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Imagine's TEPX Silver
Video Logging Made Easier With Executive Producer
I for one am glad we have technology on our side. Every video production I've done over the last 20 years involved logging the shots on a pad of paper with the "in" and "out" timecode points. There's no way around it; every shot you shoot must be logged.
Of course, this is one of the most mind-numbing things about video production. When an average shoot necessitates logging hours of footage and sorting it into a useable form that can be accessed by all interested parties, I would always be yelling at the "logging person" for falling asleep and turning in massive gaps with no information. Logging is an art and must be precisely done. The Executive Producer TEPX Silver Edition by Imagine Products Inc. has made this tedious job much easier.
With a list price of $599, the Silver Edition is the upgrade from the base Bronze and a step below the Gold. It was perfect for my needs. The Windows edition runs on 2000, NT, ME, and XP. The sales brochure says I could create a shot list and only my selected clips would be batch digitized for my NLE-and it worked! Can you image-logging six hours of tape the old-fashioned way? That involved over 30 log pages, the best take(s) selected, and each and every shot manually searched for and digitized into the edging system.
The TEPX software was easy to install and took less than three minutes once placed in my CD drive. It ran well on my Pentium IV, 1.6 GB, Windows XP laptop computer and will function admirably on slower processors. The CD-ROM loaded all the needed software and drivers; I inserted a bright green "key" in my computer's USB port (I'm not sure what it does and it functions fine without it), connected a FireWire to my DV camera and I was ready to go. This set-up allowed me to begin logging on location before I returned to the office. Unlike most NLE systems, TEPX works with any DV camcorder without asking you the make and model or putting you through a lengthy setup. I used the new Canon GL2 and JVC GY-300 Streamcorder and both were acknowledged...