Whisper Extends EditShare to Build New Capabilities
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.”
Long-term leader moves up to head sales in the Americas
Boston, MA, May 29, 2024 – EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, has appointed Grant Carroll as Senior Vice President for Sales for the Americas. He will be familiar to many EditShare users from his previous customer-facing roles in the business.
In the early days of the company Carroll brought valuable experience as an editor, producer, and director, which made him ideal to connect with users and channel partners. He rapidly established himself as the go-to expert for knowledge and insights to design workflows and solve problems.
As EditShare continued to thrive, he took on key roles, including Director of Workflow Design and Director of Sales. After almost 20 years he took a career break, but the industry quickly drew him back, including a year with EditShare’s technology partner Cinedeck. He now returns to EditShare, with responsibility for all sales from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. He reports to Tara Montford, co-founder and EVP Sales.
“Grant has been a central part of EditShare almost as long as I have, and no-one knows more about how to get the best out of our technologies. I am delighted we have been able to bring him back, and look forward to continued success with him.” Montford said.
Grant Carroll added “I tried to get away but the great people and products of EditShare called me back. I know the environment, the technology and the sales channels well, and I am really looking forward to building and delivering winning sales strategies.”
Carroll is a graduate in Communications from Florida State University, where he was captain and president of the Skydiving Club.
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 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. EditShare delivers high performance and high availability, meticulously engineered to meet the specialized demands of media storage, management, and delivery across various industries, including corporate communications, sports broadcasting, and more. 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.
As a video production professional, choosing the right video storage solution for your media assets is a crucial decision. While file and project sizes continue to grow exponentially, deadlines are continuously shrinking, so having a video storage system that can keep up with capacity demands while remaining fast, secure and cost-effective is essential.
In this article, we’ll examine the pros and cons of the two main options – cloud video storage and on-premise video storage – and look at the benefits of the hybrid solutions that combine both.
What is the difference between on-prem and cloud storage?
On-premise video storage is locally connected media storage such as individual hard drives and RAIDs, network-attached storage (NAS) or storage area networks (SANS) that are physically located at your facility and managed by your own IT staff.
The benefits of on-premise storage include the potential for air-gapped security, predictable costs and reliable performance. The downside to this kind of video storage is that the full expenditure is incurred upfront, your internal IT or creative teams must manage, backup and repair the system, and significant expansion requires additional costs and expertise.
Cloud video storage, however, is offsite, internet-connected media storage managed by an external third-party vendor. One of the main benefits of working with cloud storage for video production is that the cost is limited to a monthly subscription for the capacity used, negating the requirement for a lot of up-front cash.
That capacity can be rapidly expanded or constrained in tandem with current project requirements, leading to cost savings and overall efficiencies but also a more unpredictable monthly spend. Furthermore, the third-party vendor bears all management, servicing and infrastructure costs, which is often preferable for teams without this in-house expertise.
Hybrid video storage solutions aim to combine the best of both worlds into one integrated system. Fast, high-bandwidth local storage is used for active projects and workflows, while completed projects and non-urgent media are sent to the cloud for archiving. This combines the performance and simplicity of on-premise storage with the scalability and cost savings of the cloud.
What about remote access? For both on-premise and cloud video storage, remote access is possible, depending on the security and performance requirements of the video production team.
The Pros and Cons of On-Premise Video Storage
While there are many benefits to having all of your video storage on-premise, cloud storage is designed to overcome limitations and challenges. Let’s consider some of the pros and cons of on-premise video storage in more detail.
Pro – Full control over all hardware and software
One of the advantages of on-premise vs cloud storage is that you design and control the entire hardware and software architecture, selecting a system that best meets your specifications and overseeing maintenance and upgrades. You’re not at the mercy of an external vendor’s roadmap, business changes or downtime.
Pro – Predictable high-speed performance
Local hard drives and network-attached storage provide fast, reliable connectivity for high-bandwidth processes like multi-stream video editing. Unlike cloud storage for video editing, your read/write performance doesn’t suffer due to internet congestion, server loads or bandwidth limitations.
Pro – Enhanced security
Keeping your storage on-premise protects sensitive media files from being erroneously or maliciously accessed while on shared cloud infrastructure. Restricting physical access and air-gapping (disconnected from the internet) your media storage adds a further layer of protection.
Pro – No hidden costs
While on-premise storage comes with larger upfront costs than a cloud storage subscription, it also negates any hidden or unexpected expenses, such as egress fees, which occur when you move your data out of the cloud or surcharges enforced when you over-step your subscription limits.
