STORAGE

In industries where content is king, production and broadcast facilities are turning to Silicon Graphics, whose supercomputing, visualization and storage expertise has helped government and defense agencies, research universities, manufacturing and oil and gas companies worldwide manage massive amounts of data in real-time applications. As media companies create and convert more of their content into digital formats and transition their facilities to datacentric IT infrastructures to manage the growing amount of content data, many are purchasing SGI InfiniteStorage solutions. SGI InfiniteStorage solutions enable broadcasters and video/film companies to optimize their facility-wide workflows by leveraging IT advances. Enormous amounts of data may be shared by many without the need to move it. InfiniteStorage solutions optimize dataflow through the facility by providing true file sharing at production speeds with a choice of both network attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN) storage architectures. The SGI(R) InfiniteStorage Shared Filesystem CXFS(TM) allows facilities to choose the best-of-breed applications for the job without operating system constraints. With more than 400 customers since its introduction in 1999, CXFS provides industry-leading heterogeneous shared file access over a storage area network and now supports Linux(R) and IBM(R) AIX(R) in addition to current support for IRIX(R), Solaris(TM) and Windows(R) platforms, with support for Mac OS(R) X in March. Broadcast material can be shared at 25x real-time rates and film resolution material can move through the facility as data at real- time rates. "A year ago, SGI began taking a leadership position as an IT supercomputer and storage company in the Production and Broadcast community," said Chris Golson, senior director, Market Strategy, Media Industries, SGI. "The benefits of IT technology far outweigh the mere replacement of traditional video equipment at a lower price point. SGI InfiniteStorage solutions bring applications and workflow to the user anywhere, anytime on a simple browser in real-time. Customers have been extremely pleased with our total openness to other operating systems, our leadership in standards and interoperability in broadcast and our massive I/O capability that has helped drive Digital Intermediates in Hollywood. We have seen large growth in the number of partners and customers who have joined our InfiniteStorage direction." Among the post production and media companies purchasing SGI InfiniteStorage solutions: -- Universal Studios is building the foundation for the transition to a digital workflow solution, beginning with its Universal City video facility. For Phase 1, SGI Professional Services has designed the new digital infrastructure for high-definition (HD) video finishing and has installed and implemented the solution into their workflow environment. The new digital workflow consists of a 30TB SGI(R) InfiniteStorage TP9300 storage solution, two SGI(R) Origin(R) 350 high-performance servers, a 32-port Brocade(R) Switch and SGI InfiniteStorage Shared Filesystem CXFS software. The SGI(R) solution will integrate with da Vinci color correction systems, DVS Clipster, Discreet(R) inferno(R) and fire(R), and MTI Film's DSR (dirt and scratch removal) software, Avid DS HD editing, and quality control applications. Universal's video facility creates video masters of Universal's features and television series which are used for the domestic and international markets, including DVD, VHS, video-on- demand, and distribution of original and edited television programming. -- When the renowned Northern California film visual effects facility, Tippett Studio, needed to store and manage the massive amounts of data expected to be generated in creating the very complex and very special visual effects for The Matrix: Revolutions, Stepford Wives, Hellboy and Starship Troopers 2, they turned to SGI to design and implement an SGI InfiniteStorage SAN solution that would incorporate their existing SGI storage system, provide the 14TB of storage needed immediately, and easily scale to larger data storage and management capabilities in the future. Tippett Studio purchased an InfiniteStorage SAN comprising SGI(R) TP9500 storage, two 8- processor SGI Origin 350 metadata servers, one 4-processor Origin 350 and two 16-port Brocade FibreChannel switches. Tippett was able to leverage its current SGI infrastructure and add it into the SAN under the control of SGI Shared Filesystem CXFS, SGI(R) Performance Co-Pilot. monitoring system and SGI(R) FailSafe(R) high-availability software, supporting a total of 14 terabytes of storage. Tippett's film recorder host computers were also been added to the SAN as CXFS clients. The existing infrastructure includes an SGI(R) Origin(R) 300 fileserver that manages their tape robot, an Origin(R) 2100 server being used as a backup metadata server and SGI(R) TP9400 storage. -- With offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, The Orphanage has experienced explosive growth during the past three years and now employs 170 employees who created complex visual effects for a variety of feature films, such as Seabiscuit; Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Jeepers Creepers II and the latest Spy Kids sequel. The Orphanage is currently working on Revolution's Hellboy as well as Roland Emmerich's Day After Tomorrow and a slew of commercial spots. In addition to the artists' workstations, the facility has 180 render boxes connected to the same data set while allowing for rapid growth. To create a scalable, centralized data storage solution with the ability to quickly and easily serve the data up to the network and the users via their existing Gigabit network, The Orphanage purchased an SGI InfiniteStorage SAN solution consisting of SGI Origin 350 servers acting as primary servers and SGI TP9100 storage arrays with SGI Origin 300 servers as backup. The facility now has 30TB of disk space and has hooked in additional Linux servers as SGI CXFS clients. -- Image