Feb 04, 2012

FlashNet Archive Management

About Flashnet | Broadcast Application | Edit and Post Production

About FlashNet

FlashNet Archive Management Broadcast industry content and data storage management have become an increasingly important consideration for today's broadcast engineering. On-line or near-line accessibility from initial content ingest, edit, manipulation, play-out of sequences or clips while ensuring interruption-free operation is paramount, long before archive becomes a consideration for both long-term storage and retrieval.

FlashNet Diagram Seamless data storage life-cycle management with automation, asset management, NLE and video server solutions to a centralized storage repository or archive is now a reality with SGL FlashNet software.

FlashNet is archive and backup management software that is compatible with a wide variety of automation and on-air video servers such as Avid, Grass Valley, Harris/Leitch, Omneon, Sundance and more. FlashNet supports the latest Blu-ray, LTO and RAID drive and library storage technologies for seamless archival content storage and retrieval over Gigabit Ethernet or fibre-channel network topologies.

FlashNet receives command and control from automation or video servers through a graphical user or command line driven interface and is also Internet Explorer compatible. Archive storage functions are presented as a standard network folder with simple drag-and-drop functionality enabling effective alternatives for archiving/restoring without re-encoding content as it transparently migrates in/out of the video servers.The archive becomes an extension of your main storage architecture and capacity, available to all enabled departments and users, regardless of where the data physically resides on a local or network disk array, optical or tape library storage device.

FlashNet offers NLE and Post-production users the ability to store projects, master clips and compositions in a digital file format, preserving cuts, edits and effects, without having to re-ingest or re-digitize saved material. FlashNet enables unattended scheduled backups and on-demand restores from the archive database by file name, creation date or other criteria to the original or user-specified location, enabling flexible, simple editing/post-production management.

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Broadcast Application

FlashNet for On Air

The broadcast industry has been searching for an answer to the problem of long-term retention of digital data stored on their video servers. Although there have been a plethora of product introductions aimed at providing a resolution to this problem, most were both complicated and expensive. CUC now offers a cost-effective alternative with the introduction of the SGL FlashNet storage management software suite for the Broadcast industry. FlashNet has been ported to a wide variety of industry video servers and applications, to provide on-line and nearline connectivity to tiered RAID, automated Blu-ray optical and AIT/LTO tape library storage technologies.

Configuration for Video Server

The configuration with existing video servers is relatively straightforward, as most video servers have a well defined API interface to their external applications. FlashNet communicates directly with the Automation, On-Air and NLE server software API interfaces, while enabling standard network connectivity via fibre-channel or Gigabit Ethernet. This network connects the video to the CUC MediaVault archive server hosting the FlashNet archive engine which supports Linux, Unix and Windows operating systems. The hardware interface and file passing mechanisms remain the same regardless of the FlashNet server's host operating system. FlashNet receives command and control from either an automation system or from a manual interface running on the video server that specifies the files to be archived or restored. The video server interface provides the file passing mechanisms to accomplish the command given by the controlling application. Figure 1 details the individual components involved.

Flashnet

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Edit and Post Production

Increasingly, multi-media projects exist only as a collection of data files, typically spread across a variety of Workstations and data storage technologies. With larger and larger disk-based systems coupled with more powerful editing workstations, video editing consists mostly of manipulating intangible assets rather than physical media. The only time a project may get committed to videotape is on ingest or when the final product is ready. But what happens in the interim? What if the disk system fails in the middle of project? What if a client decides he likes a previous revision better? What if that project you worked on last year is a perfect fit for a new piece of work?

CUC offers a solution to this problem for Avid and other editing systems. CUC provides a turnkey backup solution at a price comparable to a single VTR. Rather than videotape, this solution utilizes Blu-ray optical technology to store projects, master clips and compositions in a digital file format rather than video. This means that any cuts, edits, or effects are preserved rather than having to re-digitize the saved material.

CUC's solution consists of three major components: the Asaca AM250 Blu-ray library, SGL's FlashNet archive management software, and the MediaVault NAS hosting server. This archive subsystem is networked to individual workstations or shared storage via standard Fibre-channel or Gigabit Ethernet technology. Asaca's AM250 is a proven robotic system providing affordable storage for a wide range of customer requirements ranging from small post houses to large broadcast operations. With a 250-slot capacity and multiple Blu-ray drive configurable, the AM250 can store 208 hours of 25Mb/s video. When used with the FlashNet software, the Blu-ray library seamlessly appears as an extension to the existing storage on the editing system.

FlashNet enables automated scheduled backups of material contained within individual files, folders or an entire Unity system for example, can be backed up on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. You can also select the criteria for your backups which include but are not limited to backing up of new material; archiving material not used for a user defined length of time; excluding files to be archived, and any number of other parameters which allow maximum flexibility in running your operation. For additional information, contact CUC today at 800-874-8807.

Post Production

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