Proxy & Transcoding

The first thing that kills a review session is a video that will not play. A client opens a link on a MacBook in a hotel lobby with 10 Mbps of wifi. A director tries to scrub through a 4K ProRes master on their iPad. A broadcaster's compliance team opens a 100GB MXF file in Chrome and waits. PlayPause eliminates every one of these scenarios automatically. The moment you upload any professional video file, PlayPause generates a web-optimised proxy — stored alongside the untouched original — so every reviewer, on every device, in every network condition, gets a video that loads immediately and plays without interruption. Automatic proxy generation · All formats accepted · Original preserved at full quality · Adaptive streaming · No pre-export required Trusted by post-production houses, agencies, VFX studios, and broadcasters managing professional video files at every resolution worldwide.

What PlayPause Proxy and Transcoding Does

The Gap Between Your Professional File and Your Reviewer's Browser

Why professional video formats cannot play directly in a browser

Professional production formats — ProRes, DNxHD, R3D, ARRIRAW, CinemaDNG, uncompressed MXF — are designed for editing workstations and archival storage, not for browser-based playback. They use codecs that browsers do not decode, bitrates that broadband connections cannot reliably stream, and container formats that the HTML5 video player does not support. A client's browser cannot play a 400 Mbps ProRes 4444 file any more than it can play a camera-native RAW. These formats need to be transcoded into something that loads fast, streams smoothly, and works in any browser before they can be reviewed by anyone outside the edit suite.

The old solution: manual pre-export before every share

Without automatic proxy generation, teams must manually export a compressed H.264 or H.265 version of every cut before they can share it for review. That means an extra step after every edit — finding the right export preset, waiting for the transcode, naming the file, uploading the new version — before the editor can share anything with a client. On a busy production managing multiple concurrent versions, this compounds into hours of overhead every week. And it creates a second version of the file to manage, the risk of sharing the wrong export, and the workflow interruption of a transcoding job that blocks the workstation during export.

PlayPause eliminates the manual export step entirely

Upload the file you are already working with — the ProRes master, the DNxHD timeline export, the H.264 client deliverable — and PlayPause handles the transcoding automatically in the background. You never export a second version just for review. The file you upload is the file your team and clients review, without any additional export step between finishing the cut and sharing it. The proxy is generated in PlayPause's cloud infrastructure, not on your workstation.

One upload, two versions: the proxy and the original

When you upload a file to PlayPause, two things are stored: the original file at full quality, and a web-optimised proxy generated from it. Reviewers watch the proxy — it loads fast, streams smoothly, and is playable in any browser on any device. Your team downloads the original when they need the archival master. Both exist from the moment the upload completes. Neither replaces the other. The proxy is a review tool, not a substitute for the master.

How the Proxy Is Generated

Cloud-based transcoding — not on your workstation

Proxy generation in PlayPause happens on PlayPause's cloud transcoding infrastructure, not on the machine you uploaded from. Your workstation is not blocked, slowed, or occupied by the transcoding job. You can close the browser tab, shut down the computer, or start the next edit the moment the upload completes. The transcoding runs in the cloud and finishes without any local resource involvement.

Transcoding begins the moment the upload completes

PlayPause does not wait for a manual trigger or a batch processing window. The moment an upload finishes — whether it is a single file or part of a batch — transcoding begins immediately and automatically. There is no queuing delay, no processing window, and no action required from your team. Files are typically available for review within minutes of upload completing, depending on source resolution and duration.

The proxy format: optimised for review, not for export

PlayPause's generated proxy is an H.264 or H.265 encoded file at a resolution and bitrate calibrated for smooth browser playback across a wide range of connection speeds — from fast studio broadband to a mobile connection at a client's office. The proxy is not a delivery master, a broadcast submission format, or an archival file. It is engineered specifically for the purpose of allowing frame-accurate review in a web browser, and every parameter of its encoding is chosen with that goal.

