Highly Portable and Compact Solution for On-Set Data Management and Playback Enables Phenomenal Time Savings and Efficiencies for DITs
IRVINE, Calif. -- Aug. 29, 2012 -- Featuring a full complement of Sonnet Technologies' Thunderbolt(TM) technology-enabled advanced storage management equipment inside, the new DIT Station Rogue has been adopted by Samuel Gursky, a digital imaging technician (DIT) and owner of Irving Harvey, a digital imaging services company. The DIT Station Rogue, an ultraportable and compact on-set data management and playback workstation, brings powerful new efficiencies and time savings to Gursky's on-location camera transfer and data management workflows, including RED Camera(R), Canon(R), and other formats.
Within a single, high-impact, and compact carrying case, the DIT Station Rogue integrates Sonnet's Echo(TM) Express Pro Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis for PCIe(R) Cards with a RED ROCKET(TM) transcoding and playout card -- or any other video card. These devices are connected to an enclosed 13-inch MacBook(R) Pro platform, with full RAID storage provided by Sonnet's super-rugged and vibration-isolated Fusion(TM) F3 storage system. Also included are Sonnet's Echo ExpressCard Pro Thunderbolt Adapter SxS card reader, Tempo(TM) SATA Pro 6Gb four-port eSATA controller, and card readers for CompactFlash(R) and REDMAG(R) 1.8-inch SSD media.
"The DIT Station Rogue gives me all the power and flexibility of a tower computer in the portability of a laptop," said Gursky, a DIT professional who specializes in commercial, music video, and event production. "Although I often work with RED Camera formats, I appreciate that the built-in Sonnet Thunderbolt solutions are format-agnostic and allow me to use my equipment with any sort of media, such as SxS, CompactFlash, and REDMAG cards. I can transfer data in the time it takes for me to click the card into the reader -- it's that fast."
Gursky said the Sonnet solutions are enabling Thunderbolt to deliver on its promise of lightning-fast transfer speeds, and the DIT Station Rogue provides the lightweight, all-in-one format. Before using the DIT Station, it would take an hour to set up his equipment, but now it's as fast as finding an electrical outlet.
Gursky gives high marks to the DIT Station Rogue and the ingenious way it houses all the Sonnet gear while adding so much convenient functionality. Previously, to facilitate on-location data transfers from cameras, he was daisy-chaining his MacBook Pro to a camera card reader and then to two FireWire(R) 800 drives -- a setup that was extremely slow, inefficient, and hot-running. With this configuration, transferring a single hour of footage was an overnight proposition, and there was no mechanism for real-time playback as the transfer was occurring. Now, with the DIT Station Rogue, Gursky is able to transfer the footage in real time via the MacBook's Thunderbolt connection and Sonnet's Echo Express Pro/Tempo SATA Pro combination -- connected to a REDMAG reader in a RED ROCKET workflow, for instance. The RED ROCKET transcoder delivers full debayered RED Camera footage in ProRes 4444 format in a fraction of the time once required for transcoding using the old daisy-chain method.
The DIT Station Rogue's custom ventilation, wireless connectivity, iPad(R) mount, and full I/O housed in a military-grade case means that Gursky can receive footage from the camera and ingest it through one of three card readers; perform data management tasks; view full-resolution playback; perform on-set image adjustment; and wirelessly deliver dailies right out of the case. Facilitated by Sonnet's Thunderbolt integration, the DIT Station Rogue's Thunderbolt connection allows the workstation to achieve speeds well beyond that of a conventional laptop-based workflow, taking full advantage of both the ultra-fast connectivity and incomparable portability.
"Ready to go in 30 seconds, the DIT Station Rogue eliminates the time DIT professionals like Sam need to set up and take down traditional equipment -- leaving them more time to liaise with the DP and director," said Greg LaPorte, vice president of sales and marketing at Sonnet Technologies. "The DIT Station Rogue is a true all-in-one tool for any workflow, anywhere and anytime, and it works seamlessly through the powerful integration of Sonnet's technology."
More information about DIT Station and its products is available at www.ditstation.com. More information about Sonnet and its products is available at www.sonnettech.com.
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About DIT Station Ltd
DIT Station Ltd designs and fabricates ultra-portable data management workstations for stills and motion digital-based cameras. The company's product line utilizes the latest in high-speed connectivity, storage, and expansion to create on-set tools for digital image technicians working with all formats of camera. DIT Station prides itself on the design of its products, made 100 percent with the user in mind ... and it has a cup holder. More information is available at www.ditstation.com.
About Sonnet Technologies
Sonnet Technologies Inc. is a leader in providing storage systems, media readers, and Thunderbolt(TM) technology PCIe(R) expansion products for professional users of Mac(R), Windows(R), and UNIX(R) systems in the film, video, and broadcast industries. The company's product line features a range of high-performance, cost-effective, and reliable desktop and rackmount RAID storage solutions ranging from two- and four-drive portable units, to eight- and 16-drive desktop attached storage with advanced RAID controllers, to 16-drive, 16-port, 8Gb Fibre Channel shared storage systems that are expandable to 384TB. Celebrating 26 years in business, Sonnet has pioneered and brought to market numerous innovative solutions that enhance the performance and connectivity of Mac, Windows, and other industry-standard computers. More information is available at www.sonnettech.com.
All trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
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Image Caption: Samuel Gursky, a digital imaging technician (DIT) and owner of Irving Harvey, a digital imaging services company, with his DIT Station Rogue
