Cutsio Blog

How to Make ARRIRAW and RED Footage Playable in a Browser

Learn how to make ARRIRAW and RED RAW workflows reviewable in a browser. Use approved ProRes review media in Cutsio while keeping originals available for conform.

How do you make ARRIRAW and RED footage playable in a browser?

Upload approved ProRes dailies to Cutsio for browser playback and Visual Intelligence. On Enterprise, attach the matching supported ARRIRAW or RED R3D original as a downloadable asset for conform. The ProRes plays in the browser; Cutsio does not decode the attached RAW original into the review stream.

ARRIRAW and RED RAW are not browser-playable formats. No web browser can natively decode the Bayer-pattern sensor data of an .ari file or the wavelet-compressed .r3d container. To make these formats viewable in a browser, the raw sensor data must be debayered, color-transformed, and transcoded into a streaming format.

The traditional approach requires the DIT to manually render every frame to ProRes or H.264 on a local workstation, then upload those rendered files to a cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Vimeo. That manual render consumes hours of DIT time per shoot day and creates organizational overhead managing two versions of every clip.

Cutsio's supported workflow uses an approved ProRes review file for browser playback and Visual Intelligence indexing. Keep the ARRIRAW or RED RAW camera originals in the production's conform workflow or attach them as supported downloadable originals; the review stream is not a claim of universal native-RAW decoding.

Working with raw camera footage? Check out How to Build a Searchable Library From ARRIRAW, RED R3D, and ProRes Footage.

Why don't browsers support ARRIRAW and RED RAW natively?

Browsers do not support ARRIRAW and RED RAW natively because these formats store unprocessed sensor data using proprietary compression algorithms that would require a full raw development pipeline to decode in real-time — something no browser vendor has implemented.

ARRIRAW (.ari, .mxf, .arx) stores the sensor's Bayer pattern data without debayering. To produce a viewable image, the browser would need to:

1. Parse the proprietary ARRI container format
2. Debayer the sensor pattern into RGB pixels
3. Apply the ARRI LogC or LogC4 color transform
4. Apply white balance and ISO metadata
5. Output a standard color space like Rec.709

RED RAW (.r3d) uses RED's proprietary wavelet-based compression (REDCODE). To decode it, a browser would need to implement the RED SDK — which is licensed, not open source — and run real-time wavelet decompression in JavaScript, which is not computationally feasible.

No browser vendor has implemented either pipeline. The only way to make these formats browser-playable is to transcode them into a web-friendly streaming format.

How does Cutsio make ARRIRAW playable in a browser?

Cutsio makes the review workflow browser-ready by serving approved ProRes review media through a standard browser-based player. The production's RAW-to-review transcode remains part of the DIT or dailies pipeline, while Cutsio provides search, playback, and sharing around that review media.

The technical pipeline:

1. Upload: The DIT uploads native .ari, .mxf, or .arx files to Cutsio. Files can be uploaded individually or in folder structures organized by scene and take.
2. Review Media: Upload the approved ProRes review file to Cutsio. Cutsio provides optimized playback and Visual Intelligence indexing; keep the ARRIRAW source in the production's conform and color-managed workflow.
3. Visual Intelligence Indexing: Simultaneously, computer vision models analyze every frame of the review stream — detecting objects, scenes, actions, and transcribing any scratch audio.
4. Browser Delivery: The review stream is served through Cutsio's browser-based player, which supports standard playback controls, frame-accurate scrubbing, and timecoded commenting.
5. Original Retention: The original .ari, .mxf, and .arx files are stored as downloadable attachments. They are never modified.

The director opens a share link on any device — laptop, tablet, phone — and the ARRIRAW footage plays immediately.

How does Cutsio make RED R3D playable in a browser?

Cutsio makes RED review media playable in a browser through the same searchable workflow: upload the approved ProRes review file, index it with Visual Intelligence, and retain the original R3D in the production's conform archive or as a supported attachment.

The RED pipeline:

1. Upload: The DIT uploads native .r3d files from V-RAPTOR, KOMODO, KOMODO-X, or DSMC2 cameras.
2. Review Media: Upload the approved ProRes review file to Cutsio for optimized playback and Visual Intelligence indexing. Keep the REDCODE source in the production's conform and color-managed workflow.
3. Visual Intelligence Indexing: Computer vision indexes every frame of the review stream for Visual Search.
4. Browser Delivery: The review stream plays in any browser with accurate color metadata preserved where possible.
5. Original Retention: The original .r3d files are stored as downloadable attachments. They are byte-for-byte identical to what came off the camera card.

What does the browser player support for raw footage review?