Pro – Integration with legacy systems
Existing edit bays, asset management software and established video production workflows can often more easily connect to new on-premise storage without the need to re-construct the whole system, as everything is under your control and most often is largely plug-and-play.
Con – High upfront costs
Purchasing substantial video storage capacity as well as the switches, servers, and management software required to make it all function comes with a large capital expenditure. You’re also paying for all unused capacity from the start.
Con – Complex configuration and management
Even a medium-scale video storage solution requires some IT staff time for the initial design and integration, not to mention the ongoing administration and daily troubleshooting. This staff skill set also needs regular updating as technology and workflows evolve.
Con – Separate disaster recovery site required
A system for backing up and storing all of your media in a second physical location is needed to replicate and recover all of your data in the event of a disaster at your main premises. This necessitates purchasing yet more storage capacity and connectivity.
Con – Scaling requires overprovisioning
While you can work within the constraints of your initial storage capacity, adding further storage capacity requires purchasing it in large chunks and planning for the upgrade downtime. Running out of storage space will obviously impact the efficiency and productivity of your creative team!
Con – Dependence on locality
To get the best out of the system, users must be physically on-premise to access the media, while remote users often have comparatively limited connectivity and bandwidth. Even when remote access is established, staff are still required onsite to manage the physical devices.
Pros and Cons of Cloud Video Storage
While we are all used to working with cloud storage on a daily basis, from our Dropbox accounts to our iCloud photo backups, cloud storage that is capable of storing, managing and streaming or downloading large video files with the performance for real-time playback is a different beast altogether.
Here are some pros and cons to consider when using cloud video storage for modern video production workflows.
Pro – No infrastructure to manage
As part of your subscription fee, the cloud storage provider handles all of the necessary hardware, component upgrades, system maintenance and offsite backups, and instead, your team focuses on their creative work.
Pro – Scalability on demand
Adding further capacity to your cloud video storage account is as simple as clicking ‘upgrade.’ This has the added benefit of only paying for what you need when you need it and allows you to respond quickly to unexpected growth or capacity requirements.
Pro – Global availability
Storing your media in the cloud means it’s instantly available to authorized users anywhere in the world with an internet connection. This gives you access to a global talent pool, the efficiency of single-source asset management, and the potential for a creative team to work around the clock from different time zones—all without the need for setting up remote access VPNs for your on-premise storage.
Pro – Reduced disaster recovery costs
As cloud providers replicate their data storage globally by default, there’s no need to build and maintain a second offsite backup in case of disaster recovery. This is already done for you.
Pro – Lower initial costs
With no upfront expenditure on expensive hardware, there are no large CapEx purchases to wait and plan for. Costs move to OpEx, where subscription fees based on usage, storage capacity, and the number of seats needed are much more manageable from a cash flow perspective month-to-month.
Cons – Vendor dependence and lock-in
Once you choose a cloud video storage provider, you have no real control over that vendor’s policies, service charges, fee increases or business stability. Once a workflow has been established and a lot of media is stored online, switching cloud providers is more complicated.
Con – Variable performance
While most cloud video storage providers offer some form of performance guarantee, internet outages or service congestion are unpredictable. Also, each end-users experience relies on a range of factors, including their local internet connection strength and stability, proximity to the data center and local system spec.
Con – Limited integration options
While using cloud storage does open up the potential for some newer automated workflows and remote production capabilities, it is not always possible to integrate legacy apps with cloud storage or even with other online services and storage providers.
Con – Security risks
No matter how tight your security procedures, storing your valuable media online, especially in a shared cloud storage server you don’t control brings a level of exposure to a greater number of threats.
Con – You may end up paying more in the long run
If you store and maintain a substantial amount of video media in your cloud storage over a long period of time, your total cost of ownership (TCO) may end up exceeding that of on–premise storage. Services often charge egress fees for downloading data, for example, when making room online or moving it to cheaper archival storage like AWS Glacier.
The Pros and Cons of Hybrid Video Storage
If you decide to use a hybrid cloud and on-premise storage solution, you can get the benefits of both and avoid some of the limitations of either one, yet you will create some new challenges to consider.
Let’s examine the pros and cons of a hybrid video storage workflow.
Pro – Best of both worlds
The most obvious benefit of a hybrid video storage solution is that you’re set up to enjoy the strengths of both models, gaining the performance and security of on-premise video storage with the scalability and global reach of the cloud.