Multiple proxy resolutions for adaptive streaming

For each uploaded file, PlayPause generates multiple proxy renditions at different resolutions — typically 360p, 720p, and 1080p. The review player uses adaptive bitrate streaming to automatically select the appropriate rendition based on the viewer's available bandwidth and device capability. A reviewer on a fast connection sees a 1080p stream. A reviewer on a slow connection sees a lower-resolution stream that plays without buffering. The review continues without interruption regardless of network conditions.

Every Format Your Production Uses — Accepted Without Pre-Conversion

Professional Acquisition Formats

Apple ProRes — all variants

PlayPause accepts ProRes 4444 XQ, ProRes 4444, ProRes HQ, ProRes 422, ProRes LT, and ProRes Proxy directly. You do not need to transcode a ProRes master to H.264 before uploading it for review. Upload the file your editor has already exported from their timeline and the proxy is generated automatically. ProRes is the most common intermediate and master format in post-production, and it is supported without any pre-processing.

Avid DNxHD and DNxHR — all variants

DNxHD 36, DNxHD 115, DNxHD 145, DNxHD 220x, DNxHR LB, DNxHR SQ, DNxHR HQX, and DNxHR 444 all upload and transcode to proxy without pre-conversion. Avid-based workflows can upload timeline exports directly into PlayPause for review without an intermediate H.264 export step.

RED Digital Cinema — R3D and REDRAW

RAW files from RED cameras — including REDCODE RAW in all compression ratios from 2:1 to 22:1, and across all sensor generations including MONSTRO, HELIUM, GEMINI, and DRAGON — upload directly to PlayPause for proxy generation. Colour-graded R3D exports and camera-native REDRAW files are both accepted. VFX and production teams working with RED camera materials can upload RAW files directly for collaborative review without an offline export step.

ARRI formats — ARRIRAW and ARRI MXF

ARRIRAW files from ALEXA, ALEXA Mini, ALEXA LF, ALEXA 65, and AMIRA cameras upload and process without pre-conversion. ARRI MXF files in both DNxHD and ProRes wrappers from ARRI cameras are also accepted. High-end narrative and commercial productions working with ARRI camera materials can share camera-native or offline-edited files directly.

CinemaDNG and other RAW formats

CinemaDNG files from Blackmagic, DJI Zenmuse X9, Kinefinity, and other cameras using the open DNG wrapper upload and proxy correctly. Canon Cinema RAW Light from EOS Cinema cameras, Sony RAW in MXF and X-OCN formats from Venice and FX9, and Blackmagic RAW from BRAW-capable cameras are all accepted.

Broadcast and Delivery Formats

MXF — all common profiles

MXF OP1a and OP-Atom containers are accepted across all common essence types: XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, IMX, DV, HDV, AVC-Intra, AVC-Ultra, and uncompressed video. Broadcast acquisition and ingest workflows delivering MXF files can upload them directly to PlayPause without a pre-conversion step.

H.264 and H.265 — all profiles and wrappers

H.264 and H.265 files in MP4, MOV, and MXF containers, at any profile and level from baseline through to High 10 and Main 12, upload and play back correctly. Drone footage, mirrorless camera outputs, and social platform exports in H.264 and H.265 are all accepted alongside professional format files in the same project and the same batch upload.

Additional formats: MOV, AVI, WMV, WebM, FLV

Legacy and platform-specific formats including MOV, AVI, WMV, WebM, and FLV are all accepted. Production companies receiving client-supplied footage, legacy archive materials, or platform exports in any of these formats can upload them directly into a PlayPause project for review without pre-conversion.

Image sequences

Numbered image sequences — DPX, EXR, TIFF, PNG, and JPEG — can be uploaded as a compressed archive and extracted into a reviewable proxy automatically. VFX and animation pipelines delivering rendered frames as image sequences rather than wrapped video files can share them for director and supervisor review without converting to a video container first.

Your Original Files Are Never Altered

Proxy Generation Is a Read Operation — Not a Write Operation

The original file is stored exactly as uploaded

When PlayPause generates a proxy from your uploaded file, it reads the original and creates a new, separate proxy file from it. The original is never re-encoded, re-wrapped, modified, or replaced. The file stored in PlayPause's media storage after transcoding is byte-for-byte identical to the file you uploaded. Your 50GB ProRes 4444 master, your 120GB R3D file, your 200GB ARRIRAW reel — each is stored untouched.

