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1. Furthermore, recently Adobe joined hand with Apple, and some of its products like Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Media Encoder now support Apple ProRes codec. Also, with the support of Apple ProRes Codec Premiere Pro can convert your video clips (MP4 for example) to ProRes right on your Windows PC.
2. Mac Apple ProRes Converter Features - Convert AVCHD/MTS/M2TS to ProRes 422/4444 on Mac - Convert 2D recordings/videos to 3D MP4, MKV, MOV - Convert ProRes video to H.265, H.264, MPEG-2, DNxHD, AIC - Transcode MXF footage to ProRes 422 MOV/ProRes 4444 MOV - Trim, merge, crop MTS/MXF/MKV/AVI/MP4 video on Mac - Encode MKV file/video/movie to ProRes codec on Mac - Add.srt and.ass subtitles into.

Apple ProRes RAW on a 28-core Mac Pro. Apple ProRes 4444 and Apple ProRes 422 HQ are included for comparison. ProRes RAW ProRes 422 HQ ProRes 4444 0 3 6 9 12 Mac Pro – Final Cut Pro Multistream Playback DCI 4K 59.94p ProRes RAW HQ 12 12 11 5 Testing conducted by Apple in December 2019 on preproduction 2.5GHz 28-core Intel Xeon W-based. Besides, ProRes video codec is exclusive for iPhone Pro series, and as of now only iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can record ProRes videos. Apple ProRes includes the following formats: Apple ProRes 4444 XQ, Apple ProRes 4444, Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes 422 LT, Apple ProRes 422 Proxy. ProRes vs ProRes Raw vs Raw.

More Profiles. More Pixel Formats. Better Performance. The New Version 2!

The second generation release of the Miraizon DNxHD and ProRes Codecs brings many new features and improvements.

• New support for ProRes 4444 XQ profile encoding and decoding
• New support for DNxHD 444 profile encoding and decoding
• New encoding rate control system with improved image quality
• New threaded encoding system for faster encoding performance
• New support for additional pixel formats
• New support for conversions between 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 for more pixel formats
• Improved compatibility with Adobe CS and CC products

See the complete list of new features and improvements for the Windows version and the Mac version.

The Industry's Two Most Popular Professional Editing Codecs Together

The DNxHD (VC-3) and ProRes codecs have both enjoyed increasing popularity among video editors. Unfortunately, support for the two codecs is uneven across computer platorms and editing systems, making it often difficult for editors to collaborate and exchange files. This patchy support also poses problems for archiving projects if an organization decides to switch editing platforms or computer systems. Now, Miraizon has a convenient and cost-effective solution to this problem. The Miraizon DNxHD and ProRes codec components offer identical functionality for both Mac and Windows users, as well as identical compression and decompression capability to all QuickTime-compatible applications. Editors can now use the best codec for the job while maintaining their preferred editing system and computer platform.

Use DNxHD with Macs. Use DNxHD without Media Composer.

While DNxHD codec components have been available for some time, fully thread-safe components have been missing. This limited the useability of the DNxHD codec on the Macintosh platform. In addition, unless you owned Avid Media Composer, the only available components were older and had reduced functionality. The Miraizon DNxHD codec components are modern, fully thread-safe components that will work with any QuickTime-capable application. They offer identical performance and functionality for Mac and Windows users, and even for users of older PowerPC-based Macs.

Use ProRes with Windows. Use ProRes without Final Cut.

The ProRes codec has been gaining in popularity, but until now Windows users have been left out. Sure, it was possible to play ProRes movies under Windows, but not to actually edit or modify those movies. The only choices were clunky implementations based on open-source projects. Mac users who didn't want to purchase Final Cut were in stuck the same situation. Now, with the Miraizon ProRes codec component, these problems have been solved. The Miraizon components are modern, fully thread-safe components that will work on Macs and on Windows with any QuickTime-compatible application. The Mac and Windows versions offer identical performance and functionality, and even users of older PowerPC-based Macs are not left out.

Powerful Performance

The Miraizon codecs automatically take advantage of the processing power of your system to dramatically speed up both compression and decompression.

• SSE2 and AltiVec vector acceleration for faster compression, decompression, and format conversions
• Multi-threaded program structure gives impressive performance gains on systems with multiple CPUs
• Multi-threading adjusts according to the number of CPUs in your system

Miraizon DNxHD Codec Features

The Miraizon DNxHD codec delivers professional performance and is fully compatible with Avid DNxHD codecs.

• Support for all 4:2:2 VC-3 standardized profiles
• Support for 4:4:4 DNxHD 444 profile
• Support for both progressive and interlaced video
• Selection of profile and interlacing both programmatically and through a dialog interface
• Support for conversions between 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 formats
• Support for conversions between 8 bit and 10 bit video formats
• Support for frame sizes up to 1920x1080
• Support for non-standard frame sizes with automatic padding and selection of best profile
• Support for input and output in a wide variety of pixel formats, including 4:2:2 (8/10/16 bits), ARGB (8/16 bits), BGRA, v308, v408, r408, r4fl, and v410

Miraizon ProRes Codec Features

The Miraizon ProRes-compatible codec delivers professional performance and is fully compatible with Apple ProRes codecs.

