Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) has selected the DataDirect Networks (DDN) xStreamScaler file storage system to power its digital workflow.
MLSE, owner and operator of the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL team, Raptors NBA team, FC MLS team, Marlies AHL team, Leafs TV and Raptors NBA TV, as well as the Air Canada Centre (home to both the Raptors and Maple Leafs), wanted to create a central media repository to store and archive all its digital broadcast content from production and ingest through editing, post production and playout.
The central storage project will encompass digitizing more than 11,000 hours of videotape, eliminating multiple storage islands and streamlining content into a single, centralized storage repository, making it easier to manage, archive and repurpose content for additional revenue-generating activities.
The project required a storage system that could support a wide variety of ingest devices, editing stations running Apple Final Cut Pro and Avid and playout servers from Harris. The solution also needed to integrate with a digital asset management (DAM) system, which would be implemented during the second phase of the project. It also needed to provide full connectivity and content sharing between heterogeneous systems.
MLSE implemented the xStreamScaler file storage system, based on the DDN S2A9900 storage platform, a high-performance, high-capacity storage solution that enables real-time workflows and long-term content archiving.
MLSE operates three TV channels, two in SD and the third in HD, and has a fourth going live later this year. The broadcasting workflow at MLSE includes 10 editing bays running Apple Final Cut Pro and Avid and Harris NEXIO servers for playout. The DDN xStreamScaler serves as the central storage repository for all video and audio content.