Backup and Storage: Solutions to Meet Ever-Growing Needs

  

 

There are sweeping changes occurring in the professional broadcast and video market. Video is now accessed by viewers through mobile devices and the Internet, in addition to traditional broadcast and cable outlets, or DVD and Blu-Ray players.

 

Video is for more than entertainment, however. Corporations, museums, libraries, and retail stores have all turned to video to help them gain attention and generate interest.

 

This quantum shift is due in large part to the marketplace turning digital. There is a potential downside, however. From HD footage, 3D computer-generated animation and motion graphics, to still images, the complexity of file formats and their sizes are causing storage and backup challenges.

 

All this growth and large file sizes have created an insatiable need for storage and backup solutions. Tape remains the best method for long-term storage, according to recent studies. Tape, especially LTO, is the best long-term because of its significant Total Cost of Ownership benefits, due to its lower cost per gigabyte, lower operating expenses and lower energy costs.

 

LTO-5 has been developed to meet the market needs for storing and archiving rich media content, not just in the broadcast and video arena but also in medical, video surveillance and other applications.

 

LTO-5 is often referred to as the tape that thinks it’s a hard disk drive since LTO-5 uses the same file structure and directory trees as hard disk drives, for easy data access. LTO-5’s Linear Tape File System has dual partitions. One holds the index for quick file location while the second holds the content. LTO-5 also has a drag-and-drop feature that allows users to manage files directly on tape.

 

For all these reasons, LTO-5 has become the media of choice for archiving and is considered the new RAID. It offers all the benefits of a hard disk drive with the low total cost of ownership and long archival life of tape.

 

Maxell’s LTO-5 features NeoSMART. This innovative technology platform continues Maxell’s legacy of innovation established and strengthened by the 1,500 patents Maxell holds worldwide. It also brings a host of added benefits to archival applications.

 

For post-production professionals looking to backup large files and free up server space, an external desktop hard disk drive is a smart choice. External drives have capacities of up to three terabytes, so they have the space to easily and cost-efficiently backup HD files. Things to consider when selecting an external drive are:

 

• Durability – drives should be for professional environments. Maxell’s maxdata quad hard disk drives have a durable aluminum housing and excellent shock resistance.

 

• Wide temperature range – the drives should be able to meet industrial-grade temperatures, such as minus 20 degrees to 60 degrees Celsius.

 

• Compact – space is at a premium in the post suite. External drives should be small and be able to be positioned vertically or horizontally.

 

Digital technology has reshaped the video and broadcast landscape. It has created new opportunities and an equal amount of challenges, particularly for storage and archiving. To understand the technologies that are best for your backup needs, visit www.maxell-usa.com.

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

 

Have something to say about this post? We’d love to hear it. Leave a comment here or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

A Look Into the Future of Media and Storage

 

Over the past four decades, there have been countless advances in media and storage, and Maxell has been there for the entire – sometimes wild – ride. One of the ways we have been able to stay ahead of the pace is by keeping our (figurative) finger on the pulse of the ever-growing world of media storage and archiving.

 

One key way to notice trends and develop technologies is to pay attention to the people who make the industry what it is. To that end, we’ve reached out to industry professionals, ranging from filmmakers to editors and more, to ask them what the top trends of 2012 will be. We’ll share those insights with you in a series of blog posts right here.

 

To kick things off, here’s what Brett Moss, Gear & Technology Editor of Radio World, thinks the New Year will bring:

 

"For radio broadcasters I’d have to say that it’s more of the same, albeit bigger and cheaper. More stations/clusters and groups turn to large automation/content management systems – which need increasing amounts of storage, mostly networkable. Feeding that is the proliferation of digital networking, i.e. Ethernet/Cat-5 distribution and IP delivery methods.

 

“Not to be forgotten is the stampede into ‘streaming,’ which of course requires servers and storage space as well (part of a full-blown content management scheme). Throw in inexpensive handheld recorders and there’s a need of offloading storage for them, be it either as SD card media or desktop external USB drives or dumping ‘on the network.’ More radio people are using smartphones as ENG-style recorders. Utilizing SIP codec apps, they are sending that material back to the studio. It needs to be stored there in the content management system."

 

Stay tuned for more predictions, coming soon! To read what Brett thinks of the Maxell maxdata Quad Hard Drives, click here: http://www.rwonline.com/article/maxell-ships-external-hard-drives/24127 and you can access more of his stories at: www.rwonline.com.

 

Have something to say about this post? We’d love to hear it. Leave a comment here or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

External Hard Disk Drives: Viable Solution for Short-term Storage

 

In our previous post, we stated that each set of archiving circumstances warrants an appropriate storage solution. We’ve already suggested long-term storage options, so in this post we’ll offer insight into the best short-term storage options and the reasons behind their effectiveness.

 

As has been proven time and time again, tape is the best option for long-term backup. For short-term backup, though, it is a widely held belief that hard drives are the best fit. Workflow is one of, if not the number one concern when it comes to post-production. Certain technologies are better suited to simplify the integration of footage into your workflow, resulting in a more fluid process and, therefore, leading to quicker production. Towers, for example, are an excellent solution for most short-term storage needs; they can integrate multiple technologies, providing optimal flexibility and accommodating a diverse array of equipment.

 

Ron Bianchini summarized it well in his Dynamic Storage Tiering article in Broadcast Engineering:

“By combining multiple storage tiers in a single appliance with integrated software to automatically organize data for maximum performance, broadcast organizations are better positioned to ensure their most mission-critical information is readily available while proactively dealing with the realities of economics in today's challenging business environment.”

