National Geographic Channel Opts for Rorke

Rorke Data, Inc., an Avnet, Inc. company and a data storage
solutions provider, has enabled the National Geographic
Channel to optimize its post production video editing workflow by providing
a cost-effective project management solution.

Rorke Data and its reseller partner, Human
Circuit, evaluated the complex workflow requirements of the National
Geographic Channel. They developed a streamlined solution, which included
Flavoursys’ Strawberry software for collaborative editing workflow and
consulting services from Rorke Data, to improve the efficiency and productivity
of the National Geographic Channel’s video editing teams.

"The solution developed
and implemented by Rorke Data and Human Circuit is exceeding our expectations
at every level," said Brad Hughes, systems engineer at the National
Geographic Channel. "We first
learned about Flavoursys’ Strawberry software at the NAB Show last year because
Rorke Data was demonstrating the solution. We already have it up and running
today because Rorke Data’s consulting services and support, including solution
design, demonstration and testing in their lab, streamlined the implementation
process. We received excellent support from Human Circuit’s technical staff and
Flavoursys’ developers as well. We expect to see a significant long-term return
on investment from this solution."

The National Geographic Channel produces hundreds of thousands of
hours of video content, including their current hit series Doomsday Preppers,
the popular Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, as well as the longest running
documentary series in cable television, EXPLORER. The editing team relies on resource-intensive post-production applications, including
Avid and Final Cut Pro, across 15 different editing systems, and a Quantum
StorNext file system.

The Strawberry-based software and server solution designed
and built by Rorke Data enables cross-platform media and project sharing in an
open storage environment with support for most high performance SAN
environments. This open platform enables customers to use off the shelf file
systems such as StorNext or Rorke Data’s HyperFS. By using the Strawberry
solution, the post-production editing team can now access more than 1,000 hours of content on demand
without having to retrieve files from archives, which is an
improvement from the approximately 150-hour online storage limitation of their
previous storage environment. Benefits of the solution include improved bin
search capabilities and project sharing, workflow integration, and
compatibility with Front Porch Digital DIVArchive and Telestream’s Quicktime
Reference workflows. The solution also enables archive access, which saves time
and resources for the edit and technical teams.

"The National Geographic
Channel challenged us to create an efficient project management workflow on a
centralized storage system for them out of islands of data," said
Robert Herzan, VP of sales for Rorke Data’s Audio Video, Digital Surveillance and
Graphics Division. "We recommended a
solution based on Strawberry software because the developers understand the
habits of editors and what they need from the system for their daily routines.
By combining Rorke Data’s industry expertise and services with the Strawberry
solution, we were able to deliver a superior solution at a cost-effective
price."

Available through Rorke Data’s global partner channel, Strawberry
software was developed by editors and directors at an operational television
station to optimize their workflow. It enables collaborative editing
with an approach to cross-application media sharing that accelerates,
integrates and improves workflows for broadcast environments, film or video
post production facilities and educational facilities. Strawberry supports a range of post-production environments from larger broadcast or film/video
facilities to the needs of freelancers and educational users.

"The Strawberry solution
was designed from the ground up to provide video editors with the simple tools
they need to focus on the work at hand, rather than waste precious editing time
managing the technology supporting them," said Esther Kerbler,
marketing and sales manager, Flavoursys. "Rorke Data has accelerated the success of our business by promoting us
via its partner channel and creating opportunities for us with world-leading
organizations such as the National Geographic Channel. We are very impressed
with their market expertise and technical capabilities, and appreciate how well
they support our customers."