Case Study
Park Post
The Challenge
- To provide a rapid-access archive to integrate with Avid Interplay
- To provide an open architecture solution that can be easily integrated to custom-built in-house technology and billing applications
Overview
ParkPost is Holland’s premier broadcast Post Production house. Based in Hilversum, it is one of four broadcast entities managed by a holding called Audio Visual Consortium (AVC). AVC employs around 245 staff and offers a range of technology solutions including fibre optical connectivity; OB trucks; in-house editing facilities; television playout; IT storage; DVD authoring and high-end colour grading.
ParkPost was created in the early 2000s to expand some of AVC’s key growth markets: data storage and broadcast Post Production. With around 100 suites, the company pioneers a range of innovating editing solutions to customers, such as ‘remote editing’: broadcasters can cut, manipulate and even play out clips, from sites located kilometres away from their actual media. With a choice of Avid Symphony Nitris DXs, Avid Media Composer Nitris DXs, Avid Adrenalines and Avid NewsCutters, ParkPost customers have unrivalled choice.
At ParkPost, clients can custom-select leading-edge technology solutions matching complex digital workflows. Clients pick their ideal solution depending on their specific demands and requirements: ParkPost provides hardware, software, system support and personnel to ensure clients focus on their core business of content management and creation.
In 2006, ParkPost chose Avid Interplay as a key tool in its digital broadcast environment. Avid Interplay is the key to a seamless digital solution: ingest, edit, file-transfer, workflow, deep archive and data restore tasks are all performed from within the Avid Interplay environment. Since deployment, it has been an essential part of ParkPost’s technology offering.
Solution
SGL’s FlashNet brings the Spectra T950 and Avid Interplay together. SGL FlashNet is the world’s leading broadcast archive management software. The archive solution is based around a server-client model, and distributed database architecture. At ParkPost two SGL FlashNet archive servers provide a highly redundant, clustered archive solution. ParkPost selected SGL FlashNet when it first implemented Avid Interplay. When assessing suitable archive management solutions, Peter Bruggink, ParkPost CTO, argued that SGL FlashNet was “the only option worth considering together with Avid Interplay”. From directly within the Avid Interplay environment, ParkPost customers can archive and restore media, metadata, or even low-res browse, at the click of a button. SGL FlashNet does all the leg work behind the scenes. It manages the whole Avid Interplay deep archive, backing up or restoring data clips as required. The system processes about four hundred archive and restore events every day.
As part of SGL FlashNet’s impressive software portfolio, the StorageManager modules Defrag and LifeCycle are used extensively by ParkPost. StorageManager’s Defrag module manages tape and disk utilisation, ensuring capacity remains at optimum level. Since 2008 LifeCycle has been instrumental in facilitating ParkPost’s move from LTO3 to LTO4 tape media. Initially, the deep archive contained exclusively LTO3 media. A move to LTO4 media meant ParkPost could increase throughput and storage capacity overnight, with no increase in physical library footprint. LifeCycle was the key to this data movement process.
The Solution
- Archive: SGL FlashNet MAM/Production Environment: Avid Interplay Library: Spectra Logic T950 LTO3 and LTO4
Workflow
At ParkPost a number of workflows can take place depending on customer demands. Usually, ParkPost clients deliver material in person or by post to the company’s Planning department. Once received, material is digitised onto the Avid Interplay platform by ParkPost’s Ingest team. Avid Interplay can then be configured to automatically create a lowresolution (low-res) browse copy of every ingested clip so that editors can browse material as required. If desired, material can be stored online and edited directly. Alternatively, video can be sent straight to deep archive and edits can be made from the low-res browse. In this scenario, changes are stored within Avid Interplay then applied to the high-resolution material at a later time. Material durations can range from around fifty seconds to over four hours.
At ParkPost, Avid Interplay combines with two other industry leaders to provide ParkPost customers with a fast, secure digital data archive. Spectra Logic and Software Generation Limited (SGL) were both employed to provide a data archive storage solution that complements Avid Interplay’s ISIS disk servers. Spectra Logic’s T950 tape robot has a remarkably small footprint and ultra high capacity. It houses a range of LTO3 and LTO4 drives offering an impressive maximum throughput starting at 640MB/s. ParkPost’s broadcast archive occupies 700 slots in the library; a total maximum capacity of around 546TB or 51,000 hours of DV25 material. The Spectra T950 accommodates drives from any manufacturer, and offers ParkPost the ability to create partitions on the fly, something that is crucial with ParkPost’s broad customer base and myriad technology requirements.
LifeCycle enables users to automatically move media from one location to another based upon a set of user-designed rules. At ParkPost, the product is being used to migrate the entire LTO3 library simply and efficiently, with minimum impact on ParkPost’s operation. StorageManager has become an essential part of the business: migration of the LTO3 archive alone means that StorageManager will manipulate over 98TB of data within the Spectra Logic T950 library.
SGL FlashNet’s Open System architecture and inclusive design have also paid dividends at ParkPost. The technology team has worked with SGL FlashNet’s API to develop a unique archive billing solution. Using information from SGL FlashNet’s detailed database alongside a custom-built web interface, ParkPost has created a monthly invoicing system that charges customers for the amount of content they have stored in the archive. With eight key archive clients, it is crucial that invoices are based on customer-specific archive usage. As with ParkPost’s Avid Interplay utilisation, this billing process helps make the archive as customisable as possible, as well as providing a broader return on the original capital investment.
Results
ParkPost has integrated Avid Interplay, SGL FlashNet and the Spectra Logic T950 library with remarkable effect. Security, flexibility and dependability are all par for the course in Hilversum, Holland. Running a system of such varied complexity demands innovative solutions. ParkPost’s partners have delivered on all counts.
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