Comparison

ARRI ECS vs .Cast

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ARRI ECS

Features
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The β€œECS Sync” iPhone app functions as a direct communication platform between ARRI and users of ARRI’s Electronic Control System (ECS). Adaptable to any camera and any lens, ARRI ECS tools include wireless hand units and digital controllers, intelligent lens motors, and distance measurers. With the ECS Sync app, users can receive up-to-the-minute software updates, news, and answers to frequently asked questions relevant to these products. In addition, the ECS Sync app enables Bluetooth file sharing between ECS devices and the app via the new Hi-5 hand unit, without the need of a bulky laptop on set. Software versions can be synchronized, and transferred from the app to the connected devices. Lens files and user settings can be archived in the app, or forwarded on, including to the user’s Google Drive or Drop Box. Lens files can also be displayed graphically, contributing to the app’s usefulness as a portable and intuitive filmmaking tool. Features: β€’ Save and load lens tables and user setup files to/from the Hi-5 hand unit via Bluetooth β€’ Create a personalized lens data archive in the ECS Sync app β€’ Update the Hi-5 hand unit and connected LBUS devices via the app β€’ Get the latest news about ARRI ECS products β€’ Distribute lens tables and user setup files from the app via email, WhatsApp, Dropbox, Google Drive and more

About

.Cast

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.Cast sends your iPhone's screen and audio to .Capture, a video capture app for Mac, over your local network. It is a sender only. When an iPhone is used as a camera on a film, commercial or TV set, .Cast lets you put the camera app's monitoring screen β€” waveform, focus assist, frame lines and all β€” on the director's and client monitors. ONE TAP TO START Open .Cast, tap the red REC button and start the broadcast from the iOS menu. Then open the camera app you shoot with. Whatever is on the iPhone's screen appears in .Capture. A REAL INPUT IN .CAPTURE In .Capture the phone shows up as an input ("iPhone Β· name", set in .Cast) and can be previewed, recorded and sent to SDI like any other camera. With several phones, "iPhone Multi" shows up to four side by side. BUILT FOR THE SET - Hardware H.264 encoding on the device (1920 px long edge, about 10 Mbps), tuned for low latency - Orientation: Auto / Port Right / Port Left / Portrait. Fixing it is more reliable on a rig, and it can be changed while broadcasting - Audio: the microphone when it is on, otherwise the app audio - Lists the .Capture Macs nearby, and tells you what to check when none is found NOTHING LEAVES YOUR NETWORK Video and audio go straight to the Mac on your local network. No internet, servers or cloud. No account, login, purchases, ads, analytics or tracking. HOW TO USE 1. Update .Capture on your Mac to the latest version and launch it 2. Join the iPhone and the Mac to the same Wi‑Fi 3. In .Cast, tap REC, choose .Cast and start the broadcast 4. In .Capture, choose the iPhone under INPUT Requires .Capture for Mac as the receiver (https://capture.kotetsu.work). The whole screen is sent, including notifications β€” turn on a Focus mode while broadcasting. .Cast is not for mirroring to TVs or external displays.

Screenshots

ARRI ECS3 screens
.Cast2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: ARRI ECS at 15.6 against .Cast's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
ARRI ECS versus .Cast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARRI ECS.Cast
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size23 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperARRI GroupKOTETSU, Corp.

In-app purchases

None

ARRI ECS

No in-app purchases

None

.Cast

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ARRI ECS free?
ARRI ECS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is .Cast free?
.Cast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ARRI ECS or .Cast have ads?
Neither ARRI ECS nor .Cast shows ads.

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