• Support for all 4:2:2 profiles, including Proxy, LT, 422, and HQ
• Support for all 4:4:4 profiles, including 4444 and 4444 XQ, with or without alpha channel data
• Support for both progressive and interlaced video
• Selection of profile and interlacing both programmatically and through a dialog interface
• Support for conversions between 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 formats
• Support for conversions between 8 bit and 10 bit video formats
• Support for all frame sizes from below standard-definition through HD 2K, 4K, and beyond
• Support for non-standard frame sizes with automatic padding and cropping
• Support for input and output in a wide variety of pixel formats, including 4:2:2 (8/10/16 bits), ARGB (8/16 bits), BGRA, v308, v408, r408, r4fl, and v410

QuickTime Component Features

The Miraizon DNxHD and ProRes codec components are implemented as modern QuickTime 7 compatible components.

• Implementation as QuickTime Image Compression and Image Decompression components for widest compatibility
• Support for Standard Compression dialog configuration (e.g. in QuickTime Pro)
• Support for Request Settings dialog configuration (e.g. in Adobe CS and CC products)
• Support for programmatic configuration and operation via compression and decompression sessions
• Full compatibility with movies produced by Avid and Apple components

Still have questions? Visit our Miraizon DNxHD and ProRes Codecs FAQ page.

ProRes vs H.264, it is hard to judge which one is better as each of them can be used as the best video codec under certain circumstances. In simple words, Apple ProRes codec is designed for post-production while H.264 codec is widely used in video delivery/distribution. Compared to the background and theoretical knowledge, you may be more interested in the using scenes. So, this is not a paper-style article but a guide which will use simple words about Apple ProRes vs H.264 to help you choose the right codec when you need to edit, play, upload, share, etc. videos.

Best Video Converter to Convert Apple ProRes to H.264 & Vice Versa

MacX Video Converter Pro, a free video conversion tool supporting both H.264/HEVC and ProRes to let you convert Apple ProRes to H.264 and vice versa at will. Also compress 8K/4K files to 1080p in superfast speed and high quality.

Table of Contents

• Part 1. The Brief Introduction of ProRes & H.264
• Part 2. Detailed Analysis of Apple ProRes vs H.264
• Part 3. Comparison Conclusion – Which One Should You Choose

Part 1. The Brief Introduction of ProRes vs H.264

#1. What is ProRes?

ProRes is a high quality, lossy video compression format developed by Apple for use in post-production that supports video resolution up to 8K. So, it gradually become the mainstream code for Hollywood movie production. Introduced in 2007 with Final Cut Studio 2, it is an unparalleled combination of multistream, real-time editing performance, impressive image quality, and reduced storage rates so that is very suitable for post-production, high quality and high performance. Besides, ProRes video codec is exclusive for iPhone Pro series, and as of now only iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can record ProRes videos.

Apple ProRes includes the following formats: Apple ProRes 4444 XQ, Apple ProRes 4444, Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes 422 LT, Apple ProRes 422 Proxy.

ProRes vs ProRes Raw vs Raw

In 2018, Apple released ProRes Raw, the codec built upon the same technology as other ProRes codecs. ProRes Raw retains more original information than ProRes and has a higher data rate so that it is perfect for making HDR-standard videos. If ProRes codec is for Ultra HD 8K videos, ProRes Raw is born for HDR standard videos.

Well, what’s the difference between ProRes and Raw? Raw Formats are the untouched media that your video camera produces. Unlike ProRes videos, Raw videos are not encoded files. All the data of RAW is from camera sensor without any camera processing baked in. Besides, you can change camera settings like ISO, exposure, gamma, white balance and color space after your video is hot. So, ProRes Raw has the performance of ProRes and the flexibility of Raw.

Apple Prores 422 Codec Download Mac Os

#2. What is H.264?

Used by 91% of video industry developers as of September 2019, H.264 (AVC) video compression standard is an industry standard for video compression which mainly used as a delivery/distribution codec with much smaller file size. It is a network-friendly video transmission method that can deliver high-quality images without being a bandwidth hog. So, it is commonly used for recording, compression, streaming/distribution of video contents. To free up storage space of your devices, H.264 is still more suitable than Apple ProRes.

Specs	ProRes	H.264
Release date	2007	2003
Developer (s)	Apple Inc.	Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and Moving Pictures Export Group (MPEG)
Compression way	Intra-frame compression, low compression ratio	GOP (Group of Pictures) Processed Collectively, high compression ratio
Lossy/lossless	Lossy compression	Lossy compression
Container format (s)	Works with QuickTime Movie Format (MOV)	Works with Almost All Major Formats (MP4, M4P, M4V)
Video resolution	Mainly for 8K,now you can only record 4K	Mainly for 4K, up to 8K
Codec	10-bit Codec	8-bit Codec
Usage	Post-production	Video distribution/delivery

Part 2. Detailed Analysis of Apple ProRes vs H.264

Here, we discard in-depth technologies about the two codecs that a paper could explain clearly, but give you easy words about what you are caring most, say which one is better.

