MovieRecorder 4 was introduced more than a year ago now, and it adds a lot of new features and improvements over MovieRecorder 3. Check out this article to know the differences between the two versions.
At the time if was released, we said that the upgrade prices were valid until June 2018. We have extended that "grace" period a little bit, but you should know that these introductory promotional prices will end on October 31st. Starting on November 1st, the upgrade prices from MovieRecorder 3 to MovieRecorder 4 will go up.
We will also discontinue the special price for the MovieRecorder 3 licenses with the pro codecs option. The same upgrade price will apply for all, whether you have a pro codecs option or not.
Here are the prices comparison:
- from MovieRecorder 3: NOW: $ 995 -> November 1st: $ 1.395
- from MovieRecorder 3 (4-pack): NOW: $ 3.495 -> November 1st: $ 4.995
- from M|80: NOW: $ 3.495 -> November 1st: $ 5.495
- from M|62: NOW: $ 2.795 -> November 1st: $ 3.995
- from M|44: NOW: $ 1.395 -> November 1st: $ 2.795
As you can see the promotional price is a great deal, so take advantage of this terrific offer, and upgrade today. Here are the current upgrade prices.
Contact your local reseller or Softron directly if you have any questions.
On January 1st, 2018, we will stop selling upgrades from our "old" playback applications to the latest and greatest versions.
Versions impacted by the change:
- OnTheAir CG 1.x
- OnTheAir Node 1.x
- OnTheAir Video Express 1.x
- OnTheAir Video 1.x
- OnTheAir Video 2.x
If you still own one of the licenses above and did not upgrade yet, it is the best time to do it. After January 1st, 2018, you will have to purchase a full license if you want to upgrade.
So don't wait any longer. Our latest playout applications (now all in version 3) offer great new features and improvments.
Contact us if you want more info on the upgrade.
Ten years after the release of the first version of MovieRecorder, we are bringing another major (r)evolution to ingest solutions with MovieRecorder 4 and MovieRecorder Express 4. We will be showing MovieRecorder 4 at IBC2017, stand 7.G12, so come by and see for yourself.
NEW in MovieRecorder 4:
- Fully configurable user interface
- NDI® sources
- External audio sources
- Effects and overlays
- HEVC (H.265) support
- Save and restore configurations
MovieRecorder Express 4 is an entry-level version of MovieRecorder. It uses the same reliable recording engine and beautiful user interface as MovieRecorder 4, with the same outstanding features such as edit-while-ingest, NDI® sources, scheduling, remote control,... But it limits some of the available features to make it even more affordable for everyone.
MovieRecorder 4 and MovieRecorder Express 4 will be available for purchase on October 1st, 2017. Contact us if you are interested in being part of the beta program when it's available.
Aside from our booth (SL12216), we will also have a presentation at the NAB FCP Exchange event, which will take place April 18th and 19th in the Rainbow Room at the Renaissance Hotel, a short walk from NAB’s South Hall.
FCP Exchange is a free workshop series from FCPWORKS and FCP.co designed to present specific Final Cut Pro X workflows and techniques both to new editors and experienced professionals. If you want to see how Final Cut Pro X is used for various productions and events, this is the place to go.
It is a free event, but as seating is limited, register to reserve your seat.
Softron is exhibiting at NAB 2016. We will be showing an updated version of MovieRecorder with a few welcome improvements of the already acclaimed set of features.
But most importantly, we we are very excited to be showing M|Replay, the first instant replay solution on the Mac, come check it out.
NAB show starts on April 18th, and we'll be on booth SL12216. Register Now, and use the guest pass code LV3638 to get a discount on your registration.
We will also have a presentation on April 19th at the FCP Exchange event at the Renaissance Hotel, short walking distance from the show floor.
At BVE 2016, we will be showing a technology the first instant replay solution on the Mac.
