OpenDrives, a trusted network-attached storage (NAS) solution in the digital media industry, has introduced its Ultra Hardware Platform. The new storage solution is designed specifically to enable users to scale up in multiple dimensions while preserving ultra-high performance, super-low latency, and intelligent data integrity. The solution includes three different NAS hardware solutions to meet changing business requirements and is controlled by OpenDrives’ centralized management software, Atlas.
“In scale-up instances, the most common method to increase performance and capacity is to add more disks until a limit is reached. Then customers face the dilemma of adding an additional system which does not aggregate the capacity or performance, as well as being complex, costly and difficult to manage,” said Sean Lee, chief product and strategy officer at OpenDrives. “With Ultra’s architecture, customers can choose which dimension or dimensions they want to scale; capacity, performance, or both, without limits.”
3 different models
OpenDrives’ new Ultra Hardware Platform includes three different NAS hardware series, all managed by the new Atlas centralized management software platform, enabling organizations to grow their storage solution in multiple dimensions–performance, capacity and concurrency–to match business requirements:
- The Ultimate Series delivers the highest level of performance and throughput in the Ultra Hardware Platform. Designed with speed and low latency in mind, the Ultimate incorporates an all-flash NVMe design in the form of the F and FD capacity modules to handle the most demanding workflows.
- For organizations that require a balance between performance and flexibility, the Optimum Series was designed to provide freedom of choice and is configurable with either all-flash NVMe (F, FD) or SAS HDD (H, HD) capacity modules, or both. The workhorse of the Ultra Hardware Platform, the Optimum can handle resource-intensive workflows while also managing data integrity with ease.
- The Momentum Series leverages OpenDrives’ HDD (H, HD) capacity models to deliver high performance at a cost-effective price. Designed to excel at write-intensive workflows, such as camera-heavy security surveillance, the Momentum provides power at a price-point to meet any budget.
Atlas
OpenDrives’ is announcing the latest version of its software platform, Atlas, which will be free to upgrade in Q4 for all OpenDrives customers. Altas combines all-new intelligence technology with automation in an easy-to-use, single-pane-of-glass centralized management solution for the OpenDrives Ultra hardware family. With the ability to manage all OpenDrives systems from a single interface, companies can manage their entire storage infrastructure no matter how geographically distributed it may be. Plus, Atlas seamlessly incorporates intelligent data integrity to ensure against corrupt data or data loss. New features include: inline and proactive caching, bandwidth throttling and actionable analytics to support business intelligence.
Team players
Founded in 2011 by a veteran Hollywood team of technical media engineers, postproduction professionals and studio heads, OpenDrives has maintained its commitment to solve the industry’s most critical pain points, including speed, latency, and scalability. Over the past decade, the company has grown to encompass a team of postproduction professionals fluent in performance and committed to creating seamless workflows with storage that supports the highest fidelity media across a range of industries, including Hollywood production studios, streaming, live broadcast, esports, advertising, animation, security, military, healthcare and diagnostics.
“OpenDrives’ first-hand perspective on postproduction performance means you get true partners who understand the importance of seamless workflows,” said Mark Dietel, CTO at SouthPark Studios. “By using their highly intuitive, reliable storage solution, we’re able to eliminate performance delays to give our creatives more time to iterate and perfect their projects. This continues to give South Park Studios a creative advantage within a competitive animation space.
“OpenDrives is the strongest link in the HBO Verification Lab’s stack. We have many flavors of machines and operating systems and the storage works seamlessly across the board,” said Bennett Cain, director of HBO Verification Lab. “Through their tireless support and collaborative spirit, they’ve been a top-notch partner in our facility’s growth.”
Most recently, OpenDrives adapted its NAS solution to fit the transition to a remote workforce and for an industry that relies heavily on on-premise, on-lot production. In March 2020, the company introduced OpenDrives Anywhere, an in-place private cloud model that enables users to work on the same project from multiple locations, without any compromises in workflow performance, quality and security of files.
OpenDrives’ Ultra Hardware Platform and the existing Atlas Operating System, as well as OpenDrives Anywhere, is available to existing and new customers starting today. All customers will be able to upgrade to the new Atlas software in Q4 2020.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More