AVID Metadata

License: PRO+ (Professional Edition or higher)
Plugin Type: Post-Index Plugin
Author: Diskover Data, Inc.

Overview

The AVID Metadata plugin extracts metadata from Avid media management files — specifically PMR (Persistent Media Record) and AVB (Avid Bin) files — and enriches MXF and AAF documents in your Diskover index with up to 15 searchable metadata fields. This gives media asset management teams the ability to search, filter, and report on Avid project relationships, clip names, tape identifiers, track assignments, and other production metadata directly within the Diskover web UI.

The plugin operates in two phases. First, it parses PMR binary files to build clip-to-project mappings and writes project metadata to matching MXF/AAF documents. Second, it parses AVB bin files to extract detailed media metadata — clip names, tape IDs, track assignments, frame rates, resolutions, and more — and writes those fields to matching MXF/AAF documents.

Use Cases

• Avid Project Asset Inventory — Identify which MXF media files belong to which Avid projects across shared storage. Use the enriched data for storage reporting, archival planning, or media relocation decisions.

• Tape and Clip Tracking — Track which tape sources and clip names are associated with rendered MXF media files across multiple Avid projects. Combine metadata fields to build detailed asset lineage reports.

• Pre-Migration Validation — Before migrating Avid media to new storage, run the plugin in dry run mode to verify that all expected clip-to-project relationships are detected. Confirm the results, then run without dry run to apply changes.

Sample data from a AVID Metadata execution:

AVB (AVID Bin Metadata)

Here we can see the entire list of metadata returned from the AVID Metadata plugin!

Installation

DNF Installation (Linux RPM)

On Linux systems using DNF package management, this plugin can be installed via RPM:

sudo dnf install diskover-plugin-postindex-avid

Note: Ensure your system is configured with the Diskover RPM repository before running the install command.

Prerequisites

No external Python dependencies are required — the plugin ships with its own pmr_reader and avb_tools libraries in the plugin directory.

Step 1 — Install the Plugin

Copy the plugin files to your Diskover post-index plugins directory:

Linux:

cp -r diskover_avid /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/

Windows:

xcopy /E /I diskover_avid "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid"

Step 2 — Verify the Installation

Linux:

# Verify the plugin can import its dependencies
python3 -c "import sys; sys.path.insert(0, '/opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid'); from pmr_reader import PMRReader; print('PMR reader OK')"

# Verify Elasticsearch connectivity
python3 -c "from diskover_plugin import es_connection_cached; print(es_connection_cached().info())"

Windows:

# Verify the plugin can import its dependencies
python -c "import sys; sys.path.insert(0, r'C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid'); from pmr_reader import PMRReader; print('PMR reader OK')"

# Verify Elasticsearch connectivity
python -c "from diskover_plugin import es_connection_cached; print(es_connection_cached().info())"

Configuration

Configuration is managed through the Diskover Admin Panel. Navigate to Plugins → Post Index → AVID Data to access the settings.

‌

Here is the beginning of our sample configuration.There are many other configuraitons for the AVID Metadata - covered in detail below!

Configuration Parameters

Configuration Example

Plugins:
  Post Index:
    AvidData:
      Default:
        enabled: true
        maxthreads: 4
        verbose: false
        dry_run: false

Diskover Web UI Extra Fields Configuration

To display Avid metadata columns in the Diskover web UI, add the following entries to the EXTRA_FIELDS configuration under Settings → Web → General Settings:

{"Avid Project": "avid_project"}
{"Avid PMR Reference": "avid_pmr_reference"}
{"Avid Clip Name": "avb_clip_name"}
{"Avid Bin File": "avb_source_file"}
{"Avid Track": "avb_track"}
{"Avid Bin Source Mob": "avb_source_mob"}
{"Avid Project Folder": "avb_project_folder"}
{"Avid Bin Name": "avb_bin_name"}
{"Avid Tape Name": "avb_tape_name"}
{"Avid Tape ID": "avb_tape_id"}
{"Avid Project Name": "avb_project_name"}
{"Avid Drive": "avb_drive"}
{"Avid FPS": "avb_fps"}
{"Avid Resolution": "avb_resolution"}
{"Avid Comments": "avb_comments"}

This will display Avid project and AVB metadata in the "Extra fields" section when viewing MXF and AAF media files in the file detail panel.

Execution / Usage Guide

The AVID Metadata plugin can be run manually from the command line, scheduled as a Custom Task, or triggered automatically as a Post-Crawl Command after an Index Task completes.

Manual Execution

Linux:

# Basic execution on a specific index
python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py diskover-avidmedia

# Verbose output to see per-clip processing details
python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py -v diskover-avidmedia

# Extra verbose output (ES queries, per-record detail)
python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py -V diskover-avidmedia

# Dry run to preview changes without modifying the index
python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py -d -v diskover-avidmedia

# Use a named configuration
python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py -c production diskover-avidmedia

# Auto-find the latest index by top path
python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py -l /mnt/avid_media

# Check the plugin version
python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py --version

Windows:

# Basic execution on a specific index
python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" diskover-avidmedia

# Verbose output to see per-clip processing details
python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" -v diskover-avidmedia

# Extra verbose output (ES queries, per-record detail)
python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" -V diskover-avidmedia

# Dry run to preview changes without modifying the index
python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" -d -v diskover-avidmedia

# Use a named configuration
python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" -c production diskover-avidmedia

# Auto-find the latest index by top path
python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" -l "D:\AvidMedia"

# Check the plugin version
python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" --version

Command-Line Options

Automated Execution — Custom Task

You can schedule the AVID Metadata plugin to run on a recurring basis using Diskover's Custom Task feature.

