Summary

A regression bug introduced in DaVinci Resolve Studio 20.2 (released September 10, 2025) causes per-frame animated Dolby Vision metadata to be silently dropped when downstream tools read a Dolby Vision Interoperable Master Format (IMF) exported in PHDR format. The bug persists through version 20.3.2 and Resolve 21 Beta 1 & 2.

The metadata is present in the MXF file but written with an unexpected Dolby Vision XML structure, making it inaccessible to Dolby tools. Because Dolby tools are designed to be permissive on read, no warnings or errors are generated — meaning affected deliveries can pass QC silently.

Scope: PHDR MXF exports from DaVinci Resolve Studio only. IMF/MXF exports from Baselight, Transkoder, Clipster, and other applications are not affected. ISXD format is not affected.

 

Who This Is For

• Studios and post facilities receiving Dolby Vision IMF deliveries
• Colorists and mastering engineers exporting Dolby Vision IMFs from DaVinci Resolve Studio
• QC and automation pipeline operators

Affected Versions

Version	Status
Resolve Studio 20.1 and earlier	Not affected
Resolve Studio 20.2 – 20.3.2	Affected
Resolve 21 Beta 1 & 2	Affected
Resolve Studio 20.3.3	Fixed
Resolve 21 Beta 3 and later	Fixed

 

Symptoms and Impact

The malformed structure specifically affects frame-by-frame animated L1 and L8 metadata — most commonly across cross-dissolve transitions.

When downstream tools (Metafier, cm_offline, Dolby Vision encoder) read an affected file, they silently drop per-frame data and fall back to shot-level metadata only.

Primary visible symptom: A sudden luminance "pop" (brighter or darker) at cross-dissolve boundaries instead of a smooth transition. This artifact appears on Dolby Vision devices and in all derived formats, including SDR outputs generated via cm_offline.

 

 

Recommended Actions

For Studios Receiving IMF Deliveries

• Immediately update all QC and automation pipelines to Dolby Vision Professional Tools version 5.6.3
• Re-run Metafier 5.6.3 validation on all Dolby Vision IMF elements received since September 10, 2025

   - Metafier 5.6.3 will issue the following warning if it detects improperly structured frame-animated metadata:

WARNING: Unexpected XML structures found in FrameData: metadata extracted and parsed successfully but MXF should be fixed in the source prior to encoding. See professionalsupport.dolby.com, search term “unexpected Dolby Vision XML structure” 

 

• Reject new Dolby Vision IMFs created in Resolve Studio 20.2–20.3.2 and notify vendors to update their tools

 

If Metafier Issues a Warning — Repair Steps

1. Repackage the MXF using either:

   - metafier -o <output.mxf> <input.mxf>

  - mezzinator <input.mxf> <output.mxf>

 

   JPEG2000 essence is copied unchanged; only the metadata structure is repaired.

 

2. Regenerate hashes and update the PKL in the IMF package (e.g., using Colorfront Transkoder), as restructuring the metadata invalidates existing checksums
3. Re-extract the XML from the repaired MXF using Metafier 5.6.3 and replace any previously stored XML in your Media Assett Management (MAM)
4. Recreate any SDR or derived outputs — re-run cm_offline 5.6.3 against the corrected mezzanine (no need to run Metafier first)
5. Redeliver the corrected mezzanine to all distributors, or rerun the encoding pipeline

 

For Colorists and Mastering Engineers

• Upgrade to Resolve Studio 20.3.3 or Resolve 21 Beta 3 before any new IMF exports
• Do not deliver Dolby Vision IMFs from versions 20.2–20.3.2

 

Note:

• • A future Dolby Vision encoder release will add the ability to parse these malformed XMLs as an additional safety net
  • Dolby recommends repackaging existing QC-passed assets rather than requiring full redelivery — the JPEG2000 essence is unchanged and valid
  • Contact the DaVinci Resolve team for questions about release timelines

 

If you have any questions about Dolby Vision Per-Frame Metadata Bug in PHDR MXF Output, feel free to post them in our Dolby Vision Post Production Forum or share your findings with the Dolby Creators Community on Discord.