WATCHOUT 7: Supported Media Formats Guide

Video Formats

WATCHOUT 7 features a media optimization system that converts input formats to optimized playback formats.

Input Video Container Formats

  • MP4/MOV (QuickTime/MPEG-4)
  • MXF (Material Exchange Format)
  • MPG/MPEG (MPEG-1, MPEG-2)
  • TS/M2TS (Transport Stream)

Input Video Codecs

WATCHOUT 7 can ingest these video codecs:

  • HAP Family

    • HAP (standard)
    • HAP Alpha (with transparency)
    • HAP Q (higher quality)
    • HAP Q Alpha (higher quality with transparency)
    • HAP Alpha Only (transparency channel only)
    • HAP R (BC7 texture compression)

  • Notch Family

    • Notch LC (opaque)
    • Notch LC Alpha (with transparency)

  • ProRes Family

    • ProRes 422 (standard)
    • ProRes 422 Proxy (lightweight)
    • ProRes 422 LT (light)
    • ProRes 422 HQ (high quality)
    • ProRes 4444 (higher quality)
    • ProRes 4444 Alpha (higher quality with transparency)
    • ProRes 4444 XQ (extreme quality)
    • ProRes 4444 XQ Alpha (extreme quality with transparency)

  • Other Codecs

    • AVC/H.264
    • HEVC/H.265 (8-bit)
    • HEVC/H.265 10-bit
    • MPEG2

Note: AVC/H.264 only supported up to level 5.2

  • Images (Raw formats)
    • Raw 8-bit RGB
    • Raw 8-bit RGBA (with transparency)
    • Raw 16-bit RGB
    • Raw 16-bit RGBA (with transparency)
    • Raw 8-bit Y (luminance only)

Optimized Output Codecs

The system optimizes media to these playback formats:

  • GPU-Accelerated Formats

    • HEVC (H.265)
    • HEVC 10-bit (for HDR content)
    • HAP
    • HAP Alpha
    • HAP Q
    • HAP Q Alpha
    • HAP Alpha Only
    • HAP R
    • Notch LC
    • Notch LC Alpha

  • Raw Output Formats

    • Raw 8-bit RGB
    • Raw 8-bit RGBA (with transparency)
    • Raw 10-bit RGB
    • Raw 11-bit YUV 4:2:0

Audio Formats

WATCHOUT 7 provides comprehensive audio support for versatile sound design.

Input Audio Container Formats

  • WAV (Waveform Audio)
  • AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)
  • MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3)
  • MP4/M4A (MPEG-4 Audio)
  • FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
  • OGG (Ogg Vorbis)
  • AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)

Input Audio Codecs

  • Uncompressed

    • PCM 16-bit
    • PCM 24-bit
    • PCM 32-bit float

  • Compressed Lossy

    • MP3 (various bitrates)
    • AAC (various profiles)
    • Vorbis (OGG)
    • WMA

  • Compressed Lossless

    • FLAC

Playback Support

  • Sample Rates

    • 44.1kHz (CD quality)
    • 48kHz (professional standard)
    • 96kHz (high resolution)

  • Channel Configurations

    • Mono
    • Stereo
    • 5.1 Surround
    • 7.1 Surround
    • Multi-channel (up to 64 channels)

Image Formats

WATCHOUT 7 supports a wide range of image formats for high-quality still graphics.

Input Image Formats

  • Raster Formats

    • PNG (with transparency)
    • JPG/JPEG (lossy compression)
    • TIFF (including multi-page)
    • TGA (with alpha channel)
    • BMP (uncompressed bitmap)
    • GIF (no-animation)
    • WEBP (next-gen format)

  • High Dynamic Range

    • EXR (OpenEXR)
    • HDR (Radiance)

  • Professional Formats

    • PSD (Photoshop layers)

  • Vector Formats

    • SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

  • Sequences

    • Numbered image sequences (any supported format)

Optimized Output Formats

All images are regarded as raw input from a mapping perspective. Most images are 8bit per channel. But Tiff, for example is 16 bit per channel. So to change how images are ingested, change its raw format

Choosing the Right Codec

For Maximum Performance

  • HAP Family: Hardware-accelerated, ideal for multi-display setups
  • HAP Alpha/HAP Q Alpha: When transparency is needed

For Storage Efficiency

  • HEVC/H.265: Smallest file sizes, good for long-duration content
  • HEVC 10-bit: For HDR content with efficient storage

For Highest Quality

  • Notch LC: High quality with good performance
  • Raw Formats: Maximum quality for critical applications

For Transparency

  • HAP Alpha: Best performance with transparency
  • Notch LC Alpha: High quality with transparency
  • Raw 8-bit RGBA: Uncompressed with transparency

By selecting appropriate formats, you'll achieve the optimal balance between visual quality, system performance, and storage efficiency in your WATCHOUT 7 productions.