Download the original at any time

Any team member with download permission on a project can retrieve the original uploaded file at full quality and full resolution at any time. Downloads serve the original, not the proxy. If a colourist, online editor, or delivery engineer needs the source file, they download the same file that was uploaded — not a re-transcoded version, not a proxy, not a quality-reduced export. The archival integrity of the stored file is never compromised by the proxy generation process.

Proxy and original are linked but independent

The proxy and the original are two separate files linked to the same version record in PlayPause. If the proxy is deleted — for example, because a project is archived and proxy storage is reclaimed — the original is unaffected. If the original is downloaded and the link is expired, the proxy remains available for review. They are stored independently, managed independently, and neither depends on the other for its integrity.

Original format metadata is preserved and displayed

PlayPause reads and stores the technical metadata of the original file at upload: codec, container, resolution, frame rate, colour space, bit depth, data rate, audio channels, and audio sample rate. This metadata is displayed in the file's technical panel in the production dashboard. Editors, colourists, and delivery engineers can confirm the technical specification of a stored file without downloading it.

Review · frame-accurate comment

Review Quality That Does Not Compromise the Assessment

Proxy Fidelity for Accurate Creative Review

Resolution that supports meaningful visual assessment

PlayPause proxies are generated at resolutions that support accurate assessment of composition, motion, colour, graphics, and editorial timing. A 1080p proxy played on a standard monitor is sufficient to evaluate cut points, assess performance, review motion graphics, judge colour balance, and read lower thirds and titles. The proxy is not a thumbnail or a rough sketch of the content — it is a detailed, high-quality representation that supports every review task that does not require pixel-level inspection of a 4K or 8K master.

Accurate frame timing for frame-accurate comments

PlayPause's review player uses the proxy's frame rate information to maintain accurate frame-level timecode alignment between the proxy playback and the original file's timeline. A comment pinned to frame 1247 of a 25fps ProRes master is pinned to frame 1247 in the proxy player, and would correspond to frame 1247 in the original file if the editor were to look it up in their NLE. The proxy generation process preserves frame accuracy.

Colour rendering accurate enough for creative direction

While a proxy is not a graded deliverable and should not be used for final colour assessment, PlayPause's proxy generation preserves the colour rendering of the source file sufficiently for creative direction, editorial review, VFX supervisor feedback, and client approval of composition and tone. Where precise colour assessment is required — a colourist reviewing a DI pass — the review is conducted on the proxy with the understanding that the original is the reference, and comments are framed accordingly.

Audio preserved at review quality

Every proxy includes the audio tracks from the original file, transcoded to stereo AAC for browser playback. Dialogue review, music temp track assessment, and sound effects timing can all be evaluated in the proxy player. If a production has mixed audio at broadcast quality in a separate audio file, that file can be uploaded separately and associated with the video version for synchronised playback review.

Streaming Performance for Every Reviewer, on Every Connection

Adaptive Bitrate Streaming — No Buffering, No Waiting

How adaptive bitrate streaming works in PlayPause

PlayPause's review player uses HLS adaptive bitrate streaming to deliver the proxy to each reviewer. The player continuously monitors the viewer's download speed and buffer level and selects the highest-quality rendition that can be delivered without interruption. On a fast connection, the player streams 1080p. If the connection slows, the player automatically switches to a lower rendition mid-stream without stopping playback. The viewer sees a seamless, uninterrupted video regardless of network fluctuations.

Instant playback start — no full-file download

Because the proxy is streamed rather than downloaded, playback begins within seconds of the viewer pressing play — regardless of the file's duration or size. A reviewer watching a 60-minute documentary cut does not wait for the entire proxy to download before playback starts. The player buffers a few seconds ahead of the current playhead position and streams the rest progressively. Long-form content starts as fast as a thirty-second commercial.