#1. ProRes vs H.264: File Size

Winner: H.264

H.264 has high compression ratio making the file size is relatively smaller while Apple ProRes has low compression ratio making the files gigantic in size that further occupy a significant amount of space on a disk. The data rate of ProRes is higher than the normal video materials including H.264 files so bring about a lot of storage pressure as well. That’s why you need iPhone 13 Pro with at least 256GB storage to a record a 4K ProRes video, and that’s why Apple provides 1TB storage choice for iPhone users.

Iphone Prores

#2. ProRes vs H.264: Video Quality

Winner: Apple ProRes

Apple ProRes preserves a wider color gamut. Apple ProRes is a 10-bit codec that the ProRes files have more shades while working with Color Grading options in a post-production tool like iMovie, Clips, Final Cut Studio 2, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premier and Davinci Resolve. However, H.264 is an 8-bit codec which has fewer color grading options while working with post-production software. As far as we know, HDR offers brighter highlights, darker shadows and more details in both sides, but Apple ProRes supports HDR while H.264 doesn’t support it.

#3. ProRes vs H.264: Compatibility

Winner: H.264

Apple ProRes is a quite new video codec mainly designed for post-production, so that the supported devices or applications are countable. As of this article, there only a few devices, hardware or platforms support ProRes.

Apple Prores 422 Hq

• Recorders: Arri Alexa, AJA (IO HD FireWire 800 interface; Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini portable recorders, Ki Pro Rack and Ki Pro Ultra for 4K/UltraHD workflows), Atomos[19] (Ninja and Samurai recorders), Sound Devices (PIX series recorders), Convergent Designs (Odyssey7, 7Q, 7Q+), Fast Forward Video[20] (Sidekick recorder) HyperDeck SSD recorders, Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q monitor/recorders, Atomos Shogun, AJA CION production camera, Blackmagic UrsaMini 4.6k, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, etc.
• Encoders: iMovie, Clips, Final Cut Studio 2, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premier, Davinci Resolve, QuickTime (using the 'Maximum' quality setting when producing a Movie Recording), etc.
• Video hosting sites: YouTube.
• Media Player: VLC Media Player, QuickTime Player (need to download Apple ProRes QuickTime decoder for Windows and Mac).

As for H.264, you can find it nearly everywhere. H.264 touches every aspects of our digital lives and its popularity is growing continuously. You can find it in HD DVDs, HDTV, pay-TV, YouTube videos, Blu-ray discs, videos from Netflix, Hulu, Vimeo, iTunes Store, Amazon Prime Video, etc. You can also find it in CCTV and Video Surveillance markets. Since iPhone 6S Plus, all newer iPhone models support H.264 video codec.

#4. ProRes vs H.264: Encoding

Winner: ProRes

Apple ProRes uses I-Frame approach. All ProRes codecs are frame-independent codecs that each frame is encoded and decoded independently of any other frame. That leads to a faster rendering speed, 5.7 times the R3D 3:1, 4.1 times the R3D5:1, and 1.5 times the Canon's new compressible RAW . That’s the reason ProRes files are big. However, ProRes files are loosely compressed, so they don’t require much GPU to de-compress the information.

H.264 uses GOP (Group of Pictures) Approach. H.264 codec compresses a group of pictures to form a complex architecture that, even though it reduces the overall file size, requires more inputs from GPU to decompress and process while processing.

#5. ProRes vs H.264: Other Advantages & Disadvantages

ProRes:

• ProRes helps make iPhone 13 Pro series and newer iPhone models more professional in terms of recording cinematic videos.
• ProRes is a bandwidth intensive format because of its large file size.
• If you use ProRes coding format when editing your videos, you can export your videos with a faster speed.

H.264:

• H.264 is more suitable for the majority of people who only need videos up to 4K.
• H.264 is more economical. The service providers and common people can use the existing wires and infrastructure for long-distance transmission. Because H.264 video is standard based, it provides a vendor agnostic video extension solution that users can mix and match H.264 equipment from different vendors without worry of any compatibility or proprietary issues.
• H.264 is a network-friendly video transmission method that delivers high-quality images without being a bandwidth hog.
• H.264 lets you stream video from an encoder to multiple decoders simultaneously. For example, you can stream one set of video signals to a display, a video wall and a digital signal system at the same time.

Part 3. Comparison Conclusion – Which One Should You Choose

Apple Video Codec

H.264 is for video distribution/delivery purposes, while ProRes is for post-production. That said, if you just need to do a simple edit or just play a video, you can go with H.264 codec, but if you plan to do a heavy edit with lots of transitions, effects, layers and color grading, you will be best served by Apple ProRes.

Apple Prores 422 Codec Download Mac Pro

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