Do you have a favorite tool you use to log all of your archival video? Our challenge is that we have a ton of P2 (MXF) and a good amount of Prores and some AVCHD video built up over quite a few Terabytes of drives over the past decade or so. Trying to locate a particular shot or clip is so incredibly time consuming. CatDV looks good but $650.00 seems a bit steep for what we need (Pro version with the .MXF option), we don't need page after page of metadata, just a simple tool that shows a thumbnail or sample clip, the name of the drive, scene breakdown. For those of you who have been at this business for many years, what do you use to keep track of and to locate a particular asset?

Meticulous organizing by /client/year/event/camera, so AmEx/2014/Money2020/Day1/BigShow/Wide.

This takes care of about 90% of what I need.

For the other 10%, and... we don't do this for most things, but Adobe Bridge will make contact sheets - so if it's something that the folder structure doesn't make it obvious what it will be, or if it's something we need to refer to - we make a contact sheet of that folder both as a PDF and print it in color. You can then page through and look for the shot you want.

Google Photos will now let me search using various metadata. So when my wife says "remember that shot you took of our daughter in the pool at the Marriott in San Francisco?", I can literally type "Jane pool san francisco marriott" into google photos and it will spit the photo back at me. I am waiting for this to go pro so I can use it in business. ;-)

Not for the Mac I know but this is the latest version of EDIUS 8 with a browser that look like it will do the sort of thing you want.Introducing EDIUS 8 - part 3 - GV Browser - YouTube

Ron Evans

For those of you who have been at this business for many years, what do you use to keep track of and to locate a particular asset?

I would think you could just setup an Excel spreadsheet for something that simple.

Thanks for the replies guys. Funny you mention Adobe Bridge contact sheets, we used that for a project I am editing for an NGO. Have a good amount of footage that we didn't shoot that we were given, we did exactly what you say. But that's not a really a good method for being able to search by keyword or location though? Also, we have occasional need to share this with clients so a logging program of some type would probably work better.

This intrigued me: KeyFlow Pro the $299 Media Asset Manager with Final Cut Pro X integration (http://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/articles/1702-keyflow-pro-the-299-media-asset-manager-with-final-cut-pro-x-integration)

Nate, I found this very interesting review of KeyFlow Pro. Looks to be the first review.
KeyFlow Pro, a personal Media Asset Management system with limited workgroup capabilities - IT ENQUIRER (http://photo.it-enquirer.com/2015/08/keyflow-pro/)

Do you have a favorite tool you use to log all of your archival video? Our challenge is that we have a ton of P2 (MXF) and a good amount of Prores and some AVCHD video built up over quite a few Terabytes of drives over the past decade or so. Trying to locate a particular shot or clip is so incredibly time consuming. CatDV looks good but $650.00 seems a bit steep for what we need (Pro version with the .MXF option), we don't need page after page of metadata, just a simple tool that shows a thumbnail or sample clip, the name of the drive, scene breakdown. For those of you who have been at this business for many years, what do you use to keep track of and to locate a particular asset?

Dan, facing the same issue. For me I have XDCAM EX, AVCHD, XAVC-L. Also since I started using FCPX in its early days, my camera masters are in FCPX Camera Archives.

My reaction to CatDV with MXF pricing is also the same as yours. I think the problem is Sony XDCAM EX or MXF support requires a third party plugin such as from Calibrated Software.
Note this from Calibrated regarding CatDV
Calibrated Product Info for CatDV (http://www.calibratedsoftware.com/ProductInfoCatDV.php)
and pricing
Calibrated Software Individual Products (http://www.calibratedsoftware.com/store/IndividualStore.php)
So it looks like CatDV is bundling.
I wonder if one could buy it separately for CatDV Standard ($99).

My own hunch is, baring a relationship with Sony, KeyFlow Pro would be faced with the same add on price when the time comes. Makes me appreciate cameras that record to ProRes.

Thanks Nate and Craig. I will check these out. I have to get a handle on my footage library. I have had several projects lately where I have wasted many hours just locating assets, it would be nice to have a program that could search by keyword and to be able to view proxy clips with the drives off line.

Using CatDV 11.07 Standard (not Pro).
XDCAM EX, XAVC-L (MXF) files can't play (probably needs CatDV Pro with Calibrated plugin).
AVCHD (from Sony and Canon cameras) do play but are not joined when they should be.
FCPX Camera Archives are imported and do play if the codecs are compatible.

Using KeyFlow Pro 1.0.1
XDCAM EX, XAVC-L (MXF) files can't play.
AVCHD (from Sony and Canon cameras) aren't properly imported unless you pull out the .mts files but then they aren't joined when imported.
FCPX Camera Archives aren't properly imported.
I've contacted them about these issues.