One thing I see a lot in my line of work is a lot of talented, creative, and passionate people being forced to do really menial tasks in order to start the edit or start the production. Right? A lot of MAM companies will promise you the world when it comes to automating away these menial tasks, but usually there’s a pretty hefty price tag and a lengthy professional services process to get through. One of EditShare’s most exciting products actually remedies that.
Let me show you three things you can automate today using FLOW Automation.
QC Quarantine Automation
This first one I like to call the QC quarantine. This automation allows you to set up a watch folder for an ingest path. Anything that hits that watch folder immediately gets sent over to a QC server, something like Baton or QScan.
If it passes, we copy it into the proper media folder, and then we set the metadata to show that it passed at a certain date and time. If it fails, we move it into a quarantine media space that’s only accessible by one user, in this case, patient zero.
We send a notification email to patient zero saying there are clips waiting for you in the quarantine folder. Patient zero can now manually look over these clips that failed QC and determine what to do next.
This cuts down significantly on the per asset QC time because rather than you having to manually upload them or upload them to the QC server, they already live on the EditShare and proxies are being generated in the background during this QC process. Plus, there’s no way for editors to accidentally use assets that failed the QC check.
Mezzanine Automation
The next automation is a mezzanine automation. Oftentimes, you’re gonna be working with footage from multiple different cameras as well as graphics packages. All of these are gonna be different codecs at varying bit rates, and it’s gonna make it really difficult for you as an admin or a media manager to predict how the system is going to handle X number of editors on the system. This works by immediately taking any assets that are dropped into the ingest folder and transcoding them into a house mezzanine codec.
This is usually a codec that is in line with your absolute highest res spec for output. Once that transcode is done, it takes the original footage and moves it up to a cloud archive so that you always have access to it. And it also preserves the original file path in case you’re using something like a Sony camera with a really important file path structure. The new transcoded footage goes to the media folder that the editors will access for their actual projects.
And if this transcode fails because of some exotic codec, it actually sends an email to IT or the admin of the EditShare server to take a look at it and see what went wrong.
Metadata Trigger Automation
This last one is great if you need to organize a package of assets to send off to a remote contractor somewhere to download and edit. It starts with a metadata trigger, so we can take all of the assets we wanna send and say push to MediaSilo. Once that’s triggered, it transcodes to an .mp4 that’s a little lighter weight and easier to transfer. Then it runs a metadata check to see if that asset is confidential or not.
If it is confidential, then it sends a notification email to your security team saying that someone tried to upload confidential assets. It also notifies the original uploader, although this is optional. If it’s a green light and there are no confidential assets, we push it up to MediaSilo, and then we update the metadata on the clip in FLOW to say this was uploaded to MediaSilo on this date and time.
As you can see, these three automations alone could save dozens of working hours on your team every week, and you can make and adjust these at your leisure rather than having to call someone like me.
Boston, MA, 2 December 2024 — EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, has expanded Inflight Dublin’s storage capacity by adding further high-powered EFS nodes. The new appliances, supplied through EditShare’s channel partner Tyrell, provide an additional half petabyte of capacity to the company’s infrastructure.
Inflight Dublin has been a market leader in providing content for Inflight Entertainment (IFE) for 40 years. Many airlines worldwide now rely on it for packages of movies, television shows and games tailored to the needs of their passengers. EditShare has provided its content library and management facilities since 2011.
Pat Nolan, Director of IT and Information Security, Inflight Dublin
“We curate and package everything that is needed for IFE: video, audio, subtitles and metadata,” said Pat Nolan, Director of IT and Information Security for Inflight Dublin. “We need agility to combine content with the right audio and subtitle languages, in the right formats for the IFE equipment on the client’s planes, quickly, accurately and securely.”
Inflight utilizes a tiered content storage strategy to optimize its production and archiving processes. This strategy includes EFS production storage, EFS nearline storage, and long-term archival solutions.
EFS production nodes deliver high-performance storage for fast content creation, EFS nearline storage, serves as an intermediate parking storage solution. Upon project completion and delivery, all content is securely archived using EditShare ARK.
Content flows and access are managed through EditShare FLOW software, which also provides the integration point for Inflight Dublin’s in-house developed software tools for automatically creating deliverables. Embedded in FLOW is EditShare Guardian, for comprehensive analytics and audit trailing, and combined with EditShare’s inherent security, provides assurance to the very high standards demanded by the company’s suppliers, which include major movie and television studios.
