MV iSCSI SAN server build-up Pt 1

Finally I’m about to build and sell a SAN solution to a paying client. I’m going to document the build here on Digital Cinema Demystified, as well as the 12-core Xeon Hackintosh build as soon as that project gets off the ground. You’ll find details of both right here.

For this build the task at hand is to provide a turn-key SAN (storage area network) solution comprising a bespoke server with a 24 bay chassis populated with a 8 x 2TB drive SATA RAID5 array and built-in LTO-5 tape backup. This will serve three Mac Pro FCP edit suites over +/- 160 meter 10gE SR optical fibre backbone to a managed switch delivering aggregated dual 1GbE over  normal cat-5 to each Mac Pro. The server will provide live “online” production media space for the three FCP suites as well as dedicated storage for Final Cut Server, there is a entire tape library of archive media to be ingested and catalogued.

In addition to this I will be installing a dual port 10gE network adapter into an existing Apple XServe server attached to a 16TB RAID and running a 90 meter 10gE SR optical fibre cable to a second switch which will then deliver 1GbE to 15 iMac clients also running FCP. Ideally this will be iSCSI, however the iMac only offers a single 1GbE NIC, so I will see if we can rely on wireless for general LAN network access and reserve the 1GbE for iSCSI traffic only.

The interesting thing here is not necessarily the hardware, but the server configuration as the solution calls for very tight control over storage areas that can be accessed by particular individual users on the network. I intend to configure this in such a way that there is no possible way for protected iSCSI volumes to be mounted by anyone other than the intended user from any system on the network. All of this needs to be able to be remotely administered.

I’ll also be taking a look at configuring and implementing a backup schedule to LTO-5 tape, and also at some of the general workflow improvements that a data-centric pipeline can offer a small post production operation.

A key part of this particular solution is the implementation of a project management system to track production status and resources throughout pre-production, production and post production.

I hope you will follow the posts to come and don’t hesitate to contact me if you require a similar solution.

Video post services – officially a dying industry

Many thanks to Sheri Candler that I came across this article on the Nashville Biz Blog entitled ‘Report names top 10 dying industries‘

Not in the top 10 but mentioned is ‘video post production services’.

Finally someone else has said it!

I knew from my first day working for a big and highly respected post facility in Johannesburg that I was counting down the days to what would be my last day working for a facility. I’ve been blogging about it for three years.

Apple have single handedly killed the industry. There is nothing in post or vfx that cannot be done by a dedicated self taught artist working on decent computer hardware at home… exactly what I am now doing.

This is not bad news, unless you own a post facility. For the self taught artists… editors, colorists, animators, compositors… who are now self employed with thier own equipment it’s actually one of the best times to hone skills, develop a niche expertise and pick up the work that is going to be falling away from overpriced facilities.

The report, released earlier this month, notes that — while the forecast for these industries looks bleak — it doesn’t mean all the players within them are doomed.

“Firms that protect their strength in certain market segments, focus on niche opportunities and capitalize on the dwindling number of competitors can often reap the greatest rewards as sole operators, obtaining market survival and profitability,” the report states.

This is what I find myself doing, and I have a lot of hope in picking up more and more work for clients that simply won’t do their own post in-house.

The market is not going to dissapear, but the facilities will (are) simply being priced out of business.

Gen-lock Canon 5D Cameras & Shoot 3D

I can hardly believe that my posts from last year about some of the technical challenges of shooting ‘sync’ 3D with the Canon DSLR’s are consistently getting the most hits on Digital Cinema Demystified to date. There seems to be some major interest… and need… out there for a “proper” stereoscopic solution for the DSLR.

Many thanks to Karl Kozak for bringing this to my attention and adding this to the continuing story:

Gen-lock Canon 5D Cameras & Shoot 3D! from Karl’s blog http://karlkozak.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/gen-lock-the-canon-5d-mark-ii-shoot-3d/

Every month the 3D Film Factory receives dozens of calls from Canon 5D owners worldwide asking us how they can gen-lock their DSLR cameras to shoot “in sync” 3D. Unfortunately, we’ve had to tell them that it wasn’t yet possible to gen-lock any of the Canon DSLR cameras, or Nikons for that matter. And yes, you can shoot 3D without gen-locking your cameras, but the frames will be misaligned and you can’t fix it in post. We’ve tried, trust us it looks bad.