Scrubbing and seeking at any point in the timeline

The PlayPause review player supports frame-accurate seeking anywhere in the proxy timeline without requiring the entire file to be loaded first. A reviewer or editor can click on any point on the timeline and the player jumps to that position within seconds, buffering the surrounding section on demand. This is critical for efficient review sessions where a reviewer is jumping between specific scenes, examining specific cut points, or comparing distant sections of the cut.

CDN delivery for global reviewer access

PlayPause delivers proxy files through a global CDN with edge nodes distributed across major metropolitan regions. A client reviewing a cut in Tokyo receives the same streaming performance as a reviewer in London or New York. A broadcaster's compliance team in Sydney experiences the same loading speed as a showrunner in Los Angeles. Global distribution of the proxy content means that international co-productions, multi-territory broadcasters, and globally distributed teams all review at the same standard.

Device Compatibility — Every Reviewer, Every Device

Desktop browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge

PlayPause proxies play in all major desktop browsers without plugins, extensions, or codec installations. Chrome on Windows and macOS, Safari on macOS, Firefox on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and Microsoft Edge on Windows — all play the proxy natively using the browser's built-in H.264 and H.265 decoders. No reviewer needs to install anything to watch a PlayPause review link.

Mobile: iOS Safari and Android Chrome

The PlayPause review player is fully functional on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. A client reviewing on an iPhone, an iPad, or an Android tablet gets the same frame-accurate comment experience as a desktop reviewer — touch controls for the timeline, the comment panel accessible in the mobile layout, and adaptive streaming calibrated for mobile connection speeds. Mobile review is not a degraded version of the desktop experience.

Smart TVs and connected displays

For productions that need to be reviewed on a large display — a director watching a cut on a smart TV in a screening room, or a client previewing a campaign on a connected conference room display — the PlayPause review link can be opened on any smart TV browser or cast from a desktop or mobile device. The proxy streams at the highest available quality for the display's resolution.

Proxy and Transcoding in Technical Post-Production Workflows

How Proxy Generation Fits Into Your Pipeline

Upload directly from the NLE without an offline export

Editors working in Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro can upload directly from their timeline export without creating a separate review proxy in their NLE. Export the same master file you would send to the colourist — the ProRes or DNxHD render of the current cut — and upload it to PlayPause. The review proxy is generated from that master automatically. There is no second export, no offline proxy preset, and no intermediate file to manage.

VFX pipeline: upload renders for shot review

VFX studios delivering rendered shots for director and supervisor review can upload renders directly from their render farm output — EXR sequences, DPX sequences, or wrapped QuickTime renders — without converting them to a review format. PlayPause generates the review proxy from the render output, and the VFX supervisor and director see a smooth, playable version of the render within minutes of the render completing, with no manual conversion step between the render farm and the review session.

Colour pipeline: upload graded exports for approval

Colourists delivering graded exports for director and client approval can upload the graded ProRes or DPX master directly. The proxy generated from a graded export preserves the colour rendering sufficiently for the director or producer to assess the overall grade, the shot-to-shot consistency, and the general tone of the grade across the cut. Final colour approval on a screen-accurate display is a separate workflow, but proxy-based review accelerates the iterative process of getting to that point.

Sound review: upload mixed audio for sync and timing notes

Sound designers and mixing engineers delivering audio-video locked mixes can upload the mixed export — a ProRes or H.264 file with the final mix — to PlayPause for director and producer review of the soundtrack against picture. Sync issues, dialogue intelligibility notes, and music timing comments can all be left as timecoded frame-accurate notes on the proxy review, reducing the number of formal review sessions required in a mixing suite.

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Proxy and Transcoding Across Every Type of Production

Commercial and Advertising Production

Commercial production companies routinely deliver ProRes masters from the edit suite to post, colour, and client review simultaneously. Without automatic proxy generation, each delivery requires a separate H.264 export before the file can be shared for review — a manual step that multiplies across multiple cuts, multiple rounds, and multiple stakeholders. PlayPause eliminates this export overhead entirely. Upload the ProRes master from the edit, and the review proxy is available for the client, the director, and the agency creative team within minutes.

