Following its successful launch at NAB 2024, Cleanfeed Cinema – the latest remote recording innovation from Emmy Award-winning Cleanfeed – is already helping audio postproduction facilities redefine their workflows by combining studio quality audio with real-time, high frame rate video over the internet.
Among the first post houses to adopt Cleanfeed Cinema are Parabolic in New York, Forever Audio in London, and Telegael in Ireland, where Head of Sound Ciarán Ó Tuairisc describes the new product as a ‘game changer’.
“We’ve been using Cleanfeed’s audio remote recording software for a long time because it gives us the broadcast quality sound we want and is very easy to use,” Ó Tuairisc says “When we heard that Cleanfeed was launching a product that could do video as well as audio, we asked if we could try it out. Initial demos convinced us that this was a wonderful thing. As soon as Cleanfeed Cinema became available we immediately adopted it and are now using it very successfully, particularly for reviewing work with clients and for ADR.”
Cleanfeed Cinema, which will be on show at the Media Production & Technology Show in London from May 15-16th 2024 (stand M36) is specifically tailored for synchronous remote collaboration and audio production, and is the seamless solution that the film and broadcast industry has been waiting for. Whether you are recording ADR, mixing sessions, narration, dubbing, or conducting real-time audio reviews with remote guests, Cleanfeed Cinema is the answer.
The product was introduced as a result of customer demand for a single tool that gives professionals access to both video and audio when they work remotely with talent, production teams and clients.
Cleanfeed already had the audio side sewn up with its ultra-low latency online studio for live audio and recording, which allows live, unadulterated audio to be transported over the internet, in real time. This audio-only solution was introduced in 2014 by company founders Marc Bakos and Mark Hills, both of whom have extensive technology experience in the broadcast and post-production industries. Alongside the Emmy the founders won for Cleanfeed in 2022, Mark Hills also has an Academy Award in the Scientific and Technical category for his earlier work in large-scale rendering of CGI for film.
Cleanfeed Cinema employs propriety video delivery technology that gives the lowest possible latency. It was designed from the ground up to push video as fast as possible to the people who need to see it. It also delivers a high-definition image at a consistent frame-rate, which is critical for users working on frame-accurate footage with audio where any delay can ruin a take. With Cleanfeed Cinema there is no loss of synchronisation between pictures and audio, making it the perfect solution for all post-production workflows.
For multi-Emmy and IFTA award-winning Telegael, having reliable remote production tools is vital because the company is based on the west coast of Ireland, many miles from the international producers, distributors, and broadcasters with whom it regularly works.
“Given our location, it’s hardly surprising that we’ve been doing remote links ups forever,” Ciarán Ó Tuairisc says. “We do a lot of ADR work with actors who are filming in Ireland or over here for events such as the Galway Film Festival, so it is vital that we have a solution that can deliver broadcast quality audio and hold sync.”
Impressed by Cleanfeed’s audio quality and ease of use, Telegael was an early adopter and has used the software on numerous productions for clients such as Disney, Lionsgate, Netflix, NBC Universal, BBC, Discovery, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, RAI, France TV, ABC Australia, CCTV China, ITV, RTÉ, TV3 and TG4.
“It’s easy to use – even for someone with no technical knowledge – and the audio is always perfect,” Ó Tuairisc says. “It’s a really useful tool and since we started using it we’ve never looked back.”
Cleanfeed Cinema is now proving equally useful as it incorporates all the advantages of the original software but with the added benefit of a video feed that can be viewed by up to 16 guests at the same time. With no complicated logins or firewall adjustments to make, Cleanfeed Cinema’s secure, encrypted in-browser stream focuses on low latency, making it ideally suited to low bandwidth scenarios. The software delivers 2K, 60fps cinema streaming, maintains frame rate for cue and timing and offers optional full screen workflows.
“Other solutions use a buffered delivery method for video, so after an hour-long session some people could be one second out while others could be a few minutes out,” says Marc Bakos. “That’s no good if you’re working together and trying to collaborate with real-time audio. With Cleanfeed Cinema, it’s everything, everywhere at exactly the same time.”
At Telegael, there is a daily requirement to review projects remotely and this is where Cleanfeed Cinema is really coming into its own. Prior to its launch, Telegael was using Zoom to send pictures and Cleanfeed to send audio, on the understanding that synchronisation between the two software might occasionally be hit and miss. However, with Cleanfeed Cinema the sound and the pictures are now both perfect, which, says Ó Tuairisc, has made an enormous difference.
“We can now use it for all our ADR because video and audio perfectly synched together,” he says. “We recently completed an animation series called Pirate Academy that consisted of 52 10-minute episodes. We were recording two actors in two different parts of the UK, as well as communicating with a director in London. Cleanfeed Cinema was the link between all of us and it worked brilliantly. I have no complaints at all.”
Cleanfeed Cinema doesn’t need to be coupled with other products and comes with a fixed annual cost (£2000, $2500 or €2300 for up to 16 guests). As a straightforward browser-based tool, there is nothing to install and no firewall configuration. It can run on a local editing workstation or on a separate machine, and with synchronous remote working there are no uploads, file transfers, downloads or special hardware to deal with. Privacy and security controls ensure that all footage sent is secure. Sessions remain private and there is no data at rest on Cleanfeed servers.
To set up a Cleanfeed Cinema session, all users need do is purchase a single license, share a link with collaborators (who don’t need their own license), and begin capturing high-quality, multitrack audio over the web.
For more information about Cleanfeed, Cleanfeed Pro and Cleanfeed Cinema, please visit visit cleanfeed.net
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About Cleanfeed
Imagine a technology that enables you to speak remotely with audio quality as if you were in the same studio as someone else. Now add low latencies so that you get the rapport of a real conversation. Next bring multiple people together in the same way to make a professional, multitrack recording. Integrate powerful audio routing and controls and, finally, package it so it’s accessible to anyone clicking a link in their web browser. That’s Cleanfeed — the online studio for live audio and recording. cleanfeed.net
