EditShare Debuts Tapeless Workflow Solution for Multi-Camera Productions

EditShare LLC unveiled a tapeless workflow solution for multi-camera TV productions at NAB 2011.

By integrating all its product lines, EditShare has provided an end-to-end production workflow for managing multi-camera productions. Geevs (ingest/playout), Flow (asset management), and Ark (archiving) manage the creation and movement of media across the production workflow with EditShare XStream (shared storage system) at the core managing central storage and content access.

"We are now offering a fully integrated workflow – from ingest to archive – that’s specifically tailored for multi-camera productions. Soap operas, sitcoms, talk shows, concerts, events, and any other multi-camera production can benefit significantly in terms of productivity, budget, and overall quality of the final product," comments Andy Liebman, founder and CEO, EditShare. "We are providing ‘killer app’ features that allow productions to get rid of almost all their VTRs. For instance, with our Geevs ingest and playout servers, you can record directly to EditShare central storage in just about any NLE format, while simultaneously recording to local storage for redundancy and getting automatic backup to EditShare Ark after each take. Geevs provides an instant replay of all camera angles as soon as shooting stops, making it fast and efficient for directors to review takes in high-resolution. Meanwhile, other members of the crew can view in Flow proxy clips that are made in real time during recording. Geevs can even capture the tally feed from a video switcher to create NLE sequences based on iso recordings, and that can be played back in Flow and dragged into Avid or Final Cut Pro… multi-cam edits direct from the studio to the NLE timeline in the time it takes you to drag and drop. There’s no transcoding or digitizing anywhere in the process. The EditShare solution is just faster, more efficient, and more reliable than anything else on the market."

Highlights of the End-to-End Workflow
Geevs captures multiple channels of HD video in any codec-including Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHD, DVCPro HD, AVD-intra or XDCAM-and records files directly to EditShare’s shared storage systems, as well as to local storage for redundancy. Geevs also automatically generates proxy files for quick and easy viewing in Flow over a standard Gigabit network. The lighting director, dialogue coach, legal or continuity person, etc., view the raw rushes immediately from any standard desktop system connected to the EditShare network; no dubs or transcoding are needed. Assistants and editors use Flow to get a jumpstart on production: to log media, make rough cuts, and drag the clips directly into any NLE.

Users can also take the tally output feed from a video switcher to get an NLE sequence of what they are shooting. The sequence can be viewed in Flow as if it were the output feed from the switcher dragged directly into the NLE. There is no need to ever record the switched feed. The EditShare XStream shared storage system centralizes all content and manages collaboration among users with unique capabilities, such as project sharing.

Liebman further comments: "This workflow is already deployed at several sites with tremendous success. Clients are not only saving time on production, but they are also reducing hardware costs by eliminating their reliance on expensive components such as VTRs."