Digital Infrastructure

Many will remember NAB 2003 for the new camera technologiesintroduced. But in the long run, three digital media infrastructureinitiatives could prove just as significant.

Debuted by SGI and Sun-along with an earlierintroduction by IBM-each of the projects seeks to provide a firmfoundation for current and future media production, post, anddelivery.

For years, IBM slowly but steadily built its presence in the digitalcontent creation space to the point where the company achieved good"street cred." Now, its IntelliStation line of PCs continues to win newusers, as it supports most of the major NLE, graphics, animation, andcompositing programs. The company's support of Linux for production andrendering counts too. Finally, users can tap into Big Blue's vauntedworldwide service contracts to back up a single computer or ahundred.

But IBM doesn't just deal with bits and pieces of content creationgear. The recently announced Digital Media Solutions initiative coversthe company's varied group of products, services, and consulting forbroadcasting, postproduction, and other media industries. Within thatoverall moniker, IBM's Digital Media Factory specifically addresses thecontent creation market, featuring a mix of software and hardwaretechnology from IBM and third-party vendors. One unique addition isbusiness consulting. Integrating business analysts from itsPriceWaterhouse Coopers acquisition, this service aims to create "realbusiness value from your media assets," by weaving in the bestpractices of the former PWC's worldwide roster of consultants.

HP calls it an entry-level workstation, and its suggestedretail price of $799 confirms that. But the specs on the new Pentium4-based xw4100 could fool anyone expecting a boring, minimal effort.For starters, the workstation comes in 2.6, 2.8, and 3.0GHz versions,but the kicker is that it uses the new Intel 875P high-performancechipset. This makes it one of the first machines with the very latest800MHz front side bus sporting fast dual-channel DDR-400 memory, aswell as Intel's HyperThreading architecture. Also new is Intel'sPerformance Acceleration Technology (decreases memory latency). Theconvertible tower features a newly redesigned tool-less chassis, with aclean interior cable layout, and optimized chip cooling via animpressive fan and ductwork assembly. There's front-of-the-chassisaccess for USB 2.0, 1394 (FireWire), and audio. —D.O.

As noted, IBM also offers its own Linux-based productionplatform-including Linux renderfarms and storage arrays. The aim? Toreduce operating costs by moving away from proprietary platforms andstorage, according to the company. Linux remains a vital tool for IBMin its efforts to differentiate itself from Microsoft and SunMicrosystems. For a detailed example of how IBM's approach became partof a viable new production paradigm, read Michael Goldman's "NextGeneration Digital Studio" in February's Millimeter.

The essence of SGI's Infinite Structure file system surfaced at lastyear's NAB. With a newly minted name, the SGI initiative integrates thecompany's hardware servers and storage with an advanced networking andfile structure scheme originally developed for the military. SGI's CXFSshared file system wraps all video, audio, and graphics files into adata structure via a facility-wide high-speed SAN. Originally developedfor use with supercomputers, SGI says the robust 64-bit CXFS filesystem can address more storage than practically any other such system.CXFS allows scaling storage up to 18 million terabytes-or 9 millionuncompressed 2K movie files, according to SGI.

In a series of white papers (available on the SGI website atwww.SGI.com), the company spots the file system technology'snear-unlimited growth potential as the ideal answer for post andbroadcast. While CXFS itself is proprietary, the format stayscompatible with a wide range of file formats, operating systems, andthird- party hardware.

Both Discreet and Thomson recently announced filmmastering and digital intermediate workflows using SGI servers and theCXFS file system. Last year, Studios Éclair in Paris became one ofthe first facilities to install SGI's infrastructure for both its filmlaboratory and postproduction suites. Meanwhile, Thomson uses SGIservers and CXFS as the basis for the post workflow in its FilmStreaminfrastructure. In Thomson's view, its Specter FS Virtual Datacinefunctions as the hub of a heterogeneous post environment that includesfilm and video ingest, digital effects, editing, and final film anddigital cinema release.

While not as many of the common content creation packages run on SunMicrosystems' Solaris operating system, that hasn't stopped thecomputer and networking vendor from seeking a role in creating systemsand architectures for current and future media environments. (Onepotent product, Side Effect's Houdini, does run on Sun Solariscomputers.)

At the show, Sun debuted its non-proprietary Digital AssetManagement Reference Architecture (DAMRA), an all-inclusive managednetwork to produce, post, and distribute digital content on a largescale.

Based on Artesia's TEAMS suite of digital asset management software(version 5 of TEAMS debuted at the show), Sun's DAMRA joins that withits Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) architecture, along with a varietyof Sun servers and storage arrays. Sun developed the newinteroperability standard by working with WGBH, the innovativeBoston-based PBS station. Other technology partners announced at theshow include Sony, Apple, Harris, Grass Valley, and Virage.

"IT and content creation are coming together," says Bruce Lyon,group manager and senior architect at Sun. Lyon describes the totalresult of this mixture as a "Content Data Center." But don't thinkyou'll be forced to buy into the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company'shardware and software. "(The Content Data Center) is a revolutionaryidea, since unlike some of the other companies attempting this, Sun hastaken an open systems approach. We don't force you to buy Sun products,although we can certainly supply the key products. To maximize yourinvestments, you should not be beholden to any one vendor."

Sun publishes a detailed list-which grows and changes--of fullytested hardware and applications that meet the DAMRA interoperabilitystandard. Since DAMRA features open interfaces and industry-standardcomponents, anyone from an individual to a facility or broadcaster canuse the reference system to design and deploy the next generation ofdigital media infrastructures, the very ones that integrate ITdevices.