MetaFuze 2.0 and 2.1 Speed Tests
By Igor Ridanovic
Updated January 31, 2010
This is an independent speed test of Avid MetaFuze 2.0 when used for debayering RED camera R3D files to Avid MXF media. There are small to medium speed improvements with MetaFuze 2.1 over MetaFuze 2.0. Please see the bottom of the article for the version 2.1 benchmark.
This process is one of several available options for preparing RED dailies for use in Avid Media Composer.
Since this process can be time intensive you can use the values from the tables to estimate and plan your processing schedule.
Use these values for rough estimates only because there are many external factors that can decrease or increase computer performance. One of the most commonly overlooked factors is media storage bandwidth.
To scale the values to your hardware you can replicate any of the speed tests on your machine and calculate a ratio between your test and the benchmarked test. Note that only the most commonly used permutations of MetaFuze parameters are listed.
If you multiply the running time of your dailies with the “factor” value you will arrive at the amount of time necessary to process the footage:
1 hour of dailies x 2.89 = 2.89 hours of processing
Redcine 20.0.0 times are provided so you can compare your MetaFuze 2.0 performance to a known reference. MetaFuze is faster than Redcine when using settings appropriate for offline editing and it is slower than Redcine when using the highest image quality settings.
For a speed shootout between MetaFuze and Redcine on both HP XW8600 and Nehalem based HP Z800 workstations see the two tables at the bottom.
The combinations of parameters were chosen to enable maximum Redcine performance. One setting which does not favor Redcine is in different color. Redcine filtering was set to “linear” for speed. 10 bit DPX file type in Redcine and uncompressed 10 bit MXF file type in MetaFuze are close in size and were chosen to minimize disc writing differential.
The “ratio” column is a ratio between MetaFuze and Redcine speeds. For example a value of 1.98 means that MetaFuze is 1.98 times faster than RedCine using the particular parameters.
The comparison between MetaFuze and Redcine is not conclusive due to their asymetrical output capabilities. MetaFuze has an inherent advantage because it generates MXF files, the Media Composer native media. Redcine can only generate file types that have to be imported to Media Composer such as QuickTime.
If you’re looking for MetaFuze basic primer watch the MetaFuze Video Tutorial. MetaFuze can also be used in networked render farms.
System Specifications XW8600:
XP Professional x64, SP2
HP XW8600 Workstation
Dual Intel X5450 3.00 GHz
12 GB RAM
Internal SATA drive
System Specifications Z800:
Vista 64
Dual Intel W5580 @ 3.2 GHz
24GB RAM
Internal SATA drives
MetaFuze 2.1 Update
There are several overall workflow and performance updates available with version 2.1. Starting with 2.1 Avid introduced support for Red Rocket hardware although the test numbers in this article reflect software only processing in MetaFuze.
In order to compare 2.1 versus 2.0 performance we repeated the tests from lines 1, 2, and 4 from the v2.0 table using an identical hardware configuration.
| V2.0 Factor | V2.1 Factor |
| 7.70 | 3.54 |
| 3.37 | 3.33 |
| 3.07 | 2.45 |
MetaFuze 2.0 Speed Test
| XW8600 | |||||||||||||||||
| Application | Mode | Frame Count | Source Size | Source | Destination | File | Codec | Dest. Size | Burn-In | OLPF | Debayer | Resolution | Audio | Time (s) | FPS | Factor | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 576 | 4K 16:9 | FW800 | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | On | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 185 | 3.11 | 7.70 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 576 | 4K 16:9 | FW800 | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 81 | 7.11 | 3.37 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | Console | 576 | 4K 16:9 | FW800 | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 73 | 7.89 | 3.04 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 774 | 4K 2:1 | FW800 | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 99 | 7.82 | 3.07 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 119 | 8.22 | 2.92 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Eight Good | On | 60 | 16.30 | 1.47 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Eight Good | - | 55 | 17.78 | 1.35 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 118 | 8.29 | 2.89 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | On | 124 | 7.89 | 3.04 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | On | - | Low | Half Good | - | 144 | 6.79 | 3.53 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | On | - | Low | Half Good | On | 147 | 6.65 | 3.60 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Quarter Good | - | 70 | 13.97 | 1.72 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Premium | - | 205 | 4.77 | 5.03 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 175 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | High | Full Premium | - | 564 | 1.73 | 13.83 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 175 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | High | Half Premium | On | 208 | 4.70 | 5.10 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 175 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | High | Half Premium | - | 203 | 4.82 | 4.98 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 175 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 118 | 8.29 | 2.89 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 175 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Full Premium | - | 563 | 1.74 | 13.80 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 175 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Full Premium | On | 566 | 1.73 | 13.88 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 175 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Premium | - | 205 | 4.77 | 5.03 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 127 | 7.70 | 3.11 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 130 | 7.52 | 3.19 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | - | - | Low | Eight Good | - | 48 | 20.38 | 1.18 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | - | - | Low | Eight Good | On | 54 | 18.11 | 1.32 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 103 | 9.50 | 2.53 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | On | 102 | 9.59 | 2.50 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | On | - | Low | Half Good | On | 114 | 8.58 | 2.80 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | On | - | Low | Half Good | - | 109 | 8.97 | 2.67 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | - | - | Low | Quarter Good | - | 49 | 19.96 | 1.20 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | On | 101 | 9.68 | 2.48 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | DNxHD 90 | 720 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 103 | 9.50 | 2.53 | |
