Quantum Corp., a global leader in storage, today announced that Turner Entertainment Networks, one of the world’s largest all-digital broadcast facilities, has become the first customer to install the new SDLT 600A data tape system in its broadcast center in Atlanta, GA.
The first data tape drive enhanced for professional video, the SDLT 600A combines the convenience and accessibility of traditional video tape with the cost-effective performance, reliability and flexibility of Quantum data tape drive technology. The SDLT 600A is MXF-aware, enabling video tape-like access to subclips by timecode, fast access to the metadata stored on the tape and an unprecedented level of interoperability between applications and environments. Additionally, with built-in Gigabit Ethernet capability, the SDLT 600A is network-attached, permitting direct access by every workstation and server on any network.
“Quantum’s SDLT 600A will be an integral piece of implementing a file-based MXF workflow within our network operations,” said Clyde Smith, senior vice president of technology and engineering for Turner Entertainment. “In today’s data-centric world where we ‘ingest once, use everywhere,’ this product will help optimize and simplify the way professional video content is processed, distributed and archived.”
Quantum specifically developed the SDLT 600A in response to broadcasters’ and video professionals’ increasingly critical demands to store the growing volume of data produced as they transition from traditional video tape-based operations to all-digital file-based workflows for content origination, production and playout, as well as migrate from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD). During the development process, Quantum met regularly with many leading U.S. and international broadcasters, including Turner Entertainment, to understand their implementation plans and product requirements for file-based workflows.
“The SDLT 600A connects directly to our network, gives us flexibility to store content and is MXF-aware, enabling a complete end-to-end file-based workflow,” said Ron Tarasoff, vice president of broadcast technology and engineering for Turner Entertainment.
THE DATA TAPE FOR FILE-BASED WORKFLOWS
Uniquely positioned as the ideal data tape solution for file-based workflows, the SDLT 600A combines three key features critical in this environment: a tape-based file system, network-attached storage, and MXF awareness.
Each cartridge carries its own file system directory at the beginning of each tape. This allows each cartridge to be directly accessible by applications on the network without needing any other software. Drag and drop file access makes it simple for any device on the network to transfer and exchange content for a true file-based workflow.
The SDLT 600A easily connects to any Ethernet network at up to gigabit speeds, providing direct access to files via its built-in FTP server through standard browsers. This network connectivity provides a direct and simplified data path resulting in more efficient operations and system design.
The integration of MXF enables the SDLT 600A to support file-based workflows and provide an important productivity enhancement to facility operations. With SDLT 600A, any user on the network has fast, direct access to key metadata, including timecode, so that any portion of an archived video clip can be retrieved without having to restore, load or view the entire file.
The SDLT 600A is designed to use a standard Super DLTtape II media cartridge, which is portable, shelf-storable and exchangeable for seamless interoperability and application independence. With a native storage capacity of 300 GB, Super DLTtape II media provides native transfer rates of up to 288 MB/second to ensure faster-than-real-time, on-demand availability of content. It also has an expected 30-year archive life which protects assets better and at a lower cost than any video tape backup solution.
“Turner Entertainment’s feedback throughout product development was key to its success so it is fitting that they take delivery of our first units,” said Phil Ritti, vice president and general manager for Quantum Storage Media. “As broadcasters and video professionals increasingly adopt file-based workflows to improve their productivity and reduce costs, the SDLT 600A solves their critical need for a readily accessible, dynamic storage technology, from individual workstations to automated tape libraries.”