Pro – Elastic Capacity Management
Having your media stored in the cloud gives you the buffer to absorb the unexpected variable demands of different projects and the flow of projects over time, while your local storage can handle anticipated project requirements.
Pro – Reduced disaster recovery costs
By setting up an automatic cloud backup of your on-premise video storage, you can more affordably and easily manage both archiving and disaster recovery by creating an offsite duplicate.
Pro – Greater workflow possibilities
Modern video productions require a wide range of workflow capabilities, from high-performance local storage for demanding processes like color grading final high-resolution media or combing through terabytes of archival material to enabling a globally distributed creative team to manage assets and artistic responsibilities through shared media stored in the cloud.
Pro – Gradual transition path
Developing a hybrid storage model can be a simple and gradual process that doesn’t require wholesale reinvestment or scrapping existing workflows or hardware. When starting with local storage, it’s easy to add cloud storage for archiving. Or, when starting from a cloud platform, it’s easy to add local storage for more demanding tasks. This makes it easier to test the benefits of either solution before fully committing to either or both.
Con – Added complexity
One consideration of combining on-premises and cloud storage is that it does add a further layer of complexity to managing media files, user access permissions and deciding where files should live and for how long. Further complexity arises if files live in multiple locations at once rather than having a ‘single source of truth’ for all uses.
Con – Potential replication lag
If you have to move media files from local storage to cloud storage (or vice versa), a lot of data must be copied between locations, which can create a delay. This also requires the on-premises storage to have access to adequate bandwidth.
Con – Two sets of storage to purchase and pay for
With the costs of a cloud subscription, on-premise infrastructure and software, the hybrid model may be more expensive in combination than leveraging a single platform.
Con – File management training
Having worked at a few facilities that had their own unique way of doing things when it comes to file management, and sometimes, in fast turn-around environments, management goes out the window – educating your users on where to store their files or where to look for the right files becomes all the more important – otherwise you end up wasting either time or storage capacity.
Con – Partial vendor dependence remains
While there are many benefits to a hybrid workflow, one consideration when choosing a cloud storage provider for that workflow, is that you will be locked into a dependence on them.
How to choose the best cloud video storage solutions for your needs
Determining the ideal storage solution for your video workflows depends on several key factors:
Bandwidth needs – High-speed on-premise storage is best for multi-stream 4K editing, while remote teams will need cloud or VPN connections.
Scalability requirements – The cloud offers the most flexibility for rapid growth.
Budget – While the cloud has lower startup costs, on-premise storage can offer TCO savings at larger capacities.
Security – Contractual requirements may require on-premise storage for sensitive footage and projects.
Team skills – The cloud reduces the need for dedicated storage admins and IT professionals.
Disaster recovery – The cloud’s built-in redundancy makes backups easier to manage.
Growth plans – A Hybrid solution can future-proof on-premise expansion with cloud filling in the gaps.
The best way to evaluate your needs is to take an in-depth look at your current infrastructure, workflows and pain points, then calculate the total cost of ownership for an on-premise vs cloud video storage solution over a 3-5 year timeframe. Ask your creative team for their opinions and try to road test potential solutions in a small way where possible.
With the right strategy tailored to your situation, you can build a storage setup that keeps your creative work flowing while staying within budget and IT constraints. The goal for the optimal solution will be to transform how your team collaborates and unlocks greater productivity and business potential.
FAQ about on-premise storage vs cloud storage
Which storage solution is better for you?
How much do storage solutions cost?
How secure is each solution?
How reliable is each solution?
How scalable is each solution?
How easy is it to manage your storage?
How easy is file-sharing or real-time viewing?
What are the potential drawbacks of relying solely on one storage for a business?
What are the key considerations for implementing a hybrid storage solution, and how does it address the limitations of both on-premises and cloud storage models?
Which video storage solution is better for you?
The best storage solution is a hybrid cloud and on-premise storage model for performance-intensive workloads with cloud storage for scalability and broader access. The high-speed local area network would enable smooth video editing and collaboration, while the cloud side would allow remote team members to access files from anywhere. The cloud capacity would also help manage spikes in storage demand. This hybrid approach delivers a solid mix of control and reliability with on-premise along with the flexibility and global availability of cloud.
How much do the storage solutions cost to use?
Cloud storage has a lower startup cost since it avoids major capital expenditures on hardware and software. Monthly subscription fees based on limited usage are more predictable. On-premise storage requires large upfront investments in storage, servers, networking equipment and more. But at scale the ongoing costs of cloud data egress fees can make on-premise more cost effective in the long run.
