Last September, Frame.io V4 shipped and broke our DaVinci Resolve integration overnight. Comments no longer synced. Markers stopped appearing on our timeline. The plugin we relied on for daily client reviews simply stopped working.
We waited for a fix. It never came.
After weeks of broken workflows, missed deadlines, and frustrated editors, I decided to build a replacement. Six months later, Anotee is live — and it does everything we needed Frame.io to do, for a fraction of the cost.
Here's how I architected it.
Why I Left Frame.io
Three things pushed us over the edge:
1. Broken DaVinci integration. Frame.io V4 dropped support for the third-party DaVinci plugin. Our editors were manually transcribing client comments into timeline markers — losing 30-60 minutes per revision round.
2. Pricing. We were paying $15/user/month. With plans going up to $60 for "Pro" features, the math didn't work for a 12-person team. That's $180/month minimum for something that used to feel essential and now felt broken.
3. The AI training clause. Adobe's updated terms allow training AI models on user content. Our clients sign NDAs. Uploading their unreleased footage to a platform that might train AI on it is a liability we couldn't accept.
I looked at alternatives. Wipster was acquired and sunset. Vimeo Review was too basic. Nothing supported DaVinci Resolve natively.
So I built it.
Architecture Overview
The key principle: keep the video in the browser, keep the metadata in the database, and let the NLE import structured files.
Why Next.js on Vercel? Fast development, serverless scaling, and Vercel Blob Storage eliminates the need for S3 + CloudFront configuration. Upload a file, get a URL. Done.
Why Clerk? Our reviewers are often clients who've never heard of our tool. Clerk supports magic links — they click an email, they're in. No password, no account creation friction.
DaVinci Resolve Integration: The Hard Part
The core value proposition of Anotee is simple: a client clicks on a frame in their browser, and that comment appears as a marker on the editor's timeline in DaVinci Resolve.
But browsers don't do frame-accurate seeking.
HTML5 <video> elements seek to the nearest keyframe, not the exact frame. For H.264 video with keyframes every 2 seconds, that's a 48-frame margin of error at 24fps. Unusable for professional review.
My solution uses requestVideoFrameCallback() to build a keyframe index on first playback. When a user clicks the timeline:
- Find the nearest keyframe before the target time
- Seek to that keyframe
- Fast-forward to the exact target frame
- Pause and display the comment input
This gives us true frame accuracy with 50-200ms seek time.
What I Learned About Video Processing in the Browser
Proxy generation is non-negotiable. Editors upload ProRes 422 or H.265 4K files. We run FFmpeg on upload to create a 720p H.264 proxy with faststart flag.
Time is the only reliable unit. Store everything in seconds with microsecond precision. Frame numbers are a display concern, not a storage concern.
Chunked uploads are essential. Vercel Serverless Functions have a 4.5MB body limit. We split files into 5MB chunks and upload in parallel to Vercel Blob.
AI transcription adds real value. Google Gemini accepts video input directly and returns timestamps with transcribed text. Editors can search for "logo animation" and jump directly to that moment.
Why I'm Giving It Free to the First 150 Users
Anotee runs on Vercel. Serverless functions scale automatically. Blob storage is pay-per-use. My costs per user are measured in cents, not dollars.
The first 150 users get free lifetime access because:
- They're my best QA team. Early users find edge cases that testing never will.
- Word of mouth is the only marketing I need. 150 happy users become 1,500 leads.
- It's a fair trade. Free tool now, feedback and patience in return.
The Bottom Line
Building a video collaboration tool isn't rocket science. It's a solved problem with unserved users. DaVinci Resolve editors are a growing, underserved market.
If you're a video editor, post-production studio, or content team that uses DaVinci Resolve — give Anotee a try.
First 150 users: free, forever. No credit card required.
If you're building something in the video space, I'd love to compare notes. Drop a comment or find me on X @anotee.
Top comments (0)