‘ f o r H D R p l a y b a c k ‘
PureUNION Cinematic (PUC), is a playback methodology for A/V enthusiasts to experience highly-immersive cinema-class HDR content in home comfort using an innovative platform assembled with advanced coding, object-based metadata and a collection of third-party frameworks, SDKs and APIs.
Sample Video
How close is your home theatre system to ‘true cinema’ really?
Cast the below 4K HDR YouTube ‘Pre-Show’ video to your A/V receiver or TV and find out! You can also use this video to set-up and tune your A/V setup to the highest standards available to home cinema consumers today. You will be hard-pressed to find a better A/V test specification anywhere. Don’t forget to set the YouTube video quality to ‘4K’.
Play this video on your A/V appliance and find out
For the FULL immersive experience – read on
From the video above, did you know that you did not actually experience in-full the various audio/video enhancements which could be to (or very close) to Dolby Cinema standards – the very best and technologically advanced cinematic experience available right now?
With the PUC Control Manager, it is possible for home A/V enthusiasts to stream online HDR content to their supported home-theatre configurations – using the very latest, sophisticated software-programming capabilities from those leading in the industries of cinema-providers, consumer A/V appliances, and IoT devices and services such as Dolby Laboratories, Sony and Google, bringing it together on an exclusive cloud platform. The result is that we are able to optimise online HDR content to home theatre with breathtaking results. If seeing and listening truly is believing, then the PureUNION Cinematic (PUC) experience is set to blow anyone away!
Behind the scenes: Object-based Metadata
Most high-definition content available online such as the popular Standard YouTube user license today prevents the streaming of ‘Dolby’ or multi-channel content to a standard YouTube player. However, the PureUNION / PUNN.org has built a unique workflow to help bring superior cinematic audio and video to your home system via YouTube (experimental and for non-commercial use only).
What is missing is some precious ‘object-based metadata’ to support the above video which needs to be streamed to your YouTube player along with some additional multi-channel content and what is known as ‘spatial audio and resolution description’, served from the PureUNION Cloud. This ‘adds’ some vital missing ‘information’ the YouTube player needs to serve your casting session to your A/V equipment which then can deliver a whole new rich and deeply immersive experience like your ears and eyes would not believe!
Casting rich, multi-channel content
The difference between high-definition content and our cinematic-class content is what PureUNION Cinematic is.
The PUC Control Manager* app can be run from an Android TV (preferred) or installed on any device able to Google Cast (e.g. an Android smartphone or a Windows PC with Google Chrome) to your A/V appliance – usually your Android TV. This app not only allows access to cinematic-class enhancements but also supports additional features specifically for (supported) Sony HDR Android TVs and A/V receivers.
*The PUC Control Manager at present is part of a beta programme and is currently under development review.
All sounds too complicated?
Then there is some really good news. If you have an A/V receiver which supports Dolby Surround, e.g. ProLogic (or a similar Surround field up-mixing mode), then luckily our content-rich video is packed with lots of ‘bits’ of information which will allow you to cast a solid audio and visual experience to your HD/HDR screen and 5.x or 7.x surround sound loudspeakers.
Whether with or without the ‘object-based metadata’ using the PUC Control Manager – we believe PUC is one of the most immersing cinematic playback experiences consumer technology has to offer in the home right now. Just cast away and turn up the volume to (almost) max. We recommend a dark room for optimal effect. Then just sit back and wait for the hairs on your arms to stand as we have zero doubt – your senses WILL be utterly astounded by the PureUNION Cinematic experience.
Download this PDF if interested to further understand the basic principles with the workflows involved. ‘Dolby Cinema’, ‘Dolby Vision’, ‘Dolby Atmos’ and the ‘Dolby double-D’ symbol are all registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
‘ f o r H D R p r o d u c t i o n ‘
PureUNION CInematic ‘Version 1’ (PUCv1), is a superior-quality, highly usable, easily portable and simplified cinematic standard comprising of hardware & software specifications for the pre- and post-production stages of HDR film – introduced and maintained by the PureUNION / PUNN.org
Latest FAQs for the PUCv1 Digital Film Specification (DRAFT)
What is PUCv1?
PUCv1 is a film pre- and post-production digital cinema specification (or standard) currently proposed to the Sony Corporation by the PureUNION / PUNN.org to be ratified as a propriety motion picture digital film standard. It is presently in draft stage (version 1).
Can PUCv1 be used in film production today?
Yes. Although the Sony Corporation is yet to approve the standard, currently PUCv1 can be applied to private productions released and hosted by the PureUNION / PUNN.org. Both organisations have not released a license agreement for public use.
What are the hardware & software requirements to utilise the PUCv1 standard?
The original digital film recording will only be supported on certain Sony* digital motion picture / broadcasting cameras and camcorders including Sony’s CineAltra range. All HDR 4K capable camera systems and camcorder listed here are supported. The video recording format must me XAVC. For post-production, a high-specification PC running minimum Windows 10 64-bit, with typically 16 cores CPU(s), 256GB RAM, 2TB free space, and ideally, a NVIDIA GPU is required. The PC must be installed with a supported Non-Linear Editing (NLE) system (see below for approved NLE list) and 1GB free disk space to install the PUC Workflow Manager (yet to be publicly released).