How secure is each solution?
On-premise storage keeps data isolated within a controlled environment, reducing exposure to external threats like hackers or ransomware. Control over physical access and air-gapped networks ensures high security. Cloud storage, however, involves some additional risks since data resides in a multi-tenant environment while being stored on a shared server. Most cloud providers offer robust security measures, vetted by the media industry, but security is always a concern when data leaves the premises. A hybrid solution provides strong isolated security for the most sensitive files, along with the convenience of cloud access for low-risk assets.
How efficient is each solution?
Cloud storage enables great access efficiency by allowing authorized users to access files from anywhere with an internet connection, avoiding the need for remote access VPNs back to the local network.
However, the performance efficiency of cloud storage can suffer from variability based on internet traffic levels. On-premise storage offers consistent and predictable high-speed performance thanks to dedicated local networks, especially valuable for bandwidth-heavy video editing work. A hybrid configuration puts performance-sensitive workflows on reliable on-premise storage while leveraging the global accessibility of the cloud.
How reliable is each solution?
On-premise storage has higher reliability since its performance depends on a controlled local network rather than the open internet. Latency and congestion on the public and local internet connection can inhibit access to cloud video storage. However, cloud services tend to have very durable underlying infrastructure with lots of redundancy to minimize downtime risk, as this is an essential part of their business offering.
How scalable is each solution?
The cloud is extremely scalable, allowing storage capacity to be increased essentially instantly through a web dashboard rather than waiting for fresh hardware deliveries. Cloud services are designed for massive scale to handle demand spikes and growth surges that would overwhelm on-premise infrastructure.
On-premise storage requires purchasing and installing larger capacity systems in chunky increments to scale up gradually. The combination of the two enables core consistent storage needs to be handled on-premise while leveraging the cloud to absorb surges in requirements.
How easy is it to manage your storage?
Cloud services are much easier to manage since the provider takes care of all hardware, software, troubleshooting and maintenance behind the scenes. So your creative team can focus on creative work rather than storage infrastructure.
On-premise storage requires dedicating skilled IT staff to architect, integrate, administer, optimize, and upgrade storage systems on an ongoing basis.
How easy is file sharing or real-time viewing?
Cloud video storage’s global accessibility makes sharing and collaboration very straightforward for distributed teams. It allows access from anywhere with credentials as long as the video storage platform supports this functionality.
However, the ability to view high-resolution media files in pristine quality, smoothly in real-time, such as in a color grading suite, depends heavily on having consistent high network bandwidth, something on-premise storage excels at.
What are the potential drawbacks of relying solely on one storage for a business?
Depending on only cloud or only on-premise storage increases vulnerability. If the cloud goes down, all workflows halt without the backup of a local system. Disaster recovery becomes very difficult if local hardware fails or is destroyed without off-site backups.
Blending the two provides contingency options to mitigate risk – essential data is protected on-premise through RAID-level redundancy, with archives and overflow capacity stored in the cloud. A hybrid solution means an outage in one environment won’t cripple overall operations thanks to the redundancy and flexibility cloud and on-premise storage can provide each other.
What are the key considerations for implementing a hybrid storage solution, and how does it address the limitations of both on-premises and cloud storage models?
The keys to an effective hybrid implementation are ensuring adequate bandwidth between environments, thoughtfully integrating workflows and applications across cloud and on-premise boundaries, and designing cost-effective disaster recovery.
The hybrid approach helps overcome the inherent limitations of a single storage model. The cloud side provides scalability and geographic diversity missing from pure on-premise. The local side offers reliability, performance and control lacking in pure cloud deployments.
Together they can complement each other and side-step the weaknesses of either standalone option.
Transforming innovations in workflow, server and delivery from storyboard to screen
Boston, MA, 24 May 2024 — EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screening, will use its presence at BroadcastAsia 2024 (stand 6G2-10, Singapore Expo, 29 – 31 May) to highlight the creative, economic and productive benefits of its unified approach to content management. The presentation will show EditShare’s scalable and collaborative solutions for media across multiple premises, cloud and hybrid implementations, focusing on ease of operation and security of content.
EFS, the EditShare media storage architecture, has now been boosted with the addition of EFS NVMe, adding the high performance, high bandwidth solid state technology as another building block. For demanding creative applications – like DPX, OpenEXR, 4k, 8k and beyond – EFS NVMe provides throughput three times faster than previous generation SSD servers, while still being integrated with and managed by the overall EFS environment, including traditional servers, nearline storage, archives and the cloud.
