directly from the operator (without using the color picker tool).
• Media input improvements:
  • Added support for importing Prores 10-bit 422 files (.mov)
  • Added support for importing Prores 12-bit 4444 files (.mov). This is an important improvement as it allows HQ files that include Alpha Channel to be imported into Composer.
  • Added support for pixel format 10-bit AV_PIX_FMT_YUV422P10LE. Applies to h264, h265 (HEVC), and Prores file formats.
  • Added support for pixel format 12-bit AV_PIX_FMT_YUVA444P12LE. This applies to the Prores (.mov) file format.
  • Reduced memory consumption for QuickTime Animation files
  • Removed the need for adjusting the buffer length
• Added HostName to log file entries and metrics    
• Added a command line tool, cavconverter, that can be used for creating CAV-files with embedded cue points. Find more information in the documentation.
• BlackMagic Capture: Added support for Decklink input channels 9-16.
• NDI input: added support for configuring the error level (error or warning )being logged if a connection is lost. 
• RTMP-target has been optimized and does not render any load when disconnected.
• PerformanceLog: added maxProcessingTime to log
• Added support for fetching a performance report via the HTTP API: /api/reports/getperformancereport
• Improved performance for the BlackMagic Capture V3 input. Activate the by selecting Use Pinned Memory.  
• A new optimized target for Blackmagic Decklink cards: Blackmagic Target V3. It supports Windows and Linux OS and requires less processing time than the previous version (V2). We recommend that all customers upgrade from V2 to V3.
• Added support for pushing logs to Loki. https://grafana.com/go/webinar/getting-started-with-logging-and-grafana-loki
  
  
• Desktop version
  • Added support for downloading Tutorial- and Demo projects. This new feature is available in the main menu. 
  • Added support for re-ordering inputs in the inputs list by using drag-and-drop.
  • Added GPU utilization metrics, including NVENC Encoder, NVDEC Decoder, power management, and power usage. It might require an update of your Nvidia drivers.
  • Scene layers: 
    • Added support to Reset position, Reset Scale, and Scale to fit context menus.
    • Added support to lock Scale X and Scale Y.
    • Added support for panel scroller.
  • Added support for selecting scene resolution from dropdown instead of manually entering width and height. Options available: DCI 4K, UHD 4K, HD and 720.
  • Added support for creating a Performance Report 
  • We have added a "Fit to Window" command that automatically sets the zoom level and centers the scene preview window. This command is available via the preview toolbar, the popup menu for the scene preview image, and the keyboard shortcut CTRL+F.
  • Added support to copy input preview image to the clipboard. Use the right-click popup menu on the preview image.
  • After loading a project, Composer will automatically switch to the inputs tab and select the first input/scene available.
  • Added support for saving the scene preview image to disk.
  • Added a "Latest News" window that is shown after the application starts. The window shows the latest updates for Composer. This feature can be turned on or off.
  • Operators, Targets, and Connectors: added support for Collapse All that will collapse (minimize) all items in the UI.
  • The workspace area for the scene preview has been changed to a maximum of 8192x8192 pixels. The previous version had a max size of 4000x2400 pixels.
  • Inputs lists: added support for opening the input file location in File Explorer.
  • Added a new setting: Use short names when importing media files. If this option is active, inputs will be labeled with the file name (only) instead of the full path of the file.
  • Improved GUI for operators Channel Swap, HSV Correct, Color Shift, Color Curves, Hue Shift, Vibrance, Corner Distort, False Color, and Alpha Coring.
  • Optimized the layout for the Runtime Performance section.
  • Live Preview: We have added support for viewing the active scene online via the Vindral Live CDN. All valid Composer licenses will have free access to a Vindral CDN channel. However, the maximum number of simultaneous viewers is 10. Contact RealSprint to unlock the channel and remove the viewer limitation.
  • Increased the maximum length of the "recent projects list" to 20 instead of 10.
  • A new runtime mode, Performance Mode, was added. In this mode, Composer UI will be disabled except for a summary view and the application menu. This mode can be initialized by starting the application with the "-performance" argument.
  • Additional help icons were added in selected parts of the user interface and input components.

Bugfixes:    

• HSV-keyer: if the blue channel was selected as a key channel, and the spill suppression type changed from Average to Key Color, the slider for the spill balance blue channel was disabled.
• CAV files and the JumpToCuePointIndex did not work as expected when the playback state was stopped.
• The runtime version on Linux had a bug related to Image files and the Auto reload feature: if the project was created on Windows, the image file was considered as modified even if the file was untouched.
• Ultralight caused a memory leak on some web pages.
• Opening a sequence of projects using NDI Input could render an application crash.
• The VideoDirectory and ImagesDirectory configuration in the settings file was not respected by the application. They were also overwritten as soon as the application was started.
• The WebPageInputWebGL component could sometimes crash when unloading a project.
• Mediainput: HEVC (h265) files was not supported by Composers hardware accelerated decoder (nvdec).
• The FFmpeg installer installed ffmpeg 7 instead of 6.1.1 from the date 2024-04-05. From the patch 2024-04-10 (version 1.8.8866) Composer installer will install the correct FFmpeg version needed.
• The FFmpeg installer installed ffmpeg 7 instead of 6.1.1
•  Mediainput:
  • Fixed a memory leak related to start/stop
  • Fixed a bug related to nvdec which could render an exception at start of playback.
• Desktop: 
  • Connectors: pressing the Delete key showed a "Confirm delete?" dialog even if no connector was selected.
  • Reallocate media rendered an exception for media inputs with no file selected.
  • Reallocate media could fail if no URI were set on media inputs.
  • Deleting the last scene could render an application crash.
  • The Worker queue size was never updated.
  • The processing time indicator (the circle) rendered unexpected results for loads above 100%. 
  • Operators used on an invisible layer, or a layer with Opacity 0, could not be deleted.
  • The preview image was not updated when reloading or clearing a Still image input.

      Runtime version:

         Pressing CTRL+C did not terminate the application correctly.

Other changes:

• The CUDA version requirement was changed to CUDA v12.2 or later. You might need to update your Nvidia driver.
• Media playback:
  • The internals of the media playback engine have been optimized. The Media buffer length configuration is obsolete and removed from the GUI.
  • The minimum video track size is 48x48 pixels
• Core components: switched from using FFmpeg 5.1 to FFmpeg 6.1 
• When running autotests in the Desktop version, the UI will be disabled.
• Renamed the metric Congestions to Congestive frames.
• The processing time indicator has been changed from showing processing time in milliseconds to percentage.
• Processing times are reset to 0 for hidden layers and layers with opacity=0. Processing times for operators on those layers will also be reset to 0.
• Running autotests will automatically create a performance report.
• Desktop: 
  • The video preview will automatically be enabled after unlocking Composer, opening a project, or starting a new project.
• Added support for ffmpeg logging (disabled by default)