It’s time to rethink newsroom editing
Mar 25, 2008 8:23 AM
Where should the bulk of processing power and expense reside in a nonlinear editing environment like a newsroom?
To Mahmoud Al-Daccak, CTO of Maximum Throughput, the answer is clear: on the server. Rather than equipping newsrooms with multiple high-powered editing workstations, each loaded with NLE software, allow journalists and producers to edit SD and HD source material on the server from less powerful, less expensive computers.
At NAB2008, Maximum Throughput, best known for its Sledgehammer servers, will unveil two new products that put this approach into practice. HD Technology Update spoke with Al-Daccak about the company’s new MAXedit workgroup editing and MAXedit Web Edition software.
HD Technology Update: Could you describe the thinking behind your new MAXedit editing system?
Mahmoud Al-Daccak: Basically, what we have identified with the technology that we have been developing in-house is that several people are using our technology to have centralized storage and access from multiple seats of nonlinear editors. These multiple seats of nonlinear editors will vary in cost and also require certain network bandwidth.
We have developed an in-house technology that will enable us to do everything on the server while you access it from a workstation. You can do frame-accurate editing, trimming and basic editing operations on the server without having to move the material to the workstation.
So, our solution is centralized, where multiple users can have access to that server; the server can have associated storage with it or can talk to networked shared storage; and journalists can edit their stories from any workstation without stringent requirements as to the hardware they are using.
HD Technology Update: Is MAXedit software?
Mahmoud Al-Daccak: It’s basically a software solution that sits on top of a certified server from us. The certified server is specified to have the network cards or HBA cards to connect to the storage.
HD Technology Update: Can the server’s CPU perform multiple real-time transitions as various users on workstations add wipes, dissolves and other transitions?
Mahmoud Al-Daccak: It has enough to do the transitions in real time. It’s an open system, so it depends on the users. It can handle many simultaneous users, but if you need to do your transitions in real time, depending on your material, four to five people can be editing material over the server. This number refers to HD. For SD, the number is 10 to 12. In both cases, the number of real-time editing streams depends on the type of material — compressed or uncompressed — like in any other system.
So, the short answer is yes, it will handle transitions in real time on the server using the server processing power. The ability to do so will be restricted by the number of users who need to do that.
HD Technology Update: There are a variety of products and integrated systems from multiple vendors serving the news editing market. What is Maximum Throughput bringing to the table with MAXedit? In other words, what sets MAXedit apart?
Mahmoud Al-Daccak: Definitely there are many other products, and what we are bringing to the table is being able to have this centralized, network-enabled application server people can access to do editing from their workstations. They can do this from their workstation straight on the server without having to do it natively on their workstation. Basically, what we are bringing to the table is a different way of working without having to invest in all of the processing power of a traditional nonlinear editor workstation. Think of it as providing editing as a service accessed from any workstation browser in the facility. We don’t claim that it is a full-featured nonlinear editor, but for rough-cut editing it will enable journalists and producers to do some of their previews and some of their editing. We are not a high-end finishing nonlinear editor. We are an editor for news editing and cutting, so people can do all their editing in that context.
HD Technology Update: Is MAXedit scaleable?
Mahmoud Al-Daccak: Our system integrates with our centralized storage. If we just talk about editing for a second, you can grow by adding servers. If you see that you are maxing your server, people have dedicated workstations and they would have limitations. Any system would have limitations, and if you see that you are saturating your server, you are able to cluster or add more servers.
You will see the same storage, but you will have the aggregate bandwidth of the new servers responding to your editors.
HD Technology Update: You also are introducing a Web-based version of MAXedit. Is this a solution for sharing source material or finished stories among newsrooms at multiple stations in a station group?
Mahmoud Al-Daccak: At the moment, what we are launching over the Web is a service. It will allow people to upload their material, edit their material and have access to it from where they are. It will have similar functionality from a professional editing point of view.
This is a Web service that is provided so that you don’t need to buy the equipment. We do the whole thing. We handle the uploading at faster than normal ftp, then you can share your source material. That might not fit the bill for sharing material among multiple stations in a station group from centralized storage, but in the future, we will have those provisions.
HD Technology Update: Could you provide a little more detail about Sledgehammer and integration with MAXedit?
Mahmoud Al-Daccak: The Sledgehammer solution can service a group of editors as their shared storage. It has been sold to broadcasters and post houses as a fast network file server. There is also a version that supports ingesting with video I/O. MAXedit is software and a server that can connect to Sledgehammer or a network storage device or integrate with other network shared devices. Of course, the bandwidth will be limited by the third-party network access.
To be clear, Sledgehammer acts as a fast NAS. MAXedit software and the server it installs on form what we call an application server. This application server provides editing services to several editors.
HD Technology Update: Will MAXedit provide a pathway for newsrooms as they transition from SD to HD news production workflows?
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