MediaSilo, the video collaboration platform for sharing work in progress, sees enhanced review functionality, including side-by-side version comparisons, and more facilities for making, tracking and acknowledging comments and sign-offs. To provide protection when sharing review material, MediaSilo incorporates visible and forensic video watermarking as well as image and document watermarking, dynamically inserting customizable viewer information into the file. The result is a secure but effective way of distributing all assets, including scripts, casting shots and marketing materials as well as content.
Improved security, along with more branding customization and in-video logo watermarks are also among the enhancements for Screeners.com, the preferred press screening platform widely used by major studios and production companies worldwide. Reviewers will see an enhanced OTT-style experience, with improved content recommendations, watchlists and expiry notifications.
“From the foundation of EditShare, 20 years ago, our overriding aim has been to give creators the tools they need to make and deliver great content, without tying them up in technology,” said Tara Montford, EVP Sales and Co-Founder at EditShare. “That still drives our thinking today, and we continue to innovate as we strive for those goals. We allow open interworking with the creative tools users really need, providing the platform for truly end-to-end workflows from script to screen; and we protect it all through excellent security.”
Visitors to BroadcastAsia will discover all the latest enhancements to EditShare products, like FLEX Sync which provides powerful tools to sync with services like Amazon S3, Wasabi and Backblaze, and the new EditShare One Organize module, ensuring users can easily identify assets whether they are stored locally, remotely or in the cloud.
Find out more on stand 6G2-10 at BroadcastAsia 2024, or visit www.editshare.com
About EditShare
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.
Beyond storage with workflow, server and delivery solutions from storyboard to screen
Stand S1-E20, CABSAT, Dubai World Trade Centre, 21 – 23 May 2024 — EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screening, is celebrating its 20th and CABSAT’s 30th anniversaries by bringing its latest remarkable advances to the MENA region (stand S1-E20, Dubai World Trade Centre, 21 – 23 May). Visitors will see the breadth of coherent solutions from EditShare, bringing benefits beyond storage, from storyboard to screen.
EFS, the EditShare media storage architecture, has now been boosted with the addition of EFS NVMe, adding the high performance, high bandwidth solid state technology as another building block. For demanding creative applications – like DPX, OpenEXR, 4k, 8k and beyond – NVMe provides throughput three times faster than previous generation SSD servers, while still being integrated with and managed by the overall EFS environment, including traditional servers, nearline storage, archives and the cloud.
MediaSilo, the popular tool for sharing work in progress, sees enhanced review functionality, including side-by-side version comparisons, and more facilities for making, tracking and acknowledging comments and sign-offs. To provide protection when sharing review material, MediaSilo incorporates visible and forensic watermarking, dynamically inserting customizable viewer information into the file. The result is a secure but effective way of distributing all assets, including scripts, casting shots and marketing materials as well as content.
Improved security, along with more branding customization and in-video logo watermarks are also among the enhancements for Screeners.com, the preferred press screener widely used by major studios and production companies worldwide. Reviewers will see an enhanced OTT-style experience, with improved content recommendations, watchlists and expiry notifications.
“It’s great to be able to share major milestones with CABSAT: our 20th, the event’s 30th,” said Vincent Eade, RVP sales EMEA at EditShare. “Our goal has always been on freeing creators so they can concentrate on making great content, we do this by providing the storage and workflow tools they need along with a secure way of collaborating on projects and sharing material, all the way from ingest to screen.”
“I’ve had the privilege of attending CABSAT many times,” Eade continued, “and I know that it is a great opportunity to have detailed, positive conversations with the industry. That helps us set our own development plans, so we can deliver even better solutions in the future.”
EditShare staff will be on hand at CABSAT to talk about all of the latest enhancements, find out more on stand S1-E20 at CABSAT, or click here to get in touch.
About EditShare
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.
At first glance, video storage for post-production seems so simple. Just buy a big external hard drive and start editing. (Of course, we know professional post-production storage solutions need to be more robust than that.) For a lot of editors, when the project is done, they just put the hard drive on the shelf. Rinse and repeat. Many shops have used this method and end up accumulating a closet full of hard drives. The lead editor has the inventory of what was shot and when it was shot in his or her head. So, if a junior editor needs a clip, they just ask their lead. As long as there wasn’t a disaster, teams would keep going with this system.
