[ Orderly . . ! Mòi?!?! ]

Hiyah Torsie!

Yes, EXCEL, is an option . .but it is the relational side of things that ACCESS can easily handle. Excel will do "flat" row upon row, with the need for the duplication of data within that Excel Sheet. The relational stuff allows us to be more flexible - honest! I've designed and created relationals in a DOS programme, in the past . . I really don't wanna re-invent the wheel. if it is out there already . . and it would be under WIndows . . lots of further GUI options here . .

I really can't think of anything better than an ACCESS database for this type easy search 'n find method . . it really does work . . .

I'm nearing 200 miniDV tape boxes, yes I hoarde. BUT, within these boxes are some clips I'd like to call up. At the moment a hand written sheet wouldn't/doesn't do it, EXCEL is too inflexible . . ACCESS is the well, the way to ACCESS that data . .

Regards,

Grazie

It would be nice to include a Thumbnail of each scene in one of the fields...

Hiyah Cy! - Yes it is in my suggestions . . I need to re-edit and make it clearer . .

But do you know of anything like this in ACCESS format?

Regards,

Grazie

What you describe sounds fairly simple to me . . . and you seem to have throught through the design . . . and you obviously own and are familiar with Access.

Setting up the tables, as you know, is no more difficult (probably less so) than working in Excel, and setting up the relationships is a matter of going to that menu, calling up the little boxes that contain the field names for each table, then clicking on and dragging fields that should be relational, from one box to the other(s), and finally, telling Access what sort of relationship you want, one to many, etc.

I bet you'd have this up and running in less than an hour if you simply worked at it yourself . . . that said, here is another option, a bit more complicated, and you'd have to have the logging box, but:

Pinnacle (pardon the mention of that name) had a computer controlled linear editor offering that I believe was their first consumer video editing product. Do a search on StuEdit. The fellow behind that name has spent a lot of time organizing and describing how that early editing product's greatest value was it's clip database logging capabilities. Basically, you would use the Pinnacle capture box to scene detect each of your tapes (this is the time consuming part, although you have a choice to be present or not during the process) - the program captures low-res thumbnails of the beginning of each scene - literally hours and hours can be logged in this manner while taking up very little HD storage space - you are then free to rename and add comments to your newly created database.

That product was called Studio Director 200. Last time I checked, the software is available for free download from the Pinnacle website (ok, it's been a while since I checked), and you would still need to acquire that purple box the program uses to capture (and, if you were editing linearly, the box generated effects - fades, titles, etc).

The real beauty of the SD200 system is that, once logged, not only can you keep track of your tapes and their contents, but, if you want to use that clip in a project (or if you wanted to locate every clip you've ever shot that dealt with subject mattter 'x', you simply search the database for that topic, and then follow the programs instructions to insert tape number/name 'y', and the program will operate your camcorder automatically to locate the desired clip on the tape, then, play that portion for you.

The program wasn't super expensive when it was new, so, while I haven't checked, I bet you could find someone who wants to sell their capture/effects box for very little.

By today's standard, editing with SD200 was crude, in that, by definition, the master that resulted was already a second generation of the original, and the editing was linear, so, by definition, more time consuming. But it was the one editing program that Pinnacle really got right. Tape location on a camcorder with timecode was accurate to the frame, and, generation loss was minimal if you used Svideo connections, and it was kind of cool having the computer automatically control both your distination VCR deck and your Camcorder all at the same time.

Pinnacles later versions of the program (Studio 400) improved the interface, but also introduced timing errors. I think StuEdit also describes a way to take advantage of the later intefaces in conjunction with the earlier more accurate software. If you already own S400, using the S200 software is simply a matter of downloading the S200 software for free.

Anyhow, if it sounds like something you could use, I'd check out the Stuedit site and read more about it.

Good luck.

Caruso

Thanks Caruso. Yes I could get on with ACCESS, I've been putting it off for a long time now . . . I also need to learn Boris Graf3 too . .if there was a Database-To-Go I'd jump at it . . the Pinnacle thingy sounds/looks wonderful. I'll go search it out.

Regards,

Grazie

Grazie,
I'm an Access programmer and that sounds really simple, up to a point. You can even include screenshots, in fact just about anything you like, you could even have an activeX control that fires off vegas.

But the hardest parts are:
Doing the work inputting the data.
Designing some way of finding what you want.
You can have just one long text field with comma delimited text and then use an expression that returns all records that have a selected word in that fields. Problems come about trying to choose the right words. If you've got a way of catagorising things by a rigid methodology helps no end.

BTW looks like I'm about to embark on just such a project for a video library system. Isn't life wierd, I go to a broadcast convention, come away with lead in medicine and end up writing a databse.

farss, that's really interesting - honest! I adore databases . . and their "value" they CAN give to an organisation.

