Here is a quick comparison of R3D Data Manager against some other data management applications, both free and paid.
R3D Data Manager
ShotPut Red Edition
Aasync
RSync
Finder / Explorer
Optimized for dealing with Red footage
Simultaneous copies
Number of copies at once
4 (Mac) 100 (Win)
3
1
1
*
Erase source after copy success
Byte-level data protection
Can re-check files against the source at any time, even after source is deleted
Prevents overwriting of existing footage at destination
Can setup a queue of multiple sources and copy all with one click
Move items in queue to transfer important footage first
Retry only failed copies/files with a single click
Knows the difference between an error with a R3D file and a MOV or RSX file
Remove a single destination without affecting other destinations
Stop a copy to a single destination without affecting other copy processes
Transfer log
Store project information along with copied footage
One click copy
Email/sms notification of results
Render R3Ds to Quicktime
Cost
USD$79
USD$89
free / USD$29
free
free
Activate product in the middle of Siberia (without internet access)
n/a
n/a
Will satisfy bond requirements for data workflows for most bond insurers.
Direct Write to Cache-A LTO4
Notes on other tools
Aasync
- Requires ftp/sftp overhead, even for local transfers.
- Generated checksums are not saved/stored with footage.
- Checksums are only generated if the file sizes match.
- Doesnt handle duplicate files in a safe way.
- Doesnt store project information.
- Creates a local database of data at the source before copying begins
- If footage happens to have the same filename, it is possible to create destination files with a mix of both shots.
ShotPut Red Edition
- Doesnt store file verification data, nor do they say exactly how they do the file verification. R3D Data Manager uses industry-standard methods.
RSync
This is a command line application. There are some GUI frontends, but in general both the GUI frontends and the command line are meant for power computer users. It requires a very computer aware and savvy person to take time to make sure they are doing things correctly. There is significant room for human error. R3D Data Manager was designed to be simple enough that even after hour 15 on set, you just need one click to copy and verify the data.