“As Infight’s long-term partner, we understand the critical role workflow and security plays in its business and the demanding needs of the airlines it serves,” said Stephen Murnane, Account Manager, Tyrell. “By providing additional EditShare EFS storage, Inflight Dublin can ensure a seamless IFE experience for passengers worldwide.”
“Content is a fundamental part of Inflight Dublin’s operations,” said Tara Montford, Co-Founder and EVP Sales at EditShare. “Its suppliers need to be certain that their intellectual property is protected; its customers need to know that the passengers on their planes will be delighted by the IFE experience, not disappointed or frustrated.”
“EditShare is the core of the operation,” he continued. “It is much more than very reliable storage: the FLOW software provides the functionality Inflight Dublin needs, the interconnectivity for its workflow, and provides the security and traceability to completely protect the media.”
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. It offers scalable storage and collaboration for media businesses and at every stage of the video production process from storyboarding to screening.
The software is inherently open, encouraging workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Where required, the software is backed by high performance, high availability designed specifically for the demands of media storage, management and delivery. The comprehensive offering covers multi-level content storage for production and post, along with innovative asset and workflow management software, plus specialized and highly valued tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customized and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
About Tyrell
For 24 years Tyrell has been providing video, audio, graphics and storage solutions to the Irish and UK broadcast, post, production, corporate and education markets. In this time, we have become the leading provider of technology and service solutions both on-premise and in the cloud. Tyrell has an excellent understanding of the fast pace and unique pressures facing the media and entertainment industry; developing solutions for complex workflows. Allowing our clients to concentrate on the creative process and business development. From our two locations we offer a comprehensive range of professional services from consultancy to system design and integration, technical support and maintenance.
Inflight Dublin is a leading provider of Inflight Entertainment and connectivity solutions. With a focus on innovation and quality, we offer a wide range of services including content provision, wireless streaming, and more. Our solutions are designed to enhance the passenger experience, providing airlines with the tools to deliver exceptional Inflight Entertainment.
Press Contact Katharine Guy katharine.guy@editshare.com
Evolution of remote workflows, asset management and approvals
Boston, MA, 2 September 2024 — EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screening, will show valuable gains in practical productivity thanks to significant new hardware developments and software releases at IBC2024. The enhancements are all driven by the practical experiences of users worldwide, seeking to make their operations even more swift and secure.
Our next-generation EFS storage nodes, powered by the latest HPE Gen11 servers and our advanced NVMe node, set a new standard in performance and efficiency. With over 18GB/s aggregate throughput, this system delivers unmatched performance with unrivalled scalability. Combined with our powerful FLOW workflow engines, it provides creative teams with an efficient platform for UHD editorial and finishing, complex workflows, and multi-site collaboration, ensuring better results and enhanced productivity in every project.
Central to everything in the EditShare environment is FLOW, the asset management software which defines workflows and workgroups. IBC2024 sees FLOW adding native support for codecs which are critical for high quality production. These include Avid DNxHR and Sony X-OCN at resolutions up to 8k. Working directly with CineAlta files, for example, simplifies and speeds the process of creating dailies as well as smoothing workflows for cinematic projects.
FLOW provides workflow orchestration as well as asset management, and FLOW 24.2 enhances the Organize module. This ensures users can create projects, and bins efficiently. By logging in from any secure web browser, users can streamline workflows and collaborate most effectively.
Widely used for review and approvals of work in progress, EditShare MediaSilo also sees enhancements, including support for Ultra HD proxies. With better quality visuals, collaborators are empowered to make more detailed feedback and faster project approvals. The new Bulk Download feature accelerates the process of delivering vast amounts of content to clients. “We talk to post-production professionals all the time, and we understand what is really important in today’s market,” said Tara Montford, Co-Founder and EVP sales at EditShare. “The message coming over loud and strong is that they want to use their preferred creative tools and formats, but within an environment that gives them real speed and security, to deliver completed projects against tight deadlines without compromising quality. The system enhancements we are introducing at IBC this year speak directly to that need.”
Also aimed at speed and simplicity, the latest version of EFS, the media aware File System from Editshare, brings a new way to upgrade across the technology stack. An intelligent Orchestrator tool now automates system upgrades, ensuring every step is executed correctly at the determined time, even across multiple sites. With an intuitive, web-based user interface, this is another essential element in bringing efficiency and reliability to storage management.