Film, a digital cinema and post production laboratory in Barcelona, Spain, has acquired SGI InfiniteStorage solutions for its central repository expansion. Included in the purchase were an SGI Origin 300 server, 8TB SGI TP9500 storage system, 16-port Fibre Channel switch and 10 SGI InfiniteStorage Shared Filesystem CXFS licenses for IRIX, Windows(R) 2000 and Windows NT(R) OS clients- enabling collaboration and the sharing of files between different clients on the storage area network without duplicating files. As a result, the SGI CXFS SAN environment dramatically increases productivity. -- Reel FX Creative Studios, a Texas-based visual effects and animation studio, recently purchased the SGI(R) InfiniteStorage NAS 2000. Like many successful animation, effects, and post-production facilities, Reel FX, while enjoying phenomenal growth, was confronting the growing pains of the data explosion, pains most acutely felt when artists and animators all need to access the same data simultaneously. At Reel FX, NAS 2000 transparently integrates with a large number of Linux, IRIX, Mac OS X and Windows animation, rendering, audio production, client proofing, and video editing and compositing seats. Because of the superior bandwidth and performance of the SGI NAS 2000, Reel FX artists and animators using any operating system can access the same files at the same time on the same network, with no file copying necessary. Work on the NAS 2000 includes the finished effects and compositing for the NBC movie Saving Jessica Lynch, direct-to-DVD G.I. Joe feature, effects for several feature films and more than 24 television commercials. In October, Silicon Graphics introduced SGI(R) InfiniteStorage Serial ATA (SATA) solutions, which provide economical secondary disk storage for high- performance computing applications. The new SATA storage systems, developed by LSI Logic Storage Systems, are marketed by SGI under the InfiniteStorage brand through an OEM arrangement. Serial ATA is a new technology that brings much lower cost-per-megabyte storage to the market, greatly narrowing the price gap between disk and tape. This is good news for customers, particularly in media applications where they need to store terabytes of information as cost- effectively as possible, but they prefer disk-based storage to tape-based. Among those adding SATA drives to their InfiniteStorage infrastructures: -- EFILM, a leading digital film laboratory in Hollywood and long-time SGI customer, purchased an additional 8TB of direct Fibre Channel storage for upgrading its SGI TP9300 storage system. EFILM also added 63TB of Serial ATA storage as a nearline archive for its existing SGI CFXS SAN, bringing its total SGI InfiniteStorage capacity to more than 100TB. EFILM uses SGI(R) Onyx(R) family graphics supercomputers to create Digital Intermediates, which include high-resolution scanning, color correction, laser film recording and video mastering. Using proprietary software developed on the SGI IRIX operating system, EFILM creates one high-resolution digital distribution master that can be used for film output, digital cinema releases, and home video, all designed to meet national and international theatrical and video delivery requirements. EFILM is wholly owned by Panavision and Deluxe Laboratories. -- To provide the throughput needed for high-speed film scanning and recording data transfers, Hollywood's venerable Pacific Title & Art Studio is expanding its post production offerings with the purchase of an SGI Origin 350 system and the addition of 16TB of Fibre Channel storage on its existing SGI TP9500; the company also added 38.5TB of TP9500 Serial ATA storage as nearline archive for its existing SGI InfiniteStorage Shared Filesystem CXFS SAN. A very long-term SGI customer utilizing a number of SGI(R) Origin(R) and SGI Onyx family supercomputers, Pacific Title is experiencing explosive growth in a number of areas, including scanning 35mm film negatives into digital format, creating visual effects, performing film restoration and archiving. The company, with facilities in Hollywood and West Hollywood, also produces a majority of all U.S. movie trailers for theatrical distribution. SGI InfiniteStorage solutions for broadcast include ingest, newsroom systems, play-to-air and archive. The solutions feature tight integration between ingest, edit, playout, distribution, and archive and allows for many times faster than real-time file sharing between workstations of different operating systems throughout the broadcast operation. Among the SGI InfiniteStorage broadcast customers are: -- Crawford Communications, the largest television network operation in the Southeast, provides satellite origination and a full range of high-end post-production services to dozens of cable TV networks as well as an international uplink at their headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Crawford Communications purchased fully redundant SGI Origin 350 with CXFS servers and 4TB of SGI TP9500 for its infrastructure for satellite operations. The SGI InfiniteStorage infrastructure will be used to stage content following ingest, between editing and play-to-air. Like many broadcasting and production facilities, Crawford is transitioning from a tape-based workflow to a tapeless workflow that will include a file-based library. The SGI InfiniteStorage solution was chosen because it provided a robust environment for the infrastructure and scalability in both terms of bandwidth and capacity. -- Czech Television (CT) public service television in the Czech Republic awarded its server-based newsroom project to SGI for the delivery of a complete Digital News Production System (DNPS) for managing the production of news and sports broadcasts. The project consists of two implementation phases and has an estimated completion date of Spring 2004. SGI is designing the overall digital architecture, integrating multivendor technologies and providing a variety of professional services. For CT personnel in the news and sports departments, the DNPS solution will significantly