*Although officially unsupported on other vendor camera systems such as ARRI, RED, Blackmagic, Canon, Panavision, etc. – it is technically possible to convert and re-master the originally recorded RAW output to PUCv1. RAW conversion for the ARRI Alexa camera systems is technically not possible without image information loss and infringement of ARRI patents of the ArriRaw codec.
Where can I view a demonstration of the PUCv1 standard?
The PureUNION / PUNN.org is unable to publicly promote and distribute the standard beyond its hosted web site but can make demo films available for private viewing only on its YouTube channel as private videos. Contact the Administrator if you are interested in viewing PUCv1. We anticipate this will change once the Sony Corporation has ratified PUCv1 and the PureUNION / PUNN.org have issued a licence agreement for public use.
Will PUCv1 be used by the movie industry?
It is difficult to assess that without feedback from professional movie makers. The PureUNION / PUNN.org is not currently targeting PUCv1 for mainstream film use, however, movie production companies may be interested to use it once publicly available. At this moment in time, PUCv1 is reserved for private productions released, owned and/or hosted by the PureUNION / PUNN.org.
What is the relevance PUCv1?
The world of digital cinema is a complex one right now. With multiple and emerging hardware and software technologies including standardisation initiatives, camera manufacturer filming specifications, advanced image sensors, different video resolutions, propriety digital file formats, numerous system colourimetries, RGB colour reproduction and gamut standards, and a plethora of software applications, NLEs, codecs, LUTs, etc. – references such as 8K, 6K, 4K, 2K, HD, XAVC, MP4, H.264, HVEC/H.265, DNxHD, Rec. 2020, DCI-P3, CinemaDNG, VC-3, D65, sRGB, Adobe RGB, RAW, TIFF, ProRes, ISO, Log Gamma, GOP, and much, much more – are pervasive across the filming industry. PUCv1 does not aim to standardise across any of them, but instead introduce a ‘superior-quality, highly usable, easily portable and simplified cinematic standard comprising of hardware and software specifications for the pre- and post-production of digital film’.
Why would anybody choose PUCv1 over any other standard?
The choice of a standard is largely down to preference. PUCv1 is one option to select from many. PUCv1 offers a unique gamut aiming to produce HDR film with immersive colour depth for consumer screen and theatre reproduction comprising of detailed frame imagery with high dynamic range, extensive chromaticity in the colour space, in the XAVC file format.
When will the PUCv1 standard be ready for public use?
The timescales are unknown at present. Such standards can take a long time to be ratified and released for public use – from months to years. However, PUCv1 is unlikely to change sometime soon as much research and investment have been made already, and the PureUNION / PUNN.org are confident we have reached the desired standard. Unless major technology shifts or advancements force any changes, PUCv1 is here to stay for the coming years at least.
What is the PUCv1 film specification (standard)?
At this time, most of the PUCv1 specification details are not being fully disclosed publicly due to the proposal in motion. We are able to provide high-level information only and cannot disclose certain information such as precise RGB colour space parameters, wide colour gamut ranges, luma-chroma colour representations, the opto-electronic transfer function and some other yet to be ratified propriety technology.
High-level Specifications for PUCv1:
Video Frame Rate*: 23.976p FPS (Frames Per Second with Progressive-scanning)
*Must be maintained precisely across Acquisition, Production and Presentation workflow stages
Video Acquisition Recording Resolution*: Minimum DCI 4K (4096 × 2160 pixels)
*4K Ultra HD / UHD-1 (3840 × 2160 pixels) is permitted for XAVC-S recording format
Video Acquisition Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Video Acquisition Recording Format*: XAVC-Intra 4K / XAVC-Long 4K / XAVC-S 4K
*Minimum Level 5.2 of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC or encapsulated in an industry standard MXF OP1a wrapper
Video Acquisition Operating Points: 4K HDR Intra or 4K HDR Long GOP
Video Acquisition Bit Depth / Bits per Sample: Minimum 8-bit
Video Acquisition Bit-rate: Minimum 100Mbps
Video Acquisition Colour Sampling: Minimum 4:2:0 sample rate
Video Production RGB Colour Space / Gamut : <Classified>
Video Production Chromaticity and Luminance specification: <Classified>
Video Production Look-Up Tables (LUTs) and colour correction management: <Classified>
Video Presentation Recording Resolution: Minimum HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
Video Presentation Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope / Anamorphic format)
Video Presentation Average Bit-rate: Minimum 15,500 Kbps. Recommended 100 Mbps
Audio Acquisition Recording Format: MPEG-4 Linear PCM 2 channel (48 kHz/16 bit)
Audio Presentation Recording Format: Minimum AAC Stereo 384 Kbps, or any added separate audio stream, e.g. Dolby Digital AC-3 / 5.1 / 7.1 channel, DTS , HDDS, THX, etc.
Mastered Composite File : .PUC (64-bit) consisting XAVC re-mastered file + typical 20% metadata
Delivery File Wrapper: .MXF or .MP4 (MPEG-4 AVC)
Supported NLE(s)*: Sony Catalyst Production Suite v2017.3, CyberLink Power Suite 6
*The NLE is not a minimum level but must be the precise software level with latest updates applied
Supported workflow manager: PUC Workflow Manager v0.29 Beta (Must be applied to all stages and no other managers can enter the workflow)