But then remote work became a thing. Post-production teams became distributed and immediately encountered the shortcomings of the “closet full of hard drives” approach. Scalable storage infrastructure was needed. Granted, dedicated post-production facilities had “SAN” (Storage area network) systems connected by fiber channel for their post-production data storage. Some teams even deployed a NAS to help them share projects in the office along with various other post-production workflows. However, a typical NAS setup will quickly come up short for a team of distributed video editors, and it is vulnerable to a single point of failure.
We’re seeing more and more cloud storage systems come online today, but many of them have unpredictable fees and complex systems of per-seat licenses, storage tiers, and even fees for accessing your data.
At the end of the day, you know your footage is valuable. For data to remain valuable it has to be accessible. And it has to be quickly accessible. Data also needs to remain accessible if there is a malfunction or a hard drive goes bad.
This is why your video team needs a shared video storage solution.
Why do I need a video storage solution?
It isn’t uncommon for a video shoot to produce 2-4TB of data in a single day of shooting. If you have just a single editor on your team, storage is pretty straightforward. You need a primary copy of your footage and a backup copy. If you are smart, you’ll make another copy and put it in an offsite location.
When you add a second editor things get a little bit more complicated. Both editors may need to access the same footage. Duplicating footage is wasteful. So the answer is to use a NAS (network attached storage) device. This enables a couple editors to access the same data at the same time.
It doesn’t take much to max out the performance of a typical NAS. Video editors need to playback timelines with multiple tracks of 4K video. That kind of demand can cause a NAS to slow down and stutter during playback.
If your team has a remote editor, you need flexible storage that can be accessed securely and remotely. The moment you start working remotely, content security is at the top of everyone’s mind.
If you have multiple people who need to access the same footage, you’ll need video storage and infrastructure that allows your storage silos to be accessed securely (Content is valuable. You want to keep it safe), remotely, and without getting bogged down.
What is infrastructure for post-production?
A post-production infrastructure is a hardware and software solution. The hardware is designed to facilitate delivering uninterrupted playback to multiple video editors. The software handles the organization of clips and efficiently manages the traffic on your system. Shared video storage isn’t like other kinds of servers. Video files have different demands than PDFs.
EditShare EFS is a simple, yet powerful open storage platform designed to work with all creative applications in the VFX and post environment. It works on Windows, Mac, and even Linux. The hardware and the software applications work together to deliver the performance that will keep your team cranking away without costly delays.
How is shared video storage different from a regular server?
You might have the unpleasant experience of trying to upload large files to a cloud service like Google Drive only to run into slowdowns and failed uploads. That’s because it just isn’t designed to handle those kinds of files well. Why is that? There are different ways to format a file system. Some favor speed, others favor stability, and so on. Video editors and VFX artists need both. They need performance and bandwidth. The system needs to be fast, not just for one computer but for multiple users.
Typical storage solutions are often designed like the streets through downtown with a lot of stoplights. Data comes and goes in starts and stops. However, editors need their data to flow like an interstate. If your video starts and stops, you can’t feel for the edit. This video does a wonderful job of explaining the difference between a NAS and a SAN.
Active Storage
EditShare EFS simplifies storage by putting everyone on the interstate. Editors can get uninterrupted performance while working off the same system at the same time. The software that comes with the system can also serve remote editors as well.
When working on an active project, you want the highest performance available for your footage. That is why the part of your infrastructure that supports the fastest performance is called “Active Storage.” It uses an underlying technology called “block storage.” This helps everything to perform at its peak.
Nearline Storage
Your team probably has a bunch of older footage that needs to be available, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be on the fastest hardware. Stock clips would be a good example of this. You might have a stock library that you go to every now and then.
“Nearline storage” can utilize “object storage” instead of “block storage.” This technology is great for long-term archival or parking media long term. If you want to learn more about the difference between these kinds of storage, check out this video.
Archive Storage
The third tier of storage to consider is “archive storage.” When you are storing footage long term, it is crucial that you can find what you need when you are looking for it in the years to come. Archive storage can be slower than nearline storage. This is for projects that may not be accessed, except once in a blue moon. You don’t want to delete it, but it might be accessed very infrequently. Some teams might want to use an online service for their archive storage, and EditShare’s software can handle that whole process of archival for you.
Backup Storage
If you have ever lost data, then backup storage is a prerequisite for you. If you haven’t been through data loss you might be tempted just to skip this section. Backup storage is critical because files can be lost in two different ways. You might experience mechanical failure, or it can be caused by human error. A robust, reliable, redundant storage solution will not protect you against someone accidentally deleting the wrong files. EditShare EFS features different hardware tiers for each of these storage needs. EditShare’s software can automate your backup process as well.
