NAB: EditShare Enhancing Scale Out Storage and Production Asset Management Solutions

EditShare LLC invites NAB 2017 attendees to get hands-on with company’s latest media management solutions for 4K, UHD, HDR, VR and remote productions.

Enhanced products on display include the scale-out, distributed media storage solution XStream EFS with the integrated production asset management solution Flow.

“Released just two years ago, EditShare XStream EFS is now used by thousands of media professionals every day. This widespread adoption reflects the platform’s high performance and scalability, resilient ‘no single point of failure’ architecture and unique features, such as native clients for all major OSs and ‘Storage Goals’ that let customers steer media to SSDs or spinning disks,” comments Andy Liebman, CEO, EditShare. “Adding to the appeal, EFS storage can be integrated easily into all types of workflows, from Avid or Premiere editing to VFX creation and render farms, and it can be combined with our own Flow asset management platform, providing automation, remote access, and organizational tools that help control assets and bring huge efficiencies to the production process. While the EditShare environment is very streamlined, it’s also very open,” adds Liebman, “and with our continued commitment to third-party integrations, we are enabling customers to connect a wide range of products into the EditShare core to best meet their business needs.“

XStream EFS: Media storage platform for broadcast, post and VFX
The XStream EFS storage platform is a distributed scale-out file system combined with a resilient architecture, specifically developed for media intensive workflows. The HA, failsafe infrastructure ensures there is never a single point of failure. Combined with the unique EFS Native Client network protocol, XStream EFS delivers fast and reliable SAN performance in a flexible scale-out NAS design.

“XStream EFS boasts forward-thinking capabilities that serve to protect customers in taxing media environments,” states Bill Thompson, manager, storage product, EditShare. “For example, in heavily loaded shared NAS or SAN storage systems, node contention is often a source of performance degradation. The EFS SwiftRead feature is designed to mitigate node contention and promote optimal performance.“

New for NAB 2017:

XStream EFS stack

Storage goals: XStream EFS is a storage system to allow users to dynamically define the combination of storage technology (HHD/SSD) and file protection that is applied to media and project spaces. This capability allows users to optimize storage technology and file protection for each step in their post-production workflow, all on a single storage platform with a single media namespace. Bill Thompson explains the capabilities and benefits in this video interview.

Flow screen
Click to enlarge

Flow: Asset Management for Production and Post Workflows
Flow features tools to manage ingest, log, search, retrieve, edit and distribute content and associated metadata, serving as a control and indexing layer across EditShare and third-party storage and archives. The Flow Automation module lets facilities simplify complex processes such as transcoding, QC and file delivery, while extensive codec support, including the newly added Apple ProRes along with the full range of standard Avid MXF formats, ensures efficient remote and proxy-based editing workflows.

Integration with SGL FlashNet: Answering the market demand for an open platform with key third-party integration, Flow facilitates advanced automated workflows with Interra Baton, Vidcheck, Amazon S3 and Aspera. At NAB, Flow Automation now has the option to add third-party archive capabilities to control external long-term storage solutions by providing integration with Software Generation, Ltd (SGL) ‘s FlashNet content management platform.

AirFlow diagram

For remote workflows, Flow includes the web-based AirFlow and Flow Story applications. AirFlow allows staff to search, log, edit and play proxies in a web browser from any location. Users can securely download and upload proxy or high-resolution media from on-premise EditShare storage systems from anywhere in the world. With the same remote yet secure access to on-premise EditShare storage, the Flow Story application lets editors and production teams directly assemble content, add voiceovers and collaborate with other NLEs for finishing, delivery or playout of packages beyond the borders of the facility.

Cost-Effective, Secure Proven Hybrid Workflow
While the reality of cost-efficient, secure cloud-based post production is still in the distant future, hybrid cloud workflows provide the next logical step. Company’s hybrid solution combines current in-house storage with web-based tools, offering a safe, convenient and cost-efficient way to leverage the benefits of the cloud while minimizing the risks. The IBC2016 Innovation Award winner for content management, the combination features XStream EFS storage with integrated Flow, AirFlow and Flow Story for complete collaboration anywhere in the world.