Cutsio's browser player is built for professional footage review, not casual watching. It supports the following features for ARRI RAW and RED R3D review streams:

| Feature | What It Does |

| :--- | :--- |

| Frame-accurate playback | Scrub to any frame with timecode display |

| Frame-accurate commenting | Click on any frame to leave a timecoded comment |

| Approval gates | Mark takes as Approved, Needs Retake, or Alternate |

| View tracking | See who watched, when, and how much |

| Password protection | Require a password to access the link |

| Expiration dates | Set links to expire automatically |

| Branded presentation | White-labeled player for client-facing reviews |

| Multi-stakeholder access | Multiple viewers can watch simultaneously |

The player works on any modern browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge — on any operating system. No plugins, no codec packs, no downloads required.

How does Visual Search make browser-playable footage searchable?

Visual Search in Cutsio indexes every frame of the browser-playable review stream using computer vision — so you can search for specific visual content even when the footage has no scratch audio.

Once the ARRI RAW or RED R3D footage is transcoded and playable in the browser, Visual Search makes it instantly searchable by:

• Objects: "car," "gun," "table," "window," "horse"
• Scenes: "kitchen," "desert," "office," "nightclub," "forest"
• Actions: "walking," "running," "driving," "arguing," "kissing"
• Composition: "close-up," "wide shot," "two-shot," "over-the-shoulder"
• Lighting: "golden hour," "night," "backlit," "soft shadow"

For MOS footage — common in ARRI and RED productions — this is the only way to search without scrubbing. Transcript-based tools return nothing for silent clips. Visual Search returns the exact frames based on what the camera actually saw.

How does Share deliver browser-playable footage to stakeholders?

Cutsio's Share feature generates a secure link that plays the review stream in any browser on any device — no downloads, no logins, no proprietary software required.

Once the raw footage is transcoded into browser-playable review assets, sharing it is a two-minute process:

1. Select the clips or Collection.
2. Configure password protection, expiration date, and view tracking.
3. Copy the branded share link and send it via email or production chat.

The recipient opens the link and the footage plays immediately. On a phone, the player adapts to the screen size. On a laptop, it shows full-resolution playback with timecode overlays. On a tablet, it supports touch-based scrubbing and commenting.

How do Collections organize browser-playable footage across the production?

Collections in Cutsio group browser-playable review assets into visual hubs organized by shoot day, scene, camera, or any custom taxonomy — so the entire production team navigates the footage visually, not through folder names.

For a mixed-camera production with ARRI ALEXA 35 as A-cam and RED V-RAPTOR as B-cam, Collections can be structured to show both cameras side by side. The director opens a single Collection, sees thumbnails for every take from both cameras, and clicks to play any clip instantly in the browser.

How does Agentic Chat help non-technical stakeholders access browser-playable footage?

Agentic Chat in Cutsio lets producers, directors, and clients find specific clips in the browser-playable library using natural language questions — without learning folder structures or search syntax.

Stakeholders ask:

• "Show me all the B-cam slow-motion shots from the car chase."
• "Find the ALEXA close-ups from Scene 24."
• "Which takes have both actors in frame?"
• "Are there any shots with visible lens flare?"

Agentic Chat returns the matching clips from the browser-playable library instantly.

What internet speed is needed to watch ARRI RAW and RED footage in a browser?

The browser player adapts to the viewer's connection speed. For optimal playback:

| Connection | Experience |

| :--- | :--- |

| Fiber (100+ Mbps) | Full-quality stream, instant scrubbing |

| Cable (25–100 Mbps) | High-quality stream, responsive scrubbing |

| 5G mobile | High-quality stream, good scrubbing |

| 4G mobile | Standard-quality stream, moderate scrubbing |

| Slow connection (< 10 Mbps) | Standard-quality stream, buffering may occur |

The stream is adaptive. Viewers on slower connections receive a lower-bitrate stream that plays smoothly. Viewers on fast connections receive the highest-quality stream available.

FAQ

Is ARRI RAW and RED R3D browser playback available for all Cutsio accounts?

ARRIRAW and RED R3D ingestion and browser playback are available as an enterprise add-on for qualified production accounts. Contact the Cutsio sales team to enable raw format support.

Does the browser player support frame-accurate scrubbing?

Yes. The browser player supports frame-accurate scrubbing with timecode display. You can navigate to any frame and leave a timecoded comment.

Can I download the original raw file from the browser player?

Yes. Authorized users can download the original .ari, .mxf, .arx, or .r3d file directly from the share link. The original files are byte-for-byte identical to what came off the camera card.

What browsers are supported?

Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge are fully supported. The player works on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android.

Does the browser player preserve the ARRI or RED color space?

The review stream is generated with the source color metadata applied where possible. For critical color decisions, always refer to the original raw files in your NLE grading environment.