Unconnected Islands for Video Editing is a Thing of the Past

Abstract

The non-linear video editing community living with unconnected islands, and either transporting material by sneaker net, or doing without, is unacceptable today. The rewards of connected edit suites are significant, provided the solution is affordable, sustains the needed data rates (as video is using lower compression), and provides the now-important collaborative workgroup environment. — Traditionally, in the non-linear video editing community, artists and other users worked as “islands of automation.” Because the volume of digital video data is so high and needs to be flowed at tremendous rates, typical networking and server solutions are far from adequate. Solutions that deliver the needed performance usually cost upward of a million dollars. — The data world was also once comprised of “islands of automation.” More than 10 years ago, when personal computers made their debut in offices, the 5 1/4“ floppy was the ”networking“ technology of choice, and business interoperability of different machine types wasn't a consideration. — Thanks to companies such as Novell, today virtually every computer in the marketplace is “network ready.” All UNIX machines, WinTel machines, and Macintoshes are delivered with inexpensive 10BaseT hardware and a variety of standard networking software. Connectivity is now “assumed” in the conventional data world. — It is expected that the video community will follow suit. With the availability of high bit rate and inexpensive hardware, and understanding of the value created by networking, will come the connectivity for video-editing applications. — It took the data world some time to appreciate all the tangential benefits of networking. More than just a way to replace the 5 1/4″ floppy, networking in the data world now means centralized backup, security, file sharing, simultaneous editing (Lotus-Notes style), and the universal shared access Internet. Networking in the video world will force a paradigm shift. Artists and video professionals use their non-linear editing in a certain fashion today with products such as Mercury Computer Systems' digital video server. Affordable, high-bit-rate networking will allow them to migrate into a new domain, where they will create higher-quality productions in less time, and with more security and ease, than ever before. — Interconnecting digital video editing workstations has long been a sought-after, but elusive feature due to the bandwidth demands. Recent advances in video technology have actually exacerbated the problem by requiring nearly uncompressed streams, multiple streams, and the need to share data in real-time with many users. Furthermore, numerous external forces such as increased broadcast channels, large cable channels, and of course the Internet, have all increased the need for efficient digital creation tools and the need to quickly “re-purpose” material. — While servers have been a wonderful boon to the data world, their architecture not well suited to the demands of video. When configured to provide adequate processing capability their costs are prohibitive. However, new storage connection technology is poised to have a positive effect on media sharing provided standard software is in place.