All these new software releases will be demonstrated alongside the latest in hardware developments on stand 7.A35 at IBC24. To book time with us at the show please click here
About EditShare
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. It offers scalable storage and collaboration for media businesses and at every stage of the video production process from storyboarding to screening.
The software is inherently open, encouraging workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Where required, the software is backed by high performance, high availability designed specifically for the demands of media storage, management and delivery. The comprehensive offering covers multi-level content storage for production and post, along with innovative asset and workflow management software, plus specialized and highly valued tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customized and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
Press Contact Katharine Guy katharine.guy@editshare.com
Remote production workflows for video editing are getting a lot of attention. The technology for remote production kept improving, but the pandemic really sped development up. Within the first week of the pandemic, the video team I led started deploying remote workflows. The technology was almost there then, but within weeks, we got it dialed in.
The biggest challenge our team faced was latency. We learned that every link in the chain matters (Including open ports on cable internet coax splitters outside of your house! As crazy as that sounds.) Remote post-production workflow development accelerated to meet the challenge. The basics of addressing latency, permissions, and cloud-based proxy workflows have been addressed. So the next question is, “How do you scale it?”
What is remote post-production and cloud-based production?
Traditionally, an entire post-production team would be together in a “post-house.” Editors, colorists, and sound could work together on a centralized server known as a SAN. Cloud-based workflows move the storage to a cloud service provider instead of a local centralized server. This allows for post-production members to be distributed throughout the nation or the globe.
Why is scaling workflows important for post-production?
Post-production teams need to be able to scale to deliver multiple projects for multiple clients. If a team relies on shipping hard drives back and forth in the mail, there is only so fast you can deliver your work to clients.
On-set technology has also improved. New Camera to Cloud technologies have been released like the Atomos + MediaSilo integration where footage is delivered right into MediaSilo from an on-board monitor/recorder.
Understanding workflows in production workflow
Now that you don’t have to wait for footage to be brought back to base to start editing, why not have a distributed post-production team? Editors can get right to work with low-resolution proxies as soon as they are uploaded to the cloud. Another advantage of cloud-based post-production is that editing teams worldwide can work in shifts.
There are a couple of kinds of remote workflows. On one end of the spectrum is ingesting everything to the cloud. This requires a significant amount of bandwidth if you are putting raw camera files onto a cloud storage provider. You need to make sure that your upload speed isn’t a bottleneck that negates the efficiencies of remote post-production.
Another approach is hybrid. In this remote video workflow, you can keep your raw files local and upload proxy files to a cloud storage provider. Project files can also be synced to the cloud so that editors can check in and out projects without stepping on each other toes.
Key factors for scalability
Cloud-based services for remote video editing workflows allocate a specific amount of storage to an account. This could range from 3TB – 10TB for starters. Users can add additional storage as they need it. It is worth thinking through how much “active” storage your team needs at any one time. If you have 3 editors who work with projects from 2-3TB each, 10TB would be a good amount to have in your “active” cloud storage.
If your team is just using the cloud for proxies, you could probably accomplish the same amount of editing with 4TB of cloud storage. However, when you are ready to finish the final files, you’ll want to conform back to your raw camera files. If that is happening where you keep your raw files, then you are all set. If the person doing the color grade is remote, you might need to ship them an SSD. This is the limitation of a hybrid/proxy remote workflow. There is enough available storage and bandwidth for working with proxy files, but not RAW.
Another challenge to scalable video production is having the right space for building a stock video library. Many clients want to accumulate footage that can be reused in multiple videos.
Using cloud-based tools & software to scale workflows
One solution to the challenge of needing space for active projects and space for “stock” footage is to use a review and approval application, like MediaSilo, as a cloud-based asset manager for finished assets. These could be stock video clips, or they could be graphic assets, or project files for After Effects, Photoshop or Illustrator project files (I know of an insurance company that does this). Review and approval tools are good places for frequently accessed files because they are easily searchable, and you don’t have to worry about permitting external users to access the primary “active” video storage.
Managing post-production assets in the cloud
If you are running a remote post-production workflow, you will learn quickly that the file management tools in Google Drive or Dropbox aren’t designed for media production. That’s why EditShare FLEX. Its a suite of tools to facilitate your entire cloud-based post-production workflow.
