[1] Much like the H.26x and MPEG standards, the ProRes family of codecs use compression algorithms based on the discrete cosine transform (DCT).
[2] ProRes is widely used as a final format delivery method for HD broadcast files in commercials, features, Blu-ray and streaming.
ProRes is a line of intermediate codecs, which means they are intended for use during video editing, and not for practical end-user viewing.
It is built upon the same technology as other ProRes codecs, but is directly applied to the raw data coming from the sensor, thus delaying the debayering process to the post-production stage.
[11] On 1 October 2011,[12] JCodec introduced an open source (FreeBSD License) pure Java decoder for ProRes 422, a translation[13] of the FFmpeg version.
FFmpeg as of 2024, now supports encoding generally compatible (for current hardware and broadcasting software suites) Proxy-HQ and 4444/4444XQ modes, but still only supports 10-bit or 16-bit modes and not the 12-bit standard for the 4444 codec versions (4:4:4 chroma subsampling) compared to hardware and native Apple licensed software encoders.
Without Final Cut Pro installed, QuickTime Player can also be used to capture ProRes 422 video from any compatible attached camera, using the "Maximum" quality setting when producing a Movie Recording.
[15] At the April 2010 NAB Show, Digital Video Systems launched the first Windows 7 platform with the ability to encode to all the varieties of Apple ProRes at speeds far faster than real time on their Clipster product.
[16] On March 31, 2011, Telestream added support for ProRes encoding on Windows systems with Episode Engine, Vantage, and FlipFactory as a free upgrade to the current versions of these products.
[17] At the April 2012 NAB Show, Brevity introduced a customized algorithm for the accelerated transport and encoding of ProRes files.
Other applications such as Filmic Pro (a third-party application, notably used by Apple for their demo reels in recent years) bypasses this limitation on lower end models and allows full industry compliant ProRes 10bit 4:2:2 profiles LT, 422, and HQ using the less supported Dolby Vision HDR standard.
In February 2022, Panasonic released the Lumix GH6 mirrorless camera which has the ability to record 5.7K video in ProRes 422 HQ.