Episodic Television and Streaming

Episodic post-production involves large files, multiple cuts per episode, and multiple stakeholders requiring review access simultaneously. A 4K HDR episode master in ProRes 4444 can exceed 200GB per episode. Without automatic proxy generation, distributing this for review means a manual H.264 export before every share — a process that can take forty-five minutes per file. PlayPause's cloud transcoding means the same 200GB file uploads and is available for review without occupying the post-production team's workstations.

Long-Form Documentary and Feature Film

Documentary and narrative feature productions work with long-form content — assemblies running two hours or more — in high-resolution professional formats. Manual proxy exports for long-form content are particularly time-consuming. PlayPause's cloud transcoding handles long-form files without any local overhead, and adaptive streaming means a two-hour proxy plays without buffering even on consumer internet connections.

VFX and Animation

VFX pipelines produce review materials in formats that no browser can play natively — EXR image sequences, DPX render outputs, high-bitrate RAW renders. Without automatic transcoding, sharing VFX work-in-progress for review requires a conversion step that adds latency to every review cycle. PlayPause accepts the native render output and generates a proxy that is available to the director and VFX supervisor for frame-accurate review within minutes of the render completing.

Branded Content and Corporate Video

Branded content studios and corporate video producers deliver content to clients across a wide range of output destinations — broadcast, social, web, internal screening — each with different technical specifications. Managing separate proxy exports for client review adds overhead that compounds across a high volume of short-form projects. Uploading the deliverable master and letting PlayPause generate the review proxy removes one manual step from every delivery, across every project.

Post-Production Facility QC and Intake

Post-production facilities receiving materials from external productions for finishing, colour, or delivery need to review incoming files for quality control before beginning work. Uploading received materials to PlayPause for proxy-based QC review gives the facility's technical team a fast, organised way to evaluate incoming footage across the full range of formats they receive — without configuring local playback for every format on every workstation.

Proxy and Transcoding Connect to Your Existing Pipeline

PlayPause integrates with the storage and production tools where your files already live — so the journey from render output or edit export to review-ready proxy involves the minimum number of manual steps. Adobe Premiere Pro · DaVinci Resolve · Avid Media Composer · Final Cut Pro · Google Drive · Dropbox · Frame.io · AWS S3 · Webhooks / API

How To Start

• Free trial and demo. Try PlayPause free for 14 days. Book a walkthrough and we will upload your first professional format file together — walking through proxy generation, adaptive streaming quality, and the review experience from a client device so you see the full pipeline before going live.
• Upload your first professional format file. Drag a ProRes, DNxHD, R3D, or any supported format file into a PlayPause project. The upload begins immediately. Transcoding starts the moment the upload completes. No export settings, no codec selection, no manual trigger required.
• Watch the proxy generate. The project dashboard shows the transcoding progress for each file. Once complete, the review player is available — open it on your phone, on a laptop, on a client machine — and experience the same fast, adaptive-streaming playback your reviewers will see.
• Share and review — original stored, proxy streamed. Generate a review link and share it. Reviewers watch the proxy. Your team retains the original at full quality. Every comment on the proxy maps to the correct timecode in your original file. The review is complete; the archive is intact.

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Proxy and Transcoding Feature Highlights

PlayPause Proxy and Transcoding vs. The Old Way

See how automatic proxy generation in PlayPause compares to the methods post-production teams typically use to share professional video files for review.

"We were spending forty-five minutes per episode on H.264 exports just to share cuts for notes. On a ten-episode series with four or five review rounds per episode, that was days of workstation time doing nothing productive. With PlayPause we upload the ProRes and the proxy is there in minutes. That time has gone back to the edit." — Online Editor, episodic post-production facility

