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Blackmagic Design has released DaVinci Resolve 21.0.4, a maintenance update whose headline addition is native support for Sony FX5 X-OCN clips. Alongside that, the release brings smarter proxy relinking, Affinity legacy file import, new scripting API calls, and a long list of playback and decoding fixes.
For most Resolve users a point release like this is easy to skip, but this one arrives at a useful moment. The Sony FX5 is the first camera in its class to record 16-bit scene-linear X-OCN internally, and with shipping starting this month, the first wave of owners will be dropping those files onto timelines within days. Our FX5 review covers what that footage looks like coming out of the camera; 21.0.4 is what gets it into a grade without an intermediate step (or the DaVinci beta we had access to).
The release notes list support for importing Sony FX5 X-OCN clips. That covers the LT, C1, and C2 flavors the camera writes internally, and it removes the transcode detour that early adopters would otherwise face. Given that internal RAW is the FX5’s central selling point, and that Sony has already warned of delivery delays because of demand, the timing is deliberate rather than coincidental.
Relinking has been improved so clips can now relink to proxies in different formats, and DRT imports automatically relink to existing nested clips when they are present. On the Color page, a selected clip stays in view when clip filters change, a small fix that regular colorists will notice immediately. Resolve can now import Affinity legacy file formats, and the scripting API gains calls to retrieve timeline clip selections and to get a timeline object from a media pool timeline entry, plus SetRenderSettings options for handles, extents, and data burn.
The rest is housekeeping, but useful housekeeping: Blackmagic addressed realtime playback issues on large cached timelines, multiple retime speed curve editing bugs, edit index ordering, source viewer audio when pasting timecode, path length limits for Fusion templates on Windows, missing marker notes for data burn-in, and decoding problems affecting some DPX files, some CR2 stills, and H.264 software decoding on Windows.
Blackmagic notes that project libraries remain compatible with DaVinci Resolve 20.3.2, but individual projects created or opened in 21.0.4 will no longer open in 20.3.2. If you are collaborating with a facility or freelancers still on the older build, back up the full project library and the individual projects before you touch them. System requirements are unchanged: macOS 15 Sequoia or later on Apple Silicon, Windows 10 Creators Update with 16GB of memory, and NVIDIA Studio driver 581.57 or newer on Windows.
DaVinci Resolve 21.0.4 is a free download from the Blackmagic Design support page and a free update for existing users. The free version handles unlimited resolution media but caps mastering at Ultra HD and a single GPU on Windows and Linux; DaVinci Resolve Studio adds multi-GPU support, HDR tools, noise reduction, voice isolation, and remote rendering.
If you have an FX5 arriving, this is the update that makes its X-OCN files usable straight away. Have you tried the new footage in Resolve yet? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!
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Nino Leitner, AAC is Co-CEO of CineD and MZed. He co-owns CineD (alongside Johnnie Behiri), through his company Nino Film GmbH. Nino is a cinematographer and producer, well-traveled around the world for his productions and filmmaking workshops. He specializes in shooting documentaries and commercials, and at times a narrative piece. Nino is a studied Master of Arts. He lives with his wife and two sons in Vienna, Austria.