Reeltime Pro Beta – Essential Features

Reeltime Pro is a next-generation software application for professional on-set video playback in film productions. Meticulously crafted to balance both simplicity and functionality, it empowers playback operators to tackle the multi-faceted challenges of providing instant video feedback to all creative roles on set. Its innovative slot concept allows for quick interaction for all common use cases but offers a multitude of configurations and routing options under the hood. It leverages the powerful Apple silicon system architecture, rendering it a dependable workhorse in demanding production environments.

All customers now have the chance to preview and test the latest beta version.

Manage video signals with “Slots”

Slots are a flexible and transparent way to manage and route live and playback video signals to various destinations.

Each slot is a container for either a signal input, video playback, video output or a composite of other slots. You can connect slots to each other to create internal video routing setups from simple to complex structure.

Slots are represented in the user interface as individual slot cards in the slot overview on the left of the main window. Slots are grouped in the slot overview by type. Slots of the “Input Slot” type can have further modes. Slot types and slot modes are explained in more detail below.

• Slot types are input slots, output slots, library slots, composite slots
• Input slots:
  • Associate video inputs to your system (such as SDI input ports) with your input slots to manage all your incoming live signals and source playback signals per camera or in timecode-synced groups
  • Slot modes: Input slots have three different “slot modes”:
    • Live mode – monitor and record the live signal from a camera
    • Playback mode – play back recorded clips from the associated source camera (recorded clips are loaded into the associated source input slot by default)
    • Reference mode – compare live and playback signal with various layout options:
      • Side-by-Side: Create a side-by-side view of the slot’s live and playback signal
      • Swipe: Compare the content of the slot’s live and playback signal with a horizontal or vertical swipe
      • Overlay: Mix and overlay of the slot’s live and playback signal, (e.g., to match the framing)

Input Slot in “Live” slot mode during recording

Toolbar buttons for switching all inputs slot to “Live”/”Playback” slot mode

• Switch all input slots to live/playback slot mode with dedicated buttons in the toolbar, e.g., switch all input slots to live to quickly resume to the live signal for shooting

• Output slots:
  • Associate video outputs of your system (such as SDI output ports) with output slots to route signals from input slots, library slots and composite slots to various destinations
  • Apply an individual appearance per output slot – create a filtered, composited view tailored for the associated watcher (e.g. director wants to see a cropped image from camera A while Script Continuity wants to see an un-cropped side-by-side view of camera A and B)
  • Output routing options: Temporarily switch an output slot to one of the following routing options:
    • • Force Slot to Follow Live Video – force an output slot to always show the live signal of its configured input source (= the input slot’s live slot mode)
      • Set Slot to Follow Selection – automatically set the input/library/composite slot that is selected in the slot overview UI as source for the output slot (“what you select is what you get”)

Output slot viewer and settings

• Input and output slots can be added/removed and associated with connected devices in a separate Slot Manager window (Cmd-D, or from the main window’s toolbar)

Toolbar button for opening slot manager

• You can associate input sources (e.g., SDI input ports) from any compatible device that is connected to your machine with an input slot and, in the same way, destinations (e.g., SDI output ports) with output slots
  • The video format of the incoming video signal sets the video format of your device automatically.
  • The video format of outgoing signals usually derives from the input and my not be editable. However, with some devices, the output’s video format can be set manually.

Slot manager with SDI device configuration for an input slot

• Library slots:
  • Find a specific clip by browsing the library – library slots auto-load the selected clip in the library for instant review and playback
  • Compare shots or compare different play positions with
    • an independent library selection per library slot, (e.g., different folder/bin/smart group levels) and/or
    • an independent playhead position per library slot, (e.g., two different ranges within the same recording)
• Composite slots: Compose a view from multiple input and/or library slots with live and/or playback signals:
  • Choose from a range of layout options for your compositing:
    • Side-by-Side: Create a side-by-side view of 2 slots
    • 2×2 Grid: Create a grid view of up to 4 slots
    • Swipe: Compare the content of two slots with a horizontal or vertical swipe
    • Overlay: Mix and overlay the content of two slots, (e.g., to match the framing of two shots)

Composite slot layouts

• • Combine a composite slot’s source selection with the input slot modes “Live/Playback/Reference”, “Switch All Inputs Slots to Live Video/ to Playback”, and the output routing option “Force Slot to Follow Live Video”
  • An Auto mode lets you auto-configure the input source for a composite slot following your (option-click) selection of input slots

