Alexa Mini and AMIRA reduce file sizes with HDE technology

Good news for those working with Alexa Mini and AMIRA. Both cameras are now compatible with HDE technology(High Density Encoding) technology. This means a reduction in ARRIRAW file size of up to 40%. A huge advantage for any production.

Going into more detail on Codex HDE technology, it is a high-density encoding technique designed for Bayer pattern images. Images using this encoding system ensure losslessness and a 2:1 reduction in RAW file size. This practically halves the weight of the material without any loss in the final result.

To work in HDE, it is necessary to purchase a license to enable HDE encoding. This storage space reduction system becomes effective once we have finished recording the ARRIRAW material and start downloading it for storage. Encoding results in ARRIRAW images that are typically 60% of the size of the original and “are a perfect bit-for-bit match to the original file”.

In the compression the .ari file becomes .arx, keeping the file name but changing only the extension. Codex HDE invites us to do a test to verify that it really is a lossless encoding. By md5ing an .ari file and encoding it with HDE to .arx, you can re-encode it back to .ari to check that the md5 is still 100% the same.

To carry out this process we need the CODEX Device Manager 5.0 available in macOS. Using a capture unit connected to the computer we can do the HDE encoding of ARRIRAW. When copying the files, if we have selected the ARRIRAW HDE encoded option, the encoding is done automatically during the copy. The applications that currently support this system are Hedge, Silverstack, Shotput Pro and YoYotta.

It is a free software and to use it you only need to download the Device Manager.