I'd really like to hear more about your project and maybe, I don't know how advanced you are on this subject, but I'd like to give you some feedback . .obviously not here . . You are absolultey coorect about the design - can't agree more! I have some ideas about "Verb-User-Acqusition" concepts. and of course the famous "10 [ maybe many more now . . ] Rules of Codd" - oh yes, this is where I get really nitpickery . . wanna talk?

I liked your story on the exhibition . . happens alot to me . .

Grazie

Why not:
farssAToptusnetDOTcomDOTau

If Sony Video Capture would have support for an Access database with thumbnailing, THAT would be awesome.

I have thought about making a database ever since I started using Vegas, but I'm too lazy to make it just for me.

Grazie- There is a way to format the field as a graphic file. I haven't used Access in a while- but I believe when you first create the field, you can identify it as a graphic...

As I've said several times now I use a little database DESIGNED from the ground up for video record keeping. While it was designed mainly for people that have extensive home video collections it can be easily modifted for what you want.

Its called Catvids and all the hard work of setting up fields and tables is already done. I've got about 60 fields in mine and you can sort any way you want, back and forth instantly, even have thumbnails.

http://www.fnprg.com/catvids/catvids.html

It runs on the Access engine. So just about anything you can do in Acccess you can do with this.

Of course the time to set up the database with your data is siginficant as it is for any database project until you're caught up. But using this or something like it gives you a head start because its designed for the topic you're interested in and so you're ready to customize and then start entering data.

Hey Grazie,

While I don't quite have 200 tapes to sort through I may have half that for the one ongoing project I work on.

We do log this stuff, as we shoot because it's all table-top and easy to do as we go. Our actual edit systems are M100 and they can import plain text logs to base a digitization run on. This is sorely lacking in Vegas.

Anyway, we have many log files. In explorer I can search those directories for all files with the word "log" in their name and containing a specific word in them. It's fast and works really well.

However, you want better searching and filtering (multiple search terms) as well as a decent logging interface. Ideally it would be nice to do a Sceanlyzer-type pass to get a list of clips by timecode. To be useful, you ought to be able to select those clips and then do a batch capture.

Really, I think we all could use a better capture/logging tool for Vegas.

Rob Mack

Farss,

This is also really interesting to me and I'd love to tag along. I also might have some useful input. I see this sort of thing done in M100 and I also have a bit of familiarity with Access. Maybe you can set up a small mailing list?

rmackATsbcglobalDOTnet

Rob Mack

Hey Grazie, here is a little 10 minute spec. Is this what you're sort of envisioning?
http://www.rafalkrolik.com/videohelper.mdb

BB,

Thanks for the link. Good info.

I'm looking at it now and it seems to have a lot of great ideas incorporated into it. It's a bit busy, visually.

Rob Mack

Rafalk! ABSO-BL??DYlutley ! ! ! !

I downloaded and ACCES just blew it up inmy face - nice front end too!

You are THE man . . I've wasted most of the day just trying to get the timecode format to play ball!!! - You know 00:00:00,00 . . ugghhh ..

But yes, your Query/Report is MAGIC! Love it . . .

Where do you wanna go from here? Email? Do lunch? . . I'll wash your car . . but yes this is as complicated as I'm wanting . . oh yes that can change I know . .

Let's talk,

Grazie

No problem Grazie, we can do lunch when I take my long overdue Euro vacation. If this indeed is it than I will continue working on. I will also stick to the format which is already there so if you use the current "beta" model, you will be able to port the data to the final version. Anyway, I got the specs so give me few days and I'll post the final version link under this topic

Rob as it comes out of the box it is a little busy, but its very easy to customize. You can even add/remove change fields once you start to build the database and not hurt anything. What I like is you can customize the report generation easily too.

Rafalk, what about design updates, little ones - yeah?

How are you gonna handle the Timecode format . .drove me nutz all day yesterday!?!?! I'm on PAL25fps . . others will be on NTSC 29fps - yeah?

Will your final "Videohelper" be "adaptable"? Can I get in there and add my own reports and other stuff?

Thanks again . .

Grazie

To solve this you should set the start/end fields to long int to store absolute frames. Then you need a function to display that as h:mm:ss:ff. This function can reference another fields whcih defines the number of frmaes per second (24, 25, 29.970 etc). You then also need an input function to convert back the other way.

What version of Access is required to open Videohelper? I'm running 2.0, but I also own 97, don't like it as well as 2.0, though. The file won't open on my system, and I suspect a version conflict.

Caruso

Any of you programmer types want to take a stab at this? Just a little utility that would convert the data collected from Video Capture, including thumbnails, and convert it to a standard database format, like Access, Paradox, dBase, etc. Heck, even delimted text would be useful.

Anyone know what format Video Capture saves its .sfvidcap files in?