Composite slot viewer and settings with side-by-side layout configured

• Filters: The application provides the following filters for input slots, library slots, or output slots:
  • Crop with offset and rotation parameters and an auto-detection to crop out the black-bordered status info from a camera HUD
  • Flip for flipping the image horizontally/vertically
  • Image Overlay with offset, scale, and opacity parameters, (e.g., for adding a logo or watermark)
  • Metadata Overlay with parameters for the metadata fields Camera, Slate Info, Slot Mode (Playback/Live), Clip Name, and Timecode
  • LUT for loading a 3D LUT in a .cube format (e.g., for applying a look if you receive an ungraded signal)

Tip: Consider if it makes sense to apply a filter to an input slot or to an output slot. For example, if you want to make sure that everyone sees a look from a LUT filter you can apply the filter to the input slot. However, if only some watchers want to see metadata overlays, apply the metadata overlay filter individually per output slots.

• Filter Settings:
  • You can inspect and edit filter settings in the settings tab of each slot
  • The “Crop Appearance” can be set for each output slot separately (e.g., crop the black-bordered camera HUD for the Director while only darkening the border for other watchers who may be interested in the metadata)
  • There are consistent layout options in composite slots and the reference mode of input slots (Side-by-Side, Swipe, Overlay)
  • Filter settings of all currently connected slots are accumulated (for example, an output slot shows filter settings for itself, but also for the connected input slot(s) under “Related Filter Settings”).

Project Management And Media Folders

• Manage your work in a separate project for each shoot:
  • Switch between projects
  • Create a new project

• Expand your media storage flexibly with project-dependent storage locations (“Media Folders”):
  • Add multiple media folders and set one current storage location (“Record Folder”) in the recording settings
  • New recordings are saved into your currently set record folder

Device integrations: Controller, video I/O devices and video routers

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Map all existing menu items to your preferred hotkey using a dedicated keyboard shortcuts mapper

Keyboard shortcuts mapper

• Stream Deck: Fully control application with Stream Deck controller actions
  • Install the Stream Deck plugin via the “Reeltime Pro” > “Install Stream Deck Plugin…” menu item
  • The plugin comes with pre-defined profiles for the Stream Deck Classic and Stream Deck XL devices

Stream Deck XL profile

• Video I/O devices: Use your video I/O devices by AJA and Blackmagic
  • Set up your video I/O and associate the available ports to input and output slots in the slot manager
  • Set the device port configuration (number of input and output connectors) of AJA devices in the Devices tab of the application’s Settings.
• SDI video routers: Use your SDI video routers by AJA and Blackmagic
  • Interactively control video routing in a dedicated video routing panel
  • Create and manage multiple video routing configurations
  • Trigger configurations from Stream Deck

Interactive video routing panel

• Automation Manager: Set up automations to trigger video routing configurations based on a specific event, (e.g., if the Output Slot “Director” receives a live signal apply a video routing configuration that routes the live signal directly from camera to the monitor >> use case: director wants to see the live camera feed directly for lowest latency as possible)

Automation manager with configured automations to trigger video routing configurations based on slot mode

Recordings with multiple in and out ranges

• Single recording / group recording: 
  • Create single recordings from a single camera’s live signal with the record button in the individual slot card
  • or create timecode-synced group recordings from multiple live signals
    • with the record button in the viewer controls (a sync info label indicates which slots are currently synced and will be included in the group recording)
    • or with the record all button in the toolbar

Recording controls with sync info label

• Timecode Settings: Use the current time as timecode to sync multiple incoming signals in your group recording (enabled by default), or switch to use SMPTE timecode embedded in the SDI signal (make sure to jam-sync cameras to create timecode-synced groups using SMTPE timecode) by checking “Disable use of current time as timecode” in the Recording tab of the applications’s Settings.
• Arm / un-arm individual slots for recording, e.g., for temporarily excluding a camera from the upcoming group recording (arrow button besides record button in slot UI)
• Set multiple in and out ranges during recording for marking several actions within one take
• Auto Record: Automatically trigger start/stop recording based on the record flag embedded in SDI camera signals
  • Choose between different Trigger Record Behaviours and Trigger Stop Behaviours (e.g., if you can only receive a record for one camera in your setup, you can choose that this camera should trigger start/stop recording for all cameras)
• Receive and store the Clip Name embedded in SDI camera signals
• Audio recording: Include audio from a connected audio interface in your recordings
  • Add an audio delay to the audio recording to keep it in sync with the video signals
• Add multiple “media folders” to flexibly add additional media storage space
  • Define one media folder as the current “record folder”
• Apply “global” metadata, such as slate info for all active input slots to apply the currently filled-in metadata values to all new recordings
  • Set the “Take” field to increase automatically after recording (set by default – see in recording settings)
  • Add and remove metadata fields to include only fields required by your production