change current workflows, resulting in more effective and efficient production processes. Included in the DNPS solution are four SGI Media Server(TM) for broadcast systems with a total of 20 MPEG-2 channels, four SGI TP9100 storage systems, and a central Media Repository comprising an SGI Origin 300 system and SGI TP9500 storage system with 2TB of initial storage. The DNPS solution integrates SGI key partners' applications including Aveco Master Control and Clip Contribution Manager systems, Ardendo browse and desktop editing systems, and Pinnacle Liquid blue(TM) and Pinnacle Liquid purple(TM) nonlinear editors. -- Danish Broadcasting (DR) is more than halfway through its complete digital conversion to become one of the world's most advanced and workflow-efficient broadcast facilities. The conversion began in 1999 with digital radio production, continued in 2000 with a digital TV pilot phase and will result in an all-digital DR and a new facility in Copenhagen-"DR Byen"-that will bring the company together in a multimedia community in 2005. After the successful completion of a pilot phase architected by SGI, DR chose SGI equipment and systems integration services for the next phase-a completely integrated, all-digital workflow for news and sports. Recently completed, the Sports and News Production System (SNPS) is based on the SGI Media Server for broadcast system. The system comprises eight SGI Media Server for broadcast systems; SGI(R) Origin(R) 3000 and Origin 300 servers; two SGI TP9400 6.8TB storage systems; and SGI(R) Data Migration Facility (DMF) software for archiving. The system also integrates a vizrt automation system, ingest automation software from Ardendo, StorageTek(R) L5500 tape library and 24 Pinnacle Liquid purple and Pinnacle Liquid blue nonlinear editing systems. -- Suedwestrundfunk (SWR) or Southwestern Broadcasting recently built a completely new studio and implemented a tapeless digital newsroom. This newsroom will allow the 50-person news team in Mainz to streamline its operations for distributed news production and play to air. For Mainz, the station chose a solution designed by SGI Professional Services, which also served as systems integrator. The solution, based around SGI's data-centric broadcast technology, relies on the SGI Media Server for broadcast systems (configured for DVCPRO25), as well as the Origin 300 server and the TP9400 storage system. Pinnacle Liquid Blue nonlinear editors, Dalet newsroom computer system, SGT Media Manager, SGT DBOS newsroom automation system, and MPEG-1 video browser/editor also were valuable pieces of equipment in carrying out the solution. Rather than utilizing servers strictly as a means of transporting a video signal, the new digital infrastructure enables the company to enhance its workflow and create efficiencies by allowing users to edit and browse material while it is being ingested. This enables the easy reuse of the news story texts and video clips on the station's Internet Web site. -- Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) recently transitioned its infrastructure to an open digital format with the Broadcast Solutions Group of systems contractor MCSi with SGI Professional Services. The result of the collaboration was an IT-based, open digital infrastructure that met the station's enterprise-level storage requirements and transformed its videotape-based broadcast workflow into a simple, full digital dataflow incorporating media management. To connect all participating departments -broadcast, IT and educational streaming media-the current mixture of platforms, including SGI IRIX, Windows, Macintosh(R), Linux and other Unix(R) environments, needed to be universally supported. The 64-bit heterogeneous SGI InfiniteStorage Shared Filesystem CXFS storage area networks (SAN) was implemented, which allows platforms of varying operating systems to attach to the central storage-either by network or Fibre Channel-and see that storage just as though it were local to that desktop or workstation. The station also chose the SGI Media Server for broadcast for its ability to ingest and play out a variety of standards -based file formats, i.e. MPEG-2 I-frame, MPEG- 2 Long GOP, DVCPRO25/50 and IMX/D-10. SGI Media Server also supports the new MXF file exchange format, ensuring that the company can handle any of today's compressed video formats. For on-air playback of four 24-hour broadcast feeds, the servers are connected directly to the central storage infrastructure through a high-speed, high- availability 2Gb Fibre Channel redundant SAN fabric. SGI also interoperates with Discreet(R) lustre(TM) on Windows(R) XP as a direct client to the SAN and is collaborating with others to deliver its InfiniteStorage solutions to media customers: -- Discreet and SGI have qualified key elements of the SGI InfiniteStorage solution, including the SGI SAN Server(TM) family and CXFS, to work with Discreet's systems and software product lines, as part of the Discreet(R) sparks(R) infrastructure program. The agreement also encompasses global co-marketing and sales of SGI InfiniteStorage solutions. Discreet, working with SGI, will resell SGI SAN solutions worldwide as an integral part of its high- performance infrastructure products designed to target a growing demand for robust, highly scalable shared storage environments. -- Quantel and SGI have built on their pioneering work at Peter Jackson's The Film Unit and both iQ Digital Intermediate and eQ HD editing systems are now certified for integration with SGI InfiniteStorage Shared Filesystem CXFS. Illustrating the impressive openness of both systems, the Quantel iQ Resolution Co-existent(TM) finishing system was integrated with SGI CXFS shared filesystem for SAN at The Film Unit. The result is an ultrafast, highly productive environment for Digital Intermediate (DI) color correction that eliminates transfer bottlenecks and makes the process more creative and flexible. [See release dated February 10, 2004: "Quantel Certifies generationQ Systems with SGI InfiniteStorage Shared Fileystem CXFS"].