[Caspian Brand]

Hello Hal,

Personally I like the approach of a shared storage area for the growth potential it provides. Even if you are primarily editing in your own domain, there could be benefits in running a separate client system with Backup / Archive capabilities on the same storage. While you “could” build your own “cheap” iSCSI storage, you would also have to “support” your own creation in addition to editing every day. Purchasing a solution from one of us “vendors” can ensure the system you buy will perform from day one and give you someone else to fall back on for support when you need it, and support from folks that know more about Servers that relates to what you do every day, edit.

Regarding the use of GbE, you can expect to see about 2-3 streams of HD PRORES HQ over a single GbE connection. You should also be able to see 1 – 2 streams of PRORES 4444 1080i.

With iSCSI solutions such that are provided by Studio Network Solutions with EVO and our globalSAN iSCSI Initiator, which support multi-pathing, you could even get a single stream of 10 bit Uncompressed HD YUV using the two built-in GbE ports on a MacPro. If you’d like to learn about some of our customizable solutions, feel free to contact us here:

https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/contact.php

Regards,

Caspian Brand

Product Specialist
Studio Network Solutions

[Caspian Brand]

EVO Storage Server is compatible with MetaSAN and can utilize direct GbE connections between the Server and your workstations without having to purchase a specialized PCIe connection card or switch with Fibre Optic cables. EVO can also be equipped with multiple GbE ports, Fibre Channel ports and 10GbE ports. You can read more about EVO here: https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/video-san.php Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss more details about this solution.

Caspian Brand
cbrand@studionetworksolutions.com

Product Specialist
Studio Network Solutions

[Caspian Brand]

Check out https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/video-san.php for a solution with the high performance RAID, multi-port GbE, high performance Server, and SAN software all rolled into one. iSCSI SAN access can enable MacBook Pro’s and iMacs to edit multi-stream PRORES HQ. Jumbo Frames are not required for high speed performance over iSCSI.

————-
Caspian Brand
Sr. Product Specialist
Studio Network Solutions

[Caspian Brand]

If you want to use storage capable of presenting iSCSI Targets, such as Studio Network Solutions’ EVO, with the multi-pathing update to our globalSAN iSCSI Initiator for Mac we are able to capture and playback 1 stream of 10bit Uncompressed HD over the two built in GbE ports on a MacPro.

Caspian Brand
Product Specialist
Studio Network Solutions

[Caspian Brand]

Hi Ben,

I work for Studio Network Solutions, and our EVO system is an excellent turnkey product that is both a SAN and a NAS. Multiple streams of PRORES HQ and other compressed HD codecs are well handled by iSCSI over GbE using your onboard GbE NIC, yes even the i7 iMacs can get multi-stream performance using iSCSI.

Some advantages we have are that our systems have integrated redundant power supplies and do not require any speciality ethernet equipment, most Layer 2 GbE Switches work great with iSCSI and our Target/Initiators (even cheaper desktop GbE switches can be used in smaller networks). Our SAN management software is cross-platform (Mac + PC) and comes bundled with the EVO. Fibre Channel connectivity is also available to the same SAN volumes if you need to handle multiple streams of Uncompressed HD or 2K and RED workflows.

As you mentioned installation is a concern for you, I should mention we also offer pre-configuration services with RAIDs already built so all you have to do is unbox the system, plug it in, load the software and start working. We provide phone installs and on-site installations as well.

You can read more about our solution and contact us here:

https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/video-san.php

As with discussing any storage solutions with companies who provide media production storage systems, having a good idea of what Video Codecs you intend to use throughout production will best help in getting quotes on systems that will meet your performance needs. Sometimes you need more TB than you will fill up, just to have enough physical drives to provide multiple simultaneous streams of video.

[Caspian Brand]

With Studio Network Solutions iSCSI offerings, all that is required is your built in GbE port for Pro Tools. You don’t have to use up another PCI slot to gain real-time performance.

Pro Tools does not have high bandwidth requirements (64 tracks of 24bit / 48 kHz Audio is less than 10 Megabytes per second). It’s head seek time that Pro Tools is most finicky about.

[Caspian Brand]

Hi John,

Studio Network Solutions has a storage system that covers Fibre Channel, 10 GbE and 1GbE connections and has both SAN and NAS functions all in one box and SAN software is bundled in the system for systems that require block level performance.

https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/video-san.php

-=Caspian

[Caspian Brand]

Hi John,

I am a Product Specialist for Studio Network Solutions.

If you’d like to discuss your workflow transition and how to utilize centralized storage feel free to contact me.

Best Regards,

Caspian Brand
cbrand@studionetworksolutions.com
206.310.8537

[Caspian Brand]

I’m not encountering the frame rate/sync issue, but I am having trouble getting the AIFF file to show up in the new sequence from Soundtrack Pro.

