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Cinema Machina Forge for macOS

Know the source.
Keep the film.

Preservation-first mastering for macOS. Forge reads your movie, takes the least destructive path, and checks the result.

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0.8.0 Public Beta · macOS 13+ · Apple Silicon and Intel

Build 18 Cinema Machina Forge Compress view for Omniscient Reader - The Prophecy (2025), 4K Dolby Vision, with Preserve Video selected. The film frame is replaced by a neutral field.
Forge Build 18 open on macOS with a 4K HDR source loaded.

The least destructive path, every time.

  1. Build 18 Forge Remux view for Ustad Hotel (2012): H.264 1080p video, with DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD selected, Dolby Digital left out, an English PGS subtitle selected and 1 chapter kept.
    Remux in Build 18 with the real track list of Ustad Hotel (2012).

    Remux

    Keep the film. Choose the tracks.

    The video is copied as it is. You decide which audio and subtitle tracks survive, and Forge rebuilds the MKV.

    Technical details

    Real example: Ustad Hotel (2012). H.264 1080p, with DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD kept, Dolby Digital left out, and the English PGS subtitle kept. Forge reports nothing re-encoded and the original never changed.

  2. Build 18 Forge archive methods: Preserve Video selected with no re-encode, Fast Archive with hardware encode, and Cinema Archive Master with software encode, plus Forge's note that Dolby Vision metadata is carried through untouched.
    Build 18 archive methods on a Dolby Vision source, with Preserve Video selected.

    Preserve Video

    Dolby Vision stays untouched.

    On a Dolby Vision source, Forge copies the video rather than compressing it, so the Dolby Vision metadata comes through intact.

    Technical details

    Real example: Omniscient Reader (2025), 4K HEVC Main 10 with HDR10 and Dolby Vision Profile 8.1. Forge marks Dolby Vision, Atmos and chapters as preserved. Dolby Vision claims are limited to the tested Profile 8 single-layer path.

  3. Build 18 Forge Fast Archive for Ustad Hotel (2012): Balanced quality priority, a two-hour time budget, a total estimate of 9.1 GB to 35.27 GB, and Forge's estimate of 43.35 GB to about 22.75 GB, roughly 47 percent smaller.
    Fast Archive in Build 18 for Ustad Hotel (2012), with Forge's size estimate.

    Fast Archive

    When storage matters.

    Apple hardware encoding makes a smaller HEVC archive where the source and Mac support it. Forge shows the trade-off before you start.

    Technical details

    Real example: Ustad Hotel (2012) with Balanced quality and a two-hour time budget. Forge estimates 43.35 GB to about 22.75 GB, roughly 47 percent smaller. That figure is Forge's estimate before encoding, not a measured result. Cinema Archive Master is a high-quality compressed profile, not a preservation master.

  4. Build 18 Forge result summary for a completed Remux of Ustad Hotel (2012): Remux Created, Verification PASS, Source Unchanged, 42.63 GB output.
    The top of a real completed Build 18 verification result.

    Verify

    Finished means checked.

    Forge reads the finished file back and reports what it confirmed, including what you chose to leave out.

    Technical details

    Real result: the Ustad Hotel Remux finished with Verification PASS and Source Unchanged, a 42.63 GB output. The full check list is shown below.

Every stream, accounted for.

Remux · Ustad Hotel (2012)

  • VideoH.264 High, 1920×1080Copied, not re-encodedOutput video opens: h264
  • Audio 1DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1KeptBit-perfect pass
  • Audio 2Dolby TrueHD 5.1KeptBit-perfect pass
  • Audio 3Dolby Digital 5.1Left outDeclined by intent
  • SubtitlesEnglish, PGSKeptPayload preserved
  • Chapters1KeptExpected 1, found 1

Source facts come from probing the real file. The checks in the last column are the ones Forge reported after a completed run on this title.

Preserve Video · Omniscient Reader (2025)

  • VideoHEVC Main 10, 3840×2160Copied untouchedNo re-encode
  • HDRHDR10, Dolby Vision Profile 8.1Metadata carried throughDolby Vision preserved
  • AudioDolby TrueHD Atmos 7.1KeptAtmos preserved
  • SubtitlesEnglish and Russian, SubRipKeptListed in the plan
  • Chapters12KeptChapters preserved

On a Dolby Vision source, Forge steers you here because ordinary compression would discard the Dolby Vision metadata. These are Forge's statements before a run. Dolby Vision claims stay limited to the tested Profile 8 single-layer path.

Finished means verified.

Forge reads the finished file back and reports each check, including the tracks you chose to leave out.

Build 18 Forge result for a completed Remux of Ustad Hotel (2012): Verification PASS, source unchanged, bit-perfect passes for DTS-HD MA and TrueHD, PGS preserved, chapters expected 1 found 1, and Dolby Digital listed as declined by intent.
A real Build 18 result: a completed Remux of Ustad Hotel (2012), 42.63 GB.

A public beta, honestly scoped.

What Build 18 has proved, and what it has not. Open any line for the detail.

Local by default

Core media analysis and processing run locally. Optional artwork and metadata lookups contact a provider you configure; they are not required for media work. The corresponding-source archive covers bundled third-party components and build scripts, not Forge's proprietary application source.

Disc to MKV, within clear limits

Forge can identify readable, unencrypted Blu-ray and DVD-Video folders and archive the feature to MKV. It does not decrypt discs, keep menus or BD-J, or open DVD ISO files.

Dolby Vision and HDR10+

Dolby Vision preservation is tested on the Profile 8 single-layer path. Profiles 5 and 7 remain unverified. HDR10+ has targeted metadata checks; full picture-quality qualification on real graded titles is not established.

Audio naming

DTS-HD MA, DTS:X and DTS-ES display naming still lacks real-media qualification fixtures.

Accessibility

A complete VoiceOver speech audit has not yet been performed.

Forge

0.8.0 Public Beta · Build 18

macOS 13 or later · Universal · Apple Silicon and Intel · 86.2 MB

Download Public Beta

First open

  1. Drag Forge to Applications.
  2. Try opening it normally.
  3. If macOS blocks it, choose Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

This direct-distribution beta is not Apple-notarized, so macOS asks for that one confirmation. No Terminal commands are needed.

Quick Start PDF Release notes Checksums Source archive

Verify the download
DMG · 86,151,557 bytes · SHA-256
90cb9bf96fd95c8bf1e5604f614dbc399e1105aafe4b8c8d5a3deab62b9c9811
Quick Start PDF · SHA-256
f404bf934201e7a5b2f3f020f62072bae90970bac8f8f1dbdc9c55f626e86893
Third-party source archive · 140,573,896 bytes · SHA-256
83c11bcd09d3a81b6a045853a9c013815c0555688af849d8a02f788718b74659

The download is hosted with the public GitHub prerelease. Compare the DMG, PDF and source archive with the published checksums before opening them.