Organizing Footage
Video files use obscure naming conventions that aren’t helpful when you are searching for a clip. Some cameras, like ones on drones, always name the files in the same way, which can cause serious organizational issues. EditShare helps you organize all your data by project instead of folder. This is also important if your team members have permission to access certain media but not others.
EditShare’s software effectively replaces the “file system” in the head of your lead editor with an interface that everyone can search. Now, team members can find favorite clips and even a specific moment that has been marked on a clip.
EditShare EFS is agnostic to which video editing app you use. If you like to edit in Premiere, there is an integration. If you prefer DaVinci Resolve, you’ll find that it works seamlessly with it as well.
Remote Editing
Some teams are fully local. Some teams are hybrid, with local editors and remote collaborators. We’re now seeing the rise of fully remote teams, where there is no physical “post-house.” That’s where EditShare FLEX comes in.
You can set up the ability to remotely access instances of these NLEs in the cloud. This is cutting-edge technology that became critical during the early days of lockdown. It does require a few more pieces of gear and software, but the ability to edit from anywhere with a solid internet connection is now a reality.
Conclusion
Now, you have an overview of how EditShare EFS can benefit your team. It removes the most significant roadblock to the growth of your post-production business: your storage. Editshare automates the tedium of data management, enabling editors to be in their NLE editing, instead of wading through files systems, passing around hard drives, or wondering which hard drive a certain clip lives on.
Your team can collaborate locally, remotely, or even in a hybrid environment. Your data retains its value because it is organized, accessible, and backed up.
Producers, directors, editors, and VFX artists can now collaborate without friction or wasted time. This is the flow that you want your team to be in, and it’s why EditShare goes “Beyond Storage.”If you are ready to see if EditShare is a good fit for your team, just reach out here.
Workflow, server and delivery solutions from storyboard to screen
Stand D40, London Olympia, May 15-16, 2024 – EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, is exhibiting at the 2024 Media Production & Technology Show to showcase its unified approach to content management. The demonstration will show EditShare’s scalable and collaborative solutions for media across multiple premises, cloud and hybrid implementations, focusing on ease of operation and security of content.
EFS, the EditShare media storage architecture, has now been boosted with the addition of EFS NVMe, adding the high performance, high bandwidth solid state technology as another building block. For demanding creative applications – like DPX, OpenEXR, 4k, 8k and beyond – EFS NVMe provides throughput three times faster than previous generation SSD servers, while still being integrated with and managed by the overall EFS environment including traditional online servers, nearline storage, archives and the cloud. Attendees at the Media Production & Technology Show will have the exclusive opportunity to experience a live demo of this cutting-edge technology firsthand.
MediaSilo, the premier video collaboration platform trusted by the biggest names in entertainment, sees enhanced review functionality, including side-by-side version comparisons, @ user mentioning, and range-based commenting to provide feedback on entire scenes. To provide protection when sharing videos for review, MediaSilo incorporates visible and forensic watermarking, dynamically inserting customisable viewer information into the file. Now MediaSilo also offers image and document watermarking, protecting non-video content including scripts, casting shots and marketing materials.
Also, MediaSilo is now seamlessly integrated with Atomos’ pioneering cloud-connected range of camera-mounted monitor-recorders, offering attendees a firsthand view of this innovative collaboration. Camera to Cloud workflows accelerate the creative process by shrinking the capture-to-edit timeframe, enabling editors to begin working on media instantly instead of waiting for hard drives or delayed file transfers. The Atomos MediaSilo integration elegantly unlocks these capabilities. Additionally, MediaSilo creates dynamic review links that automatically update as more footage is shot, providing external collaborators with one destination for feedback.
Improved security, along with more branding customization and in-video logo watermarks are also among the enhancements for Screeners.com, the preferred press screener widely used by major studios and production companies worldwide. Reviewers will see an enhanced OTT-style experience, with improved content recommendations, watchlists and expiry notifications.
“EditShare was formed 20 years ago now, and from that day to this our sole focus has been on freeing content creators to exercise their craft and not worry about the technology,” said Tara Montford, Co-Founder and EVP of Sales at EditShare. “That still drives our developments today, and we continue to innovate as we strive for those goals. We allow open interworking with the tools users really need such as editing software; we provide the platform for truly end-to-end workflows from ingest to screeners; and we protect it all through excellent security,
“Our direction is set through a deep understanding of our clients and their needs, so events like MPTS are vital in building and maintaining those relationships,” Montford added.
