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Tips and Best Practices for Remote Media Production and Post-Production

CMMA Blog

To our valued customers, we know this pandemic is affecting everyone on both a personal and professional level.  We have been working closely with partners to enable editors and producers to do their work remotely, and we’d like to share some of the practices we are seeing, below.

If you would like to learn more or if you need assistance, please contact us so we can help.  We will continue to stay in touch during this difficult time.

Options and Best Practices for Enabling Remote Post-Production

There are several options for enabling remote production, but the most common practice we are seeing is to leverage virtual and/or remote desktop technology to give content creators access to their shared storage environment remotely. 

In this architecture, our customers leverage their workstations and shared storage environment that is in place at the studio or post-house.  These workstations are connected to the high-performance shared storage environment via a StorNext file system client, or a standard CIFS or NFS client.  For our existing customers, this entire infrastructure is in place today. 

Virtual desktop and/or remote desktop technology is then used to enable remote access to these high-performance workstations.  From the user’s perspective, the experience of work on an ‘endpoint’ computer at their home is the same as if they were working at their workstation at the studio.  There are different technology options, and Quantum and our partners will consult with customers to determine the right architecture, and work with customers to deploy the remote desktop infrastructure using the best options and architecture for their needs. 

Benefits

This approach has the benefits of leveraging the existing storage infrastructure in place today and doesn’t require that the data be moved.  It can be implemented very quickly, with some of our customers enabling hundreds of editors in the span of just a couple of weeks.

Remote Production Session at Virtual Q | NAB

If you are interested in learning more, please register for our session on enabling remote production as part of our Virtual Q | NAB Event, taking place May 12th through 14th.

To view our Partner blog, click here

Re-Runs Are More than Entertaining, They’re Advanced Technologies in Motion

CMMA Blog

Wow, it’s been a long time, but over the weekend, I was able to watch the Denver Broncos win Super Bowl XXXIII – again! You guessed it, I’m located in Colorado, USA, and fan of our local NFL team! I was able to hear John Madden’s funny commentary, see Shannon Sharpe, Terrell Davis, Ed McCaffrey, and of course, John Elway out on the field reclaiming the Vince Lombardi trophy – again! So many names I hadn’t heard for many years. It really was enjoyable to watch that re-run. And there are many others that Broadcasters are sharing with us from their video archives, since most new production filming and events are currently on “pause.”  The choices available to us are not limited to only those legendary sporting match-ups and show-downs that never get old to watch, like Schumacher’s last F1 race win, or 1985’s thrilling NCAA Tournament with Villanova upsetting Georgetown, or Nadal’s win over Federer at Wimbledon in 2008. There is also the slew of culture-impacting 90’s sitcoms, classic films from over the decades, and binge-worthy streaming programs making the options available to us almost endless.

Giving due deference and solemn acknowledgment to the world today, and global efforts to continue onward while caring for each other, we also need to feed our souls and seek forms of entertainment to do that. Enter television and movies. Enjoying forms of digital “art” have been a mainstay of modern-day culture thanks to all the technologies behind the scenes. It takes more than pushing “the clicker”!

After the filming and creation of video content, this imagery, or digital media files, must be moved to secure storage, which can later be accessed for playout as future uses of these assets. This is not accomplished “automagically,” and requires a file system that is tuned for video and video-like files. 

In more complex environments that support HD broadcasts and multi-platform distribution, StorNext end-to-end content workflow management software and storage appliances are the key to bringing these assets to life, to our screens. 

Broadcasters require this level of an integrated storage infrastructure to support their specific tools, while also facilitating sharing between dispersed groups and providing dependable high-speed transfer rates to prevent any interruption to the media workflow system.

Today, StorNext High-Performance File Storage is the de facto standard for storing, serving, and sharing video and video-like content. For the highest performance gains, StorNext‘s client software allows the shared file system to appear local, not as a remote NAS, which is especially beneficial for large files and streams – like video. Today, shared storage is a requirement for collaboration and workflow enablement. Designed with patented and Emmy-winning technologies, StorNext reduces latencies, promotes broader collaboration, and improves efficiencies to ultimately deliver high-quality content that we’ve all come to expect in our daily lives. 

So as you take a break from your day and escape with a funny video on Social Media, laugh at an old movie from the ‘70s, or in early May, watch Secretariat pull off a heart-pounding win at the Kentucky Derby (1977 that is), remember that these re-runs are a technological effort by many, and rely on world-class technologies like StorNext by Quantum. Enjoy!

To view our Partner blog, click here

StorNext: A Product with History

CMMA Blog

I’ve got a 1999 Subaru Forester.  I love that car, probably a little too much.  Last year one of my friends bought a 2019 Forester.  My first experience with that thing was eye-opening, let me tell you.  It was like getting a ride in an alien spaceship.  The 2019 is bigger, heavier, packed to the gills with technology (and airbags), and yet gets better gas mileage than mine ever did.  The words “Subaru Forester” now conjure a different picture in my head.

