RED digital cameras record RAW media that is compressed using a proprietary codec known as REDCODE^™, which is saved as an R3D^™ file. R3D files contain very high-resolution digital images (2K, 4K, or even higher). These files require a computational-intensive debayering process to transcode to a file format that can be read by Autodesk Visual Effects and Finishing applications.

WiretapCentral can prepare a reel of clips, originating from RED source material, for conforming in an Autodesk Visual Effects and Finishing application. WiretapCentral is used to set up R3D transcoding jobs, which are sent to a Backburner network for decoding, leveraging a network of processing nodes (any Linux-based computers, including the application workstation) to provide maximum processing speed. The jobs output image sequences to a location that is accessible to Autodesk Visual Effects and Finishing applications.

RED media can be imported as individual R3D files, or as either Apple^® Final Cut Pro^® XML or generic EDL files that contain RED media.