Staff will be on hand on stand D40 at MPTS to talk about all of the latest enhancements to EditShare products, like FLEX Sync which provides powerful tools to sync with services like Amazon S3, Wasabi and Backblaze to create an automated but completely secure, completely reliable backup system.
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.
Integration between MediaSilo and Atomos Cloud Studio unlocking rapid transfer of content from on-set to editors to be showcased at NAB 2024
Boston, MA – April 11, 2024 – EditShare®, a technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative media workflows, today announced it has partnered with Atomos to bring camera to cloud workflows to MediaSilo, the leading video collaboration platform. MediaSilo will be integrated with Atomos’ pioneering cloud connected range of camera mounted monitor-recorders, which can be attached to virtually any HDMI or SDI camera source. Camera to Cloud workflows accelerate the creative process. By shrinking the capture-to-edit time frame, editors can begin working on media instantly instead of waiting for hard drives or delayed file transfers. The Atomos MediaSilo integration unlocks these capabilities elegantly. Simply connect your camera to your cloud enabled Atomos device via HDMI or SDI. After pairing your device via your Atomos Cloud Studio account and adding MediaSilo as your destination, you can select the target project and folder for media upload. Once you hit record, proxy files will automatically sync to the MediaSilo project or folder you have selected. Team members can then jump in to start reviewing the footage as it arrives. MediaSilo also creates dynamic review links that automatically update as more footage is shot, so external collaborators have one destination for feedback.
Access to your MediaSilo account is included in Atomos Cloud Studio’s Camera to Cloud plan. Anyone purchasing an Atomos Connect (for Ninja V, V+, Ninja or Ninja Ultra), a Shogun, or Shogun Ultra automatically receives a free all-inclusive subscription. Both plans include single/dual recording, 4K upload, and progressive upload, Atomos’ unique progressive file transfer technology that gets content into MediaSilo while you are still shooting.
EditShare CEO Ramu Potarazu said, “We’re extremely excited to start MediaSilo’s camera to cloud journey with Atomos. Our decision was rooted in the EditShare brand ethos of flexibility: we want our customers to work with creative tools of their choice. Integrating MediaSilo to Atomos products such as the Shogun and Ninja lets people choose the right camera product for each project. We look forward to seeing our customers benefit from the speed and flexibility they’ll see with MediaSilo + Atomos camera to cloud.”
“I’m delighted to announce another camera to cloud integration with Atomos Cloud Studio. We’ve always considered ourselves to be a neutral ‘gateway’ to a wide selection of secure destinations for our customers’ content,” said Jeromy Young, CEO of Atomos. “MediaSilo is highly respected in the post production world for accelerating collaboration, and its addition to our online platform offers our DNx-orientated customers in particular a route into Camera to Cloud. It’s very much a win-win scenario for both parties.”
The integration will be on display at NAB 2024 at both the Atomos booth (Central Hall – C4931) and the EditShare booth (South Hall Lower – SL8087), and will be generally available in mid Q2 of 2024.
For more information on all EditShare solutions, please visit the website at www.editshare.com. Information on the Atomos product portfolio can be found at www.atomos.com.
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About EditShare EditShare is a technology leader that enables collaborative media workflows from storyboard to screen on-premise, in the cloud, or in a hybrid configuration. With customer and partner success at the heart of EditShare’s core values, our open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration and third-party integrations across the entire production chain, ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none. The high-performance software lineup includes media optimized shared storage management, archiving and backup, and media management, all supported with open APIs for extensible integration. EditShare’s cloud-enabled remote editing and project management technology was recently recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) with a prestigious 2021 Emmy® Award for Technology and Engineering.
About Atomos Atomos is a video technology innovator. When we started just over a decade ago, we combined high-quality touchscreen monitors, removable storage, and Apple ProRes to dramatically improve the quality of video captured by almost any camera. For the first time, video makers could take the uncompressed output from the camera and store it in Apple’s professional, easy-to-edit format.
With Connect, Atomos extends the capabilities of its monitor-recorders with a host of cloud-based tools and services. Content creators now have greater peace of mind as their footage is simultaneously stored on the camera, in the cloud and on the Atomos recorder. Workflows anywhere in the world can access media from a cloud connected Atomos device. Our online services extend our physical products’ capabilities, empowering filmmakers, and video creators with essential tools for camera-to-cloud, collaboration and review, cloud editing, live multi-cam production, wireless timecode, and streaming. It is a flexible ecosystem of subscription-based services that can grow with customers’ needs.
