It's Officially a 64bit World Or Is It? 32 vs. 64 bit TranscodingPublished: October 21st 2019
At Cinnafilm, we've had 32bit and 64bit versions of our technology for many years, and I figured the question of 32 vs. 64 bit Transcoding was a moot point. Everyone would just choose the 64bit SDK (Software Development Kit), right? Our Dark Energy Professional switched to 64bit years ago, and our SpaceTime library (which contains Tachyon) has been available as 64bit for years but some companies still used our 32bit SDK for reasons unknown to me.
Please note: RadiantGrid by Cinnafilm has been retired, and we suggest that you now point your attention to Cinnafilm PixelStrings.
RadiantGrid and 32 vs. 64 bit Transcoding Then we purchased RadiantGrid, and I COMPLETELY understood why 32bit was still alive and well in 2017. We weren't in the transcoding business before acquiring RadiantGrid; I didn't know about the legacy support of codecs and containers that were only created in the world of 32bit some in the 16bit world, and they would never be re-compiled to run as 64bit. I did rudimentary research on how many tech-savvy people run a 32bit OS. I found 4.3% of Windows 10 users installed a 32bit version and only 0.002% of Mac users. Digging further, I uncovered Mac users don't have a choice when updating their OS; it automatically installs a 64bit OS. In 2009, Apple shipped 64bit operating systems that could also run 32bit programs, making a seamless transition to 64bit. So if someone is running an Apple OS that is only 32bit capable, it's because they have not updated their OS in 9 years. Had they updated, the 0.002% figure would be even lower.
So why does Microsoft still ship 32bit operating systems, especially since every 32bit application is fully backward-compatible with 64bit versions of Windows OS? I have no idea. But it has perpetuated the continuation of companies creating 32 and 64bit versions of their technology, and that leads us to the question of 32 vs. 64 bit Transcoding.
And that leads me back to when I said, I COMPLETELY understood. We have launched a new version of the RadiantGrid transcoding engine. One critical issue our product/engineering team tackled was how we were going to handle legacy codecs and containers that are simply not available in a 64bit architecture. We had two options: write a 32/64bit bridge so this new engine could support ANYTHING ingested and only output video that is generated by a 64bit SDK, or say no mas when it comes to codecs/containers that use a 32bit SDK.
For the time being, we opted for no mas. (for those that don't speak even a smidgen of Spanish, that means no more. ) We decided to be future-minded and only support technologies that are based on a 64bit SDK and can support UHD/HDR video on output. With that said, our customers are always our number one focus. We will still consider discussions regarding building the 32/64bit bridge to support legacy codecs such as Canopus AVI or Indeo. We love solving challenges that best serve our clients.
For now, we are focusing on the first RadiantGrid build that was fully architected by Cinnafilm. We've taken the time to redo a few things, which make it more powerful and flexible than any previous version of RadiantGrid. Some of the cool things you'll see are:
Vastly expanded audio channel remapping
Removal of the need to fully ingest assets before transcoding
Options for automatically converting 100 nit SDR assets to 2,000 nit HDR assets
Creation of incredibly complex image processing pipelines that render assets in a single pass for any resolution. In 32bit space, the pipeline is limited to 4 Gig, so we can't back the truck up and load it up with image processing functions when images get larger than HD
Movement of many functions into the UI that were only XML-submission based
One other opportunity we had when redesigning the engine was to unify the user interface between RadiantGrid and PixelStrings, our media conversion platform. We want our customers to be able to move between on-premises and cloud with ease, and by 2020 NAB, the new interface will be ready, and it will be a significant upgrade.
So is 32bit dead? No. We'll be here to support our legacy RadiantGrid for customers still working through huge libraries of codecs/containers unsupported in the 64bit world. We'll also have our 32bit SpaceTime library (which has Tachyon in it) because many of our transcoding brethren are in the same boat we are. The bottom line is we have you covered for the past, present, and future.
We hope you found this article about 32 vs. 64 bit Transcoding helpful. If you require more information about our products, please contact us for a demo or more information.
Ernie Sanchez, COO, Cinnafilm, Inc.
[email protected]
Categories: Features / PixelStrings Engine / Products / RadiantGrid (legacy) / Tech Talk / Transcoding
Tags: 64bit / HD to UHD / RadiantGrid (legacy) / SDR to HDR / transcoding / UHD / x64
Most recent headlines
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
Three 12-kilowatt Advanced Electric Propulsion System thrusters, supplied by L3Harris Technologies, form the core of Gateway's propulsion system. Pictured i...
16/12/2025
The challenge facing America's defense industrial base is not just about speed - its about rebuilding the foundation that makes speed possible. Our nations ...