But now, thanks to Peter Clark at Attic Studios, ingenuity has succeeded once again. Mr. Clark has devised a simple, field-tested method for gen-locking the Canon 5D mark II DSLR cameras, and thus creating beautiful, aligned, “in sync” 3D.

To read more visit — http://3dfilmfactory.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:gen-lock-canon-5d-mark-ii-cameras-and-shoot-3d&catid=42:press

About the 3D Film Factory
The 3D Film Factory is the leader in professional, affordable 3D camera systems and real-time, 3D viewing solutions. In addition we provide a host of 3D production services for hire, including 3D camera rigs, 3D viewing systems, stereographers, and 3D post, as well as, monthly 3D training workshops. Former clients include ESPN, NASA, Disney, HD Cinema, Pinewood Studios, Attic Studios and Discovery. For more information visit http://www.3DFilmFactory.com

Watch out for RED

Jim is not done.

As I watch what’s coming from Sony out of the corner of my eye, and I acknowledge the contribution that Arri have made to digital cinema with the Alexa, my vision is still fixed on Red Digital Cinema.

This from Jim:

RED FUTURE

In the beginning, some said that RED was a scam. Now some say that RED is a one trick wonder. I have said that “the 1st is the worst”.

So which is it? Is RED likely to last?

I guess this post is to say that we have more in development than we know what to do with. Our sensor program (the heart of a camera company) is way beyond my wildest expectations. We have stuff in the works that would scare you. I am shocked. Every day I wake up, the realities of what we dreamed are becoming a reality… and more. It is pretty surreal. EPIC (a nuclear reactor in a matchbox) is just the beginning. Hard to believe… but true.

Obsolescence obsolete. All the things we are doing forward work with what we are doing now. That was the concept. That is real today.

I thought I saw the future in 2005 when the decision to build the RED ONE was conceived. I also thought that was a big plan. While I guess it was… I see a much more advanced future now. Stay tuned. We have just warmed up the engine.

Jim

Beyond 4K, Supersampling and Ultra High Dynamic Range

I’ve been reading with some skepticism news out from Sony about their latest mystery CineAlta camera in the works. It seems we’ve hit a bit of a plateau in camera development the past year or so and the more I look at the shortcomings of the current digital cinema cameras on the market, the more I think Sony may be onto something big.

Could this really finally be Sony’s big break… could Sony actually be the first to market with an entirely new generation of digital cinema camera? It seems too much to believe, they’ve been slow and in my opinion brought too little too late throughout the past few years of bottom up explosion in 35mm format HD+ camera platforms. It feels they’ve not even been in the race the past three years… Red Digital Cinema, Canon, Arri have all played a role in the revolution, but where is Sony?

Perhaps they have outsmarted us all, maybe they’ve passed on the first generation of 4K cameras, choosing instead to refine thier 35mm HD platform cluminating in the F35. Maybe they’ve been waiting patiently, not interested in compromise, but intending to trump all competitors with some serious innovations in sensor design.

The specifications floating around the internet point to a break away from current (past) offerings in a few fundamental ways.

One article I have come across reads “Behind the PL mount, there’s an 8K sensor: 8768 x 2324 pixel single CMOS sensor (that’s 20.4 Megapixels) — Super35 3-perf size,  16-bit RAW output, 16:8:8.”

Resolution: Beyond Pixel Count – Supersampling

This is not an 8K camera, this is a 4K camera with sixteen photosites per pixel! There is no news yet revealing what kind of sensor architecture is involved here but what we have is 16:8:8 at 4K! This is true 4K everybody, not psuedo 4K derived from a debayer process.

Ultra High Dynamic Range – Beyond Silver Halide

Could this be the first camera to put to rest all argument that film emulsion is still superior in latitude to digital alternatives? Here we have a sensor that promises a wider color space than any other digital camera, “native” ISO is speculated at around 1000ISO. The camera shoots 16bit RAW to 1TB SR Memory Cards.

Sony is definitely taking things to a totally new level. However they are not alone in this race for the next generation of digital cinema camera technology.

Let’s not forget Panavision’s Dynamax35 which has been quietly in development for years. I wrote this in October 2009 – Panavision Dynamax 35 Ultra

We have yet to see anything come to market in the 4K camera arena from either Sony or Panavision, and I have a feeling these are two names that may come to define the next generation of digital cinema acquisition very soon indeed.