FAQ — More About PlayPause Proxy and Transcoding

Do I need to export a proxy or H.264 before uploading to PlayPause? No. Upload the file you are already working with — your ProRes master, your DNxHD timeline export, your R3D render, your ARRIRAW reel. PlayPause generates the review proxy from it automatically in the cloud. There is no pre-export step between finishing your cut and sharing it for review. How long does proxy generation take? Proxy generation time depends on the source file's resolution, duration, and codec complexity. A standard 30-second commercial in ProRes HQ is typically ready for review within two to three minutes of upload completing. A 60-minute documentary cut in ProRes 4444 will take longer — usually fifteen to thirty minutes. Transcoding runs in parallel with other platform activity and does not block any other PlayPause functions. Can I start reviewing a file while the proxy is still generating? No — the review player requires the proxy to be available before playback begins. However, for batch uploads, files in the batch become available for review as their individual proxy generation completes. You do not wait for the last file in a batch to process before reviewing the first files that have finished. Is the original file altered in any way by the proxy generation process? No. Proxy generation is a read operation on the original file. PlayPause reads the original, creates a new proxy file from it, and stores both independently. The original is stored byte-for-byte as uploaded. It is never re-encoded, modified, or replaced. You can download the original at any time and it will be identical to the file you uploaded. What resolution is the proxy generated at? PlayPause generates multiple proxy renditions from each uploaded file: typically 360p, 720p, and 1080p. The adaptive streaming player selects the appropriate rendition for each viewer based on their connection speed and device. On fast connections, reviewers see a 1080p stream. On slower connections, the player switches to a lower rendition without interrupting playback. Does the proxy preserve frame rate accuracy for timecoded comments? Yes. The proxy is generated with the same frame rate as the source file and frame-accurate timecode alignment is maintained throughout. A frame-accurate comment left at a specific timecode in the proxy maps to the corresponding frame in the original file. The frame rate of the proxy is not changed during transcoding. Can I upload image sequences — DPX or EXR renders from a VFX pipeline? Yes. Numbered image sequences in DPX, EXR, TIFF, PNG, and JPEG formats can be uploaded as a compressed ZIP or TAR archive. PlayPause extracts the sequence and generates a reviewable proxy from it. VFX and animation pipelines that render to image sequences can share work-in-progress with directors and supervisors without a separate video-wrapping step. What audio quality is preserved in the proxy? Audio from the original file is transcoded to stereo AAC for inclusion in the proxy. This is sufficient for dialogue review, music assessment, sound effects timing, and general soundtrack evaluation. Multichannel audio mixes are mixed down to stereo for the proxy. If multichannel audio review is required, the original file can be downloaded and played in the appropriate application. Is proxy storage counted against my storage allowance? Proxy files are stored separately from originals and are counted separately in your PlayPause storage. Enterprise plans include configurable proxy retention policies that allow proxies to be reclaimed after a defined period while originals are retained. Contact PlayPause for details on storage tiers and proxy retention options for your plan. Does PlayPause support HDR content in the proxy? PlayPause accepts HDR source files — including PQ and HLG transfer functions in Rec.2020 and P3 colour spaces. Proxy generation from HDR sources produces an SDR proxy for browser playback in most configurations. True HDR proxy playback in a browser requires a compatible display and browser configuration, which is available to teams with HDR-specific review workflows. Contact PlayPause support for HDR proxy configuration options.

Review · frame-accurate comment

Need More From PlayPause?

Media Storage

Proxy generation is the delivery layer. Media storage is the archive layer. Every original file you upload is stored encrypted at rest in PlayPause's secure storage infrastructure, with access-controlled downloads and configurable retention policies. Proxies and originals are both managed within the same storage environment.

Batch Uploads

Proxy generation runs in parallel across every file in a batch upload, with each file becoming available for review as soon as its individual proxy is complete. Batch uploads and automatic proxy generation are the two sides of the same workflow: upload the entire edit session's output in one action and review it all before the workday ends.

Frame-Accurate Comments

The proxy's frame-accurate timecode alignment is what makes frame-accurate comments meaningful. A comment on frame 1247 of the proxy corresponds to frame 1247 in your NLE timeline. The review that happens on the proxy is actionable in the edit — directly, without timecode conversion or approximation.

Ready to Upload Any Format and Have It Playing in Minutes?

Every ProRes export you manually transcode to H.264 just to share it for review is time that belongs to the edit. Try PlayPause free for 14 days and upload the file you are already working with — the proxy is ready when your reviewer is. No credit card required. Trial ends automatically. First proxy ready within minutes of your first upload. Support from day one · All formats accepted · No pre-export required · GDPR-ready