Here we can see the Run Command & args needed for the Custom Task - Note that in this case you cannot use the {indexname} variable as this is not a task that creates an index, so we must use the -l (toppath) CLI option and pass in our top path!

Automated Execution — Post-Crawl Command

To run the plugin automatically after every index crawl completes, configure it as a Post-Crawl Command on your Index Task.

Linux Example:

Windows Example:

To use verbose logging:

To use a named configuration:

Available Index Task Tokens:

• {indexname} — The name of the index that was just created

Important: The Post-Crawl Command field should contain only the executable (python3 or python). All script paths, flags, and arguments go in the Post-Crawl Command Args field.

In your system ensure to replace the ConfigurationName above with a named configuraiton that you've created at Diskover Admin → Plugins → Post-Index → AVID Data – If you are not using a custom configuration and you're just using Default than the -c flag and the ConfigurationName is not required!

Expected Behavior During Execution

The plugin runs in two sequential phases:

Phase 1 — PMR Processing:

1. Discovers all PMR files (.pmr) in the Elasticsearch index

2. Parses each PMR binary file to extract clip-to-project mappings (with retry logic — 30-second timeout, up to 3 retries per file)

3. Groups clips by project for efficient batch processing

4. Finds matching MXF/AAF documents in the index and writes avid_project and avid_pmr_reference fields

Phase 2 — AVB Processing:

1. Discovers all AVB files (.avb) in the Elasticsearch index

2. Processes AVB files in batches of 10, using a 3-pass extraction pipeline per file

3. Finds matching MXF/AAF documents and writes 13 AVB metadata fields

4. Automatically retries any AVB files that timed out during initial processing

Reviewing the Output

Metadata Fields Written to the Index

The plugin writes up to 15 metadata fields across two categories. These fields are added to MXF and AAF documents in Elasticsearch.

PMR Fields (2 fields)

AVB Fields (13 fields)

Verifying Successful Execution

After the plugin completes, verify that metadata was written correctly:

• Check the terminal output — The plugin reports how many PMR and AVB files were processed, how many MXF/AAF documents were updated, and any errors encountered.

• Search in Diskover — Run avid_project:* to find documents enriched with PMR data, or avb_clip_name:* to find documents enriched with AVB data.

• Use dry run first — If you're running the plugin for the first time, use the -d flag to preview what would change before committing updates.

Searching in Diskover

Once the plugin has run, you can search for MXF and AAF files based on their Avid metadata directly in the Diskover web UI. The plugin creates 15 searchable fields that enable powerful queries across project relationships, clip details, and production metadata.

PMR Metadata Searches

AVB Clip and Bin Searches

Track and Tape Searches

Project and Storage Searches

Technical Metadata Searches

Combined Searches

These examples combine multiple Avid metadata fields — or Avid metadata with standard Diskover fields — for more targeted results:

This shows the couple of AAF files that are associated with this AVID project that match that criteria!

Troubleshooting

No PMR Files Found in Index

Symptom: The plugin outputs "No PMR files found in index. Skipping PMR processing." even though PMR files exist on disk. AVB processing continues normally.

Fix:

• Ensure the Diskover scan top path includes the Avid MediaFiles directories where PMR files reside (typically under Avid MediaFiles/MXF/*/msmMMOB.pmr).

• Verify that PMR files are not excluded by scan filters (extension exclusions or directory exclusions).

• Re-run the Diskover scan if PMR files were added to storage after the last scan completed.

PMR File Timeout Errors

Symptom: Warnings about failed PMR file reads after timeout retries — the file may be locked by an active Avid session.

Fix:

• Run the plugin during off-hours when Avid sessions are not actively writing to PMR files.

• Verify NFS or SMB mount options allow concurrent reads without exclusive locking.

• Check network connectivity and storage performance — the 30-second timeout should be sufficient under normal conditions.

MXF Files Not Being Updated

Symptom: The plugin completes without errors but MXF/AAF documents in the index do not have Avid metadata fields.

Fix:

• Use the -d -v flags (dry run with verbose) to preview what the plugin would update — check that clip names from PMR/AVB files match MXF filenames in the index.

• Confirm that both PMR/AVB files and MXF/AAF files are present in the same Elasticsearch index.

• Verify the plugin is not running in dry run mode (check the configuration and command-line flags).

• Ensure the enabled configuration parameter is set to True.

Enabling Debug Logging

For detailed diagnostic output, use the -V (extra verbose) flag:

Linux:

python3 /opt/diskover/plugins_postindex/diskover_avid/diskover_avid.py -V diskover-avidmedia 2>&1 | tee avid_debug.log

Windows:

python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\plugins_postindex\diskover_avid\diskover_avid.py" -V diskover-avidmedia 2>&1 | tee avid_debug.log

This shows Elasticsearch queries, per-record processing details, and detailed error information for any failures.

Log File Location

Plugin output is written to the Diskover logs directory. Check your Diskover configuration for the log path, or review the terminal output when running manually.

Support

• Diskover Documentation

• Diskover Support Portal

Last Updated: April 2026