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Considering CatDV. Seeking feedback and workflow ideas
We’re looking for a solid way to log our tapeless footage. I love the Sony XDCAM EX applications for what they are, but so far I have yet to find a way to attach permanent logging metadata to a clip and keep it intact all the way to Final Cut Pro. Add to the mix the fact that we log/rewrap our footage on one central machine and then ship the Quicktime files to our three edit machines. That means I need a better solution that I can adapt to our circumstances.
I’ve been looking around and see that CatDV seems suited very well for what we want: logging of individual clips, the ability to search by keyword, and that sort of thing. The price sure seems appropriate. I have a few questions for any of you that have the software (and yes, I’m about to download and install the demo).
Does the software read BPAV folders, or does it work best with rewrapped Quicktimes? I thought I read a while back that someone offlined the BPAV folders but kept the Quicktimes online and in the CatDV database. We keep the BPAV folders online now as well as archived, but keeping the Quicktimes spinning on the RAID is an interesting approach I hadn’t considered.
I have other questions too, but I realize that the best way to answer them is by using the demo copy of the software for myself. I guess what I’m really looking for is an overview of your experiences with this product. Everybody has their own unique workflow and expectations of metadata, but I’m a firm believer of getting lots of advice and picking out the bits that apply to my circumstances.
Thanks again in advance,
Cf -
4 Replies
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We are VERY happy with the CatDV product. I would HIGHLY recommend getting Calibrated Software’s codecs to use in conjunction with it (calibratedsoftware.com). We run it in a mixed environment of PC’s and Mac’s and it works wonderfully. It is amazing versatile and allows you to manage data in a wide range of styles.
Personally, I’ve been working with it since Hurricane Katrina, at which time I met Rolf (the developer) online and found him to be VERY personable, knowledgeable and helpful. Since then, they have struck up a partnership with Niche Video in Orlando, Florida and brought on a gentleman named Karim Matiff, He is a nice gent as well, and it the rep for the USA.
I will add one other thing…
Whatever database solution you land on, start it ASAP! The backlog of this filebased stuff piles up VERY quickly and is a royal pain to deal with in retrospect. Much, much easier to log your stuff as you go, than going backwards.
Marvin Holdman
Production Manager
Tourist Network
8317 Front Beach Rd, Suite 23
Panama City Beach, Fl
phone 850-234-2773 ext. 128
cell 850-585-9667
skype username – vidmarv -
Regarding workflow…
I would look at MXF for NLE, they are cross platform. We usually archive the BPAV as footage and store any working footage with our projects (MOV, MXF, ect).
We also use CatDV to archive finished products, head end mpgs, still images, scripts, audio, pdf’s, ect. It really is that versatile. We’re hoping to develop the HTML side of it to allow access to our folks in the field. Did I mention that it is amazingly versatile?
Marvin Holdman
Production Manager
Tourist Network
8317 Front Beach Rd, Suite 23
Panama City Beach, Fl
phone 850-234-2773 ext. 128
cell 850-585-9667
skype username – vidmarv -
If you are interested we now have a plugin for CatDV which will allow you to move content from your SAN (Unity, XSAN) to MatrixSore, a highly secure nearline solution. It enables you to rightsize your SAN and move content off it that should be available but on a more appropriate solution.
https://www.matrixstore.net/2009/04/20/matrixstore-plugs-and-plays-with-catdv-asset-management/
You can archive/restore a single clip or an entire catalogue with a single click. The plugin also protects some of the metadata associated with the asset from the CatDv DB.
Let me know if you would like to know more..
CheersN
Archive for Final Cut Workflows
https://www.object-matrix.com -
This looks like an awesome archiving solution if you have the money!
https://www.daxarchiving.com/en/solutions/broadcast-archive/challenge.html
htt
p://www.daxarchiving.com/files/demo/DAX_CatDV_demo.html
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