Bryson Jones
Forum Replies Created
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That’s the kind of posts we like to see. “All clear”.
Enjoy and yes, the product is really evolving this year.
Much to come at NAB too.
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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It’s super stock. Just do it the old way. (with the 64bit installer, of course)
I’ve been really happy with Mt. Lion other than the 2 extra installs. (You have to do Tomcat as well.)
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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It might be a version mis-match. Let’s wait on SB support but usually you want to have the same version of the server on each machine or software build.
So you can update the old one and move the db, or load the old software on the new one and then update.
Again, let’s let Squarebox confirm this but this has been our best practice.
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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This is exactly the reason that Squarebox gave us the command line interface and the ability to fire outside scripts from the Worker gui.
While I’m sorry you couldn’t get your action through the gui, at least they’ve given us an alternate way to perform actions.
Most systems either don’t have a way to fire an external action, or require programming knowledge to do even the most basic actions.
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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First, are we talking about the Server based product or the standalone?
The esteemed gentlemen here are correct about the base installation, it’s simple, provided you have command line experience and server admin skills, which many do.
Second, full disclosure. I install MAM/DAM systems for a living, full time. My opinion is formed by that experience.
I’ve made my living over the past few years taking CatDV systems that were installed and “running” and making them do more or correcting mistakes that were made in the initial deployment. Sometimes these were expensive mistakes.
Let’s separate the idea of “CatDV” and a DAM. You can get CatDV running in an afternoon. You can get a university degree in Digital Asset Management.
The common issues we see in DIY systems are as follows. (These are focused on the mid-size to larger operation.) If you are a 2 person shop, and don’t manage expensive assets or plan to deliver these assets to a larger organization, your case may differ, but these are useful to read and consider.
Time – Are you an IT person with hours available to work on the deployment? (Also, how much do you like the people on this board?) Finally, do you have a hard deadline to make? Note that many people looking for answers on here don’t have the ability to press for a swift resolution as you would if you had a contracted solution provider.
Long term goals – Will this system do more in the future? Digital Distribution, long term archiving, automation of repetitive tasks and other advanced workflows are possible once you have a MAM in place. Might be a good idea to make sure your data is in good shape and follows industry best practices before you spend months or years entering it into a system.
Project Management – Do you have the authority to gather your teams into groups and lead them through the process of developing a metadata schema and defining a specific workflow?
Documentation/Training – Are you prepared (read: allowed the time) to document what you do so that your company does not have to train from scratch the process you’ve outlined? This is the most overlooked item we see. Even our deployments often remove it and then re-add it later when the need becomes apparent and or budget permits.
Technical Skill Set – This really goes back to time. Anyone can learn about MAM or advanced scripting (note scripting skills are only needed for more involved workflows.) The question is, “Do you want to?” If you have a full time job creating content, and assuming that a well deployed MAM is integrated once and then modified as needed only a few times, then why spend your time on it? We see tons of systems where people were able to get the mysql, apache tomcat and other processes installed but none of them are backed up or able to be troubleshot effectively. Don’t make your first call a 911. Build a relationship early with service providers. (Again, there are tons of great IT people who can do this. Just make sure you have them on speed dial before you base your business on a system.)
Budget Planning – If you buy this yourself, it’s up to you to manage your budget. Often in MAM systems the deployment costs far more than the software. This is due to the nature of customizing databases. Your dealer will help you ensure that at the end of the project, you have a working system within your budget. Your dealer should be able to articulate what functions the system will perform when the project is complete. If they say you can do “everything” in phase one, they are likely lying. 😉
My favorite way to explain this all is with cars. You can build a “better” car yourself given the time and skills. But you might just want to buy the BMW with all the parts on it already. It’s all about time, skills, budget and what you are looking for.
Think of your dealer/integrator as a top of the line car customizer. They build these “better than stock” systems for you. They help you choose the fancier engine first or a nicer interior and then they plan when you buy each piece so you can manage the budget. That way, you can enjoy driving it… not busting knuckles putting on rims or staring at a manual.
now, let me go add this to the FAQ on my site. 😉
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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I’d assume that if the job fails that the action would stop.
I have seen it do this however where it finishes the action even if part of it can’t complete.
I’d like to hear from Squarebox on this one.
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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This would best be done with a shell script.
I’d recommend that you move the proxy first to a staging location and then delete after a week or so, just to be sure. Unless it can be quickly recreated.
Note, an incorrect “rm” command can delete all of the files on your filesystem. Handle with care.
If you are not conversant with the shell, contact your dealer or look for a kid with a pocket protector.
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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I have to bow out on this one. I have no clients using the sequence editor in any substantial way.
That’s a bummer about Xuggle on Windows with the sync. I’ll bet the JB&A guys have some specifics on their windows deployments. I know I’ve heard they’ve done quite a few.
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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2 ideas, if CatDV Worker can export the audio correctly but is messing up the names (this seems to be an issue with QT) you can direct the exports to the correct path and name them using variables.
If you’re not comfortable with this, contact your dealer.
They also could set up Worker to fire Compressor jobs through the command line.
Kevin Duggan has discussed the Compressor thing here before. NSA’s dealers offer it as a professional service. Because of the environmental issues and potential problems with the command line, I’m not comfortable posting it for DIY and answering the 200 posts about “why my Compressor is broken.” (Ah, our old friend/enemy Compressor.) 😉
It’s better to have someone to assist and keep it running unless you have that skill set in-house. That said, the command line interface is covered pretty well in the Compressor manual, if you have the time and desire.
The use of variables is in the Worker Read Me, if you choose to go that way but if you’ve not used them a lot you might want someone to help you set up your first actions.
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com
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Could you let us know:
Are you using the Worker or CatDV client?
Are you trying to use the same proxy settings for video and audio files?
I was able to create an audio only proxy setting on CatDV Pro 10.0.1 that worked to make an AAC proxy. However I do sometimes run into file naming issues on these.
As a general practice we break audio and still image proxy creation out to separate scripts to ease the load on the worker node. But you can easily set up different proxy profiles in the Worker for each file type and it should be fine. (in the Worker you can control file names by using variables so QT can’t mess you up.)
bryson
bryson “at” northshoreautomation.com
northshoreautomation.com