Knowledge Base
POPULAR QUESTIONS
Popular Questions
What is the delivery time for my order?
While we will always aim to deliver in the timeframe stated on our website, we cannot guarantee the same for each and every individual job.
Fast delivery of your DCP(s) is one of our major objectives. Yet the most important goal in our work is and always will be quality.
Once we successfully checked your source material we’ll send you an email containing a detailed job sheet for your DCP, a quote for the job as well as a delivery estimate.
Aspect Ratio and Resolution (Dimensions)
- The aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio of your source video.
- The resolution refers to your source video’s actual dimensions in pixels.
PLEASE NOTICE: When dealing with your source video’s aspect ratio and resolution, it’s the actual picture of your video stream that counts. Don’t include any letter- or pillarboxes in your calculations!
In digital cinema packages there are only two commonly used ‘container formats’. These containers are called ‘Flat’ and ‘Scope’:
| Container | Aspect Ratio | 2K Resolution | 4K Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | 1.85:1 | 1998 x 1080 px | 3996 x 2160 px |
| Scope | 2.39:1 | 2048 x 858 px | 4096 x 1716 px |
When mastering your DCP we therefore have to get your video source to fit into one of those two ‘container formats’.
How do you analyze my source files?
As soon as we receive your files, we will thoroughly test, check and verify your source material, looking for potential problems in regards to DCP production – free of charge!
In addition to software-based tests, each file you send us will be manually inspected and screened by our team, making sure that your DCP will live up to the highest quality standards possible.
If our team finds any potential problem in your source files we will contact you directly by email.
Did you know? Our source file analysis is free of charge! Uploading your source files and having us check them is free and does not involve any obligations whatsoever. We’ll only start working on your DCP if you prepay your order.
Which file formats can I use for my source files?
We accept all common file formats and video / audio containers.
In order to produce a DCP we’ll extract all video and audio assets from any container format you send us.
VIDEO:
Common video file formats / containers we recommend: MOV, MXF, MP4, AVI
Alternatively you can of course deliver your video stream as a DPX or TIFF (linear) image sequence.
AUDIO:
We recommend embedding your audio track(s) in your container format along with the video track to ensure that video and audio are perfectly in sync.
Alternatively you can send your audio track(s) separately. Recommended audio file containers are WAV and AIFF (accurately synced to the video track). If you plan to send us your audio tracks as separate files, please make sure to use distinct file names for each track, so that we can clearly identify each track’s designated channel mapping.
SUBTITLES:
If your video source is 24 frames/second, we can add dynamic subtitles to your DCP. We recommend you deliver your subtitles as ‘D-Cinema CineCanvas Interop 1.0 XML’, including the referenced TTF file. Alternatively we also accept SRT subtitle files.
If your video source is 25 frames/second or higher, we recommend that you pre-render (hardcode) your subtitles into your video stream.
What are your Office and Support Hours?
If You have any questions regarding our services or your order, feel free to contact our Support Team. Our support hours are:
Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm (Germany, UTC/GMT +1)
Please be aware that we will not be able to react to any support requests outside of this timeframe.
Our offices are closed or run on bare-bones support staff on weekends and during these major national holidays in Germany:
- New Year (New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day)
- Easter (Good Friday, Easter Monday)
- 1st of May (May Day)
- Ascension Day / Whit Monday
- 3rd of October (Day of German Unity)
- Christmas (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day)
These dates may vary if they fall on weekends. We want to offer the best support available, while also giving our team much deserved time off to rest and be better for you!
In any case, please provide sufficient time for a support representative to review your request and respond accordingly.
Do you grant refunds?
As stated in our Terms of Service, we will consider a refund based on the following reasons:
- your order cannot be completed;
- your request to cancel the order is received before the production is started;
Please contact our support team to review your individual case.