Cloud-based media management tools will help you to view assets while they reside on the cloud service without downloading them to your local machine. You can search your assets, make notes, create proxies, and organize projects.
Getting files to the cloud efficiently takes more than just a fat pipe from your ISP. Technologies from companies like Data Expedition optimize uploads to maximize your bandwidth.
Another area to consider is data archival. Many teams have used LTO tape as a long-term storage solution. However, using LTO also means barriers to retrieving old footage. A smart cloud-storage strategy (like one using FLEX Cloud Sync) employs cloud-based archival solutions to store older projects on less expensive storage tiers.
Editing from the cloud
Once all your footage is in the cloud (whether raw or proxy), it is time to edit. Most remote editors download the proxies to local storage and start editing with their powerful computers. But there are a couple of other options.
Technologies like EditShare FLEX Cloud Edit and Cloud Edit+ enable users to log into a remote server and edit with their favorite NLE without having to download footage locally. The NLE runs on a remote server but behaves as responsively as a locally installed copy. This wizardry is accomplished through technology like HP Teradici PCoIP (it just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?). Your local machine is essentially just a window into a responsive remote workstation.
Another approach allows editors to access on-prem storage as efficiently as cloud storage. EditShare Swift Link delivers this for EditShare FLOW users. Swift Link ensures latency is addressed for remote editors and that their editing experience is optimized for the network conditions between their workstation and your on-prem storage.
Automation in the cloud
If you are evaluating a cloud-based remote post-production, don’t forget about transcoding and quality control workflows. If you are accustomed to a local workflow, you probably don’t give a second thought to batch transcoding a bunch of clips from a mezzanine codec like ProRes to a delivery codec like h.264. However, if that transcode takes place on a local client and the ProRes files are on a server, you’d have to download the ProRes files, transcode locally, and then upload the h.264 versions.
If your cloud service provides the ability to automate transcodes in the cloud you can eliminate the upload and download times. Its even better if you can setting up multiple steps and rules so that the work of transcoding for various deliverables is automated. With the right tools, QC can also be done in the cloud as well.
Scaling for remote production
Cloud-based workflows scale easily because additional resources can be added instantly. Scaling on-prem hardware solutions does take more planning, but if you make a good plan, it isn’t hard to add a unit to your local storage.
If you need higher performance, consider all NVMe shared storage. NVMe storage eliminates the bottlenecks of spinning disk storage. It is more expensive, but it also consumes less power and
Recent trends in remote production
It is helpful to know that post-production standards are moving to the cloud. Today’s cutting-edge products are the result of years of careful planning and a deliberate industry-wide plan to take advantage of cloud-based post-production workflows.
Choosing to deploy remote video workflows now means your team will be prepared for all the latest technological advancements that are coming along every day.
Conclusion
The time has finally arrived for scaling remote production workflows. Teams have options between hybrid and cloud-based workflows. Cameras and recorders can send files straight to the cloud. Media asset management apps can be deployed in the cloud. Remote cloud-based workstations can be accessed anywhere in the world. Solutions for archival, transcoding, QC and review/approval now integrate with each other. All the pieces are now in place to create efficient remote post-production teams.
EditShare, paired with MediaSilo, offers a complete solution that incorporates the latest technologies with the flexibility of your choice of hybrid or fully cloud-based workflows.
What do you think of remote video production workflows? If you have questions about the right setup for your team, send us a message!
When you want to scale your video production capabilities, people first think about buying another camera. But for many teams, the bottleneck isn’t in production; it exists in post-production. However, storage for video assets falls into a strange in-between category for many organizations. It feels like an extension of video production, but camera experts usually aren’t IT experts. Seasoned IT pros are often slow to discover that the needs for video editing are fundamentally different from your typical workgroup.
The experts in the storage needs for video teams often arise from technically-minded video editors and post-production experts. This is because they had to figure out the challenges for themselves and explain the difficulties of post-production to their bosses and the IT staff. That’s my story, at least. Over the past few months, I’ve observed several cases where teams are willing to invest in expensive cameras and lenses but shy away from investing in the necessary post-production infrastructure to truly break the log jams in their workflow.
I found that an efficient post-production shared solution is the best foundation you can give to your team. It lets you keep all your most relevant footage at your fingertips. It provides the ability for quick collaboration between editors and motion graphics designers, and it enables you to scale. So, if you want to lay a foundation for real growth, let’s dig into how digital media production can quickly scale.
