-
Does eSata render my Xserve RAID sellable?
About three years ago, we purchased an Apple 5.2 TB XSERVE RAID ($12,000!!!) for use on a travel series we shot on HDCAM. At the time, we would use the XSERVE, with a Kona 2, for the conform step of the workflow (which required the ability to injest, conform and output 10 bit uncompressed 1920 X 1080 material). The process served us very well.
Fast-forward three years later, we’re editing a multicamera series for PBS, also shot on HDCAM. But this time, we’ve injested all 130 tapes onto an eSata RAID array hooked-up to our Mac Pro Quad (2 moths old), using the Kona LHe, and Apple Pro res HQ.
Here’s my question. Given that I do not intend to edit the higher bandwidth required HDCAM SR format, will an eSata-based RAID system (with a fast eSata card) allow me to edit in good-old 10 bit uncompressed HDCAM? I want to sell my XSERVE.
Thanks for any responses…
Tom
24fps Productions
New York City -
13 Replies
-
How fast is your SATA raid running? If it’s over 200MB/sec, yes.
Jeremy
-
The card my editor is currently using is the
Highpoint external Mini-SAS PCIe SATA II RAID Controller:https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Highpoint%20Technologies/RR2322/
I looked it up, and I do not see a speed rating anywhere. Am I missing something?
Tom
24fps Productions
New York City -
Use the free AJA system test that installs with Kona drives in the AJA Utilities folder. Set the drive to your SATA raid and set the resolution in 10bit uncompressed 10 bit 1080i. Set the file size for 4 GBs and run the test.
What do the numbers say when it’s complete?
-
I did a wack test…
Write: 134.9 MB/s
Read: 1436.9 MB/sHmmm – doesn’t look good, huh (unless there is a faster esata card to be had).
Tom
24fps Productions
New York City -
Is read really 1436.9 ???
-
My bad:
Read is: 136.9 MB/s
24fps Productions
New York City -
[Tom Strodel] “Hmmm – doesn’t look good, huh (unless there is a faster esata card to be had).”
You don’t have an eSATA card, you have a SAS card. And yes, there are faster ones to be had. The Atto R380 and Areca ARC-16xx series cards. You may need new cables, but you can use the same external enclosure with either of these cards.
It’s my experience that High Point makes garbage.
Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
https://www.arniepix.com/ -
Tom –
just stop it, stop it right now. Arnie is correct. You own a piece of crap. The Highpoint is a piece of crap. You spent $12,000 in the past, and now for $4000, you can get what you need, but NOOOOOOOOOO – you got the cheapie discount that is doing 138Mb/sec. You could put 2 eSATA drives inside your MAC Pro and stripe them together RAID 0 and get 128Mb/sec, and you would have not spent any money.You got bad advice. Now, I have good news for you. You DO NOT HAVE TO EDIT IN UNCOMPRESSED HD. Who is telling you that you must edit in uncompressed HD. PBS – BULLS#$% – they will take ProRes422HQ with no problems, and you can do this with the drives that you currently own.
There are countless excellent modern disk drives on the market that outperform the expensive (and obsolete) XServe RAID – where do you find them – RIGHT HERE ON CREATIVE COW – just look to your left and to your right. Products from Sonnet, Dulce Systems, Cal Digit, Maxx Digital, G-Tech and others. ALL cheaper than the XServe RAID by at least half, and all will do uncompressed HD.
BUT YOU DO NOT NEED UNCOMPRESSED HD. Let me tell you why. Most TV networks accepts and use AVID systems all day long. These systems DO NOT DO UNCOMPRESSED HD. They do DNxHD – either DNxHD145 or DNxHD220. This is the same thing (same compression ratio) as Apple ProRes422 and ProRes422HQ (220). If you use this compression ratio, you can use the drives that you currently own now.
STOP TAKING BAD ADVICE FROM LOSERS that recommeded your current eSATA disk drive array. You paid too much before with the Apple, but you are a professional, and have profesional jobs, so you paid for it. Now you are a bigger professional. BUY PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT – not toys.
Bob Zelin
-
Bob,
Okay Bob – take a deep breath – hold it – okay, let it out… Feels better, right?
Firstly, I don’t own the highpoint. My editor does. The card he buys is his decision not mine (he works for me on his own system in a freelance capacity). So he never gave me any advice on the matter – period. I was only asking advice here, hence my original post.
Secondly, I understand I do not HAVE to edit in uncompressed HD. As I clearly said in my original post, we’re currently editing in Apple Pro Rez (HQ). What I also said was that I want to BE ABLE TO STILL EDIT IN UNCOMPRESSED 10 BIT (again, this was the reason for my post in the first place). Why? Because believe it or not, there are still some situations which I will need/want an uncompressed 10 bit capacity (like material for Discovery HD, HGTV-HD, material we shoot on the F23 and F35, etc.). If an eSata solution does not afford me this capability, then I’ll just keep using my Xserve (with it’s limited capacity).
However, based on what Arnie mentioned, it seems like I can still do UNCOMPRESSED 10 bit should I purchase a higher-speed eSata card. This is great news, to me, as it means I could conceivably get rid of my xServe.
My question for the group, is anyone doing 10 Bit uncompressed HD with eSata, or is this just theoretical?
Tom
24fps Productions
New York City -
[Tom Strodel] “My question for the group, is anyone doing 10 Bit uncompressed HD with eSata, or is this just theoretical? “
No, it’s very real. You’d need 6 or more drives to do it reliably I imagine and you’d probably need more like 8. What you should do is get yourself (or your editor) a real raid with real support from companies like Sonnet. I have a D800RAID and it has been a great system. It runs near 400MB/sec in Raid4 when it starts to get full. WHen empty it’s up towards 500/MBsec. Plenty for Uncompressed 10bit 1080i and then some. Highpoint would not be a recmmendation from me.
https://library.creativecow.net/articles/garchow_jeremy/d800.php
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up