Preferences

Use the Preferences dialog to enter your registration details and change user preferences. There are a large number of settings, arranged in different pages or tabs for convenience. You can use the Next and Previous buttons to cycle through them, or Highlight to show which settings have been modified and optionally restore them back to their recommended default values.

 

 

General tab

Whether to interpret timecode (when no frame rate is specified by the context) as PAL or NTSC; the format for displaying dates and times; whether to hide less commonly used menu commands or show a simplified toolbar in the main window; how to name subclips created by automatic scene detection or the New Subclip command; whether to force the user interface language to English when using a localised version of CatDV.

Proxies & Thumbnails tab

What size and quality settings to use when creating proxy movies (use one of the presets, or customise your own in the Professional Edition); whether to use tape- or path-based proxies; whether to display a proxy instead if the original movie is unavailable; whether to generate thumbnails for imported media; what size thumbnails to create; whether to use the midpoint or start of clip as initial default poster; whether to create thumbnails on the first/last frame or inset by 5% (for shots that fade in from black).

Media Search Paths tab

The directory for creating tape-based proxies and additional proxy directories to search when locating proxy movies for a tape (you can include the directory where self-contained archives are stored to search those also). Specify equivalent media directories for path-based proxies and to automatically locate media files (define mappings from the path as stored in the catalog to where the files are physically located on the local machine).

User Columns tab

Specify names and types for user-defined columns or create additional columns. The FCP Preset button automatically sets user column names to match Final Cut Pro. Use the Built-in Fields button to customise the names of pre-defined attributes. You can also define Marker Categories from this tab. (Professional Edition only)

Pick Lists tab

View or edit the values that appear in drop down lists when editing grouping columns. If an attribute is extensible you can type in new values, otherwise you are restricted to values in the list.

Metadata Columns tab

Choose whether metadata fields such as copyright and author information (extracted from the original media file from QuickTime user data, Exif and ID3 tags, or WMV/ASF attributes) are displayed as normal columns. Control how individual fields are used, or press Cmd-Delete to delete a field altogether.

Customise Views & Customise Details Panel tabs

Create or modify view definitions. In the Professional Edition you can customise fields shown in the clip details panel also.

User Interface tab

Whether to open last catalog when launching CatDV; explicitly specify the default view and grouping when a window is first opened or whether these should automatically be the same as the previous window; define whether the media or details dialog is shown when double clicking on a clip; whether to use the advanced query dialog for searches within a catalog (Professional Edition).

Advanced User Interface tab

Select the look and feel of the application; whether imports (and similar operations) can take place as a background activity; whether renaming a clip or changing its bin also renames or moves the media file; whether to keep the details dialog on top of the main window at all times; preferred units for displaying data rate; which import and export menu command should have a keyboard shortcut; automatic save interval; whether clicking on a directory in the tree navigator automatically analyses the files.

Import tab

Which importers to try when importing a media file; whether to recursively scan subdirectories when importing a directory; whether to combine clips with the same tape name, in and out values into a single clip reference; whether to perform scene detection based on changes in time stamp or image contents (check both for automatic operation); whether to import clips based strictly on the DV timecode information embedded in the media (ie. whether to favour the DV or QuickTime timecode if they differ); whether to automatically combine start and end segments of a DV clip that spans more than one capture file, whether to create Image Sequences and if so what frame rate to use.

Media Playback tab

Which media player to use; whether to start playing a movie automatically; whether to automatically double the size of small movies or images; how fast should slide shows be shown; whether to use jog or shuttle keyboard controls (Professional Edition only).

Advanced Media Handling tab

More advanced options that control how media files are opened and imported, including: whether to resolve QuickTime data references (necessary for some reference movies such as RED, but can result in a long delay when encountering broken reference movies); whether to play WMV files using QuickTime/Flip4Mac or an external application; whether to completely disregard timecode embedded in DV movies; how to decide the timecode format for imported formats; whether to replace the audio track when playing back XDCAM proxies.

Printing tab

What fonts and margins to use when printing (top, bottom, left and right); how much extra spacing to leave around cells; any custom title to be used.

Export tab

What line ending character to use when exporting batch logs; whether to use the whole clip or a selection within the clip when exporting clips; whether to prefix the name of exported movie files with the tape or bin name (or create subdirectories based on these names); what duration to apply to still images when exported as a movie or added to a sequence; the custom footer to include on each page when exporting HTML.

File System tab

Whether to create a backup copy when saving catalogs; whether to allow deleting or renaming media files from within CatDV; options to speed up performance on slow file systems (avoid pre-loading movies when selecting a clip until you click on the Movie tab, don’t check whether files are online when opening a catalog)

Final Cut & Sequences tab

Options that relate to how sequences are imported from Final Cut 7 XML files (and from OMFI files). Options that relate to how clips are sent to Final Cut Pro 7, for example whether to use the CatDV bin name or create a bin based on the current date and time.

Advanced Functionality tab

Miscellaneous options such as whether debug messages are written to the log file, whether the spell checker is enabled, and options affecting printing.

Server tab

Options relating to use with the CatDV Server, including whether to enable commands that publish data to the server; whether to automatically refresh clips from the server; whether to dynamically add to picklist values from clips stored on the server.

Registration tab

Enter the name and registration code you were sent to register CatDV, or clear an existing registration. It is easiest to copy both lines from your registration email and press the Paste button. You can also enter a bolt-on license for the Archiving or MXF Option here.