Recommendations for DCP Conversion

The Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format is designed for ultimate sound and picture quality. While CineSend can convert a wide range of file formats into a DCP, we've put together some basic recommendations:

Format/Codec

The quality of your DCP will be directly dependant on the quality of the file you start with. Here are some recommended and accepted formats:

ProRes 422 HQ (most common)
ProRes 422
ProRes 4444
ProRes 4444 XQ
DNxHQ
DNxHD
DNxHR (all types)
XDCAM-EX
H.265 (accepted, not recommended)
H.264 (accepted, preferably at bitrates over 20 Mbps)

Tip! You can't "add" quality to a video file by exporting it to a higher codec. So for example, if your master is a ProRes 422 HQ file, you will not gain quality by converting that file to a larger ProRes 4444

Aspect Ratio + Resolution

DCPs can be one of two aspect ratios:

Flat 1.85:1 (1998×1080 for 2K, 3996×2160 for 4K)
Scope 2.39:1 (2048×848 for 2K, 4096×1716 for 4K)

We will always adjust your film to fit the best matching container frame based on your source file. During ordering you can also tell us if you would prefer we use letterboxing or pillarboxing to maintain your exact compositions (the most common), or zoom and crop your image to fully fill a theatre screen with no letterboxing or pillarboxing. The right choice just depends on how your film was shot and is ultimately a matter of personal preference.

Frame Rate

DCPs must always be "whole" progressive frame-rates (24, 25, 30, or 48fps).

If your film is in a fractional frame rate (23.98fps, 29.97fps), CineSend will automatically convert to the nearest whole frame rate.

If your film is interlaced (30i, 60i, etc), you must properly de-interlace the file before uploading.

Audio

We recommend 5.1 audio whenever possible, though stereo is just fine too.

Audio can be embedded with your video, or supplied as separate .wav stems. If you supply separate audio, ensure that it the .wav stems are identical in duration to your video. Otherwise, make sure there's a 2-pop present on both the audio and video files to aid with sync.

Color Space

We process all major color space systems as long as they are properly marked in the master file. The vast (vast) majority of films we process are in Rec.709 / BT.709 - however we deal with all other major systems (P3, etc.) DCPs do not natively support HDR, so if you deliver a HDR master file to us, it will need to be converted to SDR to output as a DCP.