For many post-production teams, shifting to a shared storage workflow system is a result of growing tired of dealing with the limitations of portable hard drive solutions, otherwise known as “sneaker-net.” Not so for Twin Cities Public Television (TPT), a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minn., that operates four digital television channels. Happy with what its existing sneaker-net solution provides to its 30 editors, TPT only decided to turn to Small Tree’s GraniteSTOR ST-RAID II Ethernet-based shared storage system for Mac users when a new project required that multiple producers and editors have simultaneous access to content files.
MN Original, TPT’s weekly celebration of Minnesota artists, recently concluded its first season. Responsible for producing a 30-minute show each week, TPT could no longer rely on its traditional editing approach to meet the production deadline for its popular new program. Given the workflow requirements for the five-person editing team and the strict budgetary limitations, TPT needed a cost-efficient solution that would maximize the team’s capabilities and productivity.
Capitalizing on the ubiquity of Ethernet, TPT was able to install a 48 TB ST-RAID II shared storage solution from Small Tree. According to Bruce Jacobs, chief technologist at TPT and a former PBS Technologist of the Year honoree, ST-RAID II has handled everything the station’s professionals have thrown at it, thereby enabling the team to meet the challenges of producing a weekly show without negatively impacting its bottom line.
“We considered shifting to a SAN solution years ago, but the cost of implementation and maintenance made it a cost prohibitive option at that time,” said Jacobs. “Since we’ve moved toward compressed editing and the XDCAM codec, we’re comfortable using Gigabit Ethernet as long as we know we have a server technology that can support fluid, real-time editing. With its ST-RAID II and extensive technical expertise, Small Tree has given us the confidence to implement a shared storage solution. We’re thrilled with the results.”
MN Original is made possible by the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund and the Citizens of Minnesota. The show inspires viewers to think about the arts in new ways, increases visibility of Minnesota artists and arts venues and cultivates new audiences by promoting a deeper understanding of the creative process.
Designer of simple-to-install, affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622), or visit www.small-tree.com or follow Small Tree on Twitter @SmallTreeComm.
