As for LTO off the shelf drives still need some software to write the tape and that really is the seceret sause if you will. What software are you currently using to back up to tape? More details about your current or proposed configuration will really help us steer you in the right direction.
CatDV with the new “widget” called NME will allow you to send assets from CatDV to Avid and retain essentially the same metadata exchange enjoyed by the FCP users that use CatDV.
….. Kevin are you reading this?