The BVE starts on February 23rd at Excel, London, and we'll be at Stand P41. We'll also have some presentations at the Soho Editors' theather:
- 23rd February, 2016 16:00 (30 minutes)
- 24th February, 2016 17:30 (30 minutes)
Come and meet with us for this very unique moment.
Since the release of MovieRecorder 3.3 in November, it is possible to add metadata to your recordings. The following document explains briefly the integration with Cantemo which provides intuitive and streamlined media management solutions. Its flagship product, Cantemo Portal™, is used by content creators and owners to intuitively manage their media.
- Added the "Live input" feature to be able to use a real video input (AJA, Blackmagic-Design, or M|family) and/or a direct link (from OnTheAir Node or OnTheAir Video) as a video item in a CG project.
- Added "Audio mixing" to support multiple sources of audio.
- RSS Tickers can now "publish" their url (can now be modified with the REST API)
- Still images and Videos can now "publish" their path (can now be modified with the REST API)
- Fixed a refresh issue when updating the variables with the REST API
OnTheAir Manager goes from version 1.3.5 to version 3.0. The reason for that version jump is that OnTheAir Manager 1.3.5 still used QuickTime to preview and trim the clip in the inspector. This could be confusing as OnTheAir Manager was not able to read some files that OnTheAir Node could, or the other way around. With version 3.0 we now use the same engine for the OnTheAir Manager preview as OnTheAir Node 3 uses to playout files. So the files that can be read by both applications are identical. This is a major change in itself which then diserved a major version number change. By using a version 3 we also bring it in pair with OnTheAir Node which is also in version 3.
So there were a lot of changes, but most are "under the hood". Below are the new features that can actually be seen :
- Added the ability to send more than a month to OnTheAir Node
- Update inspector UI
- EPG plugins have been updated to newer versions with a few fixes
- Fixed an issue with Keychain
We have started to roll out some of the services with the new logo. The main website will be updated around IBC.
We wanted to let you know in advance so you can find us at IBC. Don't look for our old logo! We'll be at the same place as last year:
Hall 7 - Stand 7.G12


Simply stated, if you are involved in an event that will be edited using the multicam function in Final Cut Pro (7 or X) or Premiere - using Multicam Logger (with or without MovieRecorder) is the easiest and most logical solution available.
Multicam Logger - the essential add on for any system used for Multicam editing.

Multicam Logger - the essential add on for any system used for Multicam editing.
The M|family now consists of three software and hardware bundles. The M|80 with its 8 inputs, released at last year’s NAB was (and still is) the first ingest solution for the Mac offering that number inputs on a single device (using one single thunderbolt cable). With the M|62 and M|44 users can now also playout video. The M|62 provides six inputs and two outputs, while the M|44 has four inputs and four outputs. These are ideal for production facilities needing to record multiple cameras as well as playout video for their show.
For the ingest, the M|80, M|62 and M|44 use Softron’s highly acclaimed MovieRecorder software. MovieRecorder has been upgraded to version 3.2 and will be included with these bundles. MovieRecorder 3.2 adds a significant number of features including, Integrated Remote Control, MXF support, autonaming, the automatic detection of the incoming signal’s video format, Closed Captioning with most video cards, and a nice “Activity” window to monitor the performance of the system.
To output, the M|62 and M|44 are provided with Softron’s OnTheAir Video Express, (upgrades are available to OnTheAir Video and OnTheAir Node, Softron’s higher end playout solutions). Users can output pre-captured video (for example, as a news items or background video) or play files that are still being recorded by MovieRecorder, making it a very cost effective and easy “time-slip” solution.
Softron has gathered what it thinks are the highest quality hardware components in order to
ensure the best user experience possible.
The M|family is an “all-in-one” solution, hardware and software, all you need is a Mac Pro. Just connect the Thunderbolt cable provided to your Mac and start recording and/or playout.
The M|family of products is available from the Softron Media Services online store or from Softron Media Services resellers worldwide. MovieRecorder and OnTheAir Video Express are bundled with the M|family ingest and playout solutions that provide high-density multichannel input and output.