Recording controls with multiple in and out ranges

Synced group playback with “JKL” navigation

• Auto-load new clips for playback
• Play back single recordings or synced group recordings
• Control playback with industry standard “JKL” commands:
  • Play forwards/backwards (L/J)
  • Play faster (press L/J multiple times to increase playback speed)
  • Play slower (Shift-L/Shift-J, and press multiple times to decrease playback speed)
  • Step to next/previous frame (hold K and press L or J)
• Navigate through and edit in and out ranges:
  • Jump to next/previous in/out point (cycle through)
  • Set In / Set Out: Move in/out point of the nearest range, or add a new range after the last existing range of the clip
  • Clear nearest range, clear all ranges (only via menu or controller actions)
  • Add a new range between two existing ranges (only via menu or controller actions)
• Combine multiple Ranges Playback and Loop Playback options:
  • Playback (and loop) the entire clip
  • Playback (and loop) current range
  • Playback (and loop) all ranges

Playback controls with editing options and enabled ranges playback and loop playback

Comprehensive shot library with metadata-based “Smart Groups”

• View and edit recorded clips in a table view with meaningful shot metadata, rating, and flagging mechanism
  • Create multiple table column layouts to keep a suitable layout for each specific use case
• View and skim through recorded clips in a collection view
  • Directly load the selected clip or group at the skim head’s position into slots (e.g., to start playback at a specific action in the clip)
• Inspect and (multi-)edit metadata in a detail view displaying all metadata of selected clip/s
  • Group-select (option-click) or multi-select clips to edit metadata of multiple clips in the detail view of the library
• Remove a clip from a group or merge clips into a group

Note: Groups are synced through their SMPTE timecode track. When merging groups make sure the timecode of the clips are overlapping.

• Manage your library with folders and bins to create a meaningful library structure that suits your workflow
• Smart groups allow you to organize recorded clips using an automatic outline assembled from metadata (e.g., Scene, Shot, and Rating) for comprehensive media management and improved handling of large libraries
  • Create multiple smart group layouts to keep a suitable layout for each specific use case
• Hide and show folders and bins and/or smart groups in the library for fully flexible library structure view
• Filter the library or find specific clips using the library’s text search
• Import movies with the “Import Movies Into Library…” menu item in the library menu

Note: Currently, only ProRes Quicktime movies are supported

Library with “Scene” > “Shot” > “Take” smart groups

Multiple Window Layouts

The application comes with multiple window layouts, providing different UI elements. The layouts were designed depending on typical activities and common setups.

• The “Main View” window layout allows access to all components in the application, such as
  • the slot column with sections for input slots, library slots, composite slots, and output slots,
  • the “Main Viewer” with recording and playback controls for the currently selected slot,
  • the global metadata,
  • and the clip library

Main view window layout

• The “Multi View” window layouts are designed to allow viewing and controlling multiple slots simultaneously and provide viewers with controls for all active slots based on the slot types:
  • Input slots (multi view)
  • Library slots (multi view)
  • Output slots (multi view)

Tip: The multi view layouts are optimized to view all your camera feeds simultaneously, also if you work on a small screen, and you do not have a dedicated SDI monitor at your workstation

Multi view layout with two input slots

Customizable Toolbar

The toolbar is available in all window layouts and contains buttons for the most common global actions. You can customize the toolbar with the contextual “Customize Toolbar…” menu item (right-click / opt-click on toolbar) and drag and drop more actions into the toolbar or change the position of the buttons.

Customize toolbar

Known Issues

System Requirements: Apple Silicon M-Series Mac with hardware accelerated ProRes support, macOS 13 or newer.

Note: The beta version is free to use and will expire at the end of the beta phase.

We are happy for any feedback! Please send an e-mail to: feedback@pomfort.com

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