Entertainment Tonight Selects Three-Frame Spectra Logic T950

Spectra Logic Corp. announced that Entertainment Tonight selected a three-frame Spectra T950 tape library to manage 1.3PB of digital content, consisting of all of Entertainment Tonight’s aired programming and off-air checks created since it converted from analog to the high definition (HD) format.

The Spectra T950 provides Entertainment Tonight with high performance, low power and cooling requirements, ease of use and operations, as well as the ability to proactively monitor the health and integrity of content on each piece of media using Spectra’s Media Lifecycle Management (MLM).

“The Spectra T950 is one of the most low-maintenance, reliable pieces of equipment in my facility,” said Dan Henry, Entertainment Tonight’s executive in charge of production. “The analog to digital HD conversion process can be a management headache – anything to ease the process is a plus. For our deep archive solution, Spectra Logic has been rock solid."

Entertainment Tonight relocated data centers in 2008 and built a new network environment to assist with the planned conversion from analog to HD format. Entertainment Tonight selected the Spectra T950 platform after reviewing various solutions at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) tradeshow. Spectra’s T950 offered a high-density design and the ability to add media frames as capacity requirements increased over time. Entertainment Tonight’s primary data resides on an XDCAM disk format, which is then offloaded to a Spectra T950 with MassTech MassStore software.

“Entertainment Tonight needed an off-the-shelf solution to replace the old homegrown environment in our previous location,” Henry added. “The Spectra T950 is a proven, low-maintenance solution and we found that the implementation was seamless. In my view, Spectra’s libraries are the gold standard for digital content management and archive needs within the media and entertainment industry.”

The Spectra T950 enterprise-class library is designed and built to meet the stringent requirements of the enterprise for data integrity, data security and high reliability. Support options range from the expected 24×7 worldwide onsite support as well as advanced options, such as an industry-first Assisted Self Maintenance (ASM) option and proactive health reporting tools such as Drive Lifecycle Management and MLM. The Spectra T950 can scale up to 120 LTO tape drives and 10,050 slots of media storage.

“Spectra Logic is committed to being the archive provider of choice for the media and entertainment market. We are pleased that large broadcast organizations such as Entertainment Tonight, CBS, Discovery, National Geographic, Comcast, and others have put their trust in Spectra Logic, and we will continue to invest in and develop products and technologies that meet the needs of this market,” said Hossein ZiaShakeri, senior vice president of strategic alliances for Spectra Logic.

Currently in its 29th season, Entertainment Tonight is produced and distributed by CBS Television Distribution and is taped in Studio City, Calif. Linda Bell Blue is executive producer. Mary Hart is host; Mark Steines is co-host. Kevin Frazier is weekend anchor and correspondent. Samantha Harris is Correspondent. Leonard Maltin is film historian/correspondent.