MovieRecorder 3 is the most versatile ingest software you can find. Sports and Live events producers praise its edit-while-ingest capabilities, which allow them to edit a multi-camera session while it is still being recorded, and thus be ready with a summary at the end of the show. Broadcasters who have to record feeds at given time of days enjoy its scheduling feature. Churches love its “Loop recording” feature for time-shifting. Reality show producers love its ability to record 24/7 while automatically and frame-accurately splitting the clip into segments, which is also a widely used feature for TV stations in the need of a compliance recording system.
OnTheAir Video Express supports most file wrappers (QuickTime, MXF, ts) as well as most video codecs including in 4K (Apple ProRes®, Avid DNxHD®, DVCPRO HD, H.264, MPEG-2, XDCAM EX®, XDCAM HD®,...). It also supports still image playback, clips with alpha channel and control playback from production switcher using GPI.
Read it here.
Manufacturers joining the event include Apple, AJA, G-Technology, Sonnet Technology, ATTO and Softron Media. Each of the manufacturers will demonstrate their latest Thunderbolt Technology that will streamline your productivity.
Register here.
FCPWORKS aims to be the leading provider of professional video solutions built around Final Cut Pro X. This event in Los Angeles will be the first of its kind. The new version of Final Cut Pro X and the new Mac Pro will be demonstrated in a variety of real-life, pro-video workflows.
The presentations will be given in 3 identical sessions:
MORNING - 11:00 AM TO 2:00 PM.
AFTERNOON - 3:00 PM TO 6:00 PM.
EVENING - 7:00 PM TO 10:00 PM.
Register on www.fcpworks.com/special_event/
INGEST with MovieRecorder 2
When talking about MovieRecorder, which still uses the QuickTime APIs, the most important factor here is the CPU. The GPU is not used a lot and the basic configuration (Dual D300) will be just fine. The better the CPU, the more channels you’ll be able to do.
Generally speaking, we can say that we were able to achieve one HD 1080i Apple ProRes (LT) ingest per core.
- 4 channels on the 4 core
- 8 channels on the 8 core
Note that we were then using a little bit more then 70% CPU then, and the computer is then at its limit. For safer operations, you may want to use for example a 6 core for 4 channels and a 12 core for 8 channels.
Also, these numbers will be different with other frame size and fps, as well as with different codecs.
PLAYBACK with OnTheAir Video 3
In OnTheAir Video 3, both the CPU and GPU are important, specially when using the SMART resize and graphics.
Basically, the CPU will be used mainly for the decompression of the files. So if you want to decode 4K video clips encoded in H264, you should consider using a higher end CPU such as the 6 or 8 core.
The GPU will then be used for resizing the file to the desired resolution (if needed) and overlay graphics, so the requirements of the graphics card will be bigger:
- the more you use videos of different resolutions that require a resize to fit in the output
- the bigger the « target » resolution = the resolution of your output. (NTSC = easy, 4K = a lot to of dots to calculate!)
- the nature of graphics that you want to overlay and the number of layers (Text and still images = easy, animation = hard)
In our tests, using the Dual D300 configuration, we were able to read files in ProRes LT, resize and overlay a ticker, a still image, a clock, and a rotating logo (source = movie ProRes 4444 file), all that on a 4K output.
Using the D700 configuration, and more importantly the 8-core (for decompression) we were able to add 3 more HD outputs on top of that 4K output, which is pretty amazing.
Conclusion
The new Mac Pro is really the most powerful Mac that we have seen so far. On such a small form factor, it is pretty impressive to be able to do all that, and the more so, silently. Now we’ll have to invest in our converters, hard drives and other peripherals so they are silent too. Maybe the next big hit in the industry is already not 4K anymore, but... silence

Our tests are not finished yet, and we will come back with more feedback, and long term tests with more video outputs.
As usual, we give these results for information only, it is not contractual as it can vary following your specific configuration, and we always recommend that you run tests with the demo versions available on our website.