I followed the steps by the earlier referenced screencast, ensuring to match the sequence settings, and disabling the override from XML box.

Not sure why, but when I open the new sequence, all the video is there, but not the mixdown AIFF file…

There was no audio in my original edit, I recorded some narration to the video in Soundtrack Pro, edited it, and now want it placed as a mix back in the Final Cut Project.

[Caspian Brand]

Hi Adam,

I’ve recently been able to try first hand the AVCHD / FCP workflow with these new flash memory based camcorders. I do have to say that I far prefer it to the tape based workflow of MiniDV. However, there are some compromises and adjustments that need to be made.

First of all, what I like about MiniDV:
-Relatively inexpensive media, at a 25Mbps Data Rate
-Media is logged and “captured” at this same data rate, and you have a physical, logged copy for backup
-16:9 aspect is supported for the “feel” of HD vs. the 4:3 of SD.
-It is a widely supported coded and is very CPU/storage efficient

What I don’t like about MiniDV:
-It requires the camera to have physical moving parts, which need to be maintained at a greater expense. For example, when I last had to have my MiniDVs camera’s heads professionally cleaned, it cost ~$250 (though there are steps one can take to minimize the frequency of head cleanings such as always using the same manufacturer/grade of tape, and making sure to use a tape based head cleaner between each time you may have to use an alternate tape stock).
-As you pointed out, MiniDV is on it’s way out the door, even in the Standard Def camcorder world.
-DV25 is a relatively old codec by comparison to AVCHD, and uses only a 4:1:1 color sampling ratio.

What I like about AVCHD:
-It’s a new codec developed by Panasonic, which is being widely accepted as a new standard.
-It uses a 4:2:0 color sampling ratio
-It supports a wider variety of compression ratios to lessen the amount of storage needed for the original material.
-Cameras supporting this codec do not require moving parts, when using only flash based media.

What I don’t like about AVCHD:
-Log and Transfer seems to take about as long as “Log and Capture” from tape.
-The codec efficiency/size is thrown out the window as soon you Log and Transfer into FCP, as the AVCHD media is upconverted to either PRORES 422 or Apple Intermediate (which some say is a faster conversion than to PRORES) yet both take up the same amount of space, which is at least 4x more space than the footage in it’s native compression, and sometimes more (depending on your camera settings).
-PRORES and Apple Intermediate take less strain on your CPU and RAM when editing, but require at least 100 Mbps of throughput, and the upconvert process doesn’t “add” image quality, just bloated space so your CPU and RAM can work more efficiently when editing.
-The purported equivalent media cost is not the same when you compare data rates of DV25 to HD sizes of AVCHD. An 8GB SD Card or MemoryStick is $35 on sale, and will only store about 40 min @ 24 Mbps (if your camera supports that data rate, I think most Sony camcorders cap out at 16Mbps). A 3 pack of DV25 tapes @ 3 hours in 25Mbps costs $30. So you can see it is nearly 3x more expensive to keep your footage archived on the flash media at a similar data rate, which drives people to offload their original media to more volatile spinning discs, and increase the amount of time spent archiving un-edited content.

While a lot of this is a nitpicky numbers comparison, Storage is larger and cheaper today than ever, and it’s not very difficult or expensive to keep your data migrating every couple of years to newer, larger, spinning disks. Flash memory prices are coming down too, and I haven’t spent enough time with the new codecs to determine if their lower bitrate modes of say 9Mbps in an HD frame size are comparable in visual quality to a 16:9 SD frame size at 25Mpbs. One might assume by the greater number of vertical lines of resolution that this would be so, no matter the data rate, but I’ve seen some HD upconverts of 16:9 SD material that looked pretty darn good. Remember also the color space of AVCHD is a far cry better than DV, which is probably most important in overall perceived image qualtiy.

I like not having the fragile moving parts that have to be expensively maintained and worn out in the camcorder, or having to use it as a playback deck too, further shortening it’s life.

Hopefully the addition of new PRORES bitrates in FCP 7 will allow “Log and Transfer” to PRORES Proxy, which is only 45 Mbps, and wouldn’t require as much bloated space as PRORES 422 or Apple Intermediate (which is equivalent to DVCPRO HD in Data Rate).

As a videographer, my only complaint about the lower end Sony’s is the lack of Manual Focus, and the flimsy touch screen menu interface. I prefer the Canon function select button on this grade of camera. Ultimately, depending on the type/creativity of the work you do, a nicer Sony, Canon, or Panasonic camera in the Prosumer range that has a multi-function dial or Manual Focus ring might be better.

Hopefully my opinions here help.

-=C=-