CatDV MXF Option

With the CatDV MXF Option you can import and work with MXF files such as those from a Panasonic P2 camera, Sony XDCAM, or as used by AVID (you will also need to have a suitable third party codec installed to play the media).

With MXF clips it is normal for the audio and video information to be written to separate files. When you import a P2 volume or an AVID folder CatDV will automatically combine video and audio tracks from separate files into a single clip, allowing you to play the files in synch without having to create a reference movie or transcode the files. Using "metaclips" you can create subclips, add metadata and log notes, build previews and treat native MXF files just like regular clips.

CatDV uses its built-in MXF and XML parsers to read metadata from the files and load these into CatDV metadata fields, including any data entered on the camera such as subject, location, or camera lens details. In the case of P2 media, you can log the clips in CatDV, bulk editing fields such as name, creator and placename, or creating event markers, and then export these back to the P2 clip for interchange with other applications.

Media playback in CatDV is based on QuickTime, which means a variety of add- on codecs and components are available to support additional media formats including MPEG-2, MXF, RED, Cineon DPX, WMV, and many others.

Companies such as MXF4mac and Calibrated Software produce a range of codecs that can be used with the CatDV MXF Option to seamlessly work with P2, XDCAM and AVID MXF media.