Skip to main content

⚠️ Please note that this topic or post has been archived. The information contained here may no longer be accurate or up-to-date. ⚠️

Networking support?

Storebridge
According to this link, Media Pro offers new network support for sharing catalogs in a multi-user environment:

http://www.phaseone.com/en/Software/Med ... tures.aspx

"Shared catalogs
Share your catalogs with others on your network or by email. New shared catalog support enables multiple users to work with the same catalog."

Kind of vague and I can't find anything about this elsewhere. It's not mentioned in the "highlights" section of the release notes, and there's no manual in the Documentation area. We'll do a trial when time permits, but would LOVE to learn if anyone else has tested this out or read any other info on shared catalogs?
0

Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • Larry_S
    Hi Storebridge,

    I, too, would love to have a Media Pro network (client/server) solution, and was also interested in this 'new feature.' I looked for any hint of extra features in the new Media Pro, but have come to the conclusion that shared catalogs are just spin on working with catalogs located on a server.

    From Media Pro's help (on Mac):

    Working with catalogs on a server
    If you work with catalogs on a server, it is possible that you, or another user, may attempt to access a catalog that is already in use. To prevent this concurrent access, Phase One Media Pro uses a catalog-locking feature. As long as a user keeps a catalog open, Media Pro informs any additional user who is trying to open that catalog that the catalog is currently in use. Media Pro will then give the additional users a choice of either opening the catalog as a read-only file, or aborting the open process. When the first user closes the catalog, Media Pro displays a dialog box that informs that user which other users tried to open the catalog.


    I've been seeing this catalog locking for awhile. It's certainly not a new feature. Am I, too, missing something?

    What Media Pro needs for networking support...

    Ultimately, Media Pro would do very, very well with a client/server setup. When Expression Media 2 went down in a spiral, I looked hard for a client/server solution to handle our company's needs (most media is stored on file servers and our EM2 catalogs were getting huge). We really liked Atomic Server/Client from AntZero ( http://www.antzero.com ). While it lacked many of the core features of Media Pro for client features, it was way, way better at solving the core need of most workgroup and professional photographer users: tag, browse and pull photos quickly from network storage, from anywhere. Unfortunately, when clicking on a thumbnail in AtomicView it auto-copied the original over the the client machine, though with a decent local caching system. This led to serious network congestion (we have thousands of files >100 MB) and made remote (web) access to the catalog damn near useless. We were happy to see Phase One purchase Media Pro, and hope a client/server solution is being considered.

    We also tried Extensis Portfolio (kinda lame and too nichee), and Canto Cumulus was just ridiculously overpriced. Apple has the code base for this (Final Cut Server), and a thin client with iPhoto, but has completely missed most user's need to catalog and tag files/media on network servers or the cloud.

    If I were adding network support to Media Pro, I would model it after AtomicView's client/server setup, with 'catalogs' accessed from within a larger, non-file GUI framework, and with user permissions, etc., BUT, with all double-clicking of thumbnails showing medium-resolution previews, with optional loading of the original across the network. This would allow clients to access the server with Media Pro Reader and work with FPO images, etc., or pick/choose for licensing. Users would just throw their media at the server and the files would be auto processed (thumbnails/previews, annotations, etc.) there, with the user or admin accessing the files from auto-built catalogs to finish putting the files away. Media Pro has the main client and a reader, it is just missing the server, and a combined offering that is affordable to small workgroups.

    Am I dreaming? Why are there no good client/server solutions that work like Media Pro in the $2,000 to 3,000 workgroup range?

    Larry
    0
  • Storebridge
    Hi Larry,

    Thanks for the reply. The catalog locking is definitely not new. Since we only have 2 users, a scenario would work for us where the first person who opened the file could read/write, while the second person could read-only. This is what was described in the Microsoft forums, and one reason why we chose this software, but it doesn't in fact work this way for us. What happens is, once two people have the catalog open, neither one can save changes. This is not workable for us (or anyone, presumably.)

    We also have looked at the other options you mentioned and veered away for the reasons you mentioned. I, for one, am 100% baffled that this problem (in general; not just Phase One) has not been addressed in the market. Small workgroups are so common. And home users expect network access now as well. If you go to the Picasa forums, people are screaming for shared support and have been for years. It's just not happening! Why not?????
    0
  • Robert Edwards
    recommending competitors may not be politically correct on the forum... Portfolio Studio offers true multiuser access at a price: three users, $3 000, steep learning curve for admin newbie.

    AtomicView offers ease of setup, unlimited users (as far as I can tell), but radical GUI that has a steep learning for client users.

    Lightroom or Aperture, well they're a single user apps.

    idImager is scalable from free to multiuser as long as you're on Windows.

    Media Pro has the potential for multiuser but seems to be low in priority. Catalog "sharing" is the best option right now.

    -- Robert.
    0
  • Storebridge
    Hi Robert,

    Yep, we've looked at those options. We are Mac so ID Imager is out. Atomic View is just so strange, and I've read too many major gripes about Extensis to feel very confident about that route.

    Not sure what you mean by Catalog "sharing" being the best option. We are having dealbreaker problems in EM2 with the alleged record-locking (see my second post) and also the Notepad feature not working as described.

    As for the press release, it does say "new Catalog sharing" so one would assume that meant, in fact, something new....?? Seems a little fishy.
    0
  • Larry_S
    Glad to hear I am not alone on this need for a server/client.

    If Phase One made a stable Media Pro server that worked with Media Pro and Reader, and sold it in the $1,000-2,000 range (assuming Media Pro would be bought separately or in bulk), I would buy it in a heartbeat for our company of 15 users, and 1-5 web-only clients a month.

    I swear it's getting to the point that I should look at making a solution myself (like I have the time after spending all day working in 10's of separate Expression Media catalogs for all of our server-stored media).
    0
  • NNN634483163262170075
    There is also Fotostation from Fotoware, though very expensive.

    And Thumbsplus, but it seems almost no support or product developent is going on there anymore, could be a dead product. I use it in a multi user setup and it works however.
    0

Post is closed for comments.