Free yourself from the sneakernet
If you’ve ever found yourself grabbing a hard drive off a shelf and passing it in between team members, only to run back over to the shelf to find the right drive, you’ve used the “sneakernet” to manage your projects. This process is fraught with difficulties, and you always have the sinking feeling, “I think I still have that footage.”
A shared storage solution keeps your most relevant assets “online” instead of “offline.” It connects to multiple workstations at the same time as well. This means that as you scale your production capability, editors and motion graphics artists have immediate access to all their work instead of having to hunt down a drive. Additionally, editors can access the same footage simultaneously since the shared storage is accessible to everyone. Finally, you don’t have to worry about wasting space by duplicating the same footage on multiple computers. Freeing yourself from the sneakernet is reason enough to deploy scalable storage like EditShare EFS.
Choose specialized storage
When it becomes evident that a video team needs a server for their footage, inevitably, somebody from IT pulls up a webpage from Dell or HP and starts to calculate the costs. This is the decision moment. If we were in a movie, this moment is the equivalent of the villain’s entrance. I’m serious. If this moment isn’t handled well, a video team can get saddled with an underperforming server solution that is worse than Sneakernet.
Consider the difference between an interstate and a main street downtown. Shared storage for media allows for sustained, smooth playback of raw video files, like an interstate. Normal servers are designed more like the traffic signals of a downtown, allowing for lots of little pieces of data to come and go. But if you have ever been stuck in traffic, looked over to a carpool lane, and seen cars zooming by, you have a good indication of the difference between a normal server and a shared storage solution. Video production storage allows for multiple video files to be played from the server to multiple workstations without interruption, and you can think of these files as big semi-trucks. These trucks need protected lanes to be able to go fast and move without hitting the breaks
If you can help your IT team understand this fundamental distinction in “traffic,” you can turn them into your biggest supporters. Why? Practically speaking, if they master this new area of IT for media, they will become more valuable to their organization, and their career will take on a level of specialization.
So why not optimize a generic server for “interstate highway mode?” Editors not only need the bandwidth for sustained “reads” of data, but they also need to write to project files on the server. Those project files require fast write speeds. If video files are like semi-trucks, project files are like mini coopers. This means that the shared storage solution has to be optimized for two ends of the spectrum, sustained reads and fast writes, while handling the different kinds of traffic going to and from the server. Video files aren’t PDFs.
I believe that if a video team can communicate this metaphor well, it can vault them into new levels of productivity. Video teams and IT teams can then collaborate effectively and understand each other’s needs much better.
Online, Nearline, and Cold Storage
When we talked about sneakernet, we learned about the difference between offline and online data. But what about footage that you need to access occasionally? We call this storage “nearline.” It doesn’t need to be on your high-performance storage, but it doesn’t belong on the shelf.
Active storage
You can save money when building your shared storage solution by identifying a specific capacity for your “online” or “active” storage. You might want this storage to be on SSDs or NVMe drives. These solid-state drives are lightning quick and work exceptionally well with high-resolution 4K, 8K, and VFX files. While this storage is quick, it is also the most expensive. (Some of that cost is offset by the fact that these drives use less power) Remote users can access an EditShare EFS volume with Swift Link, delivering remote performance that used to be available only in-house.
Nearline storage
If your most accessed files live in your online storage, place your infrequently accessed files on your nearline storage. This unit typically uses mechanical spinning disk hard drives. They work together in a configuration to ensure that you won’t lose your data if one, or even two, of them fail. This configuration is called a RAID configuration. A nearline storage unit with a group of hard drives won’t be as fast as your active storage, but it will be cost-effective. And if you have an intense project, you can always move data between your nearline and active storage.
Cold Storage
At a certain point, you can determine that you probably won’t be going back to the original footage for a project. But you don’t want to delete it all. This means your project is ready to move from nearline storage to cold storage. Some organizations may upload footage to the cloud or archive it on LTO tape.
I recently had to pull footage from Google Drive. My former team used Google Drive as cold storage. Man, was this a mistake! When you download large amounts of data from Google Drive it rearranges the folder hierarchy and appends suffixes to the file names. What a headache! I spent hours reconstructing the file structure of the REDCODE RAW files. I had to delete the suffixes that Google Drive appended on hundreds of files.
