PRG Mbox - Media Content Management

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MBOX® USER MANUAL
3D Model Files (Objects)
Custom 3D models can be added to the Mbox server. The server supports the Alias Wavefront™ 3D .obj format. There
are many third-party applications that can export les to this format, including Cinema4D®, 3ds Max®, and Blender®.
File extensions for 3D object les:
+ .obj is the standard format.
+ .vle is a PRG proprietary format for encrypted model les found on rental Mbox servers.
Additional File Types
Scalable Vector Graphics (svg and svge) for digital gobo les, .aiff, .mp3, .wav, and .aac for audio les, and .rtf for text
les.
Note: File extensions are not case-sensitive. For example, les with extension .JPG and .jpg are the same.
Recommended Practices
PNG and JPEG are recommended for creating still image content for optimum output on the Mbox server. ProRes is
the recommended codec for optimum movie playback, but care should be taken to choose the right level of ProRes
to match quality and performance requirements. Mbox may play movies that use other QuickTime codecs, if the
appropriate codec is installed on the server and the codec is compatible with AVFoundation. These movies may not
load as quickly or play as smoothly as movies that use the preferred codecs. PNG is the recommended format for the
individual image les in an image sequence.
For best results, all custom content should be created in a single, common format. (Refer to “Creating Custom Content”
on page 150 for more information)
Note: In this manual, “preferred movie codecs” refers to Photo-JPEG and Apple ProRes. All other movie codecs are
considered “non-preferred.”
Typically, movie les should not have embedded audio tracks, although embedded audio tracks in movies can be made
to play. To completely remove audio tracks from movies, use the preferred application to re-render or export the movie
without its audio tracks or try dropping the le onto the Mbox File Converter application, making sure the “copy audio”
checkbox is not checked (see “Mbox File Convertor” on page 157).
As is the case with all media servers, Mbox playback performance can decrease as the resolution of its media les
increases. Content up to and including 4K can be played, keeping in mind that higher-resolution les will usually lead to
lower performance than smaller les. The amount of compression used when creating a le will also affect performance.
Given equal le resolutions, higher quality (lower compression) les may not play as well as higher compression (lower
quality) les. Depending on the display device, high-resolution or low-compression les may not look better than lower-
resolution, more highly-compressed les. For best results, try to nd a compromise between quality and performance.
Media Content Management
Mbox allows for a exible media folder structure. Media can reside locally on the Mac hard-drive or on external hard-
drives connected to the computer. Using external devices may result in poor playback performance if the external
device or the connection is slow.
IMPORTANT! The hard-drive and folder structure on some computers may be set up differently to that of the rental
Mbox server. The Mbox folder can be placed on any drive of the computer, but there must be an alias or symbolic link to
the Mbox folder at the root of the boot hard drive of the computer.