A scalable, cross-platform media asset management solution from UK-based software company, Square Box Systems Ltd, CatDV can handle a wide range of file types with enhanced support for video content.
The system includes media analysis tools and automatic scene detection to extract the metadata inherent in most media files, together with support for importing and exporting edit decision lists and other video-oriented file formats.
Says Rob Dormer of South African agent CatDV-SA: “We’ve seen a lot of interest in the product from the local market. A system was recently installed at well known wildlife production company Aquavision, which has thousands of hours of footage in its library.
“Although CatDV is aimed at the small to medium production companies it is also adopted worldwide by huge organisations such as NASCAR, BBC Wildlife and BBC Sport.
“The software operates on Mac and Windows platforms and is designed to work as a librarian; logging and improving workflow for non-linear editing systems. It also provides a searchable catalogue for the large number of multimedia file types that exist, with log notes and thumbnails available, using either online or offline lower resolution proxy videos.’
CatDV’s offline file browsing facility enables re-use in multiple projects, especially when network connectivity or bandwidth issues apply.
“The system can be used as a standalone regular desktop application or for network operation via the optional CatDV server,’ concludes Dormer.
Screen Africa Magazine March 2012
