Compatibility and Known Limitations
The same text is included in the FrameBridge download package.
FrameBridge — Native Video for Cubase & Nuendo
Beta
COMPATIBILITY AND KNOWN LIMITATIONS - 2026-10-28
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PLATFORM
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Windows x64.
VERIFIED HOSTS
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Cubase:
8.0.10 (LE AI Elements)
9.0.0 (LE AI Elements)
10.5.0.68
11
12.0.10 / 12.0.51 / 12.0.52
13.0.21
14.0.5 / 14.0.10 / 14.0.20 / 14.0.32 / 14.0.40
15.0.5 / 15.0.21 / 15.0.30
Nuendo:
10
12.0.52
13.0.10 / 13.0.50
14.0.32 / 14.0.40
15.0.21 / 15.0.30
These are specifically tested builds, not a claim for every release in the
Cubase 8-15 or Nuendo 10-15 generations. Cubase 9 passed the user's full video
and subtitle test collection; Cubase 8 passed three previously unsupported video
formats. Cubase Pro 12.0.51 was independently verified on a weak Windows 11 PC:
installation, MKV playback with external subtitles, and restoration by uninstall.
This does not mean all heavy media play smoothly on that PC.
Nearby or older unlisted Cubase/Nuendo builds may also be compatible: the
installer offers them only when its compatibility check of the installed video
engine passes. This includes possible Nuendo 7-9 builds, but they have not been
tested and are not guaranteed. A failed check leaves the installation untouched.
All verified hosts share the same FFmpeg decoding and subtitle rendering.
One observed UI difference is that Nuendo 13 can open its full-screen video
window about 300 ms more slowly, without affecting playback.
VERIFIED VIDEO MATRIX
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Container coverage:
MKV / WebM, FLV, M2TS / MTS / TS, MOV / MP4, AVI, MXF, MPEG-PS/VOB and OGV.
Codec coverage:
APV, AV1 8-bit, AV1 10-bit, CineForm, DNxHR, FFV1, H.264 Main/High10/B-frames/
VFR, HEVC Main10, HuffYUV, MPEG-2, ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 4444, Theora, UtVideo,
VP8, VP9 10-bit and Xvid.
The supported regression matrix passes 31/31 files. Long real-world HEVC, HDR
and DCP samples were also opened through the common path. HDR-to-SDR conversion
was visually verified; no quantitative color-accuracy claim is made.
VVC/H.266 is excluded from this beta and is rejected before decoder opening.
SUBTITLES
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Supported external subtitle formats:
SRT, ASS, SSA, VTT, SMI/SAMI, MicroDVD, TTML, DFXP, IMSC, EBU STL, SCC,
DCP XML, PGS/SUP and VobSub.
Text and bitmap subtitle paths are active across the verified video formats.
All formats share the SRT look. PGS/SUP and VobSub are read as text with the
Windows OCR (test SUP against its SRT: 73/76 lines identical, the rest differ by
spacing/one dot; italics 560/561 words; a full Blu-ray episode: 792 of 795 cues as
text in 3.2 s). Unreadable lines and languages without a Windows OCR pack keep the
original pictures. Supported sidecars are
loaded automatically, so they do not need to be burned into the source video in
advance.
WORKFLOW
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Supported files use the native Cubase/Nuendo video track and built-in Video
Player. They do not require preliminary transcoding or a separate external
video player.
PERFORMANCE NOTES
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CineForm and FFV1 use the verified first-pass seek optimization. AV1 keeps the
verified preroll path. Heavy intra, AV1, VP9 10-bit, ProRes 4444 and other
software-decoded media can be difficult on low-end hardware. On the independent
Cubase 12.0.51 test PC (i5-2550K / GTX 660), 4K HEVC Main10 and H.264 High10
were too demanding for smooth playback; audio could continue while video froze.
For weak PCs, disabling video thumbnails in the host is recommended where
available. FrameBridge automatically pauses thumbnail generation under sustained
player delay to reduce CPU contention; this does not make unsupported hardware
decode 4K 10-bit video in real time. No Vulkan dependency is required.
INSTALLER SAFETY
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Automatic discovery is limited to Windows App Paths, Windows uninstall records,
and product state for rollback/status. There is no whole-drive, Program Files,
Desktop, archive, or unrelated test-copy scan.
Multiple compatible hosts require an explicit numbered selection for install and
rollback. With no compatible registered host, the standard Windows executable or
folder picker is offered. Cancelling performs no file or registry changes.
Original engines are matched by exact SHA-256 identity or by the compatibility
check, backed up per installation, bound to product state, and restored by atomic
replacement. For Cubase 8/9 only, the installer also makes checked local copies
of the customer's existing QuickTime helper EXEs alongside the backed-up engine;
its own copies are removed on rollback. These EXEs are not distributed in this
package. Existing unknown FFmpeg DLLs or unknown hashes cause install refusal;
rollback removes only known product hashes. Product cleanup is limited to
%ProgramData%\CubaseNuendoDirectShow and exact extension values previously recorded
by this product. Projects, preferences, plug-ins and unrelated data are outside
the installer scope.
FrameBridge