Like these two cars, people think of different things when they think of StorNext , depending on how recent their experience is.  StorNext’s beginnings go back to the late 1990s, an eternity in the software world.  There are good things and bad things about a software product with such a long history.

The good things include stability and safety (much like an AWD car), name recognition and respect in the marketplace, and a raft of patents.  Most importantly, it means we’ve had the privilege and honor of helping thousands of organizations do what they do, better.  You can read about some of them here .

The bad thing about a product with a long history is that many people have a picture in their heads of what it is – or more accurately ‘was’ at some time in the past.  But StorNext never stands still.  Every new release brings new features, new architectural elements, and an embrace of new technology.  I’ve been working with the product since the dawn of this century, and it’s astounding how much it has changed over the years.

Because the change is constant, a key part of our job is to continually educate about what StorNext is today.  We don’t want anyone to think it’s still equipped with a cassette deck and stick shift, after all.  We’ve made a lot of improvements since then!

One element in our educational efforts is a brand-new StorNext whitepaper, which you can download here .  It’s designed for anyone who wants a reasonably technical overview of StorNext’s architecture, features, and capabilities.  The paper is organized into three main sections – the StorNext File System, Clients and Connectivity, and Data Services.  Everything about StorNext falls into one of those categories.  Simple, right?

A key goal with the paper was to keep it simple, without over-simplifying, and I think we’ve achieved that.  For those who wish to dive deeper, they are plenty of pointers to additional information.  If reading patents is your thing, there are even links to a pile of the important patents the StorNext engineering team has earned.  I can assure you there’s no alien technology involved, though if your last experience with StorNext was a few decades ago it will probably seem that there is.

So even if you think you know StorNext – or maybe especially if you think you know StorNext, check out the whitepaper .  It’s bound to change your perspective.

To view our Partner blog, click here

And the Emmy Award for Early Development of Data Management Software goes to…

CMMA Blog

Wow.  Thank you so much.  I didn’t even prepare a speech.

OK.

First, I’d like to thank the NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES for this recognition.  And of course our thousands of customers in this industry.  So many of our customers have created Emmy-award winning content that has enriched our lives, and for Quantum to be recognized with a Technology and Engineering Emmy award is a tremendous honor.

I’d like to thank our engineers.  Their innovations in data management (or “HSM”) software, going back to the early 2000s, have enabled our customers in media to produce content more efficiently, and preserve their content digitally for decades.  By making media workflows more efficient and more automated, our customers in broadcast and post-production have been able to focus on better collaboration, creating better content, and distributing that content to a larger audience.

I’d like to thank our partners – both our channel partners and our technology partners.  Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.

And notably, Quantum is unique amongst the other recipients of this Technology and Engineering Emmy in that we are the ONLY VENDOR that has integrated our data management functions with all of the leading Media Asset Management providers.  Not only have we developed a sophisticated policy engine, but we expose those policies via API so third-party applications like MAMS, PAMS, DAMS can leverage the HSM capabilities we have.

I just spoke with a large broadcaster this week, and one of the reasons they chose Quantum is because:  “We can use our MAM to drive the StorNext policy engine, to move content between production, nearline, and archive tiers.”

This award is also particularly timely because later this year we will announcing another fundamental advance in data management technology, new capabilities that will help our media customers manage the content challenges of the next decade.

Our development of HSM began nearly 20 years ago, in early 2000. It was a cold winter day, and our engineering team…there’s the music.  OK, I’m getting the hook I’ve got to wrap this up.

Quantum’s StorNext ®, which combines a high-speed file system with data management software, incorporates HSM technology and has been widely adopted by the media and entertainment industry to address the growing problem of sharing, preserving, and analyzing massive volumes of unstructured data.

See you at NAB!

To view our Partner blog, click here

When You Want to Go Fast, Ensuring System Balance Should Be Top of Mind

CMMA Blog

With the Hungarian Grand Prix recently
completed, we’re now three-quarters of the way through the 2019 F1 season.  For those that have been watching, myself
included, the current season has been a real treat.  Germany brought us one of the most chaotic
races I’ve ever seen; not least of which was a full 360-degree spin by the
eventual winner. And with some strong finishes in their past three races, McLaren
is showing real promise.  No doubt it’s going
to be an exciting race to the season finish line.

Out of the multitude of things to enjoy when
watching such technologically advanced machines do things that seem fairly
unbelievable, one of my favourites is that a car’s performance on the track
relies on such a vast array of technologies, business operational acumen, and
personal character.  Drivers always get a
significant amount of the glory, but each of them knows that thousands of
factors contribute to winning a race. Extending that premise to the vehicle
itself — a remarkably complicated machine that defines the cutting-edge of
automotive technology — I’ve had direct interaction with some of these
engineers who have told me there is something that can be even more important
than raw power to give their drivers the best chance at making the top of the
podium.  Perfect balance.  

Think about it – if the engine is too
powerful and the brakes are too weak, the car is going to take too long in the
breaking phase of the track.  And if the
downforce is dialled up too high, the car will not have the top speed needed to
perform well on the straightaways.   It’s one of the reasons why even with strict
regulations to homogenize the cars, the number of configuration options ensures
each one is truly unique. 

