What operating systems does Fast Video Cataloger support?
Fast Video Cataloger requires Windows 10 or later. And as always when working with videos, you should have a reasonably powerful computer, as Fast Video Cataloger will use more than one CPU core if available. I also recommend a decent graphics card and a minimum of 2 GB of memory.
Can I share my created catalog with my clients, even though they don’t have Fast Video Cataloger?
Yes! Share it like any other file via mail, Dropbox or USB sticks. Fast Video Cataloger comes with a built-in reader mode that is activated after the trial period is over. This way your clients can install Fast Video Cataloger, the same software as you, and view all the work you are doing but without paying. They will not be able to create new catalogs or add videos, but they can still add keywords, scenes, and actors to your catalog.
Why do I need a maintenance package?
Well it depends. You can read more about the maintenance packages here. In short, with an active maintenance package, you can update your software as often as you like. You do not need a maintenance package to move your Fast Video Cataloger license to a new computer, to do that follow these simple instructions.
Which video formats do you support?
Fast Video Cataloger uses Microsoft Direct Show technology for video frame capture and also in the integrated video player. Just about any video format is support provided you have a direct show codec installed on your computer. As a general rule, if it plays in windows media player, it usually works in Fast Video Cataloger. Our test suite includes videos in mpg, mpeg2, mpeg4, avi, qt, rm, wmv, flv among others. From Fast Video Cataloger 4 the following video file format extensions are recognized:
avi, wmv, asf, mp4, m4p, mp41, m4v, mpeg, mpg, vob, qt, divx, mpeg2, rm, 3gp, flv, f4v, flv, mkv, mov, mxf, ogm, ogv, rmvb, swf, mts, m2ts, mxf, lxf, gxf, tm
Can I store videos on secondary external HDDs or a NAS?
Yes. We recommend that you store your catalog on a fast local disk,(preferably an SSD), and have your videos on slower and cheaper secondary USB disks or a network NAS. If you store your catalog on a NAS we recommend you turn off features like auto-backup on the folder with the catalog. That feature will slow down the program and you will fill your NAS with pointless backups of catalog transaction files.
Can I browse, search, and tag videos when the HDD with the video is disconnected?
Yes. In our opinion, these are vital features for any decent video file management software!
Can I use the “connect to server” in the menu for connecting to my remote server that is hosting my video library?
Yes, connect to a shared catalog from the connect to server page. To share a catalog and start the local server go to the share page.
What is your recommended setup for working with Fast video cataloger?
The program will work with much less than this. If I were to build a PC only for Fast video cataloger this is how I would build it.
- An Intel core i5 CPU or newer.
- 4 GB or more of memory.
- An SSD disk with about 10 Gb space to keep the video catalog.
- One or several USB3 hard drives for the video files.
- Any Graphics card that supports multiple monitors.
- 2-3 flat screen monitors so you have plenty of space for all windows.
Does it also handle picture files?
Yes. Videos can have a list of companion images and a front and back cover. Actors can have a list of companion images or folders.
How does the software handle if I delete or move files outside of the program?
There is a repair function to search, find, and repair moved or deleted video files. If you carry out the file operations from within the integrated file organizer, the catalog will be automatically updated.
How does Fast Video Cataloger differ from Adobe Bridge?
FVC is much faster and focused on Video, while Adobe Bridge is for any media you can work with from within the Adobe products (for example PDF, images, and videos). Fast Video Cataloger is perfect as a video asset manager for your completed video project and all reference material while Bridge is good for the current project you are working on in your Adobe Creative Suite
When I tag my assets with keywords in FVC, will those keywords be visible to any other program?
By default, no video files are not touched and all the metadata is in the catalog.
In preferences on the metadata page, there is a checkbox to write metadata into the video file. When this is checked tags will be written to the actual video file and be available in windows and other programs that have support. Note that not all video formats support metadata so if the tag is written will also depend on the format of the video file. To be able to write the tag the video needs to be accessible and writable.
Do you offer volume discounts?
Yes, If you order 5 or more licenses you will get a large discount and when you order more than 10 licenses you will pay less than half the normal price per license.
An Error tells me to install .net framework?
– Go to Microsoft and download the .net framework version needed to run Fast Video Cataloger.
Can I have more than one Catalog in Fast Video Cataloger?
– Yes, you can use as many catalogs as you like. The catalog is contained in one file(.vcat) and can be moved, shared, and archived. Normally there is a not a need to split up catalogs, you can have more than 10000 videos in a catalog without degraded performance.
Why did my video clip file fail to be indexed?
– Fast video cataloger can index with build-in codecs or the codecs installed on your computer. This is controlled from the preferences on the “video index” tab. When “Use windows filters” is checked the installed direct show filters are used. When it is unchecked only the build-in filters are used. Some videos will fail with the build-in filters but most common formats should be supported and often the program is more stable with the built-in filters.
– You most likely do not have a direct show codec installed on your computer to support the video format. The fast video cataloger installer optionally download and install the CCCP codec pack from http://cccp-project.net/. CCCP supports most video formats. However, there are some not support and new formats are invented every day. An alternative codec format is the K-lite codec pack that you can download from here http://www.free-codecs.com/download/k_lite_codec_pack.htm.
Some of my videos do not play correctly and/or fails to be indexed?
Most likely this is a code problem i.e. missing or conflicting codecs. The following few steps solve the most common issues. Install the cccp codec pack ( optional part of the installation process ), run the config program when prompted and reset settings, reboot your computer. If that does not help, here is an excellent troubleshooting guide: http://www.cccp-project.net/wiki/index.php?title=Troubleshooting_Guide
Video Cataloger Stops has stopped indexing my videos
Option 1: Make sure that your video runs smoothly on your media player i.e. window media player or VLC before adding it to your database.
Option 2: If the video cataloger stops all of a sudden for any reason, you could close the video cat and try running it again. The video Cataloger remembers your last configuration even if you close the program.
Fast Video Cataloger is lagging and I can’t play videos from inside the program
There might be something in the codecs that is corrupt.
Make a complete reinstallation of the software by running the installation again, including the CCCP package. This will make sure you have a fresh installation on your computer.
Can I use the trial on multiple PCs, since I travel a lot and need to test how it works on the road?
Yes, give it a try on all your PCs if you like. It is good to test your real-life cases before you buy.
How do I download the fully functional Fast Video Cataloger program
Click here to Download the trial version. This trial version will work for seven days after installation. You may at any time order, buy and register your version, without losing any work already done.