| Application | Mode | Frame Count | Source Size | Source | Destination | File | Codec | Dest. Size | Burn-In | OLPF | Debayer | Resolution | Audio | Time (s) | FPS | Factor | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 576 | 4K 16:9 | FW800 | SATA | QT | DNxHD 36 Min | 1080 23.98p | On | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 265 | 2.17 | 11.03 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 576 | 4K 16:9 | FW800 | SATA | QT | DNxHD 36 Low | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 267 | 2.16 | 11.12 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 323 | 3.03 | 7.92 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Quarter Medium | - | 335 | 2.92 | 8.21 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Full | Full Medium | - | 588 | 1.66 | 14.42 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Full | Full High | - | 598 | 1.64 | 14.66 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | QT | DNxHD Max | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 434 | 2.25 | 10.64 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 439 | 2.23 | 10.76 | |
| Z800 | |||||||||||||||||
| Application | Mode | Frame Count | Source Size | Source | Destination | File | Codec | Dest. Size | Burn-In | OLPF | Debayer | Resolution | Audio | Time (s) | FPS | Factor | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | High | Full Premium | - | 292 | 2.36 | 10.15 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | On | - | High | Full Premium | - | 291 | 2.37 | 10.11 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 41 | 16.83 | 1.42 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Quarter Good | - | 66 | 10.45 | 2.29 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 73 | 9.45 | 2.54 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Eight Good | - | 23 | 30.00 | 0.80 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 73 | 9.45 | 2.54 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | On | - | Low | Half Good | - | 49 | 14.08 | 1.70 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | DNxHD 36 | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Premium | - | 93 | 7.42 | 3.23 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Premium | - | 94 | 7.34 | 3.27 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 72 | 9.58 | 2.50 | |
| Application | Mode | Frame Count | Source Size | Source | Destination | File | Codec | Dest. Size | Burn-In | OLPF | Debayer | Resolution | Audio | Time (s) | FPS | Factor | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Half Medium | - | 230 | 3.00 | 7.99 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Quarter Medium | - | 190 | 3.63 | 6.60 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Quarter Medium | - | 131 | 5.27 | 4.55 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Half Medium | - | 155 | 4.45 | 5.39 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Full | Full High | - | 229 | 3.01 | 7.96 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Full | Full High | - | 250 | 2.76 | 8.69 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half High | - | 84 | 8.21 | 2.92 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half High | - | 58 | 11.90 | 2.02 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half High | - | 80 | 8.63 | 2.78 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | shrp100% | Standard | Half High | - | 58 | 11.90 | 2.02 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 252 | 2.74 | 8.76 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | FW400 | SATA | QT | DNxHD Min | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half High | - | 66 | 10.45 | 2.29 | |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 190 | 3.63 | 6.60 | |
| MetaFuze vs. Redcine Comparison: | |||||||||||||||||
| XW8600 | |||||||||||||||||
| Application | Mode | Frame Count | Source Size | Source | Destination | File | Codec | Dest. Size | Burn-In | OLPF | Debayer | Resolution | Audio | Time (s) | FPS | Factor | Ratio |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Quarter Good | - | 88 | 11.11 | 2.16 | 1.34 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Quarter Medium | - | 118 | 8.29 | 2.89 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 130 | 7.52 | 3.19 | 2.48 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 323 | 3.03 | 7.92 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 139 | 7.04 | 3.41 | 1.58 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Half Medium | - | 220 | 4.45 | 5.39 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Premium | - | 207 | 4.72 | 5.08 | 0.32 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half High | - | 67 | 14.60 | 1.64 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | High | Full Premium | - | 555 | 1.76 | 13.61 | 0.77 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 978 | 4K 2:1 | SAS* | SAS* | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Full | Full High | - | 430 | 2.27 | 10.54 | |
| Z800 | |||||||||||||||||
| Application | Mode | Frame Count | Source Size | Source | Destination | File | Codec | Dest. Size | Burn-In | OLPF | Debayer | Resolution | Audio | Time (s) | FPS | Factor | Ratio |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Quarter Good | - | 66 | 10.45 | 2.29 | 1.98 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Quarter Medium | - | 131 | 5.27 | 4.55 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Good | - | 72 | 9.58 | 2.50 | 2.64 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half Medium | - | 190 | 3.63 | 6.60 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Low | Half Good | - | 73 | 9.45 | 2.54 | 2.12 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Draft | Half Medium | - | 155 | 4.45 | 5.39 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Medium | Half Premium | - | 94 | 7.34 | 3.27 | 0.85 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Standard | Half High | - | 84 | 8.21 | 2.92 | |
| MetaFuze 2.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | MXF | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | High | Full Premium | - | 292 | 2.36 | 10.15 | 0.78 |
| Redcine 20.0.0 | GUI | 690 | 4K 2:1 | SATA | SATA | DPX | Uncmp. 10-bit | 1080 23.98p | - | - | Full | Full High | - | 229 | 3.01 | 7.96 | |
* Avid VideoRaid SR