This exact concept could be extended to other advanced technology systems– for example, a modern storage solution.  Let’s say that you have a storage system that can do exceptionally fast reads, but fairly slow writes.  For a handful of use cases this might be adequate, but as most storage solutions support multiple workflows, most managers look to achieve balance between both operations.  As another example, let’s say there is exceptional data connectivity between the storage controllers and the underlying storage media, but the clients are not optimized across the network.  Again, the system will not be balanced, and overall performance will suffer. 

Today, Quantum is launching our next release of StorNext , and much of this release has to do with a handful of improvements that are fine tuning and better balancing this racing machine for even faster performance.  With 6.3, we are optimizing StorNext clients to work even better with our NVMe storage systems, thereby creating a more optimized data path between the client and shared storage environment.  Another important improvement has to do with object read path management and giving administrators a new ability to manage system resources when dealing with heavy object read or write operations.  Taken together, enhancements such as these demonstrate Quantum is not letting our foot off the pedal when it comes to making our file system an even better performer. 

For even more information on our StorNext 6.3 release, feel free to contact us — we’d be delighted to tell you more.  And in the meantime, enjoy the summer, and here’s to an exciting conclusion to this year’s F1 season!  

To view our Partner blog, click here

The Latest Buzz from the Front Lines of the Media Industry

Archive Storage

Those who have attended IBC in Amsterdam at some point in their career know that participating in the show is like briefly transplanting oneself into an alternate universe for 5 days.  What the rest of the world knows as Friday, Saturday, Sunday becomes IBC Day 1, IBC Day 2, IBC Day 3, etc.  Maneuvering between the massive halls of the RAI and trying to find obscure meeting rooms can be like navigating a small city (and without the help of GPS)!  And the amount of sleep one gets due to the post-exhibition activity is probably most akin to a weekend in Las Vegas.

All of that, however, is a small price to
pay for the wealth of benefits and opportunity that can be had while attending
the media industry’s biggest conference outside America. From an efficiency
standpoint, it’s fairly impossible to outmatch the density of meetings one can have
with customers and partners in such a short timeframe. This year this that was
especially true as our Quantum team had our meeting rooms constantly full, not
to mention a packed partner event on the opening day. 

Latest Trends Taking Shape

The other primary benefit is that being at
the show is an outstanding opportunity to learn about where the industry is
going, as well as how these trends are taking shape in the challenges the
vendor community will need to solve next. Given their importance, I think these
are certainly worth sharing – so in no particular order, here are the trends
that seemed to be most topical at the show:

Jason Coari CSI Magazine Awards IBC 2019
Goran Nastic (editor at CSI Magazine), Jason Coari and Paolo Pescatore accepting CSI Magazine’s ‘Best Data Storage Solution’ award at IBC 2019.

Democratization
of Video  

As video has become the dominant communications platform across the world, and is on track to make up more than 80% of the world’s data, both traditional media and non-traditional media organizations are finding themselves in the middle of the evolution to constantly be producing video content. One effect of this transformation means production timelines are shortening and distribution channels are broadening. All meaning that organizations need more sophisticated and flexible storage solutions to support the creation of an immense amount of compelling content. 

Cloud-based
Workflows

Just the day before the show began, Disney
had announced an agreement with Microsoft to do post-production in Microsoft
Azure. This move could certainly be a sign of things to come and is exciting with
the flexibility it could offer those organizations creating content, as well as
efficiencies it could offer by doing more work closer to where the data resides.
At Quantum we are keenly aware of this trend, which is why we are investing in StorNext to
facilitate all stages of the media workflow whether it’s on-premise,
off-premise, or any combination of the two.

Transition
to IP

What was a hot topic at NAB continued to be a hot topic at IBC – and it’s easy to see why.  From lower capital costs to more rapid deployment and streamlined operations, placing massive importance on transitioning to an all-IP based infrastructure.” This is why all the products that Quantum has launched over the past year are optimized to provide maximum performance across Ethernet networking. 

Remote
Production

The fact that this was discussed so broadly
was somewhat surprising. However, as customers shared the benefits of doing
more production onsite, the fact that it’s becoming a bigger trend became more
apparent. Quantum actually has solid experience here working with companies
like The Rebel
Fleet – an innovative post-production team doing onsite production in the
mountains of New Zealand. We also recently launched our R-Series
ruggedized storage system to further facilitate these types of use cases. Could
this become more mainstream in the months to come? I wouldn’t be surprised….

IMG 8039

So that’s a wrap on the top trends from IBC
2019. In closing, I’d like to give one final kudos to the entire Quantum
product and engineering team that had anything to do with designing and
building our F-Series .
The product picked up two more awards at the show and is on track to become the
media industry’s de facto standard for ultra-performance NVMe-based storage. And
stay tuned for some exciting developments in this space over the coming months,
as their work is just getting started!  

To view our Partner blog, click here