A much better approach to cold storage would have been to use LTO tape with a solution like Editshare ARK. This approach does take your files offline, but it also keeps track of those LTO tapes so you can know what is online, what is offline, and where to find what you need.
Specialized hardware calls for specialized software
Having a place to put your data doesn’t necessarily mean people can easily find what they need. Many teams use their senior editor’s brain as an “index” for project files. A much better solution is to have software do that for you. A media asset manager is an application that organizes your footage and lets anyone find what they need without Slacking the senior editor again. Editshare FLOW works with your shared storage to keep track of all your assets. Those could be online or offline. It will track data in your active, nearline, and cold storage. EditShare FLOW becomes the brain for your entire post-production operation.
Editors want to spend time in their NLE, not in the media asset manager. Editors want to edit. That’s why integration with editing apps (Known as NLEs, non-linear editing applications) is critical. EditShare provides panels in both Adobe Premiere Pro and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve. These panels allow you to spend more time in your NLE so that you aren’t leaving your native environment. If you use a different NLE, EditShare is still perfectly compatible with any NLE (but Premiere and Resolve getting in-app panels sure is nice).
Integrate your workflow from pitch to prep to post
Post-production can feel like its own little world. It doesn’t have to be that. EditShare EFS now integrates with MediaSilo. An integration resulting in an end-to-end workflow. When you are shooting, Atomos recorders will deliver your footage right to the cloud via MediaSilo when you are shooting. Then your project can go through post on EFS and then get securely delivered to outside stakeholders via MediaSilo. This is an unprecedented level of integration and security from script to screen.
Conclusion
Deploying an EditShare EFS shared storage solution will revolutionize your post-production workflow, solve problems for your team, and deliver the foundation for scale. Reach out to an EditShare rep today to learn more.
Alex Leafer, Director of Production for the New York Islanders, joins us to discuss how EditShare storage and FLOW asset management support their content production, pre-game presentations and social media presence. From capturing those exhilarating moments on the field to delivering compelling highlights, our hosts will guide you through innovative strategies and best practices tailored to streamline your sports video production process. This webinar will be a game-changer in maximizing efficiency and enhancing the quality of your sports content.
Dynamic workflows designed by Tyrell will support major commissions
Boston, MA, June 12, 2024 – EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, has implemented another EFS storage network at leading UK entertainment production company Whisper. The system was designed and implemented in conjunction with EditShare’s partner Tyrell.
Whisper is highly regarded for its sports, live and entertainment coverage, including some of the largest events globally. Having recently secured commissions for multiple new documentary series, it has added an extensive new storage network and access facilities.
Gareth Steven, Head of Post Production, Whisper
“We already have two EditShare storage nodes that we rely on, and which have proven extremely reliable over a number of years,” said Gareth Steven, head of post production at Whisper. “This new project calls for content to be created and managed over an extended period of time, with large production teams accessing and editing the content simultaneously. EditShare and Tyrell showed us that the scalability and workflow functionality metour requirements perfectly.”
The new installation sees three EditShare EFS-300 storage systems, each with 256 TB capacity, which are seen by users as a single namespace for simplicity and security in operation. The storage network is freely and continuously expandable to provide capacities exceeding a petabyte if required.
“Content security was also a key requirement for Whisper,” said Simon Wocka, account manager at Tyrell. “Media storage is like a bank vault: the assets it contains are priceless and must be protected above all else. Security is a core part of the EditShare architecture, providing the best protection at every stage without compromising operational ease and flexibility.
“EditShare also allows access directly within the key post tools that will be used on these shows,” he continued. “Artists using Adobe Premiere Pro or Blackmagic DaVinci can use EditShare integrations within their software environment, allowing them to access content directly. They don’t need to change workstations or learn new commands and structures – it removes barriers and makes workflows much simpler.”
Tara Montfort, co-founder and EVP Business Development at EditShare, added, “We are delighted to support Whisper’s new projects. Our scalable storage solutions and intuitive workflow tools are designed to meet the complex needs of production teams, ensuring they can collaborate seamlessly and focus on what they do best – creating compelling content.”
The new storage network was installed in February 2024 and is already supporting the latest documentary productions at Whisper.
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. The market-leading open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Designed specifically for media applications, the high performance line-up provides shared storage, archiving and backup, and intelligent media asset management.
