Codex is unifying the MXF/HDE workflow for all ARRI digital cinema cameras. Later in 2025, CODEX will release Device Manager 7.6, which will provide a unified MXF/HDE workflow for all ALEXA and AMIRA cameras, replacing the ‘.arx’ file workflow currently used for earlier cameras.
For pre-release access to the Device Manager 7.6 unified MXF/HDE workflow, you can join the Early Adopter program.
Anyone who already has experience with MXF/HDE will find the unified workflow familiar. For those who need more details, Codex provides a useful guide in the Workflows section of the Help Centre.
2019 saw the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, the first feature film to use Academy and Emmy award-winning High Density Encoding (HDE) technology, developed by James Eggleton and Delwyn Holroyd at CODEX. HDE efficiently re-packs the original ARRIRAW sensor data to reduce file sizes by around 40% without any loss of information.
CODEX Device Manager software transforms ARRIRAW recordings to HDE format when data is first offloaded from camera media. A lossless HDE file will typically have a similar data footprint to a lossy ProRes 4444XQ file recorded in camera. Consequently, ARRIRAW has become the capture format of choice, with HDE being delivered to post-production to provide significant cost savings and efficiency benefits.
ARRI continues to refine its image processing pipelines, most recently with the new REVEAL color science. The most advanced algorithms are reserved for the processing of ARRIRAW and HDE footage in post-production software, with the latest ADA-7 SW demosaicing algorithm providing superior handling of subtle color gradients and the cleanest green and blue screen matte edges.
HDE retains the original Bayer pattern sensor structure, offering a zero-compromise and future-proofed master file format. Those who capture ARRIRAW and use HDE can always take advantage of the latest and greatest ARRI imaging pipeline, at a quality that exceeds the in-camera processing used when recording lossy codecs such as ProRes.
The list of cameras covered by the unified MXF/HDE workflow:
To date, CODEX software on macOS has served over 39 billion HDE images from ARRI cameras, and on any given day might serve in excess of 50 million frames (or around 600 hours @ 24fps).
