Apr
Velarium is a new software for DIT and data wrangler tasks. It has been created by Elklight Software, a small developer that didn’t get a chance to be at NAB this week but is trying to make its way into the growing world of DITs.
This tool takes a different approach to Red Giant’ s recently released BulletProof(which you can read more about in this article), as it presents a single window to perform the tasks of ingesting, transcoding, renaming, organizing and backing up video and audio files.
Velarium is based on a system of templates created by the user, although some of the default parameters can also be used. Copies made from the original source (card, hard disk, etc.) are validated with an MD5 checksum, which will notify of any failure and interrupt the session. In addition, a second backup can be made at the same time.
Using the available checkboxes you can customize the output directories and file and reel names, using sequences of numbers, dates, times, or any other structure you choose.
Another option allows you to create a “camera sheet”, which is based on the file name from the card and assigns a camera name to be inserted into the file name.
All these customized configurations can be saved, imported and exported in an Open XML format.
Velarium supports a large number of codecs and formats commonly used today, although input compatibility will depend largely on the codecs installed on the computer and understood by the operating system. Even so, if the media is not supported, renaming, copying and verification tasks can be completed.
A timecode track can also be inserted in those formats that support it. The start time will be as recorded in the camera. For audio files, you can convert from WAV to BWF and insert the timecode with the equivalent information in both BWF and iXML within the file.
All ingested files are recorded in a database, as well as readable metadata (from Quicktime, XMP, BWF or iXML sources). These metadata can then be searched or historied and can be exported in an Excel-compatible format after selecting the desired fields.
From the looks of it, the creators of Velarium have wanted to have a great integration with Final Cut Pro, as the output options consist of varieties of the Apple ProRes codec family, and all imported material can be exported to an FCPX event.
Velarium is a multithreaded application that runs at 64 bit on OS X 10.8 operating systems. It is now available for $80, with a 30-day free trial version that you can download here.
If you are interested in the work of DIT (Digital Imaging Technician), you may also be interested in the “DIT Course. Advanced Digital Cinema Operations”, organized by 709 Media Room, which will take place between July 8 and 19. Here you have all the information.