Through a merger with Shift Media, EditShare now also integrates tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customised and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
About Tyrell
For 24 years Tyrell has been providing video, audio, graphics and storage solutions to the Irish and UK broadcast, post, production, corporate and education markets. In this time, we have become the leading provider of technology and service solutions both on-premise and in the cloud. Tyrell has an excellent understanding of the fast pace and unique pressures facing the media and entertainment industry; developing solutions for complex workflows. Allowing our clients to concentrate on the creative process and business development. From our two locations we offer a comprehensive range of professional services from consultancy to system design and integration, technical support and maintenance.
Azimuth, a full service editing, post-production, finishing and delivery facility, has a new home, purpose built from the ground up, on Eagle Street in Holborn in the heart of Central London. With the changing demands of modern broadcast – particularly the need to deliver in 4K HDR and with Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment audio – Azimuth have designed and built a modern, flexible, and adaptable post house to fulfill these requirements incorporating the latest in post technology and workflow methodologies. Systems integration was carried out by technology experts, Altered Images.
Re-Imagining Azimuth
Operations Director, Yives Reed describes the challenge that led to the new, re-imagined Azimuth being built: “post pandemic, OR Media (parent production company) had lots of projects coming through with multiple specialist factual and documentary series. As they were getting closer to post production, it was obvious that the Azimuth as was, was not set up to accommodate either the volume or the 4K HDR deliverables required so the time was right for a reset.
High-End Television Post Workflows
At the heart of Azimuth’s technology vision was the need to fully support a range of high-end television post workflows. To achieve this, they knew they needed a robust server and media management system that could securely handle multiple streams of high-bandwidth data, including 4K and even 8K RAW files, and effortlessly distribute these with real time playback wherever and whenever required within the facility.
Head of Technical Operations, Steve Oak describes the new picture finishing set up at Azimuth. “The bulk of the work going through the facility is 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos for IMF delivery. If that high bandwidth work sets your benchmark, it helps to make some pioneering decisions with our hardware. Between two Resolve Grades and three Online, three Colour Assist stations and two QC rooms we are reading and writing huge amounts of data at the same time. Alongside native workflows in Resolve, we’ve got Baselight and Flame Open EXR and uncompressed workflows with its own demanding requirements. In Resolve we’re working with multi-layered sequences, including uncompressed RAW, all supported by the 40 Gb/s network input from each of the Editshare SSD arrays.”
Oak continues, “we are bricks and mortar within a Central London location and despite our cloud presence, the bulk of our services are hosted here. When you go back to the shell of a building, you have the chance to shape it in the way that you think it should be going forward. We wanted flexibility with what we put into place now and how it might be different in six or twelve months’ time which is not how most post houses work.”
The Need For Flexibility
“With Editshare, we have a petabyte of spinning disk and 200 terabytes of SSD between which we can move workspaces seamlessly while carrying on working. Importantly, Editshare is NLE agnostic allowing our customers to work the way they want to work with media plug-ins and workspaces for Media Composer, Resolve and Premiere Pro respectively.
“At Azimuth, we bring the native material into a Resolve conform to effectively create a re-link environment. We get a lot of XAVC at 300 and 450 Mb/s, RED, Canon XF, Sony X-OCN and ProRes RAW. In Final Post it means that we can have quite large workspaces and we can be pulling a huge amount of bandwidth per client.
Better Workflows
“An Editshare media asset management system sits on top for media encoding and cloud integration where you can work within an intuitive web GUI, all of which is tied into a server giving us better performance for our dollar than any other we reviewed. Investing in Editshare was a no-brainer.”
Reed concurs, “ Editshare gives us performance storage with a lot of useful tools to support a fully modern workflow and an agnostic approach to applications. It’s flexible and has a strong track record.”
Oak is consistently looking towards what’s next and was additionally impressed by Editshare’s M&E-centric approach, increasing use of automation and roadmap, “Editshare’s acquisition and integration of MediaSilo reflects the vendor’s approach. You can set up watch folders through your FLOW environment so you can export a cut and it will transcode and upload it to MediaSilo, and anyone within that group will get a notification that it’s been uploaded. It can scan our MediaSilo cloud storage through a Storage DNA MAM, that sits on top of our whole environment, and bring those assets back down again and deep archive on LTO on completion of a project. Editshare offers us better workflows with less human time and more automation.”
“Editshare gives us performance storage with a lot of useful tools to support a fully modern workflow and an agnostic approach to applications.”
