Comments

rmack350 wrote on 2/6/2008, 2:27 PM
The full version of Vegas has a Media Manager tool that uses an SQL database to keep track of media. You can tag the media with keywords and things.

Some people use it and love it, others ignore it. Personally, I let it run and ignore it. Evary piece of media I use in Vegas gets entered into the database and I've found that the media manager is a very fast way to find old clips and bring them back into a timeline. It helps that I give my clips meaningful names when I capture them, but you could so the same thing with keywords and tags.

Rob Mack
VirtualSki wrote on 2/6/2008, 2:42 PM
Rob, thank you very much. That being the case, I think an upgrade from Platinum to Pro is worth the price simply for that capability. I use ThumbsPlus to handle my media database management and it's been incredibly powerful but it doesn't work with my Sony .m2t files and I'm getting a tad tired of spending hours reviewing all my video clips, one by one, to find the one I'm looking for.

Sony rocks; Vegas rocks, and Rob does to :)
VirtualSki wrote on 2/6/2008, 2:45 PM
Rob, would you mind clarifying something you brought up:

"Evary piece of media I use in Vegas gets entered into the database"

Does the media manager scan specified folders to add it to the database or does the user have to "use in Vegas" for it to be entered?
Chienworks wrote on 2/6/2008, 3:14 PM
The answer to that would be "Yes, either." There are multiple ways to get media entered into the media manager.
rmack350 wrote on 2/6/2008, 3:32 PM
Nice of you to say that. :-)

I used to use Thumbs Plus and liked it a lot but had to move on to things that could handle what I was working with. I'm not too keen on Bridge but it handles raw files from our still camera. Otherwise it's kind of awkward.

The Vegas Media Manager only runs when Vegas is running. That might not really suit your needs. I don't know if the trial version of VP8 installs the Media Manager but if so then you could get a look at it.

Some people have been having an awful time with VP8 so you might hunt around for Vegas 7 (if you're using XP). 7 also has the media manager and owning it gives you some way to get work done if VP8 fails you.

Sometimes you can get a good deal on the previous Vegas and then upgrade to the new one and it's still economical.

Rob Mack
rmack350 wrote on 2/6/2008, 3:34 PM
Yep. You can scan your drives for media and then Vegas will continue to make entries as you use media in projects.

I hear that the search feature on this site is down, otherwise I'd suggest searching for posts about the Mediia Manager. Some people like it, some people resent it.

Rob
VirtualSki wrote on 2/6/2008, 8:37 PM
It's too bad Sony hasn't created a Pro version of the Picture Motion Browser and add system wide management or simply keyword search ability.

So, it appears my only choice is Pro or Pro if I want to manage my Sony HDV video clips.

Thank you everyone for your help.
rmack350 wrote on 2/6/2008, 9:17 PM
Well, you could look around for other software. It won't integrate with Vegas but it might run without Vegas, and that might be a plus. Vegas will accept drag-and-drop from other apps so a third party program might be very useful.

Rob Mack
VirtualSki wrote on 2/7/2008, 3:42 PM
I guess that's what inspired me to create this thread: I haven't been able to find anything that will manage .m2t files. If someone is aware of other solutions, I'd enjoy knowing.