For those who don’t know the tool: DriveCompare is a macOS data offload and verification app from EditingTools.io. It targets on-set and post handoffs, and the same site also ships tools for Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve, and Final Cut Pro.

A compare tool that actually cares about evidence

If you ever watched a drive copy “finish” and still felt zero joy, you already understand the problem space: file transfer is easy, proof is harder. DriveCompare is a standalone app for macOS that compares drives and folders side by side, syncs missing files in both directions, and verifies data using hashes. It can also create and verify ASC Media Hash List manifests, which are used in professional workflows for documenting what got copied, when, and how.

In practical terms, the app offers two styles of comparison. One mode compares by file names and sizes only, which can run faster but does not confirm that the content matches. Another mode uses hash verification to check whether two files are identical, not just similarly named.

The app can ignore ASC MHL directories and empty directories during comparisons. After a compare, it can export the results as an RTF report, which is handy when you need a paper trail for a handoff, a delivery package, or a polite argument with yesterday’s backup strategy.

ASC MHL, because chain of custody beats vibes

ASC Media Hash List is an industry-standard specification developed by the American Society of Cinematographers for recording file metadata such as paths, hashes, sizes, and timestamps. The goal is consistent file comparison and verification across systems, instead of “it copied fine on my laptop.”

The spec also frames the “chain of custody”: tracking each copy made from the media’s initial download through final archival. That matters because data integrity problems tend to show up late, loudly, and on the wrong day.

DriveCompare supports multiple actions around ASC MHL. It can generate a manifest for a selected folder and its subfolders, detect existing manifests in subfolders, and reference them automatically. It can also check a folder against a manifest to find differences using file names and sizes, and it can verify by recalculating hashes, updating the ASC MHL chain as it goes.

There is also a manifest-to-manifest compare feature, intended to identify differences in file structure, metadata, or content between two manifests. This method is not part of the ASC MHL standard, and it relies on the accuracy of the manifests themselves. Some productions will treat that as a warning label. Others will treat it as a Friday afternoon survival feature. Others as the setup for the stories about big regrets at the premiere party.

Hashes, algorithms, and the Netflix checkbox

DriveCompare supports multiple hash algorithms, including xxHash, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512. It also lists C4 and several xxHash variants: xxHash3, xxHash128, and xxHash64be. Netflix recommendations show right up: They recommend using xxHash64be, xxHash128, or MD5 hash types for its workflows. If your deliverables include a Netflix-shaped compliance checklist, that one sentence alone will get this tool forwarded to at least three people, two of whom are currently asleep in a DIT tent.

Hash verification also plays into the sync workflow. When the app finds missing filse on either side, it presents a sync option that can copy from A to B and B to A, using hash verification for the copy.

Demo limits, system requirements, and offline behavior

DriveCompare requires macOS 14 or later. The demo version supports comparing drives or directories with up to 500 files. For ASC MHL, the demo can create or check manifests with up to 50 files. That makes it possible to test the workflow on a small sample before committing a purchase order.

The app does not require an internet connection, works offline, and does not share project data online. That is a workflow fit for air-gapped sets and for anyone who prefers their media security policy to remain unchallenged by a surprise login prompt.

Licensing: perpetual, with a couple of flavors

The license model is perpetual: single-user, team, and enterprise. The single-user license for 15€ is ideal for freelancers who want to use the software on one or two computers, and it is tied to a single account. The team license at 53,55€ (? Somebody avoing 6-7- memes?) is bound to the company, with the number of licenses chosen on purchase and a minimum of three licenses. An enterprise option exists via contacting sales. Updates are free to download when available.

Setup, activation, and the unglamorous stuff you will ask about anyway

Installation uses a downloaded zip, then a pkg installer. License activation happens in the app menu under File, then License, where a serial number is entered. Removing a license from a device uses the same menu path with a remove option. Uninstalling is deleting the app file from the computer. Development is led by Nikolai Waldman, with publishing and distribution via EditingTools.io.

The boring advice that keeps projects alive

Tools that touch camera originals, sound rolls, and delivery packages can look fine in a demo and still break your day under real pressure. Test DriveCompare in your actual DIT workflow before you trust it on a shoot, and verify that its reports, manifests, and hash choices match your show’s requirements.

https://editingtools.io/software/drivecompare/

The post DriveCompare brings ASC MHL offload checks to macOS first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.