 

A dynamically tiered NAS infrastructure is necessary for many in the broadcast industry, however, other video professionals do not need to make such a heavy investment. External hard disk drives can fit the bill for many videographers, and professionals in the corporate video and post-production fields.

 

The maxdata quad HDD is a compact alternative. Economical and flexible, the maxdata HDD has a quad interface specifically designed to address the large files associated with HD environments, including audio/video editing, digital photography and animation files. Available in 1TB, 2TB and now 3TB versions, it provides video, broadcast and post-production professionals with the capacity, durability and overall performance necessary to easily and cost-efficiently archive and back up HD files.

 

The Bottom Line: Using hard drives to store footage on a rotating basis based on how frequently it is used provides better overall performance at a lower cost.

 

Click here for information on Maxell Professional Media digital storage devices. We’d like to hear what you think about this. Comment on this post or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

Tape Once Again Shown to Be Best for Long-Term Archiving

 

Broadcast professionals who face the ongoing challenge of ever-growing archive libraries, this post is for you.

 

In an August Broadcast Engineering article, Brad Dick shared some IDC estimates. According to those estimates, in 2007 worldwide data volume was at 281 exabytes—100 times more than just eight years prior—and by 2012 is expected to mushroom to 2,855 exabytes.

 

In related news, two recent studies revealed by the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) consortium have revealed that, contrary to popular opinion, tape continues to thrive and is, in fact, the best method for long-term storage. The LTO Program technology provider companies announced that the results from two separate studies showed that tape has significant Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) benefits over disk. Among those benefits are lower cost per GB, lower operating expenses and lower energy costs. While this may be a surprise to some, it only confirms what we at Maxell have been stating for years.

 

Both studies by the LTO group evaluated the costs of long-term storage for various scenarios that included tape and disk as the primary storage medium. In each case, tape boasted the optimal long-term cost advantages.

 

“The Notion that ‘tape is dead’ ignores the substantial evidence that favors tape as a lower cost, environmentally friendly removable medium that is well suited for offline data protection as well as high growth compliance, fixed content and archiving applications,” said Senior Analyst Mark Peters, who conducted an ESG study.

 

The Clipper Group study on archiving very large data collections also found that tape is much less expensive than disk, and uses far less energy. The TCO under The Clipper Group’s 12-year scenario found the disk solution to be 15 times greater than the cost of a tape solution. One of their reports stated, “Storing infrequently-accessed data on disk is equivalent to keeping your car running in the driveway – it wastes energy and it costs money.”

 

As the studies confirm, tape is the optimal low cost storage medium for long-term data retention. One of the more popular – and best suited – tapes for long-term archiving is LTO Ultrium 5. It has the capacity (up to 3TB) and performance necessary for archiving, with all the benefits of an open standard.

  

Like all LTO Ultrium 5 tape, Maxell’s product features all the benefits of LTO, including Write Once Read Many (WORM), which prevents data from being erased or overwritten.

 

Maxell’s LTO Ultrium 5 offers:

-  Patented corrosion resistant Ceramic Armor metal particles for superior data life

-  High coercivity mico-particles for a high level of output, a superior signal-to-noise ratio and a low, stable error rate

-  Advanced Dispersion Technology (ADT) for strong signal strength and consistent high-density recording

-  Superior tape strength and a heavy duty cartridge that is rated for over 1 million head passes with a 30+ year storage life.

 

The Bottom Line: Certainly, each set of storage circumstances warrants an appropriate solution. For long term archiving, all signs point to tape. We’d like to hear what you think about this. Comment on this post or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

External Hard Drives Help with Ongoing HD Archiving and Backup

 

High definition has created an archiving and backup challenge for video, broadcast and post-production professionals. With the ever-growing demand for HD and 3-D content, storage requirements are something every successful content creator, owner, producer and distributor must now address.

 

As acquisition and post-production tools continue to evolve, different variables—new technology, protection and other needs—come into play, creating exponential storage requirements. Internet access regularly exposes computers to potential security threats, which are becoming increasingly difficult to guard against, even with firewalls and antivirus programs. Aside from online threats, for professionals working in an environment where multiple people have access to the same system, files are at higher risk of inadvertent corruption or loss. Additionally, the massive amount of space required for multimedia storage is now taking up larger amounts of space on the hard drive. The good news is that all of these concerns can be addressed with an external hard drive.

  

According to Broadcast Engineering, the digital media market is currently experiencing the largest explosion in data growth the world has ever seen, and there is no sign of it slowing down. With this growth comes the inevitable challenge of effectively storing large amounts of data while still maintaining production efficiency. Maxell’s maxdata tank quad 3.5-inch external desktop hard disk drive (HDD) with quad interface was specifically designed to address the large files associated with HD environments, including audio/video editing, digital photography and animation files. With 1TB and 2TB capacities available, the maxdata HDDs provide video, broadcast and post-production professionals with the capacity, durability and overall performance necessary to easily and cost-efficiently archive and backup HD files.

 

 

 

 

 

The bottom line: video editors need storage hardware with quick throughput and substantial capacity. Hard drives are the only solution and external drives make the most sense.

Broadcast Engineering: Backup vs Archive

Thanks to Brad Dick, editorial director of Broadcast Engineering, for his insightful article on “Tape Archive Technology.” The post examines speed and capacity differences in LTO tape technology, specifically between LTO-5, LTO-4 and LTO-3.

There’s more to the article, though. It also details the differences between backup and archival as well as discusses online backup alternatives.

Take a look at the article and we’d be interested to read your thoughts and comments about the type of backup you use,or if your organization has implemented an archival system.


To learn more about Maxell’s complete line of backup solutions, visit www.maxell-usa.com.