CatDV - capture, analyse, retrieve digital media

Sales and Support FAQ

Question

I want to be able to capture logs from DV tapes and then take that data into Final Cut. Should I use Live Capture Plus and CatDV? Do I need the professional edition?

Answer

The suggested workflow if you're using DV (including HDV downconverted to DV) is to capture and pre-log using Live Capture Plus. This will create a CatDV catalog for subsequent use within CatDV Pro, where you can do further more detailed logging and build up a complete database of your library. You can search the library, making selections and assembling them into a rough cut sequence in CatDV Pro, which you can then export to Final Cut via XML.

The main question you would have to decide is whether you want to capture full-resolution DV media in Live Capture Plus from the outset, or capture low-res proxies (called previews in CatDV) of your entire tape library first and then use batch capture to recapture just those portions needed on your timeline.

If you're using formats other than DV then you don't need Live Capture Plus. Instead, capture the media in Final Cut and import the resulting media files into CatDV and use automatic scene detection or build preview movies from there. Other than that the workflow is the same.

CatDV standard edition won't let you export FCP XML files or batch logs. CatDV Professional edition is recommended for use with Final Cut Pro.

13/12/07