16/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/12/2025
SEVILLE, Spain Canal Sur, the public broadcasting service for Andalusia, Spain, has completed a total technology refresh based on Pebble's resilient, softwa...
16/12/2025
NEW YORK Teleprompting hardware provider Telescript International has acquired all software code and intellectual property previously owned by Telescript West. ...
16/12/2025
As cable operators face increased competition from 5G fixed wireless access providers, a new report from Ookla Research finds that T-Mobile is the FWA speed lea...
16/12/2025
Apple has announced a major upgrade to the Apple TV app for device owners outside the Apple ecosystem with news that the Apple TV app for Android now supports G...
16/12/2025
Space42 grows Direct-to-Device partner ecosystem through a Memorandum of Underst...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Emma Appleton, Fares Fares, Frida Gustavsson and Jakob Oftebro...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Docu-reality My Korean Boyfriend Gets a Trailer and Premiere D...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
16/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December.
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
16/12/2025
Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...
15/12/2025
Harlem Globetrotters Celebrate 100th Anniversary With New Brand Campaign From Th...
15/12/2025
Top L-R: La Tierra Del Valor (The Home of the Brave), Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawe...
15/12/2025
L3Harris will leverage 15 years of experience supporting the E-4B Nightwatch and...
15/12/2025
CONWAY, Ark. In a notable example of how the loss of federal funding is forcing public stations to make massive cuts and operational changes, the statewide pub...
15/12/2025
BOULDER, Colo. Public Media Venture Group (PMVG), Venture Technologies Group (VTG), and WQED have completed a multipart agreement that they say will significant...
15/12/2025
Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...
15/12/2025
Luxembourg, December 15, 2025 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Abra Group launched fast and reliable multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on t...
15/12/2025
How Rivian s Design Puts Drivers First-And Why That Matters Published on Dec 15, 2025 Categories: Business Solutions
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Sha...
15/12/2025
Space42 and Cobham Satcom completed the full range of advanced terminals for the...
15/12/2025
15 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...
15/12/2025
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself the topic of year's cracker jokes
Oasis, David Harbour, Celebrity Traitors and Angela Rayner all feature in this y...
15/12/2025
Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...
15/12/2025
NVIDIA today announced it has acquired SchedMD - the leading developer of Slurm, an open-source workload management system for high-performance computing (HPC) ...
15/12/2025
RT .ie has reached one billion page views this year and is on track to finish 2025 2% ahead of last year. Average time spent on the site is up 3% on 2024, with ...
15/12/2025
Modern workflows showcase the endless possibilities of generative and agentic AI on PCs.
Of many, some examples include tuning a chatbot to handle product-supp...
13/12/2025
Powering Client Growth: Horizon Deepens Nielsen Partnership, Enabling More Effic...
13/12/2025
In a move that will help it offer more flexible and less costly programming options, YouTube TV has announced that it will be launching YouTube TV Plans with mo...
13/12/2025
SINGAPORE Magna Systems has designed, built and completed what is believed to be the first full UHD and IP-based OB truck in Southeast Asia for a Singapore medi...
12/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Everything You Need to Know for Next Week's Big Sho...
12/12/2025
Hailey Gates at the Atropia premiere (photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
12/12/2025
Last month, Spotify announced a new collaboration with the ATP Tour, the global governing body of men's professional tennis, aimed at bringing the next gene...
12/12/2025
CONWAY, Ark. In a notable example of how the elimination of Federal federal funding is forcing public stations to make massive cuts and changes in the way they...
12/12/2025
Wisycom and DPA Microphones announce the appointment of Ren Moerch as Group Product Director, Wireless, a strategic leadership role that will guide the combine...
12/12/2025
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, in conjuncture with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Entertainment Technolog...
12/12/2025
Keepit, the vendor-independent, cloud-native data protection provider, today announced a strategic go-to-market relationship in Poland with Ingram Micro, a lead...
12/12/2025
Atomos announced the immediate availability of a new firmware update for its Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX monitor-recorders, unlocking Open Gate 48P RAW recording w...
12/12/2025
Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) once again played a critical role in delivering flawless wireless coordination and support at the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards a...
12/12/2025
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), together with the Video Services Forum (VSF), the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the European Broadc...
12/12/2025
DHD audio will demonstrate the latest additions to its range of digital audio production solutions on Booth 321 in Hall B6 at Hamburg Open 2026. The show will b...
12/12/2025
Chaos today announces the release of V-Ray for Blender, update 2, bringing its award-winning rendering technology to even more Blender users by adding support f...
12/12/2025
Lighting specialist UltraLEDs has launched Precision LED Tape, a high-CRI lighting solution designed specifically for professional film, TV, and studio use.
P...
It's Officially a 64bit World Or Is It? 32 vs. 64 bit TranscodingPublished: October 21st 2019
