question re MediaFiler (or alternative); cataloguing media
 

Hi there,
I'm going through Doug Jensen's XDCAM EX training DVDs - - they're very good, but I don't understand something. He uses a Mac, edits with Final Cut Pro, but he also shows off what looks like a very nice app for cataloguing all his media backups, called MediaFiler, which is PC-only.
Mac-users out there (I know there are a lot of you) - - what do you use to catalogue your media... is there something like MediaFiler?
Thanks,
Malcolm

Hi Malcolm. This is a very good question. I noticed the very same thing after viewing the Vortex training video. I also remember that you are using Avid on a Mac and so my response may not help your configuration.

This week, I installed Apple's Final Cut Server to give it a spin for use as a media catalogue and workflow management. The server itself requires Mac OS X Leopard and is scalable from MacBook Pro's to large scale NAS/XSAN Servers. The client software works on both Mac and PC's. In my first pass of experimenting, FC Server seems like a beast--very flexible and very capable for management of all kinds of assets (video and audio clips, shot lists, graphics, scripts, storyboards etc.) pertaining to video and film projects/production.

FC Server is a tool for work group and/or team environments. Both the cost and learning curve are steep at least for what I am doing at this time. There is at least one other poster that mentioned he was using FC Server. So I'm looking forward to his experience.

I emailed Vortex Media to ask about Doug's use of MediaFiler on a Mac, and was told that yes, in fact, Doug uses it via Parallels, and that:

"There will never be a Mac OS version of MediaFiler unless Microsoft releases a Mac version of Access -- which is unlikely to happen"

So I'm out of luck there - - any other suggestions for media cataloguing tools, on the Mac side?

Thanks, Malcolm