A Look Into the Future of Media and Storage: Bigger Images = Bigger Budgets

 

In our continued efforts to forecast top trends of 2012, we’ve been talking to broadcast and media professionals of all kinds. Included in that group, of course, are those who are “in the trenches,” shooting, producing and editing media on a day-to day-basis.

 

This week, we learn what Randall Dark, President and CEO of Randall Dark Productions, believes the biggest emerging trend will be this year. An undisputed globally recognized pioneer in emerging technologies, Randall was the co-founder of HD Vision Studios in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Television Arts and Sciences Academy and is one of a select few members of the Consumer Electronics Association’s Academy of Digital Pioneers, a group recognized for their efforts implementing Digital Television in the United States.

 

According to Randall, "Creating 4K images and 3D images increases the complexity of workflow and the amount of storage dramatically, and will ultimately be reflected in overall budgets.”

 

We thank Randall for his insight. No doubt, 4K and 3D images will require more storage capacity. From a workflow perspective that may mean more post-production suites will have an even greater need for external hard disk drives (HDDs). Thankfully, many HDDs now have capacities of up to 3TB to better accommodate these large files.

 

Large files will also increase the cost of archiving, which will place greater importance on selecting the right media technology for the job. As you may recall, there were two studies at the end of last year that stated LTO is the best media for long-term storage and archiving. The main reason? LTO has significant Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) benefits over disk, including lower cost per GB, lower operating expenses and lower energy costs.

 

Selecting LTO-5 is one way to control archiving costs. Stay tuned for more predictions, coming soon!

 

To read a full interview with Randall, click here: http://www.maxellpromediablog.com/weblog/2010/04/ten-questions-with-randall-dark.html

 

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